I come to his house, I’d be putting guns on the table, drugs – he was like, ‘Yo, you gonna chill? You know what, I know you’re not going to stop doing what you’re gonna do. It was the early ‘90s and U-God was back from prison with “a verse and a half” on a record. It’s a universal theme.”įor U-God, this 25-year legacy began with a request from RZA: give me a year of your life. “I think because they are a family – they are a clan. “Even if you don’t understand what they’re saying, the intent and the passion and conviction that was laid down in the track is a universal thing that people can relate to and react to – and that is why Wu-Tang Clan is who they are today. Some things don’t need to be translated, says Jenkins. He’s quoting my whole complicated shit back to me word for word.” In Croatia, there are fans “that can’t speak to me and say hello but he’s quoting my whole ‘ For Heavens Sake’ rhyme. Inspectah Deck can speak from experience. How do people in Poland, Bangladesh – how do they relate to these guys?” I’m from Queens and sometimes I don’t understand everything they’re talking about. For 36 Chambers, RZA found a label, Loud Records, that would let the individual members pursue solo careers with labels that best suited their styles and personalities: Method Man became a genuine star under Def Jam, for example.Īll of which has allowed the collective’s appeal to transcend language and geographic barriers, says Jenkins: “People around the world love Wu Tang. The creative and business sides of the Wu-Tang Clan were always “one unit", says RZA, who also pioneered a new type of record deal – they allowed the group’s members to negotiate solo deals with any label of their choosing. The brand cashed in on this obsession with everything Wu Tang by launching its own fashion label, Wu Wear, in the 1990s, as well as other business ventures – publishing, production and management companies all have been part of the Wu Tang universe. Even the hoodies and the Timberlands,” says RZA. The Wu Tang brand has always been about more than just music: “The slang, the personality – everything. When Wu Tang sells a million records – that’s a million people that has woke up. That’s just 10 million people that are dancing. If MC Hammer sells 10 million records, that don’t mean nothing. “Dirty would be: ‘Wu Tang is the best, Wu Tang is the best’.”Īn interviewer challenged that claim: if Wu Tang sold a million records and MC Hammer sold 10 million, how did that make them the best? “And we would say yo, look. RZA says the group never overlooked a chance to shout about their mission in interviews. According to RZA, the group’s founder, the mission was: “To open up the minds of the youth and the people and become aware of our people, our situation, our community, martial arts, knowledge of self, and all the things that we put into those songs. The collective of rappers – RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Inspectah Deck, Raekwon, U-God, Ghostface Killah, Method Man, and later Cappadonna – provided more than just a futuristic soundtrack, they came ready-formed with a mission. Fusing raw sounds, grimy beats and martial arts themes, the album sounded like the past, present and future of hip-hop all wrapped up at once. In 1993, when West Coast rap and its summertime sound filled the airwaves, Enter The Wu-Tang emerged like a fast and furious bolt from the blue. There’s an identity that Wu Tang represents that people are drawn to.”
“But people see Wu Tang as something that encompasses so much more. “There are great groups like A Tribe Called Quest – people love Tribe, they’re a huge group around the world and have impacted people around the world,” he says.
#WU TANG CLAN FOREVER MOVIE SAMPLES SERIES#
The group and series director stopped by the Tribeca Film Festival to promote the series, due to premiere on Showtime on 10 May, and told BBC Music about what made the Wu-Tang Clan so distinctive and influential.Īccording to the documentary’s director, Sacha Jenkins, the Wu-Tang Clan are more than just a group.
Now just over 25 years since releasing their game-changing debut album Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), they’ve marked this milestone with a new four-part docuseries Of Mics and Men, which chronicles the characters, stories, triumph and tragedy of the Wu-Tang Clan. Under the banner of one of the most unmistakable symbols in music – the golden W – the Wu-Tang Clan changed both the sound and the business of rap music forever. This article contains language that some readers may find offensiveįor a quarter of a century, a group of rappers from Staten Island have been a revolutionary force in hip-hop.
0 kommentar(er)
