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Wu-Tang
Clan [The 9 Generals + 1]
[Questions/Comments/Contact:
info@wu-international.com]
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All In Together Now
Status:
Inactive
Members:
The Genius a/k/a GZA
The Scientist a/k/a
Prince Rakeem [The RZA]
The Specialist a/k/a
Ason Unique [Ol' Dirty Bastard]
Albums: N/A
The Foundation of the Wu-tang Clan, All 3
members are cousins and while in their teens were preoccupied
with rap music and kung-fu flicks - interests and came
together around 1992 to form the rap trio All In Together Now.
Within a year the trio had expanded into the Wu-Tang Clan, a
collective project created in order to provide a means to
promote the efforts of its individual members outside of the
established system of label exploitation.
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Wu-Tang Clan
Other Names: Deep Space 9,
Voltron
Status: Active
Members:
Cappadonna
Ghostface Killah,
GZA/Genius,
Inspectah Deck,
Masta Killa,
Method Man,
Ol' Dirty Bastard [R.I.P],
Raekwon,
The RZA,
U-God
Albums:
Unreleased
Demo Tape [n/a];
Enter The Wu-Tang [36 Chambers [1993];
London Freestyle Session: Live At UK Radio 1994
[1994];
Wu-Tang Forever
[1997];
The W [2000];
Iron Flag
[2001];
The Disciples
Of The 36 Chambers: Chapter 1 [2004] ;
Legends Of The Wu-Tang
[2004];
8 Diagrams
[2008]
DVDs:
The W:
Vol. 1 [2000];
Disciples Of The 36 Chambers 2
[2004];
Legend Of The Wu-Tang: The Videos [2006];
Enter The 8 Diagrams [2008]
The Wu-Tang Clan is a pioneering hardcore
rap group, originally from Staten Island, New York. Wu-Tang
music represent manic energy, pouring out hallucinatory
imagery and highly intelligent poetry with substantial lyric
content and value.
The 9 members of the Wu-Tang Clan have each released solo
albums, as well as performing under several subprojects with
other Wu-Tang members, and others outside the Clan. This was
the plan from the group's inception; the group would make them
each famous enough to launch multiple side projects, and take
over the hip-hop community through saturation of like-minded
rappers.
Though there was some difficulty in finding a record label
that would sign the Wu-Tang Clan while still allowing each
member to record solo albums with other labels, Loud/RCA
finally agreed and the debut album, Enter the Wu-Tang: 36
Chambers was a popular and critically-acclaimed album, though
it took some time to gain momentum.
Initially only 9 core members, Cappadonna became an official
member in 2008 even though he has been a member since the
beginning to make it 10 but with the passing of Ol' Dirty
Bastard it still 9 living members.
Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers did indeed establish the group
as a creative and influential rap group in the early nineties
[it was released in 1993], allowing GZA, RZA, Raekwon, Method
Man and Ol' Dirty Bastard to negotiate solo contracts. The
name comes from a mythical sword of Chinese folklore,
supposedly wielded by a group of legendary warriors, RZA broke
it down to mean W.isdom of the U.niverse and the T.ruth of A.llah
for the N.ations of the G.ods, and Prodigal Sunn from Sunz Of
Man once said it stood for
Witty Unpredictable Talent And Natural Game,
Guess it could mean so many things to so many people.
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The RZA
Other Names: Prince Rakeem, The Abbott, Bobby Digital, Rzarecta,
Ruler ZigZagZig Allah, Bobby Steels, The Scientist, Prince
Delight, Prince Dynamite
Real Name: Robert Diggs
Born
Day: July 5th
Star Sign:
Cancer
Groups: /Wu-Tang Clan /
Achozen / Gravediggaz / All In Together
Now
Albums:
RZA As Bobby Digital In
Stereo [1998];
The RZA Hits [1999];
RZA
As Bobby Digital In Digital Bullet
[2001];
The World According To RZA
[2003];
Birth Of A Prince
[2003];
RZA As bobby Digital
In Digi Snack [2008]
Soundtracks
Ghostdog: Way Of The Samurai [2000];
The Protector [2006];
Afro Samurai [2007]
DVDs:
Bobby Digital's Domestic
Violence [1999];
The World According To RZA: Live [2004]
Main producer and usually the executive
producer of the clans albums,
had his start in the late 1980s and early 1990s as a member
of All in Together Now along with future Wu-Tang members GZA
and Ol' Dirty Bastard. Once this acclaimed local band
dissolved, then-Prince Rakeem started going by RZA and
helped formed the Wu-Tang Clan. The first album was
incredibly successful, revolutionizing hip hop; one of the
major reasons was RZA's sparse, lean production that made
the sound distinctive. While continuing with the Wu-Tang
Clan, RZA was a member of Gravediggaz and had gone on to
produce many of the solo albums of the clan members. Went on
to from the next generation of wu tang affiliates known as
Wu-tang Killa Beez
More recently he has moved into composing
film scores, earning praise for his hip-hop score to Jim
Jarmusch's Ghost Dog - The Way of the Samurai and Quentin
Tarantino film Kill Bill. Next project is the release of
"The Cure" and Wu-Tang Clan reunion album.
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GZA/Genius
Other Names:
Jizah, Justice, Allah Just, The Head, Maximillion,
The Scientist
Real Name: Gary Grice
Born
Day: August 22nd
Star Sign:
Leo
Groups: Wu-Tang Clan / All In Together Now
Albums:
Words From The
Genius [1991];
Liquid
Swords [1995];
Beneath The
Surface [1999];
Legend Of The Liquid Sword [2002];
GZA/Genius Vs DJ Muggs: Grandmasters [2005]
DVDs: N/A
The GZA is the de facto leader of the
group, as well as being widely regarded as the one of the
best lyricist in the group. The first Wu MC to record an
album. His "Words From The Genius" came out a few years
before the Clan's official release. GZA was one of the
founding members of the Wu-Tang Clan, and aside from RZA, is
considered the group's main figurehead. Before the wu, he
was in a group with he's cousin's RZA & ODB as All In
Together Now. Future projects is probably the release of
he's son Young Justice's album and developing Liquid Swords
Entertainment artists.
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 R.I.P
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Ol' Dirty Bastard
Other Names: O.D.B., Dirty, Ol' Dirt Dawg, Osirus, Big Baby Jesus,
Ason Unique, Unique Ason, The Specialist, Dirt McGirt, The
Professor, The Bebop Specialist, Cyrus, Prince Delight, Dirt
Schultz, Joe Bananas, Freeloading Rusty
Real Name: Russell Jones
Born
Day: November 5th
Star Sign:
Scorpio
Groups: Wu-Tang Clan / Brooklyn Zu / All In Together
Now / D.R.U.G.S
Album:
Return
To The 36 Chambers [1995];
O.D.B.E.P.
[1997]; Nigga Please
[1999];
The Dirty Story:
The Best Of ODB [2001];
The Trials And
Tribulations Of Russell Jones [2002];
Osirus Mix Tape
[2005]
The Definitive Ol' Dirty
Bastard Story
[2005]
Free
To Be Dirty: Live [2005]
DVDs:
Free To Be Dirty Live
[2005]
ODB is considered to be the most eccentric
member of the Wu. A founding member of the Wu-Tang Clan with
his childhood friends, RZA and GZA. Dirty's hard life began to
catch up with him after 36 Chambers, he was shot in the
stomach following an argument with another rapper in 1994.
He'd fathered at least thirteen children, During a Grammy
Awards show,
ODB rushed onstage during Shawn Colvin's acceptance speech &
dominated most of the talk.
Further problems with Icelene Jones in 1998, resulted in
several court dates and he was shot in an attempted robbery.
He was also arrested for shoplifting in Virginia Beach,
Virginia, in spite of clear means to pay for the $50 shoes
he attempted to steal. He was arrested for making terrorist
threats after a series of drunken confrontations in Los
Angeles a few weeks later, and was then re-arrested for
similar charges not longer after that.
With multiple cases in the past and present, ODB was arrested
with marijuana and 20 vials of crack. His conflicting cases
adding to his problems, ODB soon entered rehab, in spite of
being wanted by several police forces; he was technically on
the run from the law. He found time to release 1999's Nigga
Please, a critical masterwork and mild sensation. Strange
behaviour during a subsequent court case sent him to jail for a
brief period, but he finally ran away from his by-now-court
mandated rehab and spent one month as a fugitive. He appeared
at a record release party for The W, a Wu-Tang Clan album.
He was arrested in a McDonald's parking lot and received two
to four years in prison; mental problems resulted in a suicide
attempt not long after his sentencing.
2003 brought a turn in the life of the dirtiest member of the
Wu-Tang Clan, however. The day he was released from prison,
with Mariah Carey and Damon Dash by his side, Dirty signed a
contract with Roc-a-Fella Records, and
began a new chapter in his life. Living at his mother's home
under house arrest and with a court-ordered probation hanging
over his hea. The God passed away late 2004. R.I.P.
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Raekwon
Other Names:
The Chef, Rae, Shallah Raekwon, Lex Diamonds, Louis
Diamonds, Rick Diamonds
Real Name: Corey Todd Woods
Born
Day: January 12th
Star Sign:
Capricorn
Groups: Wu-Tang Clan / American
Cream Team / Ice Water Inc
Albums:
Only
Built 4 Cuban Linx... [1995];
Immobilarity
[1999];
The Lex Diamond Story [2004]
DVDs: N/a
The man responsible for sending the entire
East Coast [and to a degree "every other coast"] into a mafioso frenzy. His debut album is quite possibly the most
copied hip hop album of all time and debated to be the best wu-tang
solo project to date, especially now that Masta Killa's has
recently released an equally consistent album.
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Method Man
Other Names: Meth, Methtical, Ticallion Stallion, MZA,
Panty Raider,
Shakwon, Hott Nikkels, Da Iron Lung, Blazini, Ghost Rider,
Johnny Dangerous, Johnny Blaze, Tical, Hot Nixon, John-John
Mclane, Ghost Rider, Long John Silver
Real Name: Clifford Smith
Born
Day: April 1st
Star Sign:
Aries
Groups: Wu-Tang Clan / *Redman & Method Man
Album:
Tical
[1994];
Tical 2000: Judgement
Day [1998];
Tical:
The Alter Ego Remixes [1999];
Blackout!
Ft. Redman
[1999];
How High - Soundtrack
[2001];
Tical 0: The Prequel [2004];
4:21... The Day
After [2006]
DVDs: N/A
As one of the first to join the Wu-Tang Clan
after its formation in the early 1990s, Method Man has always
been one of the most visible members of the collective.
Meth, was the first member to release a solo album after
the success of "Enter The 36 Chambers". He furthered his
career by recording with a string of artists inside and
outside his Wu family [and continues to do so today].
Has a side project as a group with Redman and recently has
spend more time pursing he's acting career.
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U-God
Other Names: Golden Arms, Baby-U, 4-Bar Killer, Lucky Hands, Ugodz-illa,
Universal God Of Law, Baby U, Baby Huey, 4-Bar Killer,
Name: Lamont Jody Hawkins
Born
Day: November 10
Star Sign:
Scorpio
Groups: Wu-Tang Clan / HillSide Scramblers
Album:
Golden
Arms Redemption [1999];
Super Nigga EP [2002];
Hill Side
Scrambler [2004];
Mr. Xcitement [2005]
DVDs:
Rise Of A Fallen Soldier [2004]
He was the eighth [out of nine] member of
the group to record a solo album, Sat out for most the
"36 Chambers" album, reportedly due to a jail term. Formally a beatboxer before joining Wu-tang clan.
A public fall out with RZA on dvd that was
released 2004, U-god is working on a number of projects
involving he's new troop The Hillside scramblers.
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Inspectah Deck
Other Names: Rebel INS, Deck, Fifth Brother, Rollie Fingers,
Ayatollah, Manifesto, Charliehorse
Name: Jason Hunter
Born
Day: July 6th
Star Sign:
Cancer
Groups: Wu-Tang Clan / House
Gang
Album:
Uncontrolled
Substance [1999];
The Movement [2003];
The
Resident Patient [2006]
DVDs: N/A
Primarily an MC who also produces beats for
many Clan affiliates, was part of the wu-elements. Inspectah
Deck's debut album was marred by frequent setbacks and label
problems. Often considered the group's underdog [or unsung
hero]. Named after Ector Clouseau from the "Pink Panther"
cartoons. Was supposed to work on a side project with Muggs from
Cypress Hill.
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Masta Killa
Other Names:
High Chief, Jamel Irief, Noodles
Real Name: Elgin Evander Turner
Born
Day: August 18th
Star Sign:
Leo
Groups: Wu-Tang Clan
Album:
No Said Date [2004];
Made In Brooklyn
[2006]
DVDs:
Low-key Clan MC. Was once considered the
honorary ninth member of the team. Masta Killa only appeared
on one track on the Wu-Tang Clan's first album, which was
co-written by GZA, but since then has become a mainstay in the
group's recordings and performances. Known within the Clan for
his quiet and introspective nature, he was the last member to
release a solo album. No Said Date, released in June 2004, was
heralded by fans as a return to form, with a sound reminiscent
of the early and mid 1990s Wu-Tang and affiliate albums. Known
to be a strict vegetarian.
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Cappadonna
Other Names: Donna, CappaGoines, Poppy Wardrobe King, Cappa Shogun,
Donnamite, Jay Bird, Catalog Don, Cappachino, Cappadon
Real Name: Daryl Robert Hill
Born
Day:
Star Sign:
Groups: Wu-Tang Clan / Wu-South /
Infamous Qur'an
Album:
The
Pillage [1998];
Iron Fist
Pillage - Soundtrack [2001];
The
Yin And The Yang [2001];
Cappadonna
Hits [2001];
The Struggle [2003];
The
Cappatalize Project [2007]
DVDs:
Iron Fist Pillage
The
Struggle [2005]
The "once" and probably "still" honorary
"tenth" Clan MC [for Mathematical reasons, there can only be
nine numbers/members], He has been listed as a killa bee as
well as a member of the Clan. He has been unofficial til
2007 before the 8 Diagram album where he was officially
signed as a member of the Wu-Tang Clan.
Cappadonna had major contributions to Ghostface Killah's "Ironman"
as well as Raekwon's album before signing on with RZA's "Razor
Sharp" label and releasing "The Pillage". A member of a newly
formed group he put together called F.O.I., Infamous Quran and Wu-South.
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