Wu-Tang Clan fans are only just realizing what the meaning is behind their name.
The iconic collective of rappers joined forces in Staten Island, New York, in the early 1990s at the height of the American hip hop era from the East Coast.
Wu-Tang Clan consists of nine core members: RZA, GZA, Method Man, U-God, Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Masta Killa and, up until his death in 2004, Ol' Dirty B******. Cappadonna also came along as a frequent feature before being considered the 'unofficial tenth member.'
Advert
The 'C.R.E.A.M' hitmakers have more than three decades of legacy behind them, long earning their stripes in the hip hop scene. However, some fans have never known how the unusual name came about with dozens of theories emerging over the years.
The 'clan' actually started in the late 1980s when three cousins, Robert Diggs (then called Prince Rakeem or The Scientist - and later adopted the name, RZA), Gary Grice (The Genius - later GZA) and Russell Jones (The Specialist - turned Ol' Dirty B******), formed a rap trio.
They initially called themselves the Force of the Imperial Master, according to The Mirror, and also went by the All in Together Now Crew.
Advert
By the early 1990s, Prince Rakeem and The Genius signed solo deals, however, their labels eventually dropped them, thus prompting the rebrand with new aliases to boot.
In 1992, Dennis Coles (aka Ghostface Killah) became the fourth member and they settled on a new collective name - Wu-Tang Clan.
Fans have considered the name stands for something specific, like 'Witty Unpredictable Talent and Natural Game' or 'Wisdom of the Universe and the Truth of Allah for the Nation of Gods,' both of which are a bit of a mouthful to say the least.
Advert
Yet according to the news outlet, the name has a far more humble beginning with the name being ripped from a cult classic movie.
Apparently, Diggs and Jones were 'obsessed' with kung fu films, specifically the 1983 marital arts movie, Shaolin and Wu Tang, which gave them their inspiration.
However, the group humorously kept up the gag by coming up with witty alternative acronyms for their name, like the ones fans thought it stood for.
Fast forward to 1993 and the collective dropped their debut album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 chambers) followed by Wu-Tang Forever in 1997 which earned a Grammy nomination and shot to No.1 on the Billboard 200.
Advert
Their name also explains their seventh studio album, 'Once Upon a Time in Shaolin', which has its own interesting story.
It was recorded in secret over a period of six years, after which the band decided to only make one copy for the purpose of fine art - protesting what RZA said was the shift towards undervaluing music.
The album was purchased for $2 million by Turning Pharmaceuticals CEO and Donald Trump supporter, Martin Shkreli, making it the most expensive work of music ever sold.
Advert
It was seized by cops years later when Shkreli was convicted of unrelated fraud and was finally played to a select few last year in an exhibition.
Anyway, Wu-Tang Clan's success catapulted their status which has since been lauded for bringing about the 'golden age' renaissance in the East Coast hip hop scene that first emerged in the 1970s from the streets of the Bronx.
The style is renowned for its lyrical dexterity, rhymes and complex metaphors, and gifted us with N.W.A, Dr. Dre, Nas and The Notorious Big while the latter's commercial success paved the way for Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes and 50 Cent.
Advert
As RZA once explained: "We reinvented the way hip hop was structured."
“We still could negotiate with any label we wanted… Meth went with Def Jam, Rae stayed with Loud, Ghost went with Sony, GZA went with Geffen. And all these labels still put ‘Razor Sharp Records’ on the credits.
"Wu-Tang was a financial movement," he added.
And if you don't know, now you know...
Topics: Music, Entertainment, US News, New York, Rap, Nostalgia, Celebrity, History
Liv Bridge