Wu-Tang Clan is a hip-hop group that consists of: RZA, GZA/Genius, Ghostfac… Read Full Bio ↴Wu-Tang Clan is a hip-hop group that consists of: RZA, GZA/Genius, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. They are frequently joined by fellow childhood friend Cappadonna, a quasi member of the group. They were formed in (and are associated with) the New York City borough of Staten Island (referred to by members as "Shaolin"), though Masta Killa and GZA are from Brooklyn and Inspectah Deck is from the Bronx. They have gone on to become multi-platinum record producers, Grammy winners, TV and film stars, screenwriters, product spokespersons, business owners and, most recently, major motion picture composers. The Clan featured nine MCs until the death of Ol' Dirty Bastard in 2004. One of the most critically and commercially successful hip hop groups of all time, Wu-Tang Clan shot to fame through their uncompromising brand of hardcore rap music. Since their debut, they have introduced or launched the careers of numerous other artists and groups, and already in 1994 there were credited to be over 300 Wu-Tang Clan affiliates, known as the Wu-Tang Killa Bees, consisting of rappers, producers, and record label CEOs.
The founders of the Wu-Tang Clan were RZA, GZA, and Ol' Dirty Bastard, who had previously formed the group Force of the Imperial Master (later known as All In Together Now after the release of a popular single by that name). The group attracted the attention of some notable figures in the industry, including Biz Markie, but did not manage to secure a record deal. After the crew dissolved, GZA and RZA (then known as Prince Rakeem) embarked on their solo careers with Cold Chillin' Records and Tommy Boy Records respectively, but to little success. Their frustration with the workings of the hip hop music industry would provide the main inspiration to Wu-Tang Clan's revolutionary business plan. According to The Wu-Tang Manual, at the group's inception, RZA promised the members that if he had total control of the Wu-Tang empire, it would conquer the hip hop world within a dynastic cycle, after which he would relinquish his total control.
Wu-Tang Clan was gradually assembled in late 1992 from friends and accomplices from around Staten Island, New York, with RZA as the de-facto leader and the group's main producer. Two of the cousins, GZA (pronounced Jizza) and RZA (pronounced Rizza), created their new Wu-Tang aliases by mimicking the sound that the words "genius" and "razor" would make when scratched on a turntable.
"Wu-Tang" comes from the name of the Taoist holy mountain Wu Dang in northwest Hubei Province in central China; it was also the site of the Ming Dynasty Purple Imperial City built during the reign of the Yongle Emperor in the early 15th century. RZA and Ol' Dirty Bastard adopted the name for the group after seeing the kung fu film Shaolin and Wu Tang, which features a school of warriors trained in Wu-Tang style. The group's debut album loosely adopted a Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang theme, dividing the album into Shaolin and Wu-Tang sections and using dialogue excerpts as skits.
The group have also developed various backronyms for the name (as hip hop pioneers like KRS-One and Big Daddy Kane did with their names), including "We Usually Take All the Niggas' Garments," "Witty Unpredictable Talent and Natural Game" and "Wisdom, Universe, Truth, Allah, Nation, and God".
Method Man has also mentioned that the "Wu" is the sound a sword makes when cutting through the air, and "Tang" is the sound it makes against a shield.
The Clan first became known to hip hop fans, and to major record labels, in 1993 (see 1993 in music) following the release of the independent single "Protect Ya Neck", which immediately gave the group a sizeable underground following. Though there was some difficulty in finding a record label that would sign Wu-Tang Clan while still allowing each member to record solo albums with other labels, Loud/RCA finally agreed, releasing their debut album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), in late 1993. This album was popular and critically-acclaimed, though it took some time to gain momentum. Though hip hop had long had a gritty texture, the surreal aggression and minimalist production of 36 Chambers nevertheless had a huge impact on the genre, and was to prove massively influential over the next decade. By the beginning of the 21st century, the album had become a regular fixture on "Best Albums of the 90s" lists as well as a frequent choice for "Best Albums of All Time" lists. The success of Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) established the group as a creative and influential force in early 1990s hip hop, allowing GZA, RZA, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Method Man, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa to negotiate solo contracts.
www.wutang-corp.com
The founders of the Wu-Tang Clan were RZA, GZA, and Ol' Dirty Bastard, who had previously formed the group Force of the Imperial Master (later known as All In Together Now after the release of a popular single by that name). The group attracted the attention of some notable figures in the industry, including Biz Markie, but did not manage to secure a record deal. After the crew dissolved, GZA and RZA (then known as Prince Rakeem) embarked on their solo careers with Cold Chillin' Records and Tommy Boy Records respectively, but to little success. Their frustration with the workings of the hip hop music industry would provide the main inspiration to Wu-Tang Clan's revolutionary business plan. According to The Wu-Tang Manual, at the group's inception, RZA promised the members that if he had total control of the Wu-Tang empire, it would conquer the hip hop world within a dynastic cycle, after which he would relinquish his total control.
Wu-Tang Clan was gradually assembled in late 1992 from friends and accomplices from around Staten Island, New York, with RZA as the de-facto leader and the group's main producer. Two of the cousins, GZA (pronounced Jizza) and RZA (pronounced Rizza), created their new Wu-Tang aliases by mimicking the sound that the words "genius" and "razor" would make when scratched on a turntable.
"Wu-Tang" comes from the name of the Taoist holy mountain Wu Dang in northwest Hubei Province in central China; it was also the site of the Ming Dynasty Purple Imperial City built during the reign of the Yongle Emperor in the early 15th century. RZA and Ol' Dirty Bastard adopted the name for the group after seeing the kung fu film Shaolin and Wu Tang, which features a school of warriors trained in Wu-Tang style. The group's debut album loosely adopted a Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang theme, dividing the album into Shaolin and Wu-Tang sections and using dialogue excerpts as skits.
The group have also developed various backronyms for the name (as hip hop pioneers like KRS-One and Big Daddy Kane did with their names), including "We Usually Take All the Niggas' Garments," "Witty Unpredictable Talent and Natural Game" and "Wisdom, Universe, Truth, Allah, Nation, and God".
Method Man has also mentioned that the "Wu" is the sound a sword makes when cutting through the air, and "Tang" is the sound it makes against a shield.
The Clan first became known to hip hop fans, and to major record labels, in 1993 (see 1993 in music) following the release of the independent single "Protect Ya Neck", which immediately gave the group a sizeable underground following. Though there was some difficulty in finding a record label that would sign Wu-Tang Clan while still allowing each member to record solo albums with other labels, Loud/RCA finally agreed, releasing their debut album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), in late 1993. This album was popular and critically-acclaimed, though it took some time to gain momentum. Though hip hop had long had a gritty texture, the surreal aggression and minimalist production of 36 Chambers nevertheless had a huge impact on the genre, and was to prove massively influential over the next decade. By the beginning of the 21st century, the album had become a regular fixture on "Best Albums of the 90s" lists as well as a frequent choice for "Best Albums of All Time" lists. The success of Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) established the group as a creative and influential force in early 1990s hip hop, allowing GZA, RZA, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Method Man, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa to negotiate solo contracts.
www.wutang-corp.com
Laced Cheeba
Wu-Tang Clan Lyrics
Your Kung Fu is good, your magic is good
That is why he waited
So my power would dwindle
My power has diminished then he come to kill me
Yes, but, I know your Kung Fu is still very good
If you practice again, no one could possibly be your match
Oh, the ancient weapon
Yeah, fierce, I travel across seas on glaciers
Four shotguns that got fucked by Geisha
Still gracious, still able to twist out darts
Just grew tougher skin from swimming with them sharks
Broken ankle, fucking with them Wallabee Clarks
Got them bitches still screaming my name (what up Starks?)
I'm a bone crusher, ox'll split your face like a Dutch master
No more minks, it's polar bears from Alaska
With shark skin Air Maxes and igloos of ice
Rocks clumped up, like overcooked rice
I'm nice, you're the reason why the game went soft
Bland niggas, I come through and season your broth
Like Mr. Dash, I blast, I'm a menace like Dennis
Young Coles and I'm back from a six-month sentence
Rehabilitated, back in the yard, flying heads with barbwires
Stay tying niggas to beds
Can you kill me?
If I didn't think so, I would not be here waiting for you now
Right, let me see what you got
Forget the tricks, let's see your kung fu
Yo, everybody get paid, everybody get laid
All these bitches dirty, everybody got AIDS
Everybody get played, everybody get sprayed
Everybody do what I say, everybody my maid
P, crack selling, black felon
Gat clap, rat-a-tat-tat, tap melons
Son thugs, one gun, one slug
Shot caller, like, yo, let me speak to Young Muggs
Listen, it's Mandela, pa
I grab wack MC's, I smack 'em hella hard
I kill niggas with the birdy big banger
My Wu-Tang niggas call me the thirty-sixth Chamber
Lyrical miracle, spit with you rap dudes
Get smacked off the skateboard for not paying rap dues
P, call me the gatekeeper
Break haters off your face smoking laced cheeba
He's mad, listen to me
You've lost your concentration, your magic is gone
That's why it doesn't work, you better use your real Kung Fu
Yeah, ayo, she want a thug, not the lawyer type
A golden boy to promote it right, sorta like a ill De La Hoya fight
I'm eating good, enjoying life, flawless ice, quick to bag a baller's wife
With no strings attached, cordless mics
Toilet white S five fifty with the wrong pipes
Peeling off like snake skin, watch the cobra bite
Overnight success story, go and check for me
You rap poorly, that's why your cassette's corny
Your money too short for long convo'
You in the game hurting, trying to play Rajon Rondo
Millionaire swag, peep your boys ensemble
Jewels heavy, Prince Akeem, Coming to America
Etcetera, whoever sent the kite, kill the messenger
Because I think like the man behind the register
Quick to pull a toaster out, Starks choke 'em out
We over here, counting bread, what y'all loaf about?
You finished already? Get up and fight
Hey, let's get some strength
Let him go 'til he outlive me
They say he killed my cult, let's go
That is why he waited
So my power would dwindle
My power has diminished then he come to kill me
Yes, but, I know your Kung Fu is still very good
If you practice again, no one could possibly be your match
Oh, the ancient weapon
Yeah, fierce, I travel across seas on glaciers
Four shotguns that got fucked by Geisha
Just grew tougher skin from swimming with them sharks
Broken ankle, fucking with them Wallabee Clarks
Got them bitches still screaming my name (what up Starks?)
I'm a bone crusher, ox'll split your face like a Dutch master
No more minks, it's polar bears from Alaska
With shark skin Air Maxes and igloos of ice
Rocks clumped up, like overcooked rice
I'm nice, you're the reason why the game went soft
Bland niggas, I come through and season your broth
Like Mr. Dash, I blast, I'm a menace like Dennis
Young Coles and I'm back from a six-month sentence
Rehabilitated, back in the yard, flying heads with barbwires
Stay tying niggas to beds
Can you kill me?
If I didn't think so, I would not be here waiting for you now
Right, let me see what you got
Forget the tricks, let's see your kung fu
Yo, everybody get paid, everybody get laid
All these bitches dirty, everybody got AIDS
Everybody get played, everybody get sprayed
Everybody do what I say, everybody my maid
P, crack selling, black felon
Gat clap, rat-a-tat-tat, tap melons
Son thugs, one gun, one slug
Shot caller, like, yo, let me speak to Young Muggs
Listen, it's Mandela, pa
I grab wack MC's, I smack 'em hella hard
I kill niggas with the birdy big banger
My Wu-Tang niggas call me the thirty-sixth Chamber
Lyrical miracle, spit with you rap dudes
Get smacked off the skateboard for not paying rap dues
P, call me the gatekeeper
Break haters off your face smoking laced cheeba
He's mad, listen to me
You've lost your concentration, your magic is gone
That's why it doesn't work, you better use your real Kung Fu
Yeah, ayo, she want a thug, not the lawyer type
A golden boy to promote it right, sorta like a ill De La Hoya fight
I'm eating good, enjoying life, flawless ice, quick to bag a baller's wife
With no strings attached, cordless mics
Toilet white S five fifty with the wrong pipes
Peeling off like snake skin, watch the cobra bite
Overnight success story, go and check for me
You rap poorly, that's why your cassette's corny
Your money too short for long convo'
You in the game hurting, trying to play Rajon Rondo
Millionaire swag, peep your boys ensemble
Jewels heavy, Prince Akeem, Coming to America
Etcetera, whoever sent the kite, kill the messenger
Because I think like the man behind the register
Quick to pull a toaster out, Starks choke 'em out
We over here, counting bread, what y'all loaf about?
You finished already? Get up and fight
Hey, let's get some strength
Let him go 'til he outlive me
They say he killed my cult, let's go
Lyrics © Spirit Music Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Arnold Mischkulnig, Borahm Lee, Dennis Coles, Gintas Janusonis, Grant Jeryl, Josh Werner, Noah Rubin, Sean Du Val Price, Wesley Mingus
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it
More Genres
No Artists Found
More Artists
Load All
No Albums Found
More Albums
Load All
No Tracks Found
Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Search results not found
Song not found