If you’re a Wu-Tang Clan fan, you may know that the group has announced a new album release before the upcoming Black Friday. In advance of that release, the group has just announced that eight songs from its upcoming album will be released in advance on November 14th - but only through a portable speaker called the Boombot REX.
About the Boombot REX
It’s highly unlikely that most people rushing out to purchase a Boombot REX would do so for any other reason than to hear the eight new songs that the Wu Tang has integreated into the speaker, but let’s say that you are curious about the speaker as a standalone device. First, you should know that only 3,000 of these devices will be manufactured, and the Wu Tang still has a massive following (amongst those that are purely in it for nostalgic reasons).
The other thing that you should know is one of the eight songs that will be released will not be included on the new album. So, if you buy the Boombot REX, you can hear one song that you will never hear anywhere else (to be honest, though, someone is going to upload the song for everyone to hear, just wanted to point that out!). Now, let’s talk about the Boombot REX speaker design and capabilities.
The Boombot REX Design and Details
First, you can’t buy this speaker if you aren’t a Wu Tang fan. Why? Because it is yellow and black and has the Wu Tang symbol on it, that’s why. Second, you can use this speaker as a standalone Bluetooth option, and that means that you can listen to other music on the speaker (though you might look kind of funny if you’re blasting pop through your Wu Tang speaker).
If you want to purchase the Boombot REX, you will have to buy the speaker through Boombotix (this company is selling 1,000 of the speakers), or through one of the many Zumiez stores (these stores are selling the additional 2,000 speakers). Mostly, the Boombot REX will be a collector’s item, so you may want to snag one of these if you are a huge Wu Tang fan (you never know, the speaker could be worth some serious money one day). The speaker will retail for $79.99.
The Reason Behind the Boombot REX
So, why would the Wu Tang release a Bluetooth speaker instead of just waiting to release the entire album? For one, to give collectors something to hold onto and to make more money, but the real reason is (it seems) that the group wants to give old school fans something to hold onto. If you think about it, Wu Tang was at its height when things like Walkmans were popular, and that means a fanbase that likes to hang onto something like a speaker.
The Boombot REX is small enough to cup in your hand, so it’s kind of like those old school ghetto blasters, only on a much smaller scale, so something more like a Walkman. Some fans think that the REX is a bad idea, but this writer thinks that true Wu Tang fans will appreciate the sentiment.