Anything But Words | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | August 26, 2016 | |||
Recorded | 2013–2015 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | East Coast hip hop | |||
Length | 55:14 | |||
Label | Warner Bros. | |||
Producer | ||||
Paul Banks chronology | ||||
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RZA chronology | ||||
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Singles from Anything But Words | ||||
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Anything But Words is the debut studio album by Banks &Steelz,a collaborative project between Interpol vocalist Paul Banks and Wu-Tang Clan member RZA. It was released August 26,2016,on Warner Bros. Records. Recording of the album dates back to 2013,with a demo of early material being created two years prior. Anything But Words features guest appearances by other musicians,as well as other Wu-Tang Clan members,and additional production from Ari Levine and Andrew Wyatt,among others. Five singles were released from the album;"Love and War",featuring Ghostface Killah,"Giant","Speedway Sonora","Sword in the Stone",featuring Kool Keith,and "Anything But Words".
When asked by his manager who he would like to work together with musically,RZA responded with Interpol member Paul Banks. When asked about his choice in a 2013 Rolling Stone interview,RZA stated that Banks "just has an energy about him" and that "it [would] be great" if the two were to collaborate. [1] In 2011,during which the duo were not planning on making an album together,a demo of material was created with Banks providing vocals over a beat developed by RZA. [2] The first public mention of the duo's collaborations was made in the same Rolling Stone interview. It was during 2013 that the duo began working on an album together. [1] RZA expected the album to take about a year to finish. [3] During 2014,Banks' main project Interpol recorded a studio album titled El Pintor ,which was then released in September of that year. [4] [5] The duo wanted to release their material in 2015,but later realized that the material was unfinished. [3]
The duo premiered the album's lead single,"Love and War",featuring fellow Wu-Tang Clan member Ghostface Killah,on the Apple Music radio station Beats 1. [6] [7] A video for the song,which pays tribute to a scene from the film Reservoir Dogs ,was also released the following day. [8] [9] Details for Anything But Words,as well as tour dates,were released on June 9. Also released on that day was the album's second single,"Giant". [10] [11] "Speedway Sonora" was released as the album's third single on July 14. [12] [13] "Sword in the Stone",featuring rapper Kool Keith,was released as the album's fourth single on July 28 [14] and the album's title track was released as the fifth single on August 12. [15]
All songs produced by Paul Banks and RZA except where noted. Credits adapted from AllMusic. [16]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) [19] | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Giant" |
| 3:52 | |
2. | "Ana Electronic" |
| 3:44 | |
3. | "Sword in the Stone" (featuring Kool Keith) |
| Andrew Wyatt | 4:50 |
4. | "Speedway Sonora" |
| 4:15 | |
5. | "Wild Season" (featuring Florence Welch) |
| 4:26 | |
6. | "Anything But Words" |
|
| 4:21 |
7. | "Conceal" |
| 3:59 | |
8. | "Love and War" (featuring Ghostface Killah) |
| 4:09 | |
9. | "Can't Hardly Feel" |
| 4:33 | |
10. | "One by One" |
| 4:48 | |
11. | "Gonna Make It" |
| 5:46 | |
12. | "Point of View" (featuring Method Man and Masta Killa) |
| 6:31 | |
Total length: | 55:14 |
Chart (2016) | Peak position |
---|---|
UK R&B Albums (OCC) [20] | 18 |
US Billboard 200 [21] | 186 |
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard) [22] | 15 |
US Top Rap Albums (Billboard) [23] | 11 |
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard) [24] | 16 |
Country | Date | Format | Label |
---|---|---|---|
Worldwide | August 26, 2016 | Warner Bros. |
Notes
References
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Close affiliate Cappadonna later became an official member. Wu-Tang Clan are regarded as a highly influential group in hip hop, helping to popularize and develop the East Coast hip hop and hardcore hip hop styles.
Lamont Jody Hawkins, better known as U-God, is an American rapper and member of the hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan. He has been with the group since its inception, and is known for his deep voice and rhythmic flow that can alternate between gruff and smooth.
Corey Woods, an American rapper of the stage name Raekwon, is a core member of the Wu-Tang Clan, an iconic rap group mainly from New York City borough Staten Island, which debuted by a 1993 album dubbed 36 Chambers. Raekwon's debut solo album, an August 1995 release, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx..., employing Mafioso imagery and widely acclaimed, is a 1990s classic.
Dennis Coles, better known by his stage name Ghostface Killah, is an American rapper and songwriter. He is the lead member of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan. After the group achieved breakthrough success in the aftermath of Enter the Wu-Tang , the members went on to pursue solo careers to varying levels of success. Ghostface Killah debuted his solo career with Ironman, which was well received by music critics, in 1996. He has enjoyed continued success in the years that have followed, releasing critically acclaimed albums such as Supreme Clientele (2000) and Fishscale (2006). His stage name was taken from one of the characters in the 1979 kung fu film Mystery of Chessboxing. He is the founder of his own record label, Starks Enterprises.
Paul Julian Banks is an American–British musician, singer, songwriter, and DJ. He is best known as the lead vocalist, lyricist, and guitarist of the rock band Interpol. He released a solo album called Julian Plenti is... Skyscraper in 2009 under the name Julian Plenti, though his solo material is now recorded under his real name. As a singer, his voice lies in the baritone range.
Fishscale is the fifth studio album by American rapper and Wu-Tang Clan member Ghostface Killah, released March 28, 2006, on Def Jam in the United States. The album features guest appearances from every member of the Wu-Tang Clan, as well as Ghostface Killah's Theodore Unit. It also features production from several acclaimed producers, such as MF DOOM, Pete Rock, J Dilla, and Just Blaze, among others. The album follows an organized crime theme, and is named after a term for uncut cocaine.
The Big Doe Rehab is the seventh studio album by American rapper and Wu-Tang Clan member Ghostface Killah, released on December 4, 2007 on Def Jam Records. The album features guest appearances from fellow Wu-Tang members Raekwon, Method Man, U-God, and Masta Killa as well as from Kid Capri, Cappadonna and members of Ghostface's Theodore Unit crew. The album features production from LV & Sean C. among others.
Wu-Massacre is a collaboration studio album by American rappers and Wu-Tang Clan members Method Man, Ghostface Killah and Raekwon, released March 30, 2010 on Def Jam Recordings. Production for the album was handled by several hip hop producers, including RZA, Allah Mathematics, Scram Jones, Emile, Ty Fyffe, BT and Digem Tracks Productions.
The Wu-Tang Clan is a New York City–based hip-hop musical group, consisting of ten American rappers: RZA, GZA, Raekwon, U-God, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, Method Man, Masta Killa, Cappadonna, and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. This list chronologically displays the albums of each group member including collaboration and side group albums. This list does not include compilation albums, mixtapes, or extended plays.
A Better Tomorrow is the sixth studio album by American hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan. The album was released on December 2, 2014, by Warner Bros. Records. The album was supported by the singles "Keep Watch", "Ron O'Neal" and "Ruckus in B Minor". A Better Tomorrow received generally mixed reviews from music critics. The album debuted at number 29 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 24,386 copies in its first week of release.
Robert Fitzgerald Diggs, better known by his stage name the RZA, is an American rapper, actor, filmmaker, and record producer. He is the de facto leader of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, having produced most albums for the group and its respective members. He is a cousin of two other original Wu-Tang Clan members: GZA and Ol' Dirty Bastard. He has also released solo albums under the alter-ego Bobby Digital, along with executive producing credits for side projects. After forming the Wu-Tang Clan, RZA was a founding member of the horrorcore group Gravediggaz, where he went by the name The RZArector.
36 Seasons is the eleventh studio album by American rapper and Wu-Tang Clan member, Ghostface Killah. It was released on December 9, 2014, by Tommy Boy Records.
Twelve Reasons to Die II is the twelfth studio album by American rapper and Wu-Tang Clan member Ghostface Killah. It is the sequel to his 2013 album Twelve Reasons to Die. The album was released on July 10, 2015, by Linear Labs. The album features guest appearances from Raekwon, RZA, Scarub, Vince Staples, Lyrics Born, Chino XL and Bilal.
Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... is the debut studio album by American rapper and Wu-Tang Clan member Raekwon, released on August 1, 1995, by Loud Records and RCA Records. The album was loosely composed to play like a film with Raekwon as the "star," fellow Wu-Tang member Ghostface Killah as the "guest-star," and producer RZA as the "director." It features appearances from every member of the Wu-Tang Clan. The album also features debut appearances for affiliates Cappadonna and Blue Raspberry. It also features an acclaimed guest appearance from rapper Nas, which marked the first collaboration with a non-affiliated artist on a Wu-Tang related album.
Ironman is the debut solo album by American rapper Ghostface Killah, released on October 29, 1996, by Epic Records. It was produced by fellow Wu-Tang Clan member RZA. The album's music draws prominently on blaxploitation films and soul samples. More so than on other solo debuts from the group's members, Ironman contains references to the Nation of Gods and Earths.
Supreme Clientele is the second studio album by American rapper and Wu-Tang Clan member Ghostface Killah, released on February 8, 2000 by Epic Records. The album showcases Ghostface's signature up-tempo, stream-of-consciousness rhyme style, and features guest appearances from Cappadonna, GZA, Masta Killa, Method Man, Raekwon, Redman, RZA, U-God, and others. It features affiliates of what would become members of Theodore Unit and T.M.F. Supreme Clientele contains a large amount of production from group member RZA, who also re-worked and remixed beats from other producers involved, as a means to create a unified and cohesive sound for the album.
Banks & Steelz is a musical collaboration between Interpol frontman Paul Banks and Wu-Tang Clan rapper RZA. The duo began making music together in 2011 and began recording a full album in 2013. They released their debut studio album, Anything But Words, on August 26, 2016.
"Love and War" is the debut single by Banks & Steelz, a collaborative project created by Interpol frontman Paul Banks and Wu-Tang Clan member RZA. Featuring a rap verse from fellow Wu-Tang Clan member Ghostface Killah, it was premiered on the Apple Music radio station Beats 1 on May 19, 2016. It was subsequently released as a digital download, acting as the lead single from their debut studio album, Anything But Words (2016). A music video for the song, which pays tribute to the film Reservoir Dogs, was also released on May 20.
"Wu Tang Forever" is a song by American rapper Logic, featured as the sixth track on his 2018 album YSIV. The song is a homage to the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan and features all living members of the group: Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, RZA, Method Man, Inspectah Deck, Cappadonna, U-God, Masta Killa and GZA, as well as Wu-Tang Clan affiliate Jackpot Scotty Wotty; deceased member Ol' Dirty Bastard received a writing credit. The song shares the same title as the group's second studio album.