Mathematics Presents Wu-Tang Clan and Friends

With the legendary Wu-Tang Clan’s indelible legacy being celebrated in recent years with a collection of "best ofs,” live discs and concert DVD releases, the man clamouring hardest through it all to get his own story out has been the crew’s largely overlooked DJ/producer Mathematics. Mentored by the RZA and credited with designing one of the greatest logos in hip-hop, the mighty Wu "W,” Mathematics has been unearthing collections of his own lost beats and cuts, with Unreleased being his latest. Produced entirely by the DJ, this collection features a slew of remixes and originals by the entire family, including a few gems that could easily have made a main release. The smoothed-out soul sound of "King Toast Queen” sets the perfect backdrop for MCs U-God, Masta Killa and Buddah Bless’s street gutter, sweet nothings rhyming, though the nearly untouched soul sample leaves little question as to why the cut remained unreleased. Ghostface tries his hardest to sound hard over a straight ’80s R&B slow jam instrumental on the slightly embarrassing but comical "Wise” remix, while the majority of the original members get busy on a reworking of "Wu Banga.” While there are some interesting moments worth scanning through, only the truly obsessive Wu-Tang completist will be satisfied.