Of all the rap groups in the game, perhaps it is hardest to pick a favorite from the many members of Wu-Tang Clan.
Veteran rap journalist Soren Baker and expert collector Amir Rahimi debate who had the best verse on Wu-Tang Clan’s “Protect Ya Neck.” The legendary track appeared on the group’s seminal album Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). Eight of the nine Wu-Tang members are on the song, which makes for a very difficult decision.
Inspectah Deck has the first verse on the track and Baker says he was drawn in right away with “I smoke on the mic like Smokin’ Joe Frazier.”
“Right off the bat, we’re getting a guy that has these pop culture references, you can tell lyrically, he’s a superior rapper as far as his lyrics, his delivery, his wordplay, his references, his style,” Baker shares. “He had so much charisma when he was rapping, I was like man, this is an amazing song. I want to hear more of this guy. Then right as soon as you’re getting ready to get into the groove of each artist, they go to the next one.”
Rahimi agrees that Deck knows how to “control the mic” and is underappreciated for his flow. He also seconds the notion that the song showcases each artist individually very well.
“Everyone sounds very different from each other in terms of voice,” he says. “I can easily tell who’s who. It doesn’t blend at all like that, but the song is very cohesive.”
Rahimi makes sure to note Raekwon should be applauded for his intensity before the discussion goes to Method Man. He suggests that Method Man is freestyling, given his flow and choice of wordplay.
Baker explains how Method Man anchors the track, calling his performance “immaculate.”
“Method Man comes on and just I’d say annihilates it,” he says. “You’re talking about flows, I thought Method Man with the kinda stop-starty, sing-songy, off-kilter type of thing going on, it was, ‘What is this guy doing?’ It was so much style and flavor to what he was bringing to the table, both sonically, stylistically and lyrically.”
Baker salutes Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s brief appearance on the song and says his personality transcended the music.
“He has so much attitude and style and ferocity when he’s rapping that I think Ol’ Dirty is one of the most charismatic artists in rap history on songs and what he was in person,” he explains.
Rahimi shares how RZA really stood out to him on “Protect Ya Neck.”
“I kinda sometimes felt he was the weaker link in songs,” he says. “Maybe it’s his voice and his kinda awkward flow, but on this song, I felt he was head to head with everyone. He was just amazing on this. He’s great.”
Both Baker and Rahimi say Ghostface Killah’s verse is great as well, but quickly jump into how GZA aka The Genius really made his mark with a structured verse that gives a glimpse behind the scenes of the rap game, especially with a Cold Chillin’ diss.
Find out who had Soren and Amir’s favorite verses from Wu-Tang Clan’s “Protect Ya Neck” below.