Don't Go Against the Grain is the debut album by GP Wu

GP Wu

GP Wu was an American hip hop group consisting of four members, Pop da Brown Hornet, Down Low Recka, Rubbabandz and June Luve...

, released on January 27, 1997 through MCA Records

MCA Records

MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...

.

Background

One of many affiliates of the Wu-Tang Clan, GP Wu consisted of Pop da Brown Hornet (cousin of Wu-Tang Clan member Ghostface Killah

Ghostface Killah

Dennis Coles , better known by his stage name Ghostface Killah, is an American rapper and prominent member of the Wu-Tang Clan. After the group achieved breakthrough success in the aftermath of Enter the Wu-Tang , the members went on to pursue solo careers to varying levels of success...

), June Luve, Down Low Recka and Rubbabandz. The group had officially come together on Shyheim's 1996 album The Lost Generation

The Lost Generation (album)

-Track listing:#"Shit Iz Real"#*"Contains a sample from "Closer Than Friends" by Surface#"Dear God" #"Jiggy Comin'"#"5 Elements" #"Shaolin Style"...

. The group then signed with MCA Records

MCA Records

MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...

 and began work on Don't Go Against the Grain. "Black on Black Crime" and "1st Things First" were both released as singles and had music videos released, however neither made it to the Billboard charts. Production for album was mostly handled by group member Down Low Recka, with additional production done by group member June Luva, RNS and Visible. Hank Shocklee of The Bomb Squad

The Bomb Squad

The Bomb Squad is an American hip hop production team, known for their work with the rap group Public Enemy. The Bomb Squad are noted for their dense, distinct, innovative production style, often utilizing dozens of samples on just one track...

 served as the executive producer for the album.

Reception

Don't Go Against the Grain was not a commercial success and remains one of the least successful Wu-Tang affiliated albums. It only reached No. 44 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...

 and No. 15 on the Top Heatseekers

Top Heatseekers

Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical...

, not selling enough copies to chart on the Billboard 200

Billboard 200

The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

.

Critically, reviews for the album were mixed. Allmusic gave the album 2.5 stars out of 5, stating "the four members of GP Wu do a good job of replicating the Wu-Tang sound, but fail to live up to the somewhat lofty standards the rap conglomerate has established. Don't Go Against the Grain is a very consistent effort, overflowing with the style that is so distinct to hardcore East Coast rap. Consistency, however, is not necessarily genius. While the album is not completely forgettable, it fails to be particularly memorable either." Entertainment Weekly

Entertainment Weekly

Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...

 gave the album a B stating "GP Wu maintain Wu-Tang's quality and gritty authenticity without jacking their sound."

Track listing

1. "Smoking" - 4:13
2. "1st Thing First" - 3:30
3. "Two Gats Up" - 4:00
4. "Blow Up" - 4:32
5. "Party People" - 3:53
6. "If You Only Knew" - 5:05
7. "Hit Me With That Shit" - 3:53
8. "Hip Hop" - 4:27
9. "Chamber Danger" - 3:27
10. "Underground Emperor" - 3:07
11. "Life Bid" - 5:39
12. "Don't Go Against the Grain" - 4:05
13. "Things Ain't What They Used to Be" - 4:32
14. "Black on Black Crime" - 3:29

Samples

• "Black On Black Crime"
  • "Friends or Lovers" by Act I
    Act I
    Act I is the first album by the progressive bluegrass band The Seldom Scene. It is regarded one of the best and most influential albums ever recorded in the genre..-Track listing:# Raised By The Railroad Line 2:59# Darling Corey 3:43...
    
    
• "Hit Me With That Shit"
  • "Good Times" by Chic
    Chic (band)
    Chic was an African American disco and R&B band that was organized during 1976 by guitarist Nile Rodgers and bassist Bernard Edwards. It is known best for its commercially successful disco songs, including "Dance, Dance, Dance " , "Everybody Dance" , "Le Freak" , "I Want Your Love" , "Good Times"...
    
    

Charts

Chart (1998)	Peak position
Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums	44
Billboard Top Heatseekers	15

Personnel

• Chris Barnett - Engineer, Mixing
• Carlton Batts - Mastering
• Daddy O - Executive Producer
• Gary Davis - Executive Producer, Production Coordination
• DLR - Engineer, Producer
• GP Wu - Production Coordination

• June Luva - Producer
• RNS - Engineer, Mixing, Multi Instruments, Producer
• Rubbabandz - Producer
• Hank Shocklee - Executive Producer
• Visible - Producer