8 Diagrams
by Wu-Tang Clan
Metascore
73

Generally favorable reviews - based on 33 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 33
  3. Negative: 0 out of 33
  1. Dusted Magazine
    60
    Minus ODB, the collective's most charismatic member, and rife with in-group strife, 8 Diagrams is a long way from the hip hop revolution, "Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)." It still ain't nothin’ to fuck with.
  2. Sputnikmusic
    60
    I guess once you define hip-hop you can't really go anywhere but down, but unlike of any of the other Wu-Tang Clan albums 8 Diagrams is able to stretch itself out of the shadow of "Enter the Wu-Tang" which in itself makes this an impressive record.
  3. The Guardian
    60
    You're left with an album that's as chaotic and uneven as the circumstances surrounding its release, It's alternately great, unsatisfying and marked by the sense that not everyone in the Wu Tang Clan is pulling in the same direction.
  5. The New York Times
    60
    Considering all that [has happened], it’s easy to be grateful for a quirky, uneven album like 8 Diagrams.
  6. Boston Globe
    60
    If as much heart and group energy went into the rest of the tracks, Diagrams might have been the electrifying re-entrance of the Wu-Tang Clan that fans were hoping for instead of just the minor miracle it is.
  7. Spin
    60
    It's a relatively solid record, but without any of the spectacularly gritty flashes the Wu are known for.
  8. Q Magazine
    60
    The lyrical flash and chop-socky samples signify business as usual, but at heart 8 Diagrams is a bold move into deeper, mellower terrritory, and certainly a vast improvement on 2001's "Iron Flag." [Feb 2008, p.93]
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  9. Slant Magazine
    50
    The formula ain't broken and it occasionally still cracks with some of that old pharmaceutical majesty.
  10. Los Angeles Times
    50
    The sounds are largely tepid arrangements that fail to generate much excitement.
  11. Entertainment Weekly
    42
    Raekwon, Meth & Co. have lost their lyrical ferocity. Judging by this disappointing return, Wu-Tang may not be forever after all.
  12. NOW Magazine
    40
    The album's dominant sound is dreary even by Wu standards: grey, bass-heavy beats for the eight living members' equally drab rhymes.

User Reviews

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User Score
8.3

Universal acclaim- based on 43 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 37 out of 43
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 43
  3. Negative: 2 out of 43
  1. HexS
    Jan 9, 2008
    10
    Best hop-hop album I've heard this decade. Witty Wu-Tang is unpredictable!
  2. Perry
    Dec 13, 2007
    10
    Like drugs. My bloodstream can't get enough. I'm only half joking. It really is like drugs. Be careful.
  3. Wutang25
    Mar 13, 2012
    7
    For my incredibly high expectations it was a disappointment. Was an overall good album with a few standout songs such as "Campfire" "WolvesFor my incredibly high expectations it was a disappointment. Was an overall good album with a few standout songs such as "Campfire" "Wolves (with George Clinton)" and a tasteful rap remix of the Beatles classic "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" however i found myself expecting more when i finished the album. Definitely could have been better, but still takes down a vast majority of hip-hop albums released in that year.… Full Review »
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