8 Diagrams marks the first album for the legendary Hip-Hop collective Wu-Tang Clan in six years and it's also the first album for them since the craziest member of the clan, Old Dirty Bastard, passed away in 2003. With ODB's death and all the infighting that's been going on between Ghostface Killah and RZA (mentioned in Ghostface's review) and Raekwon calling RZA a "Hip-Hop hippie" because of his production choices for 8 Diagrams, it's a surprise that a new Wu-Tang album ever got finished in the first place. Still, in spite of all the internal strife and creative differences, 8 Diagrams surprisingly turned out to be one of the best Hip-Hop albums of 2007.

Raekwon had harsh words for RZA because he brought in George Harrison's son Dhani and John Frusciante from Red Hot Chili Peppers to lay down guitar work for "The Heart Gently Weeps," a track that samples The Beatles' "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" to perfection. Raekwon may not care for the "hippie" feel to that track that also features Erykah Badu on vocals but frankly that's why RZA's in charge and Raekwon isn't. Another great track here, "Wolves," features George Clinton doing his best ODB impression singing about Mr. Wolf eating grandma. It's strangely weird yet completely fresh in a year where the tragic death of Kanye West's mother was the biggest news in the Rap world. 8 Diagrams doesn't match the genius that was Wu-Tang's 1993 masterpiece Enter the Wu-Tang but it's probably the most consistently great album they've done since then.