Wu-Tang Clan delivered one of the groundbreaking hip-hop albums of the 1990s.
ENTER THE WU-TANG (36 CHAMBERS) moved the masses with a mixture of Far Eastern Shaolin references and raw rap styles. We focus on one of the most important albums of the 90s.
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Wild Wu-Tang style
The single “Protect Ya Neck” launched the hip-hop myth from Staten Island, New York in 1992. A year later, the nine rappers RZA, GZA, Method Man, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Raekwon, Masta Killa and Ol’ Dirty Bastard, who died in 2004, immortalized themselves in the US Rap Hall of Fame with their debut album ENTER THE WU-TANG (36 CHAMBERS).
What awaited the fan was ENTER THE WU-TANG (36 CHAMBERS) not a smooth ironed one Commercial product. The Wu-Tang Clan preferred to impress in 1993 with a rough sound, hard punchlines and dark humor. Even though the Wu sound changed over time and sometimes became more electronic and harmonious, in retrospect it acted as a temporary counterpoint to the cleanly produced G-funk and West Coast anthems or poppy bad body productions of the nineties and noughties.
“Da Mystery Of Chessboxin'”
More is more
The The release was brimming with the self-confidence of the nine Wu-Tang members, who complemented each other excellently on the 15 tracks. In some songs the unconventional singing remained Ol’ dirty bastard hang, in others the playful rhymes of Method Man or the harsh anecdotes of Raekwon. Up to eight rappers took turns on songs like “Wu-Tang: 7th Chamber”, “Can It Be All So Simple / Intermission” and “Wu-Tang: 7th Chamber – Part II”. All three tracks exceeded the playing time of six minutes. Even back then it was atypical. Nevertheless, the clan managed to consistently attract listeners through the diversity of rap styles tie up. Instead of watering things down, the high number of protagonists and rap parts increased the quality of the product.
“Can It Be All So Simple”
Drugs, violence and the dream of getting rich quick
In addition to the battle-heavy posse tracks, the storytelling songs “Tearz” and “Can’t It All Be So Simple” and the solo track “Method Man” particularly stood out. out. In addition, “CREAM” with its piano loop and Method Man’s memorable hook created one of the magical moments on ENTER THE WU-TANG (36 CHAMBERS). Raekwon’s vivid lyrics also contributed to this. The then 23-year-old gave us a first-hand look at the struggle of America’s underclass:
“I grew up on the crime side, the New York Times side. Stayin’ alive was no jive. Had secondhands, Mom’s bounced on old man. So then we moved to Shaolin land. A young youth, yo, rockin’ the gold tooth, ‘Lo goose. Only way I begin the G off was drug loot. And let’s start it like this, son. Rollin’ with this one and that one, pullin’ out gats for fun.”
“CREAM”
Success and solo projects
To this day, ENTER THE WU-TANG (36 CHAMBERS) is one of the most influential rap albums and paved the way for many MCs from New York. The mix of lo-fi productions, which RZA equipped with kung fu synchronizations and soul samples, and the Wu-Tang members’ energetic raps were impressive.
After its release on November 9, 1993, the album reached number 41 on the US Billboard charts. On May 15, 1995, Wu-Tang Clan received a platinum award. To date, ENTER THE WU-TANG (36 CHAMBERS) has sold more than three million copies worldwide.
ENTER THE WU-TANG (36 CHAMBERS) in the stream
The success of the Wu-Tang Clan was also reflected in the fact that numerous solo projects by the individual members followed in the 1990s. These included albums like TICAL by Method Man (1994), ONLY BUILT 4 CUBAN LINX… by Raekwon and RETURN TO THE 36 CHAMBERS by Ol’ Dirty Bastard. In addition, they continued to diligently release projects as a collective. To date, seven Wu-Tang albums have been released – the crew from Staten Island is still active today. After Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s death, Cappadonna joined in 2007. The Wu-Tang Clan also holds the record for the most expensive record of all time: there is only one copy of their album ONCE UPON A TIME IN SHAOLIN. It was sold at auction in 2015 for a reported $2 million to pharmaceutical entrepreneur Martin Shkreli, who was later sentenced to seven years in prison for financial crimes.
Listening tips: “Method Man”, “Bring Da Ruckus”, “Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing To F’ Wit”, “CREAM”, “Protect Ya Neck”, “Tearz” and “Shame On a Nigga”.