Wu-Tang ClanEnter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

Deliberately lo-fi and grimy — RZA built sonic collages from classic soul samples and martial-arts movie clips, stripping them to a melodic kernel and burying them under noise and drum weight. 'C.R.E.A.M.' rolls a piano line sampled from The Charmels over Raekwon and Inspectah Deck's street economics verses. 'Protect Ya Neck' features seven members swarming over a beat that earned them their record deal with Loud Records. Recorded at Firehouse Studio on an extremely limited budget. Eight or nine members crammed into a small, cheap room. RZA forced them to battle each other for verses. The grime is philosophy, not limitation.