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