Def Jam Records

By Anthony Benigno

As hip-hop gets more and more ornery, there’s something refreshingly old-school about three of the greats working their magic over bare-bones beats. “Wu-Massacre” isn’t a proper Wu-Tang record, but it’s almost better that way; the Clan’s troubled ’07 album “8 Diagrams” faltered amongst reports of clashing egos, so having just Method Man, Ghostface and Raekwon show up on “Wu-Massacre” means less cooks in the stew, which translates to a much more efficient album.

And clocking in at a half-hour, “Wu-Massacre” is nothing if not efficient. The verses are fast and furious, the beats are sparse and vicious, and familiar guest stars (the Wu’s Inspectah Deck and a bizarro cameo from comedian Tracy Morgan) pop up for some great cameos. Hip-hop fans who grew up in the Auto-Tune era are likely to hate “Wu-Massacre,” which plays out a lot more like a ‘90s rap record than one from the 2000s. There are a few samples here and there – the MJ one on “Our Dreams” is particularly effective – but that’s about as gimmicky as it gets.

Instead, the album is anchored in Meth, Ghost and Rae’s lyricism, which hasn’t diminished a bit. The guys spin B.I.G.-esque yarns on “Miranda” and “Pimpin’ Chipp,” and the finale “It’s That Wu Shit” is a great throwback gem. It’d be a lie to say the whole thing doesn’t seem a bit outdated as rap moves further and further away from the gangsta trend, but that doesn’t diminish the precision with which the guys go about their business. The time for an album like “Wu-Massacre” may have come and gone, but it’s still pretty nice to have it all the same.