| Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version | |||||||||||
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| Studio album by Ol' Dirty Bastard | |||||||||||
| Released | March 28, 1995 | ||||||||||
| Recorded | 1994–1995 | ||||||||||
| Genre | Hardcore hip hop | ||||||||||
| Length | 66:05 | ||||||||||
| Label | Elektra 61659 |
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| Producer | RZA, True Master, 4th Disciple, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Ethan Ryman, Big Dore | ||||||||||
| Ol' Dirty Bastard chronology | |||||||||||
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| Wu-Tang Clan solo chronology | |||||||||||
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Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version is the solo debut album of American rapper and Wu-Tang Clan member Ol' Dirty Bastard, released March 28, 1995 on Elektra Records in the United States. It was the second solo album to be released from the nine-member Wu-Tang camp, following the release of their debut album. Return to the 36 Chambers was primarily produced by RZA, with additional production from Ol' Dirty Bastard, and affiliates True Master and 4th Disciple. The album features guest appearances from Wu-Tang members GZA, RZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah and Masta Killa, as well as several Wu-Tang affiliates and Brooklyn Zu.
Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version peaked at number seven on the Billboard 200 and number two on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The album sold 81,000 copies in its first week,[1] and was certified gold in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on June 21, 1995.[2] Upon its release, the album received positive reviews from most music critics, with many complimenting Ol' Dirty Bastard's bizarre lyrical delivery, and RZA's eerie production. The album was nominated for a Grammy award at the 1996 Grammy's for Best rap album.
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Drawing on his raving input on Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers, Ol' Dirty Bastard upped the delirium factor several notches on his debut; incorporating other members and affiliates heavily, he leaves them to their rhyme structures and goes off on trademark rants. The beats, mostly by RZA, incorporate the minimalist sound of the group's debut album, but explore a skewed and discordant sound.
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [3] |
| Chicago Tribune | (favorable)[4] |
| Robert Christgau | (A-)[5] |
| Entertainment Weekly | (A-)[6] |
| Los Angeles Times | [7] |
| Melody Maker | (favorable)[8] |
| RapReviews | (9.0/10)[9] |
| Rolling Stone | [8] |
| The Source | [8] |
| Vibe | (favorable)[8] |
The Dirty Version was nominated for the 1996 Grammy Award for Best Rap Album, but lost to Naughty by Nature's Poverty's Paradise.
In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source's 100 Best Rap Albums.
Rolling Stone (4/20/95, p. 78) - 4 Stars - "With his raspy, lisp-punctuated voice and half-sung, half-rapped style, [Ol' Dirty Bastard] may well be the most original vocalist in hip-hop history."
Entertainment Weekly (3/31/95, p. 61) - "This solo effort by a second member of the near-platinum Wu-Tang Clan showcases the raw, innovative talent of their illest member.... The RZA's signature dissonant piano loops [sparkle] behind Dirty's delirious, reverberating delivery." - Rating: A-
Vibe (5/95, p. 97) - "Ol' Dirty's catchy sing-along...is paired with subtle keyboards and the Rza's typically murky beats, yielding a mystic's brew, which, like all Wu-related fare, defiantly flies in the face of conventions....the aural pleasures are...convincing."
The Source (5/95, p. 65) - 4 Stars - "The third shot fired in the Wu-Tang revolution spotlights the crazy drunken flow of the Ol' Dirty Bastard....a must-have for every real hardcore head....hardcore lyrics kicked live over a non-stop assault of that addictive Shao-lin funk."
Melody Maker (4/22/95, p. 35) - "...an hour of cruel hard and frighteningly funny hip hop; the perfect companion piece to Wu-Tang's 36 Chambers...the songs are driven by a vicious, unstable urgency."
Village Voice (2/20/96) - Ranked #39 in Village Voice's 1995 Pazz & Jop Critics' Poll.
| No. | Title | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro" | RZA | 4:47 |
| 2. | "Shimmy Shimmy Ya" | RZA | 2:41 |
| 3. | "Baby, C'mon" | RZA | 3:26 |
| 4. | "Brooklyn Zoo" | True Master, Ol' Dirty Bastard | 3:37 |
| 5. | "Hippa to da Hoppa" | RZA | 3:01 |
| 6. | "Raw Hide" (feat. Raekwon & Method Man) | RZA | 4:02 |
| 7. | "Damage" (feat. GZA) | RZA, 4th Disciple | 2:47 |
| 8. | "Don't U Know" (feat. Killah Priest) | RZA | 4:26 |
| 9. | "The Stomp" | Ol' Dirty Bastard, RZA | 2:22 |
| 10. | "Goin' Down" | RZA | 4:19 |
| 11. | "Drunk Game (Sweet Sugar Pie)" | Ethan Ryman, Ol Dirty Bastard | 4:20 |
| 12. | "Snakes" (feat. Killah Priest, RZA, Masta Killa & Buddha Monk) | RZA | 5:26 |
| 13. | "Brooklyn Zoo II (Tiger Crane)" (feat. Ghostface Killah) | RZA | 7:20 |
| 14. | "Proteck Ya Neck II The Zoo" (feat. Brooklyn Zu, Prodigal Sunn, Killah Priest, & 60 Second Assassin) | RZA | 4:00 |
| 15. | "Cuttin' Headz" (feat. RZA) | RZA | 2:28 |
| Bonus tracks (CD only) | |||||||||
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| No. | Title | Producer(s) | Length | ||||||
| 16. | "Dirty Dancin'" (feat. Method Man) | RZA | 2:42 | ||||||
| 17. | "Harlem World" | Big Dore | 6:15 | ||||||
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"Intro"
"Shimmy Shimmy Ya"
"Brooklyn Zoo"
"Hippa to da Hoppa"
"Don't U Know"
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"Goin' Down"
"Snakes"
"Cuttin' Headz"
"Harlem World"
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Album - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Chart | Position[10] |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Billboard 200 | 7 |
| 1995 | Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums | 2 |
| Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blender | United States | 500 CDs You Must Own Before You Die | 2003 | * |
| Ego Trip | Hip Hop's 25 Greatest Albums by Year 1980-98 | 1999 | 4 | |
| Hip Hop Connection | United Kingdom | The 100 Greatest Rap Albums 1995-2005 | 2005 | 32 |
| Les Inrockuptibles | France | Albums of the Year | 1995 | * |
| Muzik | United Kingdom | Albums of the Year | 1995 | 15 |
| Ned Raggett | United States | The Top 136 Albums of the Nineties | 1999 | 87 |
| Pop | Sweden | Albums of the Year | 1995 | 14 |
| The Source | United States | The 100 Best Rap Albums of All Time | 1998 | * |
| Spex | Germany | The 100 Albums of the Century | 1999 | 67 |
| Albums of the Year | 1995 | 1 | ||
| The Village Voice | United States | Albums of the Year | 1995 | 39 |
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