Wu-Tang Clan Forever: How The ’90s Supergroup Became The Hip-Hop Reference Of 2023
Rihanna and A$AP Rocky are hardly in need of more adoration from the internet. But, back in May, they received just that – when it was revealed they had named their first-born son RZA, after the rapper, producer and founder of the Wu-Tang Clan. The hip-hop group and collective was formed in Staten Island in 1992. Members include RZA, his cousin GZA, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Method Man, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa and, until his death in 2004, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, AKA, ODB. While it might not have been one of first hip-hop names reeled off by music fans in recent years, that may be about to change. In the summer that marks 50 years of hip hop – with worldwide anniversary celebrations planned from 11 August onwards – Wu-Tang Clan, arguably the genre’s best supergroup, is enjoying something of a moment.
Along with the nod from everyone’s favourite celebrity couple, a whole new generation is discovering the Wu world. Ghostface Killah contributes a brilliantly sprawling verse to the track Purple Hearts on Kendrick Lamar’s critically acclaimed Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, which was nominated for eight Grammys, while SZA uses previously unheard vocals from ODB for Forgiveless, the final track on SOS – an album that spent 10 weeks at No.1 of the Billboard 200 chart. For anyone who wants to get up to speed, there’s a TV boxset – Wu-Tang: An American Saga, created by RZA, tells the story of the group. A documentary about ODB is also in the works.
Wu-Tang have long been held in high regard by hip-hop aficionados, thanks to a sprawling cast of characters, crate-digging samples and tendency to deep thinking (GZA is a life-long chess enthusiast, while RZA worked with legendary indie director Jim Jarmusch on 1999’s Ghost Dog, an offbeat take on a gangster movie starring Forest Whitaker). This point of view dates right back. Speaking to The New York Times as part of their project celebrating 50 years of hip-hop, RZA explains: “Me, the GZA, Ol’ Dirty, Method Man, Ghost, we were purists. My plan was to infiltrate the industry. The purity of the culture was taking a left turn already in the ’90s, and I felt that we should enter the arena but spread it out like 36 chambers.”
Wu-Tang’s debut album, Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), was released in 1993 and it was partly inspired by the plot of martial arts film The 36th Chamber Of Shaolin. With hit singles like Protect Ya Neck and C.R.E.A.M., it succeeded for its creators. Now, 30 years after its release, and 50 years into hip-hop history, it’s recognised as a classic, coming in at number eight in Rolling Stone’s 200 Greatest Rap Albums of All Time in 2022. And Wu-Tang are integral to hip-hop culture – so much so that a premier modern rapper has named his child after a member of the group.
RZA ended his silence on baby RZA in July in typically thoughtful style. “[It’s] a great honour to know that there’s another generation that’s not even of my own household that feels the strength and the inspiration of that name,” he told CNN. “RZA is not only a name, it’s a title, so it’s an honour and I salute [Rihanna] and A$AP and their family. All the blessings in the world from me.”
Lauren Cochrane is a senior fashion writer at The Guardian and author of The Ten
