No doubt one of the most highly anticipated hip-hop releases of the year, 8 Diagrams is the latest effort from the Wu-Tang Clan. Pushed back several times, and surrounded by an incredible amount of hype, this album had a great potential to suck - particularly in light of the Wu's last couple of albums. Fortunately, however, 8 Diagrams packs enough heat to make it the best Wu album since their classic Wu-Tang Forever. RZA, the mastermind producer and MC behind the Wu-Tang sound, lays down some seriously grimy beats on 8 Diagrams. This album feels like a logical step in the progression of the Wu sound. Always pushing his sound in new directions, as you would expect from a living musical legend, RZA shines brightest when he takes trips to the dark side on this album. -laist.com