Wu-Tang Clan were the antidote to Dr. Dre's G-funk domination, offering a distinctly grimy, hardcore alternative to the West Coast sound with their 1993 debut, "Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)." Formed in Staten Island, New York, US, the Clan developed into a sprawling collection of artists, rooted by RZA's musical direction and vision. Made up of roughly nine members, each artist delivered their own persona and style, with the crew being started by GZA and Ol' Dirty Bastard, soon expanding to include Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, U-God, Masta Killa, and Inspectah Deck.
Their debut release forged a new sound in hip-hop, through darkly funky soundscapes full of a sense of eerie, urban-dystopian menace which grounded their seamless, gritty vocal attack loaded with violent martial arts imagery. Achieving widespread critical acclaim and commercial success, Wu-Tang's sound became instantly recognizable which would go on to influence countless artists across genres subsequently.
Following their debut, the various artists embarked on a host of solo ventures, with five of the crew landing solo contracts on the strength of the single "C.R.E.A.M" alone. The may artists of Wu-Tang became household names, collaborating with many others in the industry and finding their new projects receiving the same success as their collective recordings.
In 1997, Wu-Tang Clan reunited together to work on their second album, the double-disc "Wu-Tang Forever," finding huge anticipation for the release. The album went straight to number one in the charts and sold over 600,000 copies in its first week. Wu-Tang Clan became a branded franchise, expanding its roster of artists to include new members and to aid young protégés gain their first exposure. The collective became a huge business, dominating the airwaves. Meanwhile, Ol'Dirty Bastard's behavior began to become erratic and a series of incidents in 1998 left the rapper incarcerated and in and out of rehab for drug addiction.
Following "Wu-Tang Forever," the many artists released further solo albums and projects, although they were unable to maintain such high levels of fervor around these releases, although they were still widely critically acclaimed. The Wu-Tang Clan project was perhaps spread too thin, with the vast number of ventures causing inconsistency and over-dilution. In 2000, the Clan returned with a new effort, "The W," which was a more focused offering, a release marred by Ol'Dirty Bastard's continuing erratic behavior that was quickly spiraling out of control.
It was only a year later that a new Wu-Tang release arrived, with their fourth record, "Iron Flag." Solo projects continued subsequently, with the next release for the collective only being the 2004 live album, "Disciples of the 36 Chambers." Sadly that same year, Ol' Dirty Bastard suffered a fatal heart attack, with this release being his last.
In 2007, new Clan material surfaced, with "8 Diagrams," which suffered from criticism from GZA and Raekwon about RZA's chosen direction. Another bout of solo albums followed before the 2011 compilation, "Legendary Weapons" was released. To huge anticipation, in 2013, a new studio album was announced, planned for 2013 to commemorate their 20th anniversary. However, the album did not appear until 2014, when it was finally released on Warner Bros., titled "A Better Tomorrow." Alongside this album, Wu-Tang Clan also made music history, after announcing their creation of "Once Upon a Time in Shaolin," a secret album that was only to have one copy pressed, to be sold to the highest bidder, likely to be housed in a museum, with RZA suggesting the music would not be available for another seven years. An artistic statement never before created in popular music.
With a breakthrough from the streets as rugged as their styles, New York City's Wu-Tang Clan emerged as the most revolutionary hip-hop group to enforce their eccentric prominence and establish the group's everlasting legacy. Brought together during the early 1990's, the Wu-Tang Clan adopted its name from the martial arts film 'Shaolin and Wu Tang'. The initial founder, member and producer of the group, referred to as RZA, describes the character's sword wielding technique as incredible and exquisite. Quickly inspired, RZA made the analogy between the sword and the tongue. Like the sword, the tongue speaks words as equally powerful and severe as the slice of a sword's blade. Thus brought the creation of the widely acknowledged Wu-Tang sword style. The assembly of the nine MCs known as RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Inspectah Deck, Raekwon the Chef, U-God, Ghostface Killah and the Method Man, brought forth a team of fearless personas each as phenomenal and distinguished as the next. With a congregation of fearsome, lyrical warriors with distinct and eccentric rapping styles and techniques every member brought something new to the table.
With an accumulated group hungry with ambition, the album 'Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)' was produced and released in 1993. Regarded as one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time, it can truly live up to its status. Unlike many other hip-hop albums, '36 Chambers' surfaced as a magnificent masterpiece expressing the influence and creative force for which the Wu-Tang Clan is known and established for. With such an impressive development in producing '36 Chambers', the menacing and fierce approach taken into expressing Wu-Tang's fervor is widely evident in their stage performances. In the past, underground fanatics as well as devoted fans can be seen cheering, screaming, and going berserk in coherence with the groups live appearance and liveliness. Up to recent date Wu-Tang's performances resurfaces the vivid nostalgia to the hardcore enthusiasm felt when the initial impact of '36 Chambers' was made. Upon attending a present day performance, those present radiate a prideful gusto determined to pay homage to the legendary legacy that is immortalized as the Wu-Tang Clan.