Wu-Tang Clan

Origins: Shaolin, 1992

Wu-Tang Clan came together on Staten Island in 1992, built around RZA and his cousins GZA and Ol' Dirty Bastard. The original nine rounded out with Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God and Masta Killa, with Cappadonna made an official member in 2007. The crew rechristened their home borough "Shaolin" and drew their name, slang and mythology from kung fu films, Five Percent teachings and chess. Their debut single, "Protect Ya Neck," was pressed and sold independently in late 1992, and the buzz it created in New York got the group a deal with Loud Records.

Breakthrough: 36 Chambers

Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) arrived on November 9, 1993, through Loud/RCA. RZA produced it as a gritty patchwork of soul loops, off-kilter drums and dialogue lifted from martial arts movies, and nine rappers with very different styles traded verses over it. The album climbed only to No. 41 on the Billboard 200 at first, but it kept selling and is now certified 4x platinum. In 2022 the Library of Congress added it to the National Recording Registry. "C.R.E.A.M." became the defining single, and its line about cash ruling everything turned into a street proverb.

The business side was just as radical. RZA's contract let each member sign solo deals with other labels, which is how Method Man, Raekwon, GZA, Ghostface and Ol' Dirty Bastard released a run of landmark solo albums in the mid-1990s while the group stayed together.

Forever and Beyond

Wu-Tang Forever, a double album, came out on June 3, 1997. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with more than 600,000 copies sold in its first week, reached No. 1 in the UK as well, and picked up a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album. Its lead single "Triumph" runs through nine verses with no hook. Next came The W (2000), which went platinum on the strength of "Gravel Pit," followed by Iron Flag (2001). Ol' Dirty Bastard died in November 2004. Later group albums included 8 Diagrams (2007), RZA's most experimental record, and A Better Tomorrow (2014). Their 2015 album Once Upon a Time in Shaolin was pressed as a single copy and sold for $2 million. Members kept releasing solo work throughout, including Masta Killa's debut No Said Date (2004) on Nature Sounds.

Legacy

Wu-Tang may be the most influential crew hip hop has produced. RZA's dusty, cinematic production shaped a generation of beatmakers, and the group's model of one collective feeding many solo careers became a blueprint for others. Their story became a Hulu drama, Wu-Tang: An American Saga (2019), and in 2026 the group was named to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's incoming class.