The Wu-Tang Clan and RZA: A Trip Through Hip Hop's 36 Chambers

272 Pages·2011·1.12 MB·English

by  Alvin Blanco

The Wu-Tang Clan and RZA
This page intentionally left blank
The Wu-Tang Clan and RZA
’
A T H H 36 C
RIP THROUGH IP OP S HAMBERS
Alvin Blanco
Hip Hop in America
Juleyka Lantigua Williams: Series Editor
Copyright2011by AlvinBlanco
Allrights reserved.Nopart ofthis publicationmaybereproduced,stored inaretrieval
system, ortransmitted, inanyform orby anymeans, electronic,mechanical,
photocopying, recording, orotherwise, exceptforthe inclusion ofbriefquotationsina
review,without prior permissioninwriting fromthe publisher.
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-Publication Data
Blanco, Alvin.
The Wu-TangClanand RZA :atripthroughhiphop’s36 chambers/AlvinBlanco.
p.cm. – (Hiphop inAmerica)
Includes bibliographicalreferences andindex.
ISBN 978-0-313-38442-4(hard copy:alk. paper) –ISBN 978-0-313-38443-1(ebook)
1. Wu-TangClan(Musical group)2. RZA (Rapper)3. Rap musicians–United States–
Biography. I.Title.
ML421.W8B53 2011
782.42164909202—dc22 2011000023
ISBN:978–0–313–38442–4
EISBN: 978–0–313–38443–1
15 14 13 12 11 1 2 3 4 5
This bookisalso availableon the World Wide Web asaneBook.
Visit www.abc-clio.com fordetails.
Praeger
An ImprintofABC-CLIO, LLC
ABC-CLIO, LLC
130 Cremona Drive, P.O.Box1911
Santa Barbara, California93116-1911
This bookisprintedon acid-freepaper
Manufactured inthe UnitedStates ofAmerica
Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction ix
1. A Family Affair 1
2. From Many There Is One Wu 7
3. Form Like Voltron 13
4. The Debut Chamber 17
5. The First Wave (Wu-Tang Clan Soloist) Splinter Cells 27
6. Wu-Tang Goes Worldwide 71
7. The Re-up: The Second Wave (More Wu-Tang Clan Solos) 85
8. Wu-Tang as a Brand, Music and Beyond 123
9. A New Millennium, Even More Wu 133
10. Chinks in the Clan’s Armor 153
11. Group Hiatus, Solos Still Flow 163
12. Goodbye Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Wu-Tang Marches On 173
13. Wu-Tang Redux 201
14. Shaolin Still Runs It 213
Index 229
v
This page intentionally left blank
Acknowledgments
Thanks to my beautiful wife Stacy for her patience, enthusiasm, and
knack for proofreading.
Thanks to my entire family for their unyielding support, especially
my sisters (Noelia, Christina), brother Justo (Freddy), and mommy
and daddy (Roberto, Aquilina).
Thanks to Juleyka Lantigua for being an awesome editor and believ-
ing that I was capable of writing a book before I even did. Thank you
to the staff at ABC-CLIO and Praeger.
Thankstomydear friends andfellowjournalistswho keptmeonmy
toes, assigned me stories or inspired me in some way or fashion along
the way, if a name is missing, blame the brain, not the heart: Miguel
Burke, Jerry Barrow, Vaughn Caldon, Hasan Stephens, Shawn Butler,
Izell Blackwell, Tay Canacoo, Vernida Chaney, Damon Aulston,
UVA Gambinos, Tonya Pendleton, Miles Marshall Lewis, Smokey
Fontaine, Porscha Burke, AllHipHop Gunshow: Chuck Creekmur,
GrouchyGregWatkins,JamilahCreekmur,JakePaine,JaysonRodriguez,
Janna Zinzi, Steve Julien, Dove Clark, Kathy Iandoli, Odell Hall, Sidik
Fofana, Martin Berrios, Michelle Berrios, Scratch Magazine Crew:
Brian Coleman, Tony Gervino, Jesu´s Trivin˜o Alarco´n, R. Scott Wells,
Dalmar James, Kaity Velez, Lizz Carroll, Yaminah Ahmad, Brook
Stephenson, Bettina Goolsby, Nadiyah Bradshaw, Phylicia Fant, Whitney
Benta, Manny Bella, Dwight Willacy, Serena Boyd, Elise Wright,
vii
viii | Acknowledgments
Dhanraj Maharaj, Audra Jackson, Oyama Caviness, Elon Johnson,
Tracey Ford, Aliya S. King, Erik Parker, Carlito Rodriguez, Andreas
Hale, Angela Bostick, Timeka Williams, Ben Osborne, Bonsu Thompson,
Elliott Wilson, Kim Osorio, Vanessa Satten, Jack Erwin, Anslem Samuel,
Brian Miller, Brolin Winning, Paul W. Arnold, Carl Chery, Celia San
Miguel, Kim Cooper, Joshua Fahiym Ratcliffe, Alex Gale, Chloe Hilliard,
Hillary Crosley, Mike Yi, Roberta Magrini, Juan Pablo, Chuck Eddy,
Clover Hope, Dan Frosch, Datwon Thomas, Mahogany Browne,
Timmhotep Aku, Gregory Johnson, Imani Dawson, Jason Newman, Jesse
Serwer, kris ex, Leah Rose, Mark Allwood,Jermaine Hall, Matt Conoway,
Maurice Garland, Deepa Shah, Mike Piroli, Miranda Jane, Rashaun Hall,
Rob Markman, Rondell Conway, Roberto Santos, Ronin Ro, Russ
Bengtson, Simone Kapsalides, Tomika Anderson, Tracy Hopkins, Wendy
Day, Ebonie Jackson, Wes Jackson, Malik Buie, Omar Williams, Ruben
Canales, Zenobia Simmons, Matt Caputo, Paul Cantor, Natanya Mitchell,
and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
Introduction
In 1993, I discovered Wu-Tang Clan’s first single, “Protect Ya Neck,”
on New York City’s late night, underground radio dial. The specific
show escapes me; it was probably the “Stretch Armstrong & Bobbito
Show” on Columbia University’s WKCR. But I clearly remember get-
ting virtually sucker-punched by the dazzling display of rhyme energy
from nine MCs, with no two sounding alike, moving as a cohesive unit
over an epic beat. I didn’t know it then, but I had found a group whose
musical catalog would expand with more superb music to get lost in
for more than a decade.
The South Bronx in the 1980s and early 1990s was defined by a
near-blighted urban landscape. That was the backdrop to my child-
hood. Hip-hop was my escape, my paradise, my fantasy world. As
the years went by, different artists came and went, though not neces-
sarily ever disappeared, from my personal and the overall hip-hop
enthusiast’s playlist. Doug E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew gave way
to Public Enemy and Big Daddy Kane, who gave way to N.W.A, De
La Soul and ATribe Called Quest, leading to Nas and OutKast, and
so on and so on.
The degree to which the hip-hop artists affected the culture varied,
but many acts have earned their place in the annals of hip-hop history.
By 1993,beingahip-hopfan wasgetting easier.MTV wasstill playing
videos, some of them occasionally from hip-hop acts, and more
ix