Staten Island, NY · hip-hop · east coast rap

Wu-Tang Clan

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Nine MCs over dusty kung-fu-flick soul loops — still the most-imitated blueprint in rap, '36 Chambers' eternal.

Wu-Tang Clan formed in Staten Island, New York, in 1992, bringing together RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God and Masta Killa, with Cappadonna later closely affiliated. The group signed to Steve Rifkind's Loud Records that same year, and its 1993 single 'Protect Ya Neck' built a sizable underground following ahead of a debut album.

That debut, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), was produced by RZA and paired sparse, gritty drums and soul samples with dialogue lifted from martial-arts films. It drew strong reviews on release and has since been treated as one of the most significant albums in the genre's history.

The group's structure was unusual: a collective contract allowed members to sign solo deals elsewhere, which produced a run of individual albums through the mid-1990s while the Clan kept recording together. Wu-Tang Forever followed in 1997, debuting at number one on the Billboard 200 and earning a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album.

Later albums, including The W, Iron Flag, 8 Diagrams and A Better Tomorrow, found smaller audiences. In 2015 the group pressed a single copy of Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, which former hedge fund manager Martin Shkreli bought for two million dollars, the highest price recorded for a single work of music.

Ol' Dirty Bastard's death in 2004 left a gap the surviving members have worked around, while the extended roster of affiliated rappers they helped launch became known as the Wu-Tang Killa Bees. The group is scheduled for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2026.

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