Pitchfork

Wu-Tang Clan plan to release their first group album since 2001's Iron Flag this year via SRC Records. Label CEO Steve Rifkind-- whose now-defunct Loud Records released the first two seminal Wu-Tang albums-- made the announcement with a video on the label's blog. Explaining that he just got off the phone with RZA and Wu businessman Divine, Rifkind said, "It's official," though there is no information currently available about potential titles, release dates, or musical guests.

The Clan have also teamed with Nature Sounds for a couple of compilations. The first-- Wu-Tang Clan & Friends: Unreleased-- collects rare and previously unreleased tracks from every living Wu-Tang MC, curated and remixed by Wu DJ and occasional beatmaker Mathematics. Unreleased also features contributions from Wu associates like Cappadonna, Killah Priest, and Solomon Childs. Nature Sounds will release the compilation on January 23.

The second compilation, titled Natural Selection 2.0: A Digital Survival Guide, is a digital-only release currently available from iTunes and scheduled for a January 23 release at all other digital outlets. It features contributions from GZA, Raekwon, U-God, Masta Killa, Inspectah Deck, and Mathematics as well as Pete Rock, Talib Kweli, Little Brother, and MF DOOM (under his Viktor Vaughn alias).

Nature Sounds has offered a taste of Natural Selection 2.0 by making the Viktor Vaughn, Talib Kweli, and Hell Razah track "Project Jazz" available for download. It's a pleasant organ-and-saxophone-sampling jaunt through each MC's musical and personal history, with the exception of whatever MF DOOM is rapping about. We're not complaining, though. His mouth-full-of-cookies voice is always a blast to hear, and even though there are no Wu MCs on the track, there are few better summations of the Wu-Tang aesthetic than "enough combined slang to bang all year."

Announcement from Steve Rifkind:

Wu-Tang Clan & Friends: Unreleased tracklist:

01 Buddah Bless: "Intro"
02 Ghostface and Raekwon: "Maxine (remix)"
03 U-God, Masta Killa, Buddah Bless, and Solomon Childs: "King Toast Queen"
04 Bad Luck, All Day, and Allah Real: "Where's Brooklyn @?"
05 Raekwon: "Treez"
06 M-Speed, Streetlife, and Drama: "Eggs, Hash & Grits"
07 "Pop Shit (skit)"
08 Eyes Low: "Queens Day ‘88 (remix)"
09 Killah Priest, Hot Flames, and Buddah Bless: "U Don't Care"
10 Shyhiem, Superb, and Hell Razah: "Masked Avengers"
11 "Luv Skit"
12 Allah Real and Bad Luck: "Wanna Believe"
13 GZA, Ghostface, Raekwon, Masta Killa, and Cappadonna: "Wu Banga (remix)"
14 GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, RZA, and U-God: "Da ‘N' (remix)"
15 "Violent Skit"
16 M-Speed: "Street Kronicles"
17 Shyhiem: "Non-Equivalent"
18 "Outro"
19 Ghostface Killah: "Wise (remix)"
20 Raekwon and Inspectah Deck: "Rap Burglars"

Natural Selection 2.0: A Digital Survival Guide tracklist:

01 Pete Rock, Styles P, and Sheek Louch: "914"
02 Hell Razah: "Buried Alive"
03 R.A. the Rugged Man: "Super"
04 Mathematics and Raekwon: "Trees"
05 DJ Babu, Little Brother, and Joe Scudda: "Fan Mail"
06 Psycho Les, Al Tariq, and Problems: "Chedda"
07 DJ Babu and Defari: "Truth Be Told"
08 Mathematics, U-God, Masta Killa, Buddah Bless, and Solomon Childs: "King Toast Queen"
09 Masta Killa, Inspectah Deck, and GZA: "Street Corners (remix)"
10 Hell Razah, Talib Kweli, and Viktor Vaughn: "Project Jazz"
11 Psycho Les: "Bonus Beat"
12 DJ Babu: "Bonus Beat"