Ikenna Offor reviews the Wu-Tang Clan rapper’s jaw-dropping show
Image by Sam Wall
Riverside’s sweltering dancefloor is rammed with a mixed crowd of hip-hop revellers, most of whom stand transfixed, as though the sights unfolding before them are just a little too sublime to be processed in real-time – there’s saucer-wide eyes and mouths agape by the dozen, as a sea of heads bob in perfect sync with the glorious alchemy of rhapsodic soul-kissed instrumentals and Ghostface Killah‘s peerless flow.
If I’m honest, I’d half forgotten just how deep the self-proclaimed Wally Champ’s back catalogue is, but he certainly wastes no time getting to the reintroduction – one banger follows the other in a frenetically paced medley that kicks off with a blistering rendition of his Special Delivery (Remix) guest verse then seamlessly transitions into the butter-smooth groove of 2getha Baby.
There’s also a veritable slew of well-aged Wu-Tang classics sprinkled throughout the nostalgia-inducing set – Ice Cream remains an eternal crowd-pleaser and Triumph still packs a mean punch, but the highlight of the night comes when GFK plucks a pair of audience members from the crowd to assist with Protect Ya Neck, promising that we can “boo them if they fuck up” (neither does though).
Whilst there’s a distinct lack of structure to the raucous proceedings, given both his boundless energy and megawatt presence tonight, it’s a safe bet that the Wu’s most prolific MC’s glory days are far from over.
