That was until thirty years ago when nine individuals decided to take microphones in their hands, guide us through the “36 Chambers,” and introduce the world to the Wu-Tang Clan – a collective that straddles the line between an artistic colony and a family.
RZA, GZA, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and later Cappadonna – no matter who led the way, took the wheel or rose to popularity throughout their history, the real value of this crew has always been their unity. This unity put New York’s Staten Island on the global map and brought something entirely new to the world of hip-hop and music in general. By tearing down the old world, they built their own.
The idea was first to record a big joint album, then continue with solo releases, collaborations, and reunions whenever the opportunity arose. In November 1993, the world was introduced to “Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers).“ After “Protect Ya Neck“ came the iconic “C.R.E.A.M.“ and “Can It Be All So Simple.“ Today, these tracks are classics, and the phrase “Cash rules everything around me” still resonates just as strongly three decades later.
RZA, one of the founding members, along with his cousins GZA and Ol’ Dirty Bastard, is the visionary behind the entire Clan. His musical prowess forms the foundation of their creative output. Under his guidance, the group and the solo projects he produced created a hazy, surreal, and ominous soundscape characterized by hard-hitting beats, keyboard riffs, and minimal samples. Layered on top were potent rhymes, consistently delivering old-school themes charged with brutal violence, martial arts imagery, and a unique, distorted sense of humor. Their sound remains one of the most recognizable in hip-hop.
Method Man was the first to “break from the flock” and find solo success. If RZA was the brains of the operation, the wild card in the whole saga was the infamous Ol’ Dirty Bastard – “Shimmy Shimmy Ya“ became the mantra of the entire crew, and his album “Return 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version,“ along with the single “Brooklyn Zoo,“ achieved cult status. Raekwon and Ghostface Killah have always been the dynamic duo that wowed critics and the hip-hop world. With each new solo album (especially the latter’s), they garnered better and better reviews, while GZA’s “Liquid Swords“ is an album that every true hip-hop fan should own.
However, the Clan has always been at its best when reunited, whether it was for the iconic double album “Wu-Tang Forever,“ which topped charts around the world, including the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, “Iron Flag“ or “The W.“ Their setlists included even more classics like “Triumph,“ the first million-dollar rap music video, “It’s Yourz,“ “Gravel Pit,“ and many others.
In 2015, they went a few steps further and decided to record an album in only one copy as a form of conceptual art, put it up for auction, and bound the buyer not to release it publicly until 2103, except at potential “listening party” gatherings. The album was bought by Martin Shkreli, a widely disliked millionaire who ended up in prison for fraud in the pharmaceutical industry. The FBI seized the one-of-a-kind album. This is their latest official LP release – one that no one has heard.
Wu-Tang Clan has performed at EXIT before – in 2007, they headlined the last day. They return 16 years later, on Sunday, July 9, to Gorki List Main Stage. Some of us were there back then, and now we’re older. Some of us were born around that time or were very young, but together, for one night, we can forget about trivial things like age and shout in unison, “Protect Ya Neck” and “Shimmy Shimmy Ya.” Because whatever happens, one thing is certain – Wu-Tang is forever.
Written by: Miloš Dašić
