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This chess-playing hip-hop posse, whose ranks originally comprised the Genius (the GZA), RZA (originally known as Prince Rakeem), Ol' Dirty Bastard, Raekwon, Method Man, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck (aka Rebel INS) and U-God, based themselves in the Staten Island district of New York City. The roots of the Wu-Tang Clan lay in the earlier crew All In Together Now, formed by cousins Rakeem, the Genius and Ol' Dirty Bastard. Both Rakeem and the Genius had released solo records prior to their involvement with the Wu-Tang, for Tommy Boy Records and Cold Chillin' Records respectively, both of which sank without trace and instilled a hatred of record labels in the Clan's founder members. Each of the team boasted keen martial arts knowledge, and their debut album was divided into two sides, Shaolin and Wu-Tang Sword, to symbolise the combat-like disciplines applied to their rapping. An independently released single 'Protect Ya Neck' became an underground hit, leading to major label interest. When the Clan as a whole signed with Loud/RCA, provision for each member to work as solo artists was enshrined in the contract. The Genius joined his third record company, Geffen Records, Method Man linked with Def Jam Records, Ol' Dirty Bastard with Elektra Records, and Raekwon stayed with Loud/RCA. RZA also worked alongside Prince Paul and Fruitkwan (ex- Stetsasonic ) as part of the Gravediggaz, as well overseeing the production of all Wu-Tang product and later setting up his own Razor Sharp imprint.
Wu-Tang Clan's musical armoury centres around old school rhyming and trickery, which with multi-contributors offers ample opportunity for quickfire wise-cracking and playing off each other. The musical backing is one of stripped down beats, with samples culled from kung-fu movies. Such appropriation of martial culture was a theme which has occupied rap music from the days of Grandmaster Flash onwards. Their debut set Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) was recorded in their own studio, its '36 Chambers' suffix alluding to the number of critical points on the body as disclosed by Shaolin theology. RZA's production work, all spare beats and minimal samples, rapidly became one of the most recognisable and influential sounds in hip-hop and set the underground scene alight. The album eventually notched gold status, although it only debuted at US number 41 in November 1993. The belated success of the 'C.R.E.A.M.' single helped to spread the word, making the Wu-Tang one of the hottest tickets in rap. However, all was not well with the Clan in 1994. U-God's two-year old, Dante Hawkins, was hit in a gun battle crossfire as he played outside his babysitter's house on 13 March. The bullet destroyed one of his kidneys and damaged his hand. Just a day later a member of the band's inner circle of friends was killed in a separate incident.
The ranks of the Clan have been swelled with the addition of the ninth and tenth official members, Masta Killa and Cappadonna, and the ever-expanding Wu-Tang family has seen associates including Shyheim, Killah Priest, Shabazz The Disciple, Killarmy and the Sunz Of Men release acclaimed albums. The Clan regrouped for 1997's Wu-Tang Forever, a long sprawling record that rarely matched their debut or GZA's exceptional solo collection Liquid Swords. The album was one the most eagerly anticipated hip-hop releases ever, and entered the US charts at number 1 in June. Recent releases from the Wu-Tang stable have included Killah Priest's excellent Heavy Mental, and Cappadonna's best-selling The Pillage.
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Albums
| Year | Label | Title | |
| 1993 | Loud/RCA Records | Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) | |
| 1994 | Loud/RCA Records | Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) [Edited] | |
| 1997 | Loud | Wu-Tang Forever [ECD] | |
| 1997 | Loud | Wu-Tang Forever [ECD] [Edited] | |
Singles
| Year | Label | Title |
| 1994 | Loud/RCA Records | Method Man | |
| 1994 | RCA Records | Can It Be All So Simple | |
| 1994 | RCA Records | Can It Be All So Simple [Maxi Single] | |
| 1994 | RCA Records | C.R.E.A.M.... | |
| 1994 | RCA Records | C.R.E.A.M.... [Maxi Single] | |
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