Iron Flag
Encyclopedia
Iron Flag is the fourth studio album
by American
East Coast hip hop
collective Wu-Tang Clan
, released December 18, 2001 on Loud Records
. The album was certified gold
in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America
. Iron Flag served as the group's second lowest-selling album (687,000 copies), as their record label, Loud, was on the verge of shutting down at the time. The album debuted at #32 on the Billboard 200
with 153,000 copies sold in the first week released.
and second
albums, and the second and third albums, with those gaps being filled by a myriad of solo projects. It was consequently surprising to many when the Clan reformed for a new LP only a year after their well-received 2000 album The W
, with only RZA
's Digital Bullet
and Ghostface Killah
's Bulletproof Wallets
released in between. The album's promotion was also quite low-key, particularly in comparison to the fanfare, hype and expensive videos that had preceded the release of the group's two previous albums. Unusual for hip hop albums of the time, Iron Flag only consists of 12 tracks (which contain 13 songs plus a short introduction) with no interludes or skits between songs. This is similar to The W, which only consisted of 13 tracks (though unlike Iron Flag it did feature interludes and skits).
flag-raising photo from 1945, one of the most famous photos of all time.
's contributions to the Wu-Tang's group albums continued to decrease with each successive album: after being one of the main stars of Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers, he was by far the least prolific Clan member on the group's follow-up album Wu-Tang Forever
. He then made only one appearance on The W (on the song "Conditioner") due to being engulfed in legal troubles; legal troubles which in the year separating The W and Iron Flag had only gotten worse. Consequently, ODB does not appear on Iron Flag at all, making The W the final Wu-Tang album to feature him. He does, however, appear on 8 Diagrams
posthumously.
Another absentee is Cappadonna
: after being merely a very close affiliate of the group on Wu-Tang Forever, he appeared to have become absorbed into the group itself as a full member on The W (tracks with his contributions no longer being marked as "featuring Cappadonna"). In the year following the release of The W Cappadonna had become dissatisfied with being in the group (RZA has said he felt unhappy that people outside of the group did not respect him as much as the original nine members) and had also been in dispute with the group over the revelation that his manager Michael Caruso was a police informant. Whatever the case, he does not appear on the album. Although, it should be noted that he appears on the original cover of the album but was air brushed out. The original cover appears on the back of the "Wu-Tang Manual" by RZA. This suggests that he might have been removed from the album in post production.
producers True Master
and Mathematics
:
Though these two producers are known for their distinctly traditional Wu-Tang sound, these two beats do not particularly resemble much of the Clan's previous output, at least not as a group. If anything they resemble some of the sharp 1970s soul
-influenced funk tracks from the Wu-Tang's 1999-2000 solo albums (U-God
's "Dat Gangsta" and "Soul Dazzle" from Golden Arms Redemption
, Inspectah Deck
's "Word On The Street" and "Movers & Shakers" from Uncontrolled Substance
).
and Snoop Dogg
. Nevertheless, Iron Flag also makes use of non-Wu artists well-known in their own right: Flavor Flav
of Public Enemy provides the chorus for "Soul Power (Black Jungle)", and "Back In The Game" features both pop-rap hitmakers Trackmasters
and soul
legend Ronald Isley
. Nick "Fury" Loftin also produces "One Of These Days", sampling Donny Hathaway
's rendition of Ray Charles
' "I Believe To My Soul" for its hook and using a fairly generic coupling of muffled horn stabs and soul guitar.
"Back in the Game" opens with the same vocal sample ("if what you say is true, the Shaolin and the Wu-Tang could be dangerous!") as 36 Chambers, but it sounds little like anything the Clan had done before; it also sounds little like well-known Trackmasters hits of the time, such as R. Kelly
's "Fiesta" (apart from its use of bongos
). A delicate piano melody is layered over a heavy organ
vamp and a stumbling, complex rhythm.
A number of critics, such as the NME's Ted Kessler and The Onion A.V. Club's Nathan Rabin, saw Flavor Flav's appearance as a way to temporarily fill the clownish role of the absent Ol' Dirty Bastard. Flav sings the call-and-response chorus of "Soul Power (Black Jungle)" with U-God, and has a long conversation with Method Man in the song's outro about growing up in Long Island
, where Flav hails from.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
East Coast hip hop
East Coast hip hop
East Coast hip hop is a regional subgenre of hip hop music that originated in New York City, USA during the 1970s. Hip hop is recognized to have originated and evolved first in the East Coast...
collective Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
The Wu-Tang Clan is a hip-hop group from Staten Island that consists of RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. They are frequently joined by fellow childhood friend Cappadonna, a quasi member of the group...
, released December 18, 2001 on Loud Records
Loud Records
Loud Records is a subsidiary of SRC Records founded by Steve Rifkind in 1992.Loud was a hip hop label which has released material by acts such as Wu-Tang Clan, Big Punisher, Mobb Deep, Krayzie Bone, The Beatnuts, M.O.P., Tha Alkaholiks, Pete Rock, Lil' Flip, Three 6 Mafia, Project Pat, Xzibit,...
. The album was certified gold
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
. Iron Flag served as the group's second lowest-selling album (687,000 copies), as their record label, Loud, was on the verge of shutting down at the time. The album debuted at #32 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...
with 153,000 copies sold in the first week released.
Overview
A gap of four years separated both the firstEnter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
Enter the Wu-Tang is the debut album of American hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, released November 9, 1993, on Loud Records and distributed through RCA Records. Recording sessions for the album took place during 1992 to 1993 at Firehouse Studio in New York City, and it was mastered at The Hit Factory...
and second
Wu-Tang Forever
Wu-Tang Forever is the second studio album of American hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan, released June 3, 1997 on Loud/RCA Records in the United States. Pressed as a double album, it was released after a long run of successful solo projects from various members of the group, and serves as the follow-up...
albums, and the second and third albums, with those gaps being filled by a myriad of solo projects. It was consequently surprising to many when the Clan reformed for a new LP only a year after their well-received 2000 album The W
The W
The W is the third studio album by the American hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, released November 21, 2000 on Loud/Columbia Records. It was released several years after their previous album Wu-Tang Forever, to which many group members released solo projects between the two albums...
, with only RZA
RZA
Robert Fitzgerald Diggs, better known by his stage name RZA , is an American Grammy-winning music producer, multi-instrumentalist, author, emcee, and occasional actor, director, and screenwriter. A prominent figure in Hip Hop, RZA is the de facto leader of the Wu-Tang Clan. He has produced almost...
's Digital Bullet
Digital Bullet
Digital Bullet is the second solo studio album by the American hip hop artist RZA under his pseudonym Bobby Digital, which was released on August 28, 2001...
and 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...
's Bulletproof Wallets
Bulletproof Wallets
Bulletproof Wallets is the third studio album by Wu-Tang Clan member Ghostface Killah, an American hip hop artist.-Album information:Despite a relatively positive critical reception, the album did not perform well in the charts, struggling to sell more than 100,000 in its first week...
released in between. The album's promotion was also quite low-key, particularly in comparison to the fanfare, hype and expensive videos that had preceded the release of the group's two previous albums. Unusual for hip hop albums of the time, Iron Flag only consists of 12 tracks (which contain 13 songs plus a short introduction) with no interludes or skits between songs. This is similar to The W, which only consisted of 13 tracks (though unlike Iron Flag it did feature interludes and skits).
Album cover
The album cover is inspired by the Iwo JimaIwo Jima
Iwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...
flag-raising photo from 1945, one of the most famous photos of all time.
Absences
Ol' Dirty BastardOl' Dirty Bastard
Russell Tyrone Jones was an American rapper and occasional producer, who went by the stage name Ol' Dirty Bastard or simply ODB...
's contributions to the Wu-Tang's group albums continued to decrease with each successive album: after being one of the main stars of Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers, he was by far the least prolific Clan member on the group's follow-up album Wu-Tang Forever
Wu-Tang Forever
Wu-Tang Forever is the second studio album of American hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan, released June 3, 1997 on Loud/RCA Records in the United States. Pressed as a double album, it was released after a long run of successful solo projects from various members of the group, and serves as the follow-up...
. He then made only one appearance on The W (on the song "Conditioner") due to being engulfed in legal troubles; legal troubles which in the year separating The W and Iron Flag had only gotten worse. Consequently, ODB does not appear on Iron Flag at all, making The W the final Wu-Tang album to feature him. He does, however, appear on 8 Diagrams
8 Diagrams
8 Diagrams is the fifth studio album by American hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, released December 11, 2007 on SRC/Universal Motown Records. The album was released three years after the passing of Ol' Dirty Bastard, and six years after the group's previous LP Iron Flag, for which many group members...
posthumously.
Another absentee is Cappadonna
Cappadonna
Darryl Hill best known by his stage name Cappadonna, is an American rapper and oftentimes member of the Wu-Tang Clan. He is also a member of rap duo Wu South, along with Ratchet Rush.-Biography:...
: after being merely a very close affiliate of the group on Wu-Tang Forever, he appeared to have become absorbed into the group itself as a full member on The W (tracks with his contributions no longer being marked as "featuring Cappadonna"). In the year following the release of The W Cappadonna had become dissatisfied with being in the group (RZA has said he felt unhappy that people outside of the group did not respect him as much as the original nine members) and had also been in dispute with the group over the revelation that his manager Michael Caruso was a police informant. Whatever the case, he does not appear on the album. Although, it should be noted that he appears on the original cover of the album but was air brushed out. The original cover appears on the back of the "Wu-Tang Manual" by RZA. This suggests that he might have been removed from the album in post production.
Revisiting old sounds
Rather than stick to one unified sound for most of the album's tracks, as with previous Clan albums, much of Iron Flag returns to many different individual sounds and styles that the Wu-Tang had visited over the years:- "Chrome Wheels" uses the synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
-heavy "digital orchestra" sound of RZA's Bobby Digital In StereoBobby Digital in StereoBobby Digital in Stereo is the solo debut album by the American hip hop artist RZA, a member of Wu-Tang Clan. It was released on November 24, 1998, and was certified Gold on February 5, 1999, by the RIAA...
(RZA also raps in the song as his Bobby Digital persona, and Bobby Digital is name checked in the bridgeBridge (music)In music, especially western popular music, a bridge is a contrasting section which also prepares for the return of the original material section...
(sung by Madame D). "Dashing (Reasons)" also uses the Bobby Digital sound, with the Digital trademarks of the off-kilter keyboard riff, a high-pitched portamentoPortamentoPortamento is a musical term originated from the Italian expression "portamento della voce" , denoting from the beginning of the 17th century a vocal slide between two pitches and its emulation by members of the violin family and certain wind instruments, and is sometimes used...
sine wave synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
, and prominent synthesized hi-hatHi-hatA hi-hat, or hihat, is a type of cymbal and stand used as a typical part of a drum kit by percussionists in R&B, hip-hop, disco, jazz, rock and roll, house, reggae and other forms of contemporary popular music.- Operation :...
s. - "Radioactive (Four Assassins)" is firmly in the gritty, foreboding style of the Wu-Tang's debut album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers): it has a recurring dialogue sample from a martial artsMartial artsMartial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
movie, short and indistinct one-noteNoteIn music, the term note has two primary meanings:#A sign used in musical notation to represent the relative duration and pitch of a sound;#A pitched sound itself....
samplesSampling (music)In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
buried in the mix, a quickly looping ascending basslineBasslineA bassline is the term used in many styles of popular music, such as jazz, blues, funk, dub and electronic music for the low-pitched instrumental part or line played by a rhythm section instrument such as the electric bass, double bass, tuba or keyboard...
, and hard, pounding drums. The beat also incorporates the sound of shurikenShurikenA shuriken is a traditional Japanese concealed weapon that was generally used for throwing, and sometimes stabbing or slashing...
throwing blades, which are "launched" with a single B note, before the sound effect pansPanning (audio)Panning is the spread of a sound signal into a new stereo or multi-channel sound field. A typical physical recording console pan control is a knob with a pointer which can be placed from the 8 o'clock dial position fully left to the 4 o'clock position fully right...
from right to left then back again before dissipating. The repeated horn blare at the start of every bar is also reminiscent of Public Enemy, particularly "Night of the Living Baseheads." - "Iron Flag" has all the hallmarks of the Wu-Tang Forever sound: string samples coupled with subtle keyboards and a sped-up vocal sample (a technique which was pioneered by the RZA on Wu-Tang Forever but which by the time of Iron Flag's release had been widely imitated by many, most notably Just BlazeJust BlazeJustin Smith, better known as Just Blaze, is an American hip hop music producer from Paterson, New Jersey. Blaze is also the CEO of Fort Knocks Entertainment. He is most well known for producing Jay-Z songs on the albums The Blueprint, The Blueprint 2, and The Black Album. He is also known for...
and Kanye WestKanye WestKanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
). - "Uzi (Pinky Ring)" recalls The Ws murky blaxploitationBlaxploitationBlaxploitation or blacksploitation is a film genre which emerged in the United States circa 1970. It is considered an ethnic sub-genre of the general category of exploitation films. Blaxploitation films were originally made specifically for an urban black audience, although the genre's audience...
-influenced atmosphere with its dramatic horn riffs and gritty drums. "Soul Power (Black Jungle)" is also reminiscent, albeit to a lesser extent, of The W.
Wu-Elements contributions
Many of the remaining tracks sound little like much the Clan had done before, and little like each other. This may be a result of the collaborators involved: all of the above tracks are produced by the RZA, whereas of the remaining six only two are RZA produced. Two are produced by in-house Wu-ElementsWu-Elements
-Conception :The Wu-Elements are a production team closely affiliated with the Wu-Tang Clan. A loosely-knit group, it consists of five producers who typically support main producer RZA in handling production duties for Wu-Tang group, solo and affiliate releases...
producers True Master
True Master
True Master is an American hip-hop producer and very occasional rapper. He is closely affiliated with the Wu-Tang Clan and an original member of its production team, sometimes referred to as Wu-Elements. He derives his rap nom de plume from the martial arts movie of the same name...
and Mathematics
Mathematics (producer)
Mathematics, also known as Allah Mathematics, is a hip hop producer and DJ for the Wu-Tang Clan. As well as producing many tracks for the Wu-Tang Clan and for its solo and affiliate projects, Math has released two solo albums.-Biography:Born and raised in Jamaica, Queens, New York Mathematics was...
:
- True Master's "Y'all Been Warned" is a simple one-barBar (music)In musical notation, a bar is a segment of time defined by a given number of beats of a given duration. Typically, a piece consists of several bars of the same length, and in modern musical notation the number of beats in each bar is specified at the beginning of the score by the top number of a...
composition with a funky guitar riff over a steady rhythm and a deeply buried piano sample. The advance copy of Iron Flag featured a slightly different version of this song which featured a synthesizer line over the top of the guitar riff. It is not known why this was changed for the final release. - Mathematics' "Rules" features a pattern of one bar repeated three times then a one-bar turnaround. The repeated bar features four samples layered in a vaguely call-and-response structure: an initial horn sample is answered by a James Brown grunt, which is answered by a two-chord piano sample, which is answered by another James Brown grunt. The horn sample is highest in the mix and effectively "leads" the other samples. The turnaround bar has two descending chordsChord (music)A chord in music is any harmonic set of two–three or more notes that is heard as if sounding simultaneously. These need not actually be played together: arpeggios and broken chords may for many practical and theoretical purposes be understood as chords...
with a high-pitched picked guitar riffRIFFThe Resource Interchange File Format is a generic file container format for storing data in tagged chunks. It is primarily used to store multimedia such as sound and video, though it may also be used to store any arbitrary data....
, bringing the four-bar pattern to the start once again. With its intro of scratched samples of various Wu-Tang lyrics, this track can be viewed as reminiscent of hip-hop producer DJ Premier's distinctive style.
Though these two producers are known for their distinctly traditional Wu-Tang sound, these two beats do not particularly resemble much of the Clan's previous output, at least not as a group. If anything they resemble some of the sharp 1970s soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
-influenced funk tracks from the Wu-Tang's 1999-2000 solo albums (U-God
U-God
Lamont Hawkins , better known as U-God , is an American rapper and member of the hip hop collective, Wu-Tang Clan. He has been with the group since its inception, and is known for having a deep, rhythmic flow that can alternate between being gruff or smooth...
's "Dat Gangsta" and "Soul Dazzle" from Golden Arms Redemption
Golden Arms Redemption
Golden Arms Redemption is the solo debut album by Wu-Tang Clan member U-God, an American hip hop musician.-Track listing:-Album chart positions:-Singles chart positions:...
, Inspectah Deck
Inspectah Deck
Jason Hunter, better known by his stage name Inspectah Deck, is an American rapper, producer, and member of the Wu-Tang Clan...
's "Word On The Street" and "Movers & Shakers" from Uncontrolled Substance
Uncontrolled Substance
Uncontrolled Substance is the solo debut album by rapper, and Wu-Tang Clan member Inspectah Deck. Originally slated for release in 1995, the record was indefinitely postponed after a flood destroyed over 100 beats in RZA's basement, including his original productions for the album...
).
Outside collaborators
There had been some discontent among fans and critics when The W included non-Wu Tang affiliated hip hop crossover superstars Busta RhymesBusta Rhymes
Trevor Tahiem Smith, Jr., better known by his stage name Busta Rhymes ,Smith is an American rapper, producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the alias Busta Rhymes after NFL wide receiver George "Buster" Rhymes...
and Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...
. Nevertheless, Iron Flag also makes use of non-Wu artists well-known in their own right: Flavor Flav
Flavor Flav
William Jonathan Drayton, Jr. , better known by his stage name Flavor Flav, is an American rapper and television personality who rose to prominence as a member of the rap group Public Enemy...
of Public Enemy provides the chorus for "Soul Power (Black Jungle)", and "Back In The Game" features both pop-rap hitmakers Trackmasters
Trackmasters
The Trackmasters are the successful production duo of Poke and Tone , sometimes credited as Poke & Tone, best known for their commercial hit records in the late 90s and early 2000s. Throughout their career they have worked with various hip-hop and R&B artists including R...
and soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
legend Ronald Isley
Ronald Isley
Ronald Isley is an American singer and is known as the lead singer and founding member of the family music group The Isley Brothers.-Career:...
. Nick "Fury" Loftin also produces "One Of These Days", sampling Donny Hathaway
Donny Hathaway
Donny Edward Hathaway was an American soul singer-songwriter and musician. Hathaway contracted with Atlantic Records in 1969 and with his first single for the Atco label, "The Ghetto, Part I" in early 1970, Rolling Stone magazine "marked him as a major new force in soul music."His collaborations...
's rendition of Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
' "I Believe To My Soul" for its hook and using a fairly generic coupling of muffled horn stabs and soul guitar.
"Back in the Game" opens with the same vocal sample ("if what you say is true, the Shaolin and the Wu-Tang could be dangerous!") as 36 Chambers, but it sounds little like anything the Clan had done before; it also sounds little like well-known Trackmasters hits of the time, such as R. Kelly
R. Kelly
Robert Sylvester Kelly , better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. A native of Chicago, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play...
's "Fiesta" (apart from its use of bongos
Bongo drum
Bongo or bongos are a Cuban percussion instrument consisting of a pair of single-headed, open-ended drums attached to each other. The drums are of different size: the larger drum is called in Spanish the hembra and the smaller the macho...
). A delicate piano melody is layered over a heavy organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
vamp and a stumbling, complex rhythm.
A number of critics, such as the NME's Ted Kessler and The Onion A.V. Club's Nathan Rabin, saw Flavor Flav's appearance as a way to temporarily fill the clownish role of the absent Ol' Dirty Bastard. Flav sings the call-and-response chorus of "Soul Power (Black Jungle)" with U-God, and has a long conversation with Method Man in the song's outro about growing up in Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, where Flav hails from.
Track listing
| # | Title | Performer(s) | Songwriters | Producer(s) | Samples / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "In the Hood" |
|
Elgin Turner Robert Diggs Jason Hunter Patrick Charles |
RZA RZA Robert Fitzgerald Diggs, better known by his stage name RZA , is an American Grammy-winning music producer, multi-instrumentalist, author, emcee, and occasional actor, director, and screenwriter. A prominent figure in Hip Hop, RZA is the de facto leader of the Wu-Tang Clan. He has produced almost... |
|
| 2 | "Rules" |
|
Dennis Coles Corey Woods Elgin Turner Jason Hunter Clifford Smith Ronald Bean Patrick Charles |
Mathematics Mathematics (producer) Mathematics, also known as Allah Mathematics, is a hip hop producer and DJ for the Wu-Tang Clan. As well as producing many tracks for the Wu-Tang Clan and for its solo and affiliate projects, Math has released two solo albums.-Biography:Born and raised in Jamaica, Queens, New York Mathematics was... |
Ann Peebles Ann Peebles is an African American singer-songwriter who gained celebrity for her Memphis soul albums of the 1970s on the Hi Records label... |
| 3 | "Chrome Wheels" |
Prodigal Sunn Prodigal Sunn is an American rapper, actor and entrepreneur.- Biography :Prodigal Sunn was the only child of indigenous parents and grew up in Brooklyn. During his youth, Prodigal was known as the ‘Sun of Man’ and was later re-christened "Prodigal Sunn" by childhood friend Killah Priest in... |
Corey Woods Elgin Turner Robert Diggs Vergil Ruff |
RZA | |
| 4 | "Soul Power (Black Jungle)" |
Flavor Flav William Jonathan Drayton, Jr. , better known by his stage name Flavor Flav, is an American rapper and television personality who rose to prominence as a member of the rap group Public Enemy... /Raekwon |
Lamont Hawkins Dennis Coles Robert Diggs Corey Woods Elgin Turner Jason Hunter Clifford Smith |
RZA | |
| 5 | "Uzi (Pinky Ring) Uzi (Pinky Ring) "Uzi " is a song from Iron Flag, the fourth album by rap group Wu-Tang Clan. It was released as the album's first single, with an accompanying music video directed by The RZA.... " |
|
Lamont Hawkins Dennis Coles Robert Diggs Corey Woods Elgin Turner Jason Hunter Clifford Smith Gary Grice Clarence Reid Russel Jones |
RZA |
|
| 6 | "One of These Days" |
|
Lamont Hawkins Nick Loftin Corey Woods Jason Hunter Patrick Charles |
Nick "Fury" Loftin |
Donny Hathaway Donny Edward Hathaway was an American soul singer-songwriter and musician. Hathaway contracted with Atlantic Records in 1969 and with his first single for the Atco label, "The Ghetto, Part I" in early 1970, Rolling Stone magazine "marked him as a major new force in soul music."His collaborations... |
| 7 | "Y'All Been Warned" |
|
Robert Diggs Corey Woods Elgin Turner Jason Hunter Clifford Smith Derek Harris Patrick Charles |
True Master True Master True Master is an American hip-hop producer and very occasional rapper. He is closely affiliated with the Wu-Tang Clan and an original member of its production team, sometimes referred to as Wu-Elements. He derives his rap nom de plume from the martial arts movie of the same name... |
|
| 8 | "Babies" |
|
Dennis Coles Robert Diggs Corey Woods Jason Hunter Gary Grice |
RZA |
|
| 9 | "Radioactive (Four Assassins)" |
|
Robert Diggs Corey Woods Elgin Turner Gary Grice Clifford Smith |
RZA | |
| 10 | "Back in the Game" |
|
Dennis Coles Corey Woods Gary Grice Jason Hunter Clifford Smith Samuel Barnes Jean-Claude Olivier |
Trackmasters Trackmasters The Trackmasters are the successful production duo of Poke and Tone , sometimes credited as Poke & Tone, best known for their commercial hit records in the late 90s and early 2000s. Throughout their career they have worked with various hip-hop and R&B artists including R... |
|
| 11 | "Iron Flag" |
|
Lamont Hawkins Robert Diggs Corey Woods Elgin Turner Jason Hunter |
RZA |
Ann Peebles Ann Peebles is an African American singer-songwriter who gained celebrity for her Memphis soul albums of the 1970s on the Hi Records label... |
| 12 | "Dashing (Reasons)" |
|
Robert Diggs Jason Hunter Gary Grice |
RZA | |
| 13 | "The W" (Bonus Track) |
|
Robert Diggs Lamont Hawkins Jason Hunter Gary Grice |
RZA |
Album singles
| Single information |
|---|
| "Uzi (Pinky Ring) Uzi (Pinky Ring) "Uzi " is a song from Iron Flag, the fourth album by rap group Wu-Tang Clan. It was released as the album's first single, with an accompanying music video directed by The RZA.... "
|
| "Rules"
|
| "Back in the Game"
|
Album Chart Positions
| Year | Album | Chart positions | |
| 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... |
Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums | ||
| 2002 | Iron Flag | #32 | #6 |
Singles Chart Positions
| Year | Song | Chart positions | ||
| Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | Hot Rap Singles | ||
| 2002 | "Uzi (Pinky Ring) Uzi (Pinky Ring) "Uzi " is a song from Iron Flag, the fourth album by rap group Wu-Tang Clan. It was released as the album's first single, with an accompanying music video directed by The RZA.... " |
- | #93 | #16 |