Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers): The Samples

Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) is the debut album of the East Coast hip hop collective the Wu-Tang Clan, released on November 9, 1993. Many critics consider Enter The Wu-Tang one of the most significant albums of the 1990s and one of the greatest hip hop albums recorded. The distinctive sound of Enter the Wu-Tang created a blueprint for hardcore rap in the mid-1990s and helped return New York City hip hop to national prominence. The album itself is named for the 1978 martial arts film The 36th Chamber of Shaolin.

RZA produced Enter the Wu-Tang by creating sonic collages from classic soul samples and clips from martial arts movies such as Shaolin and Wu Tang. He complimented the rappers’ performances with “lean, menacing beats that evoked their gritty, urban surroundings more effectively than their words”, according to Stephen Thomas Erlewine of All Music Guide. The use of soul samples and various esoteric clips, and the technique by which RZA employed them in his beats, was unique and largely unprecedented in hip hop.

The gritty sound of Enter the Wu-Tang is due, at least in part, to the use of cheap equipment to produce the album. Many critics argue that this plays directly into the appealing “street” quality that makes the album a classic. Critics and admirers universally credit RZA with developing a “dusty yet digital production style that helped legitimize the use of more diverse sample sources to the hardcore New York rap massive, breaking away from James Brown based beats.”

1. “Synthetic Substitution” by Melvin Bliss
   • Sampled for “Bring da Ruckus”, “Clan In Da Front”, and “Method Man”
   • Produced by RZA
2. “Different Strokes” by Syl Johnson
   • Sampled for “Shame on a N*gga”
   • Produced by RZA
3. “Black And Tan Fantasy” by Thelonious Monk
   • Sampled for “Shame on a N*gga”
   • Produced by RZA
4. “Honey Bee” by New Birth
   • Sampled for “Clan In Da Front”
   • Produced by RZA
5. “Spinning Wheel” by Lonnie Liston Smith
   • Sampled for “Wu-Tang: 7th Chamber”
   • Produced by RZA
6. “The Way We Were” by Gladys Knight & The Pips
   • Sampled for “Can It Be All So Simple”
   • Produced by RZA
7. “Got The (Blues)” by Labi Siffre
   • Sampled for “Can It Be All So Simple”
   • Produced by RZA
8. “Impreach The President” by The Honey Drippers
   • Sampled for “Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing ta F’ Wit”
   • Produced by RZA, co-produced by Method Man
9. “Hihache” by Lafayette Afro Rock Band
   • Sampled for “Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing ta F’ Wit”
   • Produced by RZA, co-produced by Method Man
10. “I’ll Never Grow Old” by The Charmels
    • Sampled for “C.R.E.A.M.”
    • Produced by RZA
11. “Sport” by Lightin’ Rod
    • Sampled for “Method Man”
    • Produced by RZA
12. “More Bounce To The Ounce” by Zapp
    • Sampled for “Method Man”
    • Produced by RZA
13. “Method Of Modern Love” by Hall & Oates
    • Sampled for “Method Man”
    • Produced by RZA
14. “Sundown” by Gordon Lightfoot
    • Sampled for “Method Man”
    • Produced by RZA
15. “Tramp” by Lowell Fulsom
    • Sampled for “Protect Ya Neck”
    • Produced by RZA
16. “The Grunt” by The J.B.’s
    • Sampled for “Protect Ya Neck”
    • Produced by RZA
17. “Sing A Simple Song” by Sly & The Family Stone
    • Sampled for “Protect Ya Neck”
    • Produced by RZA
18. “Cold Feet” by Albert King
    • Sampled for “Protect Ya Neck”
    • Produced by RZA
19. “After Laughter (Comes Tears)” by Wendy Rene
    • Sampled for “Tearz”
    • Produced by RZA

Download Wu-Tang Clan: Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) [The Samples]