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
Take It Back )
Wu-Tang Clan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴
[Intro: movie sample (Raekwon)]
On the firing line... lock, one round load
Ready on the right? Ready on the left?
Ready on the firing line? Watch for ya targets
(Yeah, yeah, yeah...) pay attention
[Raekwon]
Welcome to the fish fry where niggaz get burnt to a crisp
Jump out the pot, "Yeah yo I got this"
Long armor, construction's on, I'm pro-drama
Catch me in the wildest beefs, I bring bombers
Bearded like Talibans, booted, my black ninjas
'll come through, tuxedos on with the gold llamas
Priceless like emeralds, check out the ski mask
King Tut's nephew gave it to me for three bags
Of heron, Don Baron, sniff a bag of blow
Fifth out, runnin' up in Saks with the ill army
Shake feds, play dead, yo check out what Rae said
Lay on ya hands, let the Branson break bread
High energy, all my niggaz a kin to me
Regardless how it go down I still get ten a ki
Beware of my enemies, y'all remember me
Nikes with the low goose on and I've been a beast
Wilding in my headphones, red in my stones
Good ganja out, if I die fill up my headstones
With water, dough, acid and gold classics
All my niggaz who pump, the spirit'll jump out and grab shit
Max with the laser on 'em, staircase caskets (caskets)
Broke bugged thugs in the hallway maxing (maxing)
[Interlude: Inspectah Deck (movie sample)]
Still them 1-6-Ooh niggaz, straight up (whoa, hold up, hold up)
[Inspectah Deck]
The nozzel aim, rip through ya frame for pocket change
Fiend for the Rush Hour 4, then pop a vein
Thousand dollar corks pop, pause or get off top
Used to be a general, just lost your spot
Animal House, two grand'll handle ya mouth
Beast mode with the G-Code, cancel 'em out
Son, I've seen hell, fell into the palms of Satan arms
Don that I am made 'em bow in the face of God
Graveyard Shifting, different day, the same thing
The name ring then the chain swing and dames cling
Money green, Maury kicks, whips and new fitteds
(It was all a dream) Advocated by the few who do live it
Bloomberg, make a nigga cop the Mausberg
Shorty ain't a shorty, he a Shooter like Wahlberg
Old man told me, don't be, blind to deception, only
Sharp with perfection, homey, ya mind is a weapon
[Interlude: movie sample]
Relax, you got ya muscles tight, relax
Word... Word...
[Chorus: Method Man (U-God)]
First we told y'all niggaz, then we showed y'all niggaz, huh?
(We gon' take it back with this)
By the time you get a show, we've been all around the globe, huh?
(We gon' take it back with this)
Before you even had a name, you was screaming "Wu-Tang"
(We gon' take it back with this)
When we was running on the block, you was under ya pops, remember
(We gon' take it back with this... let's go)
[Ghostface Killah]
Armored truck money, Shazam bangles, play the throne like
Julius Caesar, gorilla mob, slash, Killah's gaurd
Fake passports and visas, all of my goons
They be carrying spoons, because boom, he had a massive seizure
Hot chocolate lovers, guns is published
Detroit bitches out of town be dying to fuck us
This is real talk, shank lullabyes
Ben Franks, we like Jet Blue we stay hella high
Curl on the dumbell L, we can't even S-P-E-L-L MTV or TRL's
Supreme novelists, we rank superior, guarding the post
Down low in the 'jects, got it locked in ya area
Ain't tryin' to hurry up
We like rebel niggaz powdered up wilding in the streets of Liberia
No matter the crime, I'm beating the case
If I'm a wrong, a chair hit a judge right in his face
Shitting shanks out, come to court dates
Mittens on shines with blood Wally's that's the color of wine
[U-God]
Talk to me, my criminal mystique
Kick back the boards, six thousand a week
Pay homage, what the don beat, you're a minor threat
I see ya sweat roll down ya cheek
And ya soft and sweet, ya talk is pork
Get murdered in New York when I enforce the heat
And the cost ain't cheap, my advice is priceless
Bring back the life that ya thought was lifeless
The Way of the Gun, son, who the nicest?
S.K., no stungun, smooth devices
Time Crisis, I played the game, low lifers
In a brawl, ripped the phones out the walls in Riker's
Vipers in the infirmary rooms with slicers
Shiesters with hate in their blood might bite ya
Fuck that bitch, ya wife don't write ya
Cancel her, buy another one just like her
Pipers in the bucket of ice taste righteous
Today's mathematics when we build in cyphers
The baby automatic kill like Air Force strikers
I'm still Asiatic when I spill the hypeness
[Interlude: movie sample]
The dark, and this place will come here
That's right!
[Chorus]
On the firing line... lock, one round load
Ready on the right? Ready on the left?
Ready on the firing line? Watch for ya targets
(Yeah, yeah, yeah...) pay attention
[Raekwon]
Welcome to the fish fry where niggaz get burnt to a crisp
Long armor, construction's on, I'm pro-drama
Catch me in the wildest beefs, I bring bombers
Bearded like Talibans, booted, my black ninjas
'll come through, tuxedos on with the gold llamas
Priceless like emeralds, check out the ski mask
King Tut's nephew gave it to me for three bags
Of heron, Don Baron, sniff a bag of blow
Fifth out, runnin' up in Saks with the ill army
Shake feds, play dead, yo check out what Rae said
Lay on ya hands, let the Branson break bread
High energy, all my niggaz a kin to me
Regardless how it go down I still get ten a ki
Beware of my enemies, y'all remember me
Nikes with the low goose on and I've been a beast
Wilding in my headphones, red in my stones
Good ganja out, if I die fill up my headstones
With water, dough, acid and gold classics
All my niggaz who pump, the spirit'll jump out and grab shit
Max with the laser on 'em, staircase caskets (caskets)
Broke bugged thugs in the hallway maxing (maxing)
[Interlude: Inspectah Deck (movie sample)]
Still them 1-6-Ooh niggaz, straight up (whoa, hold up, hold up)
[Inspectah Deck]
The nozzel aim, rip through ya frame for pocket change
Fiend for the Rush Hour 4, then pop a vein
Thousand dollar corks pop, pause or get off top
Used to be a general, just lost your spot
Animal House, two grand'll handle ya mouth
Beast mode with the G-Code, cancel 'em out
Son, I've seen hell, fell into the palms of Satan arms
Don that I am made 'em bow in the face of God
Graveyard Shifting, different day, the same thing
The name ring then the chain swing and dames cling
Money green, Maury kicks, whips and new fitteds
(It was all a dream) Advocated by the few who do live it
Bloomberg, make a nigga cop the Mausberg
Shorty ain't a shorty, he a Shooter like Wahlberg
Old man told me, don't be, blind to deception, only
Sharp with perfection, homey, ya mind is a weapon
[Interlude: movie sample]
Relax, you got ya muscles tight, relax
Word... Word...
[Chorus: Method Man (U-God)]
First we told y'all niggaz, then we showed y'all niggaz, huh?
(We gon' take it back with this)
By the time you get a show, we've been all around the globe, huh?
(We gon' take it back with this)
Before you even had a name, you was screaming "Wu-Tang"
(We gon' take it back with this)
When we was running on the block, you was under ya pops, remember
(We gon' take it back with this... let's go)
[Ghostface Killah]
Armored truck money, Shazam bangles, play the throne like
Julius Caesar, gorilla mob, slash, Killah's gaurd
Fake passports and visas, all of my goons
They be carrying spoons, because boom, he had a massive seizure
Hot chocolate lovers, guns is published
Detroit bitches out of town be dying to fuck us
This is real talk, shank lullabyes
Ben Franks, we like Jet Blue we stay hella high
Curl on the dumbell L, we can't even S-P-E-L-L MTV or TRL's
Supreme novelists, we rank superior, guarding the post
Down low in the 'jects, got it locked in ya area
Ain't tryin' to hurry up
We like rebel niggaz powdered up wilding in the streets of Liberia
No matter the crime, I'm beating the case
If I'm a wrong, a chair hit a judge right in his face
Shitting shanks out, come to court dates
Mittens on shines with blood Wally's that's the color of wine
[U-God]
Talk to me, my criminal mystique
Kick back the boards, six thousand a week
Pay homage, what the don beat, you're a minor threat
I see ya sweat roll down ya cheek
And ya soft and sweet, ya talk is pork
Get murdered in New York when I enforce the heat
And the cost ain't cheap, my advice is priceless
Bring back the life that ya thought was lifeless
The Way of the Gun, son, who the nicest?
S.K., no stungun, smooth devices
Time Crisis, I played the game, low lifers
In a brawl, ripped the phones out the walls in Riker's
Vipers in the infirmary rooms with slicers
Shiesters with hate in their blood might bite ya
Fuck that bitch, ya wife don't write ya
Cancel her, buy another one just like her
Pipers in the bucket of ice taste righteous
Today's mathematics when we build in cyphers
The baby automatic kill like Air Force strikers
I'm still Asiatic when I spill the hypeness
[Interlude: movie sample]
The dark, and this place will come here
That's right!
[Chorus]
The song "Take It Back" by Wu-Tang Clan opens with a movie sample addressing a firing line, emphasizing that paying attention and locking one's targets is crucial. The first verse performed by Raekwon is filled with bravado and highlights the rapper's toughness and street cred. He regales listeners with tales of wearing tuxedos while carrying gold llamas, obtaining ski masks from King Tut's nephew in exchange for three bags of heroin, and running up into high-end stores with an ill army. His willingness to bring in the bombers and put himself in the middle of the wildest beefs shows that he is unafraid and willing to take risks. Inspectah Deck's verse follows Raekwon's with aggressive rhymes about shooting for pocket change, falling into Satan's arms, and using one's mind as a weapon.
In the chorus, Method Man and U-God remind listeners of the Wu-Tang Clan's longevity and global success while suggesting that they will "take it back" with this song. Ghostface Killah's verse is similarly filled with aggressive and violent imagery, as he raps about armored truck money, hot chocolate lovers, and beating a case by hitting a judge right in the face. Finally, U-God wraps up the song with rhymes about his criminal mystique, smooth devices, and low-lifers.
Lyrics Β© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DENNIS DAVID COLES, LAMONT HAWKINS, JASON HUNTER, COREY WOODS, ROBERT F. DIGGS, CLIFFORD SMITH, ROBERT M. JAMES, OSTEN HARVEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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@Connjie-and-Joeltze_jouwh
i think this is an underrated wu-tang song! its fucking sick
@chrisb6484
I think the whole album is underrated, but critics and fans had expectations before ever hearing it,if it doesnβt sound liken β36 Cambersβ then it sucks!
@trentyates418
Rza and easy mo are the best!
@twocents6951
U-God verse is fire π₯π₯π₯π₯
@jonathanwpressman
Yeah agreed one of his better ones
@theillustrator413
People is gonna stop sleeping on Baby U!
@donnewilliams3749
Wu been killing it for a long time!! I'm from the south, but I've been following them since day one. They are the dopest!!
@trentyates418
At the time when this came out, hip hop became a circus. Full of clowns that were whack. But wu tang took hip hop back with this album. Straight gem. And i thank my pop for exposing me to this album. I like this wu tang album much better than the other ones that came before and after this one.
@marinoblocker
U-God MURDERED this beat....
@craigdavis5407
The One Of The Greatest Hip Hop Bands!!!