I’m usually a little skeptical when it comes to hip hop mish mash projects, but pretty much anything involving Wu-Tang and I’m sold. Shaolin Jazz: The 37th Chamber is the brainchild of Gerald Watson and DJ 2-Tone Jones in what is essentially a well curated mixtape, seeing 2-Tone mixing Wu-Tang acapellas with vintage instrumental jazz tracks from the likes of Donald Byrd, Mulatu Astatke, Bobbi Humphrey, Ramsey Lewis, Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis, Ahmad Jamal and more. Admittedly, some moments definitely feel forced and awkward, but there’s something about the smooth jazz backdrops and the abrasive street lyricism that really works.
The video below has Watson and 2-Tone explaining the inspiration behind the project. You can download the entire mix here.
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