Members: RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, U-God, Masta Killa, Inspectah Deck, Cappadonna and Ol’ Dirty Bastard
Members:
• Born Robert Diggs in 1969.
• He is regarded as the leader and the producer of the group, producing most of the tracks from the Wu Tang Clan albums. He is also regarded as one of the biggest producers in hip hop.
• He has also appeared in numerous movies like Derailed, Kill Bill and American Gangster.
• His sampling of soul music has inspired producers like Kanye and Just Blaze.
• He also produces the music for the Japanese cartoon Afro Samuri.
• Born Gary Grice in 1966.
• Is the oldest member of the group and has the most expierennce having begun rapping in 1976. He was also the first to release an album.
• Born Corey Woods in 1970
• Nicknamed “The Chef” for having lyrical flavour.
• He came up with most of the slang that the clan would use, even being called “The Slang Master”.
• He is the first American rapper to perform in Sierra Leone.
• Born Darryl Hill in 1969
• Cappadonna’s status as an official Wu Tang Clan member is unclear. Some regard him as the 10th member of the crew but there has been no official conformation from the group.
• Born Jason Hunter in 1970
• Regarded as one of the star players in the group, fans consider him as a stand out member in the crew.
• Although having a lot of hype on him his solo albums failed to live up to their expectations.
Masta Killa
• Born Elgin Turner in 1969
• Was the last of the Clan’s members to release a solo album, he released “No Said Date” which is regarded as one of the best post 2000 Wu Tang albums.
• Born Clifford Smith in 1971
• He’s the youngest and most successful member of the group. He was one of the first to release a Wu Tang solo album. His albums have gone on to sell platinum and he has also received a Grammy for his track “I'll Be There For You/You're All I Need featuring Mary J. Blige.
• Method Man is also the biggest actor in the group with roles in movies like How High, Belly and Soul Plane to mention a few. He has also starred in TV series like Third Watch, CSI and The Wire. He has said that he in future he will only act on projects being handled by his friends.
• Born Russell Jones in 1968
• He was one of the popular and controversial members of the group.
• At the 1998 Grammy he did a Kanye protesting Wu Tang loss in the Best Rap Album category while another artist was accepting their award.
• In 2000 Ol’Dirty Bastard escaped his rehab sentence, spending a month on the run as a fugitive, showing up on stage at an album release party for Wu Tang. He managed to leave the club without the police noticing him but eventually was captured by the police in a MacDonald’s parking lot, and was sent to face his charges on cocaine possession.
• He died on the 13th November 2004 from a drug overdose.
U-God
• Born Lamont Hawkins in 1970
• Received the least exposure from all the Clan’s members due to him being jailed.
• In 2004 U-God had left the group after problems arose with him and RZA who he claimed had delayed his success as a solo artist, but eventually reconciled with the group after a radio interview where both him and RZA cleared the beef between each other.
• Born Dennis Cole in 1970
• He is possibly the most consistent member of the crew
• Hip Hop critics credit his 2nd album “Supreme Clientele” with saving Wu Tang.
• He has dropped 8 solo albums, which is more than any other members.
Wu Tang Clan
• Wu Tang Clan was founded by cousins RZA, GZA and Ol’Dirty Bastard in 1992.
• The group’s name was established from the movie Shaolin and Wu Tang.
• The Clan first received recognition in 1993 for their single “Protect Ya” which gave them a great underground following.
• The crew struggled getting a record deal that would sign them but still allow each member to record solo albums with other record labels.
• They ultimately signed with Loud/RCA, who agreed to allow each member to pursue solo careers with different recording labels.
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Video games:
• The Clan’s members are all featured on the playstation game Wu Tang: Shaolin Style
• Ghostface was featured in the Def Jam games series
Discography
• Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), (1993) was the group’s debut album and is regarded as one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time. The album established Wu Tang as a prominent force in mid 90’s hip hop. They album also opened doors for the crew’s members, helping them negotiate solo contracts.
• Wu Tang Forever (June, 1997) debuted at #1 on the Billboard Albums Chart. The album’s first single “Triumph” was over 5 minutes long with nine verses and no hook or a repeated phrase. The album went multiplatinum and was even Grammy nominated. To date the album has sold over 8.3 million copies.
• The W (Unknown), the album’s hit single “Gravel Pit” was part of a trilogy of videos where the group would visit different eras with a time traveling elevator. The album featured legendary soul singer Isaac Hayes on the track “I Can’t Go To Sleep”. The album went on to be certified double platinum.
• Iron Flag (2001), unlike their previous albums this album used a lot of outside producers and features. Though the album was praised by critics, Wu Tang fans weren’t as impressed with the album. Ghostface even went on to criticize the album.
• Disciples of the 36 Chambers: Chapter 1 (2004), this album is recording of the group’s Rock the Bells IV concert.
• Legends of the Wu Tang Clan (unknown), was a greatest hits album of the group’s greatest music video hits.
• 8 Diagrams (December, 2007) the album received mixed reviews, being the group’s producer RZA’s most experimented work to date. Both Raekwon and Ghostface weren’t happy with the album and suggest making another album without RZA’s contribution.
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