Universally regarded as the greatest rap group of all time, they will make the Petrovaradin Fortress one of the world’s central venues for celebrating half a century of incredible culture, whose sound has dominated the planet for decades. A band that has profoundly changed the hip-hop game is coming as the festival’s latest headliners. It all started with the debut release “Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers).” Considered one of the most influential albums ever, this record will celebrate its 30th birthday in Novi Sad.
Wu-Tang will be backed by a plethora of big regional acts spanning several generations, including Ajs Nigrutin & Smoke Mardeljano, Prti Bee Gee, Bolesna Braća, Mimi Mercedez, Tam, Macha Ravel, Fox & Surreal, Hiljson Mandela, Z++, 30zona, Crni Cerak & Lacku, Grše, Micka Lifa, Bore Balboa.
Phat Phillie with his influential 30-year-old regional hip-hop community gathered around the Blackout organization, as well as Bassivity label which is celebrating 20 years since their first edition will also land in EXIT Universe. With this incredible support, the Petrovaradin Fortress will once again be one of the epicenters of the global festival scene. Rap and trap will mingle, from 6th to 9th July, with a powerful lineup featuring the world’s most sought-after tour headliner, The Prodigy, Grammy-winner Skrillex, Alesso, Viagra Boys, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Keinemusik, Hot Since 82, Indira Paganotto, Chase & Status, CamelPhat, Claptone, Sofi Tukker, LF System, Burak Yeter, and many more artists to be announced soon!
EXIT Festival Founder and CEO Dušan Kovačević emphasized the importance of the Wu-Tang Clan and their arrival at the Petrovaradin Fortress: “EXIT will be one of the main venues for the great global celebration of 50 years of hip-hop. For this occasion, we have booked stars who will bring in fans from all over the world this summer! Over 40 million sales across eight albums, a street name in their hometown of New York, sold-out stadiums, arenas, and main stages of the world’s biggest festivals — these all confirm the size of the phenomenon that is Wu-Tang, with each of its members a rap star in his own right.”
When, in August 1973, DJ Kool Herc organized a neighborhood party and, for the first time, extended the beat using two turntables and a mixer, he had no idea that he was laying the foundations of a culture whose image, sound and influence would completely dominate the planet half a century later. This event is remembered as the first hip-hop party, and exactly fifty years later, the dominant sound that was created then will move into every pore of the Petrovaradin Fortress.
Wu-Tang Clan marked the first ten years of its existence as the craziest, most influential, most avant-garde, and overall best group of the last decade, wrote NME in 2005, and that description has remained the status quo to this day. At the same time, the famous Rolling Stone called them “the best rap group ever,“ NME added that they “changed hip-hop forever,“ and Billboard defined their importance with a simple phrase: “Wu-Tang is forever.“
Starting with its first album, Wu-Tang has positioned itself as the benchmark for hip-hop and a blueprint for musical careers, from being paid with a counterfeit $100 bill for their first show in Texas to selling out the largest stadiums in New York, London, Berlin, Paris, and other world capitals.
They’ve released eight albums and sold over 40 million copies, creating an oeuvre that redefined hip-hop as a genre, exerting a powerful influence on legends such as Jay Z, Nas, Snoop Dogg, The Notorious B.I.G., Alicia Keys, Kanye West, as well as the new wave of stars such as Kendrick Lamar, A$AP Rocky, Rick Ross, and many others.
Aside from artists in the same musical genre, whose style and musical development they directly influenced, Wu-Tang Clan also has the respect and affection of numerous greats such as Bob Dylan, Eminem, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Quentin Tarantino, Mariah Carey, System of a Down, Jim Jarmusch and many other global superstars.
Nearly thirty years after the group’s founding, in 2019, New York City honored the Wu-Tang Clan with a street named after them in Park Hill. Thus, their hometown of Staten Island got a “Wu-Tang Clan District,” while the band received the undying respect of the community from which it sprang. The group’s historical and musical significance was presented in the documentary series “Of Mics & Men,” as well as through the feature series “Wu-Tang: An American Saga,” based on the book by the band’s founder, “The Tao of Wu.” The final season of this series will be released on 15th February.
From the very beginning, Wu-Tang has consisted of complete alphas, leader, and master visionary RZA, and warriors GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and Cappadonna. Their performances have been unmissable family affairs since day one. They are legendary precisely because of the strength, individuality, and character of each member, whose attachment to the clan is so strong that they perceive each other as family. Therefore, Wu-Tang Clan is not only a matter of music history but a symbol of an entire movement because, as RZA says, Wu-Tang was designed to come together as a whole for a common goal, and that goal was to change the scene forever. Their greatness is reflected in the fact that they made the nineties sound eternal, and although they did not start the genre, they reconstructed it and tasked the coming generations with maintaining the set standard.
Formed in 1992 in New York, they drew inspiration from kung-fu movies and superhero comics and are responsible for some essential hip-hop tracks with which they laid a strong foundation within the genre. Their debut album alone “Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)”, released in 1993, now triple platinum and part of the US Library of Congress spawned the singles “C.R.E.A.M.“ (Cash Rules Everything Around Me) and “Protect Ya Neck,” probably the most recognizable songs in the rap canon. Shortly after that, their second album, “Wu-Tang Forever,” cemented their position on the scene forever.
The strongest regional support will accompany the legendary Wu-Tang Clan at EXIT. The old guard will gather to represent the Blackout hip-hop community in another 30th-anniversary celebration. This showcase will feature founder Phat Phillie, along with Bolesna Braća, Ajs Nigrutin & Smoke Mardeljano, Prti Bee Gee, Njezz and Bege Fank. Exceptional female support will be provided by Mimi Mercedez, Tam, Micka Lifa, and Macha Ravel, while male support will come from Z++, 30zona, Crni Cerak & Lacku, Kene Beri & Spejs Noksi, Hiljson Mandela, Bore Balboa, Fox & Surreal, Kendi, Ognjen, Grše, Ružno Pače, Yung Bude, Podočnjaci, Dino Blunt, TTM, 2xŠihta, and Thicc Boi.
EXIT festival, which will take place from 6th to 9th July, has already announced the arrival of some of today’s biggest music stars, including The Prodigy, Skrillex, Viagra Boys, Alesso, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Sofi Tukker, Claptone, Chase & Status, Keinemusik, CamelPhat, Hot Since 82, Vintage Culture, Indira Paganotto. Regular and VIP 4-Day tickets are on sale and can be found here.
