The third Wu-Tang Clan album was a stark and minimalist response to 1997’s overblown, overlong Triumph. The beats featured crackly doo-wop and soul samples, but they didn’t even feel connected to the songs at times; it was like they were just playing simultaneously, bleeding through as the MCs tossed gun-talk lines back and forth. The unremittingly dark music was matched by the undertone of desperation in the rhymes, particularly Ghostface’s — his performance on “I Can’t Go To Sleep,” with Isaac Hayes shadowing him, feels like a breakdown captured on tape. Somewhat surprisingly, well-chosen guest appearances from Busta Rhymes, Redman, Nas, Snoop Dogg, and reggae singer Junior Reid serve to highlight the Clan’s remarkable cohesion.