Wu-Tang Clan

A de facto greatest hits collection moonlighting as a documentary soundtrack, Wu: The Story Of The Wu-Tang Clan amounts to a solid, career-spanning mix tape. And that's not a bad thing. The album effectively soundtracks a recent BET documentary on the Staten Island, N.Y. hip-hop collective and, in doing so, bobs and weaves throughout the band's career, beginning within Wu-Tang's roughneck roots and winding its way through the weirdness that followed via solo projects and artistic growth. The obligatory classics "Protect Ya Neck" and "C.R.E.A.M." kick things off, but the real benefit for the listener is delving a bit deeper in the catalogue and using the solo tracks as a catalyst for further Wu exploration. Ghostface Killah's "Winter Warz" alone is worth the investment.