Its hard to believe the Staten Island-based Wu-Tang Clan crash-landed onto planet hip-hop with its debut album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), well over a decade ago. At the time, the (roughly) 10-member outfit of outsized personalities with a penchant for incorporating kung-fu flicks into their operatic productions seemed on a mission to destroy its genre of choice. Delivered in rhymes of twisted patois, the Wus sound was so new it was almost scary. Hell, the Wu was scary back then, sporting not just gold teeth but gold fangs and spitting out bellicose lyrics over beats so aggressive that you didnt know whether to nod your head or hide. But the Wus first release as a group in six years, 8 Diagrams, possesses a calmer outlook and more mature range, as does charter member the GZAs Pro Tools, his most recent solo release. Showbox SoDo, 1700 First Ave. S., 628-3151, www.showboxonline.com. $35-$40. 7 p.m. KEVIN CAPP
Mon., Dec. 1, 7 p.m., 2008
