Spotlight: Supreme Clientele

Although early in the decade, the sound of East Coast 90s hip hop was still highly in demand. In fact, the year 2000 can be considered as belonging to the 1990s, as many would argue that the new millennium did not start until 2001. Many of the styles, trends, and music of the 90s would not phase out until later in the decade.

Ten years ago this week, Ghostface Killah of the Wu-Tang Clan released his second solo album Supreme Clientele. Released four years after Ghostface’s Ironman, it was also the first Wu-Tang related album of the new millennium. The album is also one of the more recognizable Wu Tang solo albums and is said to be Ghostface’s best solo album amongst many fans.

At the time, Wu-Tang Clan was still in its peak of success. Supreme Clientele would go on to reach the top ten spot of the Billboard 200. People still appreciated CDs. People still listened to music. In fact, one of the reasons that many East Coast rappers found themselves topping music charts that Elvis and The Beatles had was because the Internet had yet to rise to popularity. It was a time when people were more or less forced to go out and buy a CD in order to get a refined sound as opposed to today where people could download it for free and get the same sound quality.

Which brings us to the Wu-Tang Clan (and mainly Ghostface). Ghostface’s album helped the Wu-Tang Clan keep its name alive going into the new millennium. Sure, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Raekwon, GZA, U-God, and Inspectah Deck had released solo albums from 1998 to 1999 but many of them were overlooked. However, that is not saying that any of those albums were bad. Being the first Wu-Tang solo album of the new millennium, Supreme Clientele guaranteed a spot for the group in the new decade.

Perhaps it is Ghostface himself seeing as he has always been one of the more popular members of Wu-Tang (demonstrated by his appearances in 30 Rock and Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.) Whatever it may be, Supreme Clientele serves as the stepping-stone that the group used to go forth into the new millennium. With a sound that is reminiscent to old Wu-Tang hits (“The Grain” and “Buck 50” are upbeat like “Shame On A Nigga” while “Mighty Healthy” has a dark, gritty feel like “Tearz”) Supreme Clientele feels like a group album as many of the members make appearances on different tracks.

Who knows what album will serve as the gateway to Wu-Tang’s place in the new decade? Perhaps it is Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… Pt. II, which was released last year and received many positive reviews by fans and critics. Or maybe it is The Wu-Massacre, which is a forthcoming collaboration album between Ghostface, Raekwon, and the popular Method Man. Whatever it may be, it certainly seems that the group is not going anywhere soon or as fans would put it: Wu-Tang is forever.