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.
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What You In Fo'
Wu-Tang Clan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
RZA
Son, I just slapped my bitch
Came to my crib 'bout half past six
Kid's in shitty diapers, no food was fixed
I was like, "Yo bitch, why ain't no food fixed?"
She on the phone with her friend, talkin' 'bout dick
She got all excited, tryin' to throw fit
Swung at me, then I swung back, bitch
Method Man
What you in fo'? It happened in the club
With some thugs I was at the bar, smokin' bud, hollerin' at love
Ladybug was playin' in my peachfuzz
She was talkin' hot fudge
Can't nobody do it like she does in the hot tub
Didn't know her man was in the club
And honey dove never mentioned that she had a scrub
It must have been the drugs or the alcohol buzz
Had me shootin my game like a thirty-eight snub, baby
Let's cut a rug, that's when I felt a shove
What the blood do, actin' like he won the Golden Gloves
I get one for holdin' grudge, but if this kid throw a slug
I'm-a throw a slug
That's how we be rollin' 'cause
I see this dud tryin' to play me like a pair of Lugz
Big John Stud, Goldschlager in a golden mug
What you in fo'?
{*jail interlude*}
Streetlife
I'm locked down for tryin' to hold my block down since a shorty
The Old Earth was like, "Street, put the glock down"
I was raised in slums, love how the gun sounds
And now I got one. C'mon, who wanna front now?
Sunup to sundown, ready for showdown
Whoever wanna throw down
The gangsters better slow down
Wake up, before you be in a cell with forty of us
(What you in fo'?) In for murder over money, love and lust
(What you in fo'?) In for life, don't let me tell you twice
I might bang you twice and take double the life
What you in fo'?
Raekwon the Chef
Jail status - get up
Wash a nigga mattress, faggot. You heard about me, right?
Pass off them packages, cat, you gotta eat to live
Meet the crib. Got a hundred starvin' niggaz in here, big
So pop off, drugs that's props, bring in glocks, we call 'em oxes
Be a real live nigga, swing mops and shit, take over shit
Fuck the C.O.'s, ay yo, Boo, I need clothes
Slide brokers where phones get hid
Fuck with Russians and Latins
The most powerful marble black slipper style
Goin' out thrashin' niggaz, kicks get thrown
Big sizes, sleep in your boots, 4000 rugged F Troops
Notarized wigs, lay six months
That's alright, dog, make it home, Lord
Heard you admit it in the box, slid it under walls
Bang monster anger
Bop through the halls with bangers
Live good, like the abbot of all chambers
{*jail interlude*}
The lyrics of Wu-Tang Clan's song What You In Fo' describe the tales of four inmates sharing their experiences of being locked down behind bars. RZA's verse starts with him expressing his frustration about his woman not taking care of their child while he was away. He then narrates the story of how he got into jail, slapping his girlfriend because she was on the phone talking about another man. Method Man talks about how he ended up in jail, where his attempt at hollering at a woman led to a fight with her partner. Streetlife's verse reflects on how he has always been committing crimes and is in jail for murder, warning people to not mess with him. Finally, Raekwon talks about the criminal lifestyle of jail, where inmates deal with drugs, violence, and are always on guard, with the need to look out for themselves.
Line by Line Meaning
Son, I just slapped my bitch
I just struck my partner
Came to my crib 'bout half past six
Arrived at my residence at around six-thirty
Kid's in shitty diapers, no food was fixed
The children were in soiled diapers and no meals were prepared
I was like, "Yo bitch, why ain't no food fixed?"
I addressed my partner with the question, "Why haven't you prepared any food?"
She on the phone with her friend, talkin' 'bout dick
She was conversing with a friend on the phone about sexual activity
I snatched the receiver from that bitch like click
I took the phone away from her quickly
She got all excited, tryin' to throw fit
My partner became agitated and attempted to cause a disturbance
Swung at me, then I swung back, bitch
She hit me, so I retaliated with physical force
What you in fo'? It happened in the club
What act led to your incarceration? In my case, it was a club incident
Ladybug was playin' in my peachfuzz
A woman was sexually involved with me
Can't nobody do it like she does in the hot tub
Her sexual abilities were unmatched, especially in a hot tub setting
Didn't know her man was in the club
I was unaware that her partner was present at the club
Had me shootin my game like a thirty-eight snub, baby
I was attempting to engage in flirtatious behavior with her
Let's cut a rug, that's when I felt a shove
Let's dance, when suddenly I was pushed
Sunup to sundown, ready for showdown
I am always alert and prepared to fight
Whoever wanna throw down
Anyone who wants to fight
The gangsters better slow down
The criminals should think twice before acting recklessly
In for murder over money, love and lust
I am incarcerated for taking the life of another individual due to financial, romantic, or sexual motives
Jail status - get up
Wake up, prisoners
Wash a nigga mattress, faggot. You heard about me, right?
Clean the bed of a homosexual person. Have you heard about me, correct?
Pass off them packages, cat, you gotta eat to live
Distribute those illicit substances, my friend. You need sustenance to survive
So pop off, drugs that's props, bring in glocks, we call 'em oxes
Let's do it, utilize the narcotics as leverage, and obtain firearms that we nickname oxen
Notarized wigs, lay six months
Fraudulent documents and fake hairpieces will result in a prison sentence of six months
Heard you admit it in the box, slid it under walls
I heard you confess to an offense in solitary confinement and passed messages through the walls
Bop through the halls with bangers
Walk casually through the hallways with guns
Live good, like the abbot of all chambers
Live comfortably, like the head of a religious institution
Contributed by Kaitlyn W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ian DC
Bow to the Wu. Miss you dudes! You dudes need to drop a old school sounding gem. Love this one for sure!
Self Storage
They all still here, except for ODB....but like 2pac and Biggie, Big Pun, and Aaliyah etc,...legends live on!!!!.....
haze research
Method on this is fucking genius too. The whole track, I mean the standards were so high back then, good times, lyricswise, rhyme patterns and everything.
Self Storage
Method Man Should be in jail, because he kills every track he's on......
d R
Had no idea Wu did music for "Oz". Another hidden gem ๐
Boab Fawcett
yooo I had this song on my phone when I was at high school and I lost it man it has been like 6 years and finally I found this song! thanks haha
Self Storage
Boab, what you in for???!
BIG UNCLE G SKUNK XXL
Love the obscure Wu tracks, I got this on record, but my mate ain't got a record player, so YouTube will do.๐
Self Storage
New technology, Biggie....
Ricardo Ronin
rza killed this