In the wake of the ridiculous one-copy release of a new Wu-Tang Clan album Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, the iconic rap collective have unveiled details of their next project – and this one’s for (almost) everybody. The long-awaited A Better Tomorrow will reportedly be released via a portable speaker, similar to a boombox.
De facto frontman RZA confirmed to Billboard that A Better Tomorrow should be ready by 28 November, non-coincidentally the same day as Black Friday. All 10 Clan members will reportedly be featured on the release – and yes, that includes Raekwon.
Teaming with portable speaker company Boombotix, the release will be a $79.99 limited-edition offering on the “Wu-edition Boombot Rex”. The album will be playable on any Bluetooth device. RZA claims the technique will prevent piracy, as it can’t be downloaded – which, as anyone who’s spent any time on the internet knows, is a challenge sure to backfire as legions of digi-kids set out to do just that.
“I had the idea pop up into my head, for a while, about music being kind of disconnected to us. Of being so digitized and accessible, but yet not tangible,” said RZA. “But this thing here, a tangible item, like your old Walkman or your old cassette, or your old record, that’s what this is bringing back.”
So why is the music world not convulsing with ecstatic spasms of utopian exuberance, knowing that another dose from Hip-Hop’s most legendary crew is on its way? It may have something to do with the endless complications tied to the group. While last year’s tour in support of the 20th anniversary of Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) put them in front of massive festival audiences and took us all back to the doe-eyed pre-9/11 mindset of the nineties, the lack of full-group presence, in-fighting and absence of new material has kept the Wu in league with half-hearted nostalgia acts cashing in on a name.
We all talk about what was, with that longing spark in our eyes. Macklemore raps about it, the hipsters brag about it, and those who legitimately grew up on Wu-Tang have a depth of reverence for the wildly unpredictable rap crew that’s untouched by modern artists. But the group, for all their all-star players, have until recently been too driven on individual vehicles to feel like a fully cohesive unit. Here’s hoping A Better Tomorrow will signal a return to glory for the group who planted a cornerstone pillar in our modern musical reality.
