Music Review: "Coronavirus" by Wuhan Clan

- by Ninja Ross & Señor Editor, 31 January 2020

The latest album from Wuhan Clan, Coronavirus, dropped recently without any prior promo (much like Eminem’s “Music to Be Murdered By”), and oddly enough, it’s making quite an impact on Chinese audiences. Americans are just starting to get on board with it, but is the new album worth the hype? Time for a new Trash Mutant album review! 
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We begin with an intro that’s a clear throwback to the group’s legendary beginning – the familiar kung-fu flick sample reminds us “If what you say is true, the Shaolin and the Wuhan could be dangerous”. The opening joint, “The Virus Causes Pneumonia,” started out a little bit cold, but as the lyrics began to kick in, I found it to be a pretty sick track.
 
I felt that lines like Inspectah Deck’s “spitting phlegm, lower than normal body temperature in adults over 65 and those with weak immune systems. Nausea, vomiting or diarrhea yo” were a little vague, but still clever and well written, creating its own meaning for listeners. It definitely feels like classic INS bars, even when it goes slightly off RZA’s atmospheric beat.
 
“Fears of it Spreading Further” and “May Spread Across World” are the two best examples of the more exciting, up tempo tracks on the album.
 
The urgency in the drums and the guitar sample from the chorus of Muse’s “Time is Running Out”, get the heart beating faster, almost like a panic attack. And the harsh, loud vocals from Golden Arms only add to that feeling of terror and dread. It may feel more reminiscent of the Clan’s more recent albums, with more experimenting and less of the classic Wu feel, but U-God makes the most of the production.
 
“Lockdown in Hubei Province” is a confusing track, as it’s just whimpering and the sound of locking doors set to classic Chinese music. But it’s nice to get this instrumental interlude, it helps break up the rest of the album and gives you room to breathe, before the next one kicks off.
 
This is followed by a rather upbeat track, “Satisfactory Condition”. The opening is nothing but harps, which leads into a choir singing “The American isn’t dead” over and over. A very strange choice for a Wuhan album, but maybe it will grow on me. This is then played over vocals from Raekwon and Cappadonna. This song also has lines like “treated by a robot with a stethoscope” and “In medical isolation, but they found the 16 people I came into contact with”, which help take the dramatic, gloomy edge off the album.
 
However, as “Satisfactory Condition” fades out, a low humming funeral march plays and we get the most depressing track on the album: “Death Toll Rises to 80”. This was surprising, because it starts just like the classic playful “Torture” skit from 36 Chambers, where the Clan members try to outdo each other with more and more brutal torture descriptions. This time, however, it really doesn’t try to be humorous and we hear Method Man and the Chef threaten each other with high fever, respiratory infection and paralyzing headaches. The coughing in the background intensifies until it gets really hard to listen to, and Meth’s and Rae’s vocals get increasingly raspy and hoarse. It’s probably the most disturbing skit the Wu ever thought of, and it may be just a bit much. 
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After the long intro, the actual song begins and it feels like it was put in that position on purpose. If it were anywhere else on the album, it wouldn’t have had the same nerve racking, bleak effect.
 
This track discusses how being left breathless can be more than just emotionally harmful. Ghostface’s emotional “Wish I didn’t have a low immune system, gonna go ahead and choke” really gets into your head, giving you a clue as to what the whole album is really about.
 
It’s good to see the Clan finally return to their roots on this album, again incorporating Asian culture into their music, creating a truly unique example of excellent hip hop.
 
What are your thoughts on the Wu’s new mysterious album? Do you think it’ll spread worldwide? Let us know your thoughts down below in the comments!
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Tagged: Music

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