Masta Killa

Origins

Elgin Evander Turner was born on August 18, 1969, in Brooklyn, New York. He took his name from the 1978 kung fu film Shaolin Master Killer, also known as The 36th Chamber of Shaolin. Unlike most of the Wu-Tang Clan, he was not yet a working rapper when the group came together; he was the last of the original members to join, and he learned the craft under the close guidance of GZA, whose calm, precise delivery clearly shaped his own.

Breakthrough

His entry point was a single verse. On "Da Mystery of Chessboxin'," from the 1993 debut Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), Masta Killa closed the track. Group lore holds that he and Killah Priest were both in the running for the spot and that Masta Killa won it by staying up all night writing. That verse made him a permanent member, and through the rest of the 1990s he contributed to Wu-Tang group albums and to his bandmates' solo records, favoring measured, meditative rhymes over flash.

Nature Sounds Solo Career

Masta Killa waited more than a decade to release his own album. No Said Date came out on Nature Sounds on June 1, 2004, recorded largely at 36 Chambers Studios with production from RZA, True Master, Allah Mathematics and others and appearances from nearly every Clan member, including Ol' Dirty Bastard. It reached No. 3 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart and No. 4 on Independent Albums, and critics praised it as one of the most focused Wu releases in years. The video for "Old Man," featuring Ol' Dirty Bastard and RZA, became its signature moment.

He stayed with Nature Sounds for the rest of his catalog. Made in Brooklyn (2006) added beats from MF DOOM and Pete Rock and singles such as "Ringing Bells." Selling My Soul (2012) leaned toward classic soul, Loyalty Is Royalty (2017) included the Method Man and Redman collaboration "Therapy," and Balance followed in 2025.

Legacy

Masta Killa is often described as the Clan's quiet craftsman: the member who arrived last, spoke least, and still built one of the most consistent solo discographies of the group. His long partnership with Nature Sounds also helped establish the label as a home for veteran New York rappers who wanted to make records on their own terms.