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Before There Was Wu-Tang . . .
Gary Grice (GZA), Robert Diggs (RZA) and Russel Jones (Ol' Dirty Bastard) were the reason
that the Wu-Tang Clan would ever exist. They were all cousins who shared the same love for
kung fu movies and hip-hop. Getting their first taste of hip-hop, the trio created the group,
Force of the Imperial Master (which was also known as the All In Together Now Crew). After
one hit single they wanted more. So with GZA's connection to Melquan, the owner of Jamaica
Records, both GZA and RZA got solo deals.
GZA, also known as Genius, released what would become
his first of many solo albums under this label. Words from the Genius was good, no doubt, but
was not properly advertised in the hip-hop field, and because of this, GZA really never received any
credibility until the Wu-Tang Clan was created. This explains why GZA had, and still has, such a negative view
towards commercial and mainstream hip-hop music and labels, which is reflected in his music and life.
RZA didn't make his impact in the industry as he had intended either. Sadly enough, his solo
project under Jamaica Records was a huge flop and because of problems with the law and having to
go to jail, the album Ooh I Love You Rakeem was only an EP.
GZA (who created his name by scratching Genius on a turntable), RZA (who created his name by
scratching Razor on a turntable) and Ol' Dirty Bastard (who got his name from the great Drunken
Master of Kung Fu films) all agreed that they had to make it in the hip-hop game on their own.
So with a lot of determination and a lot of hate towards mainstream, the trio created the world
renowned and most influential rap group ever, known as the Wu-Tang Clan.
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The album that started it all . . .
36 Chambers. Kung Fu samples, raw beats and bass, and the occasional creative sampling by the RZA.
- full review -
Cuban Linx will go down as one of the best solo projects ever. Raekwon was another shining talent out of the Wu-Tang and Cuban Linx showed just that.
- full review -
A masterpiece of the hip hop genre. RZA and GZA did what every emcee and producer fails to do, make a flawless album.
GZA will always be known as the lyrical genius of the Wu-Tang and thanks to Liquid Swords that statement can't be anymore true.
- full review -
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The Beginning . . .
The origination of the name, Wu-Tang Clan, comes from the Wudang Mountains in the Hubei province
of China, the center of Chinese martial arts.
The Wu-Tang Clan consisted of nine members: GZA, RZA, Method Man, Ghostface Killah, Ol' Dirty Bastard,
Raekwon, Masta Killa, Inspectah Deck, and U-God.
The first single that the Wu-Tang Clan ever released was "Protect Ya Neck," which they released
independently. This song immediately gave the Wu respect and an underground fan base. They had
troubles signing to a record label due to the fact that they all wanted the freedom to release solo
albums under the same label, but in the end Loud/RCA agreed; and with that, Enter the Wu-Tang:
36 Chambers was released in November of 1993. It was a critically acclaimed album and even to this
day is looked to as one of the best hip-hop albums of all time.
RZA was then the first to branch out after the 36 Chambers album. He created a side project called
the Gravediggaz. The Gravediggaz consisted of four emcees starting with Prince Paul (most famous
for his productions with De La Soul), Frukwan (of Stetsasonic), Poetic (of the Brothers Grimm) and
of course RZA. The Gravediggaz first album 6 Feet Deep dropped in August of 1994 and will go down
as the best album in the hip-hop sub-genre horrorcore. Slowly but surely, RZA was getting recognized
for his creative and unique beats, and the overall superb production that he would soon master.
Method Man was the next artist to branch out, coming out with Tical in November of 1994. He was the
first Wu-Tang member to hit stardom and thanks to RZA's raw beats, Tical was a success.
A trend started happening . . . what was the trend? Anything that RZA produced or merely gave a helping
hand became a classic, instantly. Prime examples would be the next four solo projects from Wu members,
Ol' Dirty, Rae, GZA, and Ghostface.
Ol' Dirty Bastard's solo album, Return to 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version was an even rawer and rugged album
than the Wu-Tang album. Dirt McGirt fell in to the trend, he found stardom and he got respect.
Next came 1995, a pivotal year for the Wu-Tang Clan and would change 90's rap forever. First came, Raekwon's
Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. This album really helped RZA move away from his raw beats, creating cinematic
classical music instead, and he had to rely more on classical samples and soul samples. As far as Raekwon's
lyrics, he captured the inner-city criminology to the tee and would be hailed for it for years to come.
The second album that came out in 1995 was my favorite (and probably always will be), GZA's Liquid Swords. GZA
was credited as the most lyrical gifted of the group and he did not disappoint on this album. Working with RZA,
Liquid Swords was a masterpiece; Far darker than Cuban Linx, thanks to GZA's grim lyrics and the heavy
keyboarding production on RZA's part. Both Cuban Linx and Liquid Swords are recognized even today as two of
the best hip-hop albums of the 90's.
Last came Ghostface Killah. His first solo project, Ironman, released in 1996, was a balance between GZA and
Raekwon, mixing hard keyboards and dark rhymes with classical music from time to time. Ironman really allowed
Ghost to try out new things and explore his own style, especially lyrically. Ghostface right from the start,
showed how gifted of a storyteller he was. This album would pave the way for his hip-hop career and many others
to come.
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Wu-Tang Forever . . .
With some solo careers established and a lot of success, the Wu-Tang returned to the studio to record their second
album. Wu-Tang Forever was widely anticipated and came out in June of 1997 as a two disc album. Suprising no one,
Wu-Tang Forever started at number one its first week in, thanks to all the success of 36 Chambers and their solo
albums. The great thing about Forever was that the Wu seemed to focus much more on their lyrics. Instead of coming
up with simple 12 bar rhymes like on 36 Chambers, Forever had many songs with well thought out and deep lyrics which
were heavily influenced by the Five Percent Nation. Also, RZA passed on much of the production to the Wu-Elements
(True Master and 4th Disciple). Triumph was the first single off of Forever and it truly describes what the album
was all about; A five minute plus song that featured every emcee from the Wu, spitting hard with a strong bass and
no hook. The only disappointing event that came from this album was that the live tour was cancelled halfway through,
due to rumors about the Wu-Tang having problems inside the Clan.
The cancellation of the live tour would later become the first in a snowball effect of the fall of the Wu.
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