Ghostface Killah: Ironman

Just as Terminator X was Public Enemy's secret weapon, The RZA is The Wu-Tang Clan's: While other members get all the attention, producer RZA, quietly working behind the scenes, has been the force behind Wu-Tang's raw, all over the map, Bruce Lee-meets-Gladys Knight sound. RZA has done it again on Ghostface Killah's Ironman, arguably the best of the group's "solo" albums to date. Attacking from all angles, Ironman is classic Wu-Tang, piecing together Al Green and Jackson 5 samples, gospel choruses, kung fu soundbites and piano vamps into something unpredictable and vital-sounding. With guest rappers like Method Man, Raekwon and U-God on virtually every track, it may as well be a Wu-Tang album. There's even a ballad with Mary J. Blige, on which Ghostface Killah raps, "Word up, Mommy—I love you." How can you beat that