Smontina – Assignment 1: Wu-Tang is Forever

Assignment 1 plays off of the famed hip hop quote “Wu-Tang [Clan] is Forever,” a phrase claiming that the influence of the popular 90s Staten Island based rap group is an everlasting force in music and culture. “Wu-Tang is Forever” is a recursive project which uses the vocals of the group’s landmark figure Ol’ Dirty Bastard, an artist known for his unorthodox vocal inflections. These vocals are borrowed from his intro in the song “Goin’ Down” in which he crescendos from a childish guttural noise to an opera-esque bellow.

“Goin’ Down” by Ol’ Dirty Bastard from “Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version”

Hell
Remember when we was young
And we used to go
(ahhhhhhhhhh) *repeated*
Ah, Punch Call!
No no, remember when we used to say who could do this the longest
(ahhhhhhhhh) *repeated*
*breaks down*
Ahhhh!!!!!!!! ahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!
All right, I’m about to put it
Goin down, down

Intro to ODB’s “Goin’ Down” (1995)

The minute long snippet was then echoed using Garage Band (the exact settings are pictured below). The echoed version of the intro was then echoed again using the same settings and repeated 20 times with each newly made product. Echos are symbolic of continuous repetition and make the sounds of Wu-Tang to appear to reflect forever until the reverberation leaves the audio as a futuristic hum.

Progressions of the Echoed Audio