Wu-Tang Clan mastermind RZA’s martial arts film The Man With the Iron Fists doesn’t hit theaters until November 2, but the soundtrack comes out today in a cocktail of formats. The soul-soaked 16-song set is streaming online for free, and RZA has built up anticipation by trickling out a series of tracks that rise above typical soundtrack fodder, including the swampy Black Keys team-up “The Baddest Man Alive,” the storytelling-focused Kanye West wedding jam “White Dress,” and the Flatbush Zombies-guesting non-Bob-Dylan-cover “Blowin’ in the Wind.”
Among the most celebrated, though, have been the disc’s full Wu-Tang Clan tracks: Kool G Rap team-up “Rivers of Blood” and all-Wu, all-unfuckwithable “Six Directions of Boxing.” Wu took the latter of those to Late Night With Jimmy Fallon last night for an unflashy, iron-fisted, dope-roping performance befitting the song’s title. The Roots brought to life the track’s cinematic soul stabs. “That’s the way to do it right there,” Jimmy declared. Call it the thriller in Manhattan.
