The iconic multi-member hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan are a household name amongst pretty much everybody who knows anything about contemporary music. They are more than just a hip-hop group, over the years they have grown to become their own genre within hip-hop, a feat no other group can claim.

It is not possible to track the peak of Wu-Tang’s popularity as their fan base is forever growing at a rapid pace, with people continually discovering them either through their prolific debut LP Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), there other just-as-good albums, or any members solo work, which include classics like Raekwon’s Only Built for Cuban Linx, GZA’s Liquid Swords, and Method Man’s Tical.

There is no such thing as a casual Wu-Tang fan, once you are sucked into their complex web of intricate rhymes and soulful-slash-hardcore hip-hop beats you only want to discover more and more about them until you are a true Wu-Tang fanatic - and that’s what made this night so brilliant.

On entry to the Enmore Theatre, support act Phaze One was working the mic and winning over fans left, right and centre. The international collaboration project between Australia’s M-Phazes and Emilio Rojas from the U.S put on a respectable hip-hop set full of witty rhymes and some of the best production I’ve heard all year. While I came towards the ending of their set and only saw a couple of songs, what I saw was more than enough to happily co-sign them as a very welcome addition to hip-hop.

DJ Flagrant spun a couple of tracks while we waited for Wu-Tang to hit the stage. Usually when you see hip-hop DJ’s they immediately drive themselves into a niche, opting to either play ’real hip hop’ or commercial garbage - DJ Flagrant stood out to me because, aside from his technical proficiency, his track selection didn’t ’think inside the box.’ Instead DJ Flagrant would put on some Diddy and follow it up with Black Sheep; bang out some Big L and then quickly mix it with some of Busta Rhymes’ more commercial material - every jam he played was enjoyable and most importantly, not predictable (something that’s all too rare with these kinds of sets).

As soon as DJ Mathematics walked out to relieve Flagrant from his duty on the 1’s and 2’s, the whole of Enmore exploded with excitement and immediately started chanting for the Wu.

“Bring Da Ruckus” made it’s familiar presence heard and Ghostface Killah jumped out onto the stage to perform his hype verse. He was quickly followed by U-God, Inspectah Deck, GZA, Raekwon, and Masta Killa - all the present members of the core Wu-Tang Clan (all that was missing was RZA and Method Man).

Once all members were packed onto the stage, the flurry of hits didn’t stop, from “Da Mystery of Chessboxin” to the oh-so-hard “Criminology.” Wu-Tang managed to pack so much of their discography into their set but the drawback of this was the common shortened-performances you always dread when going to a rap or R&B concert. Fair enough that all members weren’t there, but even given that fact, most of the songs were given at most a two minutes before they segued into the next hit. While this medley form of performing has its pros, the disappointment when your favourite verse from a certain track is omitted outweighs the good.

As hinted above, the reason this night was such an overwhelmingly fun night of hip-hop, was just how much the fans were into Wu-Tang: constant chanting, constant screaming, and a sea of “W” signs, the crowd really overwhelmed with how much excitement and energy was in the atmosphere. This seemed to inspire Wu-Tang to have more fun on stage, dancing around and putting every effort into their respective verses. It is this reason why the set was kept from being the disappointment that it was last time Wu played the Enmore.

Towards the middle, the expected tribute to Ol’ Dirty Bastard saw the clan bring Young Dirty, ODB’s first born son, out and he did a nice job rapping along to “Shimmy Shimmy Ya” and “Got Your Money.”

“Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthin’ Ta Fuck Wit” was without-a-doubt the standout track of the set, even if we didn’t get to experience the full version (someone should have rapped Method Man’s verse), rivalled only by the last real performance of the night “Triumph,” which saw Inspectah Deck delivering his song-stealing verse, much to everyone’s delight as many jumped in excitement.

The end of the set consisted of a few disjointed newer tracks, but the set (as was the case last time) fell apart when they invited any ditzy girl they could find onto the stage. While the tweens danced around as if they thought this was a Pussycat Dolls concert (and it’s not surprising if they actually did), Ghostface encouraged them to rap along to “M.E.T.H.O.D Man” and, as expected, none of them seemed to know what was going on, let alone any of the words. Scantily clad, the girls attracted a few cheers, but for the most part the crowd was just laughing at them.

The best part about the ending though, was that Ghostface Killah announced that he will be back to our shores in December, performing all his solo classics (and let’s hope it isn’t as messy as the last time he was out here and played The Forum).

(Most of the) Set List:
Bring Da Ruckus
Da Mystery of Chessboxin’
Shame on a Ni**a
Clan In Da Front
Criminology
Duel of the Iron Mic
Glaciers of ice
Ice Cream
Liquid Swords
Dat’s Gangsta
No Said Date
Surgical Gloves
Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthin’ Ta Fuck Wit
It’s Yourz
One Blood Under W
C.R.E.A.M
Shimmy Shimmy Ya
Got Your Money
Reunited
Gravel Pit
Triumph