100 Best Albums
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- 9 NOV 1993
- 15 Songs
- The Art of War - Single (feat. Wu-Tang Clan) - Single · 2024
- Claudine (feat. Mathematics, Ghostface Killah, Nicole Bus & Method Man) - Single · 2023
- 3rd Chamber Grail Bars Limited Wu-Tang Gold Edition · 2022
- Ass Tat (feat. Killah Priest & Wu-Tang Clan) - Single · 2022
- Before Time (feat. Cappadonna & Wu-Tang Clan) - Single · 2022
- Hi (UNKLE Reconstruction) - Single · 2021
- Hi (Deluxe) · 2020
- RAGE IS BACK [The Mixtape] · 2020
- Of Mics and Men (Music from the Showtime Documentary Series) · 2019
- Of Mics and Men (Music from the Showtime Documentary Series) · 2019
Essential Albums
- 100 Best Albums In 1993, the Wu-Tang Clan were a grim, grimy, grindhouse alternative to G-funk’s baroque gangsta cinema: If Dr. Dre’s lush, lowrider-ready grooves were Terminator 2, then the scratchy, bloody, distorted productions of RZA on their debut album were Reservoir Dogs. Emerging from New York City’s most underrepresented borough—the literal island of Staten—here was a sound that, by nature or nurture, existed in its own raw, unapologetic bubble: corroded soul breaks, snatches of dialogue and sound effects from arcane turn-of-the-’70s Hong Kong kung fu flicks, distended keyboard lines, tape noises, snaps and stutters. Wu-Tang emerged as a nine-member crew in the post-MTV age of small cliques, a mix of styles and voices that eventually carried more than a few solo careers: The violent beat poetry of Raekwon, Ghostface Killah and Inspectah Deck; the drunken sing-to-scream ping-pong of Ol’ Dirty Bastard; the $5 words and scientific flows of GZA and Masta Killa; the boisterous coaching of RZA; the gritty rasp of U-God; and the fame-ready slick talk of Method Man, who was already getting a star turn on his eponymous track. Though melancholy reminiscences like “Can It Be All So Simple”, “C.R.E.A.M.” and “Tearz” made a trilogy of evocative narratives, the Wu provided few easy inroads to their mythology and poetry. Instead, America was forced to enter their chamber, a lyrical swarm of hip-hop slang, the Five-Percent Nation’s Supreme Mathematics and skits that sounded like taped conversations. They brought a singular ruckus and everyone from the similarly crew-oriented Odd Future, the wordy Logic, the mafioso-fuelled Pusha T, the wild-styled Young Thug and the noisy Sheck Wes all owe different types of gratitude.
- 2020
- 2013
Artist Playlists
- Nine distinct MCs flex voluminous vocabularies over RZA's grimy, funky production.
- Listen to the hits performed on their blockbuster tour.
- 2020
Appears On
- Forever M.C. & It's Different
More To Hear
- Kung fu kicks it in Timbs—and changes rap forever.
- Mehdi fête les 30ans de ces deux albums mythiques.
- Celebrating 30 years of Wu-Tang Clan’s debut album.
- The New York artist discusses his role in the film 'Nobody.'
- RZA dissects Wu-Tang Clan classics, talks his top emcees and more.
- RZA dissects Wu-Tang Clan classics, talks his top emcees and more.
- Julia Michaels, RZA, and Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart talk with Nile about songwriting.
More To See
About Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan aren’t just one of the most influential rap groups of all time—they’re a belief system: their unconventional blend of Ginsu-sharp lyricism, Asian culture and undying brotherhood attracted a worldwide following that worships at their feet. In 1992, nine MCs—RZA, GZA, Method Man, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God and Masta Killa—assembled in Staten Island, bonding over street life, Five-Percent Nation teachings and foreign martial arts films. Despite each rapper’s distinct personality, tone and skill set, they melded under RZA’s leadership and ominous production. Their 1993 debut album, Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), made them instant luminaries, with electrifying lo-fi singles like “C.R.E.A.M.” and “Protect Ya Neck”. Under a unique contract deal with Loud Records, the Clan recorded as a group while unleashing solo projects like Method Man’s Tical, GZA’s Liquid Swords, Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx and Ghostface Killah’s Ironman. That freedom set the stage for 1997’s sprawling double-disc Wu-Tang Forever. From there, Wu-Tang Clan added various affiliate members and were among the first hip-hop acts to have their own clothing company and video game. The group continued to release albums through the 2000s, but internal turmoil and the death of ODB in 2004 spaced their collective efforts further apart. During an era when the industry struggled to decide music’s monetary value, Wu-Tang Clan created 2015’s secretly recorded Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, a single-copy album that was auctioned off for $2 million. Still, the Clan were steering cultural conversations two decades after their formation, but it shouldn't come as a surprise—Wu-Tang is forever.
- ORIGIN
- Staten Island, NY, United States
- FORMED
- 1992
- GENRE
- Hip-Hop/Rap