Remembering the Wu-Tang era

[oh the horror]

That sh*t was massive in the 90s and early 2000s...then they practically vanished, but lets take a moment to remember how dope they were

Anyone remember this jam?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_lzBVEIEgY


and next...legendary
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcsEop0NPGM


One of my favorite Gza tracks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSwXV4DUX2I

and not to mention:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmnOJ0bq1Gw


yessssir
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-2klRHBvxo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgZ8xICliQA

[Richie2k6]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kl6jwab3HWk

[Sonic R]

anyone remember this one?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kl6jwab3HWk

good stuff there…

EDIT:

looks like i got beat by Richie2k6

[playtetris]

i'm seeing ghostface live this coming monday

my top 5 fave wu tracks:

protect ya neck
4th chamber
nutmeg
criminology
CREAM

[Legend of Josh]

It's too bad the "quality" Wu era was very much short lived. When RZA was on-point, the Wu was on point, and vise versa. At one point, they practically helped build a massive underground community luring a lot of once metal / rock alternative white fans into the rap scene. If you look at some of the Wu's most hardcore fans (past, present & future) they're mostly gonig to be some crazy ill ass white dudes, a lot on that ****** sh*t but a lot just crazy ass skin-head like bastards. There's quite a few backpack black kids that live & die for the Wu, but not like their white counterparts.

[Legend of Josh]

One Wu track I never really enjoyed or felt was that ill for the longest time was M-e-t-h-o-d-Man! Now when I listen to that track is really showcases just how ill Method Man really was and why he was the shining star of the Wu Clan.

Still, nothing will top GZA's performance on Liquid Swords. Never has a rapper's flow / style coincided so well with a single album's production.

[lazerface]

hands down the greatest gza track of all time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKXVnsZRCqY


:bowdown:

[Jackass18]

http://wknc.org/blog/post/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/wu-tang-clan1.jpg

[KoolKat]

Still, nothing will top GZA's performance on Liquid Swords. Never has a rapper's flow / style coincided so well with a single album's production.

Not my favorite, but that album was money :pimp:

[andgar923]

Strange that this thread is made, since I'm listening to "Chamber Music" right now.
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?zuzdyzztzzt

[Legend of Josh]

Not my favorite, but that album was money :pimp:

Which Wu albums (solo or group) you like more? To me, Liquid Swords > 36 Chambers > Only Built > Bobby Digital > everything else.

[playtetris]

Which Wu albums (solo or group) you like more? To me, Liquid Swords > 36 Chambers > Only Built > Bobby Digital > everything else.

iron man and supreme clientele are >>> bobby digital

[Legend of Josh]

Ghost was always dope on the Wu bangers, but IMO he shines his best on his solo works. I know he keeps dropping new albums like water, but the majority of them are high quality work IMO. One of the most abstract writers out there, solid delivery and an underrated charismatic persona on the mic. Props to Ghost for being one of the very few Wu members to keep up with the times and keep his shtick fresh.

[Legend of Josh]

iron man and supreme clientele are >>> bobby digital

I know I think highly of Bobby Digital but that's just me I suppose. Ironman I felt was "forced" because to me Supreme Clientele is by far his greatest album where Ghost sounds the most... Ghost. Ironman to me just felt like Chost wasn't really in control of much of the album.

[i seen hippos]

Protect Ya Neck is my second favorite rap beat of all time. Great song.

[KoolKat]

Which Wu albums (solo or group) you like more? To me, Liquid Swords > 36 Chambers > Only Built > Bobby Digital > everything else.

Enter the Wu & Some GFK albums :pimp:

[Legend of Josh]

Protect Ya Neck is my second favorite rap beat of all time. Great song.

Production wise, IMO 36 Chambers is overrated. Don't get me wrong, still one of hip-hop's best and most influential albums as an ending product, just that RZA's best work is not on 36 Chambers (it would be found on Liquid Swords & Only Built).

While we're on the subject of 36 Chambers, Tearz IMO is the album's best instrumental. I'm sure that's against popular opinion, but no doubt that beat is one of the very few I can never seem to get out of my head.

[i seen hippos]

RZA did his best work on Enter and Tical imo.

Although Liquid Swords was epic and 4th Chamber is a top 5 Wu Tang beat.

[KoolKat]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBKLl6jYT0o

One of my faves RZA beats, the intro is sick

[Legend of Josh]

Enter the Wu & Some GFK albums :pimp:

Enter the Wu is the same as 36 Chambers (I guess some could confuse it with "Return" to the 36 Chambers which is ODB's debut album which is not that great IMO compared to other Wu debut releases).

_____

Perhaps the most enigmatic clan member of all is The Rebel INS. Inspectah Deck, you can't front on the guy's raw skills. One of the most ear-commanding rap artist, ever. When he spits on a fire track he's usually crowned the king. Unfortunately, his solo albums are sheer doo-doo, and Deck on his solo joints sounds very, very mediocre. It can be very perplexing at times. He's one of the rap game's more underrated "potentials" (or if there was a plural for the word?) out there.

[GOBB]

Could never and still cant get into Rza. He is wack like U-God. And Masta Killa is ok but he is not someone I check for. I'm going to listen to some Wu Tang, start with thier double CD.

[i seen hippos]

This song alone makes Tical #1.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dumqStn1oQY

[LJJ]

Wu-Tang is one of the few rap artists that I can really get in to.

Inspectah Deck is my favorite. The only rapper who can sound like a thug and an intellectual at the same time.

[KoolKat]

Enter the Wu is the same as 36 Chambers (I guess some could confuse it with "Return" to the 36 Chambers which is ODB's debut album which is not that great IMO compared to other Wu debut releases).

Yep, it's the reason i chose to type Enter The Wu instead of 36 Chambers.

[lolwut]

36 chambers and liquid swords = both top 5-6 hip hop albums of all time

[Legend of Josh]

RZA did his best work on Enter and Tical imo.

Although Liquid Swords was epic and 4th Chamber is a top 5 Wu Tang beat.

I know I'm a Liquid Swords homer, but if we're talking about "best Wu beats" of all time, a handful would have to be pulled from Liquid Swords. Even some of the album's less popular tracks thump almost any other highly respected rap beats out there from any rapper, group, etc of any era.

Cold World - commonly accepted as one of hip-hop's GOAT tracks

Like you said, 4th Chamber & Shadowboxin' is watertight. It doesn't get much better than that.

I Gotcha Back is a sick sick sick beat. Listen to it again (find it on YouTube, I don't have access at work).

Living In The World Today sick. Gold, sick. Duel of the Iron Mic sick sick sick. The intro track Liquid Swords is sick.

The album just flows so... sick. Liquid Swords is sick. More ill than 36 Chambers.

[Legend of Josh]

Inspectah Deck is my favorite. The only rapper who can sound like a thug and an intellectual at the same time.

You know, that's a good way of explaining his rap demeanor. Never thought of that before LOL.

[Vragrant]

Wu Tang is my favourite group of all time. We'll never see such a collection of lyrical talent again.

I was just listening to Heaterz the other day

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iz_EQ6x8UFs

[i seen hippos]

I got the album on my computer luckily. Shadowboxing is dope. You got that right.

Cold War has been used so many times. I knew that beat long before I ever heard Cold War.


As far as the beats topping anything by other rappers/producers, I'll take early Havoc over RZA easily.

Infamous and Hell on Earth had better beats than Enter, Liquid Swords, Tical, etc. My opinion.

[Legend of Josh]

Yeah, Havoc was a beast on the boards way back when. It's just so damn shameful how those cats fell off so hard after Murda Musik. I thought Hell On Earth was decent, nothing ground-breaking or anything.

While Havoc's beat may have been more "grimy" I guess you could say, RZA's production on Liquid Swords was so damn clean and razor sharp it's just something that'll never be challenged, of course IMO.

[LJJ]

Sometimes there are one or two verses on a track that absolutely murder it in a negative way though.

Triumph for instance. One of the greatest openings of all time with INS & Method's verses, and then that clown Cappadonna and the RZA proceed to **** up the whole track.

[RidonKs]

I've been on a LS kick of late. I used to prefer Tical mainly because of my preference for Meth to Genius, but lately I've flopped back into the more popular consensus. That opening, particularly right where the beat kicks into something a little poppy, before dropping into the deadly atmosphere that spills into the rest of the album - genius, and excuse the pun. Lyrically I wouldn't say it's right up my ally, although that isn't to say I don't appreciate the entire Wu's work on it. But the production goes above and beyond the typical and right into the dark and grimy that's become Rza's trademark.

And agreed with whoever said the beatwork on 36 Chambers was overrated. Because it is. Rza didn't hit his stride until a few years later I don't think. Although I still have yet to listen to OB4CL - at some point this summer I will - I just keep forgetting about it.

[Legend of Josh]

Sometimes there are one or two verses on a track that absolutely murder it in a negative way though.

Triumph for instance. One of the greatest openings of all time with INS & Method's verses, and then that clown Cappadonna and the RZA proceed to **** up the whole track.

Cappadonna's verse was weak. Cappadonna is weak-sauce to begin with. RZA's verse however on there was fire IMO. I thought Meth's verse was one of the weaker ones on Triumph.

[i seen hippos]

Some sick tracks off of HoE, LoJ. The two best:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTzYlH8OMzc&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1ZjuoT3x5k&feature=related

Won't derail this thread anymore though. lol

Ridonks, you've been pushing that off for how long now? lol

[Legend of Josh]

I've been on a LS kick of late. I used to prefer Tical mainly because of my preference for Meth to Genius, but lately I've flopped back into the more popular consensus. That opening, particularly right where the beat kicks into something a little poppy, before dropping into the deadly atmosphere that spills into the rest of the album - genius, and excuse the pun. Lyrically I wouldn't say it's right up my ally, although that isn't to say I don't appreciate the entire Wu's work on it. But the production goes above and beyond the typical and right into the dark and grimy that's become Rza's trademark.

And agreed with whoever said the beatwork on 36 Chambers was overrated. Because it is. Rza didn't hit his stride until a few years later I don't think. Although I still have yet to listen to OB4CL - at some point this summer I will - I just keep forgetting about it.

When did you first get into hip-hop music? How old are you today? Please don't think I'm coming off an offensive, I'm just trying to gain a better understanding of where you're coming from in terms of your tastes in music.

That's the beauty of rap music though (well any music for that matter), it can be decades later and you can come across an album released 15 years ago and hear it for the first time and it's like blissfulness.

Over the years, well going back the past 15-20 years I've been anxiously awaiting release dates for music (all rap). I remember waiting in line 12:00 midnight release date to get my hands on Wu Forever. I guess what I'm saying is I always felt I had to be the first to listen to something when it came out. Back in the day when a hip-hop magazine or Yo MTV Raps was your source (no pun intended) you always keep pace and knew what was coming out before it dropped.

Then the rap game was flooded with garbage about the same time the 'net took off full speed ahead and become commonplace in every US household. That's when the quality of rap went down, too many clowns on the mic and the tradition hasn't shifted; just more and more clowns hitting the scene. Man, I sure do miss those good old golden era rap days.

:cheers:

[Looptroop]

Wu-Tang are one of my favoritetest (I realize that's not a word) groups ever. Anyone ever tried ranking their favorite Wu members? Sh*ts mad difficult. You always end up with someone pretty worthy around 7 who probably shouldn't be the 7th best rapper in any group.

Sidenote: Cappadonna isn't in Wu for a reason.

[KoolKat]

Wu-Tang are one of my favoritetest (I realize that's not a word) groups ever. Anyone ever tried ranking their favorite Wu members? Sh*ts mad difficult. You always end up with someone pretty worthy around 7 who probably shouldn't be the 7th best rapper in any group.

U-God is last tho :oldlol:

[~primetime~]

Liquid Swords is the only rap CD you can currently find in my car...

I stopped listening to rap altother, but that CD is timeless to me...

prime Wu might be the only thing listenable to me at my age, probably the only rap I can still take serioulsy...



there is other stuff I like for nostalgic reasons...(Dre & Snoop, Spice One, Mc Eight, **** you would find on a Menace 2 Society sound track, ect)....but it is impossible to take any of that stuff seriously now...

[Jackass18]

Cappadonna's verse was weak. Cappadonna is weak-sauce to begin with. RZA's verse however on there was fire IMO. I thought Meth's verse was one of the weaker ones on Triumph.

Cappa destroyed it on Winter Warz.

[KoolKat]

Cappa destroyed it on Winter Warz.

Hell yes.

[lilmagicjohnson]

Cappadonna sucked but the pillage was one of the best rap albums of the 90s and he was amazing on iron man, winter warz he had an amazing verse and Daytona 500 too he killed both songs.

I liked Wu so much its a shame they are all fighting now and we'll probably never see another clan album-but no offense the new one sucked, people say it is the type of album that grows on you and gets better with more listens, but no it doesnt the lyrics will always suck no matter how much you listen to it and RZA went insane making like 4 crappy solo songs for himself at the end, it's only redeeming qualities is the George Clinton song, Rushing Elephants and the ODB tribute.

My favorites are probably ODB, Mef and Masta Killa

least favorites are RZA and UGOD, yeh I know RZA produces I'm just talking about when they rap, RZA just destroys songs and not in a good way, yes he has a few good verses but often times his garbage lyrics and flow that doesn't even match the rhythm just ruins what is otherwise a great song, Triumph I'm looking at you

[RidonKs]

lol, you always come across as offensive every time you ask how old somebody is during these hip hop discussions - you do it pretty often. I'm pretty sure the reason it comes off as offensive is that it's meant to be offensive, but that's just a guess. It proves to your own ego that there's a reason your opinion should count for more than those of others - and that's perfectly reasonable. But that's just my opinion.

I won't take offense to it though. ;)

Only about 3-4 years seriously. I've been listening to Eminem and DMX and 50 Cent and Ja Rule and a few other garbage names since I was 11 or 12, so nearing a decade. Em's still among my favourites, and I can stand 50 in small doses - Ja's unlistenable though, as are many of the others. The last few years I've actually gone out of my way to find quality music (not just rap), which seems to be what you've got to do nowadays with what they're airing on the mainstream. It's been a fun few years, and with every passing day I become more passionate about the music I listen to than the day before.

I'm 20 btw.


I often wish I had grown up in that age though. The stories from older folks about record store and jazz club culture sounds like something I'd want to experience, but realize I can't. I still love record stores, and I visit them as often as possible - the more cluttered, the better. But to grow up anticipating albums and waiting in line at the store opening day as you would for a movie opening night is a feeling I never got a chance to take in. Because there's no need for it these days. The at-your-fingertips generation is nice because exposure is much easier for lesser known artists, but it's not as dedicated and its not as fun as the earlier generations. There are benefits to both obviously, but if I were given a choice, I think I'd rather piss away all my money on albums as opposed to give $15 monthly for an internet connection.

[Jackass18]

Liquid Swords is the only rap CD you can currently find in my car...

I stopped listening to rap altother, but that CD is timeless to me...

prime Wu might be the only thing listenable to me at my age, probably the only rap I can still take serioulsy...



there is other stuff I like for nostalgic reasons...(Dre & Snoop, Spice One, Mc Eight, **** you would find on a Menace 2 Society sound track, ect)....but it is impossible to take any of that stuff seriously now...

What do you mean "it it is impossible to take any of that stuff seriously now"? But, if someone can only take the Wu seriously out of all rap acts, then I can't complain since they're easily my favorite.

[Legend of Josh]

Cappa destroyed it on Winter Warz.

Every dawg has his day, but still Cappadonna is garbage.

[Legend of Josh]

Cappadonna sucked but the pillage was one of the best rap albums of the 90s

:wtf:

Outside of maybe 5 tracks this album is complete and total piss. Slang Editorial is dope. Pillage track is solid, nothing special. Run was OK. Skip forward to Young Hearts and Everything Is Everything (the album's two best songs) and then that's it.

The Pillage was a crap album overall. Junk. Milk the Cow was decent too.

[Legend of Josh]

RidonKs - my post was not intended to be offensive. I had no idea you were that young. I always pictured you being some white dude who grew up their teenage years listening to rock then around 18/19 turned to the rap genre and found a reborn beginning.

:oldlol:

You've been posting here awhile, and to be 20 years young thinking back to the posts I've read from you, you're quite an intelligent dude. Seriously though, my post wasn't meant to offend, like I said, just wanted to gain a better understanding of where you're coming from. Now I know.

[~primetime~]

What do you mean "it it is impossible to take any of that stuff seriously now"? But, if someone can only take the Wu seriously out of all rap acts, then I can't complain since they're easily my favorite.
It means I grew out of it...

I went to high school in the early 90s...to put it bluntly if you didn't listen to gangsta rap you were a ***...even white kids...

my school was a pretty decent mix of all races...Texas, so lots of mexicans...and the "cool" white kids were wiggas to some degree or another...grunge was dead, and it was damn near the ONLY option...

a weekend house party would be a mix of all races, with cheap beer, 40s of malt liquer, and well liquer...and maybe THIS SH*T PLAYING:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ic7KH1PpbMY

:oldlol: ...and no, I am not kidding...even the girls were dancing to that...



I am 10 years removed from high school now...and you are asking me why I can't take that sh*t seriously anymore?

It is fun to listen to for nostalgic reasons...and that is all I get out it today...

[Gundress]

It means I grew out of it...

I went to high school in the early 90s...to put it bluntly if you didn't listen to gangsta rap you were a ***...even white kids...

my school was a pretty decent mix of all races...Texas, so lots of mexicans...and the "cool" white kids were wiggas to some degree or another...grunge was dead, and it was damn near the ONLY option...

a weekend house party would be a mix of all races, with cheap beer, 40s of malt liquer, and well liquer...and maybe THIS SH*T PLAYING:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ic7KH1PpbMY

:oldlol: ...and no, I am not kidding...even the girls were dancing to that...



I am 10 years removed from high school now...and you are asking me why I can't take that sh*t seriously anymore?

It is fun to listen to for nostalgic reasons...and that is all I get out it today...


Were you used to be a "wigga"?.... :oldlol: that's song is about Eazy-E.

[RedBlackAttack]

Interesting thread...

I remember the 'Wu-Tang era' for completely different reasons than most, though. Before 36 Chambers came out and anyone knew who the hell Wu-Tang was, they were creating absolute havoc in my hometown.

I was born, raised, and went through high school in a small Ohio town named Steubenville. When I say small, I'm talking about under 20,000 people. It is about 25 minutes from downtown Pittsburgh, under two hours from Cleveland, and under three hours from Columbus. So, while it is a relatively little city, it is sort of in the middle of a lot of 'big' cities (relatively speaking).

In the late-80s and early-90s, our city (like just about every other urban area in the country) was introduced to crack and serious gang crime. The leaders of Steubenville's drug cartel were a group of guys that referred to themselves as the Godz. Violence was out-of-control for a city our size. There were literally shootings every night.

Packs of guys from New York were also showing up every night and waring with the local 'home grown' gangsters (this was a tough town before they showed up).

I had friends that my older brother went all through school with getting shot and killed on a regular basis. One fight, in particular, that was widely talked about at the time was when Ghostface, ODB, and a lesser known affiliate of the Godz jumped a guy that was on lunch break during school hours because he was a black guy with a white girlfriend.

Little did they know, the guy they were jumping was an All-State football player and took third in Ohio as a heavyweight wrestler. He proceeded to beat the hell out of all three of them. The event was witnessed by about half of my high school and is still talked about regularly today.

When 36 Chambers was released, Steubenville pretty much went into a state of shock. These guys that had been reeking havoc on our city were suddenly the biggest things in the f#cking music industry... Who knew?

RZA grew up in Steubenville, so it is no coincidence that they picked this city to attempt to take over, but it still is pretty amazing looking back. The last real incident with the Godz (ie Wu-Tang) was when one of their producers -- Wise God Allah -- was shot dead in downtown Steubenville in the mid-90s, riddled with bullets. He was shot many times by multiple people, one of which I knew well (his name is Keith West and he just got out of jail a couple of years ago).

There were retaliations and another guy that I knew well was shot dead outside of his house (Spanky Ware). A few months later, several members of the Wu-Tang Clan were pulled over in Steubenville (RZA, Ghost, and several others) with a car full of guns. They got a slap on the wrist and that is really the last that we heard of them, crime-wise.

There were several local Steubenville kids that hopped on board with Wu, though. The most notable were Killarmy, which was a Wu offshoot made up almost entirely of Steubenville rappers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killarmy

What a crazy time to be around for... Just type in Wu-Tang Clan and Steubenville in google and you will get hundreds of results. I was always a fan of Wu and, in the 90s when they were playing Pittsburgh, one of the Wu's promoter whom my brother had known since high school dropped off 20 tickets for me and my buddies... He had Method Man in the car with him.

Pretty cool.

If you listen back to old Wu albums, though, pay attention to all the shoutouts for Ohio and references to Tappan Lake, a pretty big camping spot just outside the city limits where Wu-Tang would go to pen many of their lyrics.

While other 'gangsta rappers' may have been faking it and mere observers to the drug game, take it from me... the Godz were the real thing.

[~primetime~]

Interesting thread...

I remember the 'Wu-Tang era' for completely different reasons than most, though. Before 36 Chambers came out and anyone knew who the hell Wu-Tang was, they were creating absolute havoc in my hometown.

I was born, raised, and went through high school in a small Ohio town named Steubenville. When I say small, I'm talking about under 20,000 people. It is about 25 minutes from downtown Pittsburgh, under two hours from Cleveland, and under three hours from Columbus. So, while it is a relatively little city, it is sort of in the middle of a lot of 'big' cities (relatively speaking).

In the late-80s and early-90s, our city (like just about every other urban area in the country) was introduced to crack and serious gang crime. The leaders of Steubenville's drug cartel were a group of guys that referred to themselves as the Godz. Violence was out-of-control for a city our size. There were literally shootings every night.

Packs of guys from New York were also showing up every night and waring with the local 'home grown' gangsters (this was a tough town before they showed up).

I had friends that my older brother went all through school with getting shot and killed on a regular basis. One fight, in particular, that was widely talked about at the time was when Ghostface, ODB, and a lesser known affiliate of the Godz jumped a guy that was on lunch break during school hours because he was a black guy with a white girlfriend.

Little did they know, the guy they were jumping was an All-State football player and took third in Ohio as a heavyweight wrestler. He proceeded to beat the hell out of all three of them. The event was witnessed by about half of my high school and is still talked about regularly today.

When 36 Chambers was released, Steubenville pretty much went into a state of shock. These guys that had been reeking havoc on our city were suddenly the biggest things in the f#cking music industry... Who knew?

RZA grew up in Steubenville, so it is no coincidence that they picked this city to attempt to take over, but it still is pretty amazing looking back. The last real incident with the Godz (ie Wu-Tang) was when one of their producers -- Wise God Allah -- was shot dead in downtown Steubenville in the mid-90s, riddled with bullets. He was shot many times by multiple people, one of which I knew well (his name is Keith West and he just got out of jail a couple of years ago).

There were retaliations and another guy that I knew well was shot dead outside of his house (Spanky Ware). A few months later, several members of the Wu-Tang Clan were pulled over in Steubenville (RZA, Ghost, and several others) with a car full of guns. They got a slap on the wrist and that is really the last that we heard of them, crime-wise.

There were several local Steubenville kids that hopped on board with Wu, though. The most notable were Killarmy, which was a Wu offshoot made up almost entirely of Steubenville rappers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killarmy

What a crazy time to be around for... Just type in Wu-Tang Clan and Steubenville in google and you will get hundreds of results. I was always a fan of Wu and, in the 90s when they were playing Pittsburgh, one of the Wu's promoter whom my brother had known since high school dropped off 20 tickets for me and my buddies... He had Method Man in the car with him.

Pretty cool.

If you listen back to old Wu albums, though, pay attention to all the shoutouts for Ohio and references to Tappan Lake, a pretty big camping spot just outside the city limits where Wu-Tang would go to pen many of their lyrics.

While other 'gangsta rappers' may have been faking it and mere observers to the drug game, take it from me... the Godz were the real thing.
the RZA grew up in Brooklyn, as well as ODB and GZA...(I think they are al related)

and didn't the others grow up in Staten Island?

[Legend of Josh]

Interesting thread...

I remember the 'Wu-Tang era' for completely different reasons than most, though. Before 36 Chambers came out and anyone knew who the hell Wu-Tang was, they were creating absolute havoc in my hometown.

I was born, raised, and went through high school in a small Ohio town named Steubenville. When I say small, I'm talking about under 20,000 people. It is about 25 minutes from downtown Pittsburgh, under two hours from Cleveland, and under three hours from Columbus. So, while it is a relatively little city, it is sort of in the middle of a lot of 'big' cities (relatively speaking).

In the late-80s and early-90s, our city (like just about every other urban area in the country) was introduced to crack and serious gang crime. The leaders of Steubenville's drug cartel were a group of guys that referred to themselves as the Godz. Violence was out-of-control for a city our size. There were literally shootings every night.

Packs of guys from New York were also showing up every night and waring with the local 'home grown' gangsters (this was a tough town before they showed up).

I had friends that my older brother went all through school with getting shot and killed on a regular basis. One fight, in particular, that was widely talked about at the time was when Ghostface, ODB, and a lesser known affiliate of the Godz jumped a guy that was on lunch break during school hours because he was a black guy with a white girlfriend.

Little did they know, the guy they were jumping was an All-State football player and took third in Ohio as a heavyweight wrestler. He proceeded to beat the hell out of all three of them. The event was witnessed by about half of my high school and is still talked about regularly today.

When 36 Chambers was released, Steubenville pretty much went into a state of shock. These guys that had been reeking havoc on our city were suddenly the biggest things in the f#cking music industry... Who knew?

RZA grew up in Steubenville, so it is no coincidence that they picked this city to attempt to take over, but it still is pretty amazing looking back. The last real incident with the Godz (ie Wu-Tang) was when one of their producers -- Wise God Allah -- was shot dead in downtown Steubenville in the mid-90s, riddled with bullets. He was shot many times by multiple people, one of which I knew well (his name is Keith West and he just got out of jail a couple of years ago).

There were retaliations and another guy that I knew well was shot dead outside of his house (Spanky Ware). A few months later, several members of the Wu-Tang Clan were pulled over in Steubenville (RZA, Ghost, and several others) with a car full of guns. They got a slap on the wrist and that is really the last that we heard of them, crime-wise.

There were several local Steubenville kids that hopped on board with Wu, though. The most notable were Killarmy, which was a Wu offshoot made up almost entirely of Steubenville rappers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killarmy

What a crazy time to be around for... Just type in Wu-Tang Clan and Steubenville in google and you will get hundreds of results. I was always a fan of Wu and, in the 90s when they were playing Pittsburgh, one of the Wu's promoter whom my brother had known since high school dropped off 20 tickets for me and my buddies... He had Method Man in the car with him.

Pretty cool.

If you listen back to old Wu albums, though, pay attention to all the shoutouts for Ohio and references to Tappan Lake, a pretty big camping spot just outside the city limits where Wu-Tang would go to pen many of their lyrics.

While other 'gangsta rappers' may have been faking it and mere observers to the drug game, take it from me... the Godz were the real thing.

Dope story. Thanks for sharing.

[RedBlackAttack]

the RZA grew up in Brooklyn, as well as ODB and GZA...(I think they are al related)

and didn't the others grow up in Staten Island?
RZA and ODB were born in Brooklyn. They spent a good portion of their youth in Steubenville. I don't think GZA was ever involved in the goings on in Steubenville, but I could be wrong.

Trust me... I couldn't make all of that up.

[oh the horror]

The insane thing about the Wu-Tang was the fact that they had so many members to begin with, and all of them were great, and had decent solo succuss in their own rights when THEY released their solor projects.


As a group, they were good, as solo artists, they were good. Some better than others, but they all did fairly well. You dont SEE that anymore.


They literally changed up the face of rap in those days.

Not to mention there were HOW MANY offshoots and different people joining the wu?


I lived in Staten Island at the time when Wu hit big, so i was literally hearing ALL of it being born.

[~primetime~]

RZA and ODB were born in Brooklyn. They spent a good portion of their youth in Steubenville. I don't think GZA was ever involved in the goings on in Steubenville, but I could be wrong.

Trust me... I couldn't make all of that up.
I didn't think you were making it up...it is just that I have aways known them to be products of Brooklyn/Staten Island...and they made that clear in damn near every track..."Brookln Zoo"

I can even remember watching documentarys on them talking about what it was like growing up in those areas...

I has never heard of this Steubenville thing till now, that is all...

[Gundress]

the RZA grew up in Brooklyn, as well as ODB and GZA...(I think they are al related)

and didn't the others grow up in Staten Island?


Yeah, all of them are related and Method Man grew up in Staten Island.

A lot of Tha Wu-Tang's material went over peoples heads and, they all are the 5% & The Wu Tang songs where 5% lingo is used are countless. I was talking to some young cats and they didnt even know what a 5% was. Thats a ****ing shame. They know Bloods and Crips but they didnt know 5%. But it doesn't stop with them, a lot of people dont know what a 5% is.

[RedBlackAttack]

I didn't think you were making it up...it is just that I have aways known them to be products of Brooklyn/Staten Island...and they made that clear in damn near every track..."Brookln Zoo"

I can even remember watching documentarys on them talking about what it was like growing up in those areas...

I has never heard of this Steubenville thing till now, that is all...
They claimed Brooklyn and rightfully so... That is where almost all of the members were born (along with Staten Island). But, they were running drugs from New York to Steubenville (which, in turn, would be routed to Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Columbus) in their late teens and early 20s.

RZA and ODB also have a lot of family members in Steubenville.

Like I said... type in Wu-Tang Clan and Steubenville in google... Some good reading will pop up.

[Vragrant]

Yeah, all of them are related and Method Man grew up in Staten Island.

A lot of Tha Wu-Tang's material went over peoples heads and, they all are the 5% & The Wu Tang songs where 5% lingo is used are countless. I was talking to some young cats and they didnt even know what a 5% was. Thats a ****ing shame. They know Bloods and Crips but they didnt know 5%. But it doesn't stop with them, a lot of people dont know what a 5% is.

Some of the Wu guys aren't 5% anymore though. Ghostface now is an orthodox Muslim and GZA doesn't claim any religious affiliation nowadays. I read that in interviews with both GZA and Ghost. I don't know about the others though.

[Jackass18]

:wtf:

Outside of maybe 5 tracks this album is complete and total piss. Slang Editorial is dope. Pillage track is solid, nothing special. Run was OK. Skip forward to Young Hearts and Everything Is Everything (the album's two best songs) and then that's it.

The Pillage was a crap album overall. Junk. Milk the Cow was decent too.

That's just your opinion. You skip through some good songs. I like it.

Slang Editorial is hot
Don't really care for Pillage
Run is hot
Blood on Blood War is OK
Supa Ninjaz is OK
MCF is good
Splish Splash is nice, but short
Oh-Donna is my favorite track on there
Milk the Cow is alright, but kind of silly
South of the Border is good
Don't really care for Check for a *****
Dart Throwing is nice
Young Hearts is alright
Everything is Everything is OK
Don't really care for Pump Your Fist

[~primetime~]

Yeah, all of them are related and Method Man grew up in Staten Island.

A lot of Tha Wu-Tang's material went over peoples heads and, they all are the 5% & The Wu Tang songs where 5% lingo is used are countless. I was talking to some young cats and they didnt even know what a 5% was. Thats a ****ing shame. They know Bloods and Crips but they didnt know 5%. But it doesn't stop with them, a lot of people dont know what a 5% is.
I never knew back in the 90s...and I don't think anyone did...

we thought they just called each other "gods" because it was their slang...we didn't know they really thought that the black man was "god"....like literally...

I don't like that stupid ass pro black religious BS...and unfortunatly it is near impossible to aviod it on most of their sh*t...but not all of it...


back in the 90s then I didn't care...no one cared

I had a lench mob CD...:oldlol:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51J7N7916HL._SS500_.jpg

that sh*t was really pro black...but no one gave a f*ck...

I knew awhite dude that loved Paris

http://bjanepr.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/paris_-_the_devil_made_me_do_it1.jpg


paris was actually too pro black for me...he took it to the extreme...

[Jackass18]

I am 10 years removed from high school now...and you are asking me why I can't take that sh*t seriously anymore?

It is fun to listen to for nostalgic reasons...and that is all I get out it today...

So you can't go back and listen to Nas, Eminem, Biggie, Tupac, The Lost Boyz, NWA, OutKast, Mobb Deep, etc.?

[~primetime~]

So you can't go back and listen to Nas, Eminem, Biggie, Tupac, The Lost Boyz, NWA, OutKast, Mobb Deep, etc.?
I can listen to all that stuff today but it is just difficult to listen to that stuff and view it the same way as I did when I was a youngster...

I am too old for Eminem...f*ck him, his sh*t is intolerable to me, much like 50 Cent or The Game

I am too young for NWA/old Easy/Luke/ect...I was in elementary school when kids had to sneak that sh*t around...

Nas I can view the same as the Wu though...his stuff is intellegent and real enough to keep serious, but neither do him or any Wu get club play today...

Outkast may be different...but Southern Playlistic is the only Outkast I really liked to begin with ( I am old, the other stuff is considered "the sh*t that was made when Andre went gay" to me...:oldlol: )

Lost Boyz got little play from me, as well as everyone from bootcamp click

the first Mobb Deep was classic...the rest is garbage to me

still like Biggie, but more for nostoligic reasons and taking me back to my youth, he still gets played at clubs unlike the others (cept Pac)...

and I am one of the VERY VERY few that never really cared that much for Pac...I still liked him, but I never thought he was the rap god that everyone else did..."FEEEL ME!!!"....most overrated rapper ever if you ask me...

[Gundress]

I never knew back in the 90s...and I don't think anyone did...

we thought they just called each other "gods" because it was their slang...we didn't know they really thought that the black man was "god"....like literally...

I don't like that stupid ass pro black religious BS...and unfortunatly it is near impossible to aviod it on most of their sh*t...but not all of it...


back in the 90s then I didn't care...no one cared

I had a lench mob CD...:oldlol:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51J7N7916HL._SS500_.jpg

that sh*t was really pro black...but no one gave a f*ck...

I knew awhite dude that loved Paris

http://bjanepr.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/paris_-_the_devil_made_me_do_it1.jpg


paris was actually too pro black for me...he took it to the extreme...

Yeah, I understand that but The 5% Nation aka The Nation Of God's And Earths had a strong influence on Hip Hop in the late 80's early 90's.

When Rakim said on "In The Ghetto", "I'm glad I listened when my father was rapping to me/Cause back in the days they lived in caves Exiled from the original man & strayed away" that was 5% lingo.

When Brand Nubian said on All For One "You gotta know the ledge to wise thw dumb and understand your culture of freedom." That was 5% lingo.

When Big Daddy kane said, "Wisdom I speak makes your head nod/Showin I got the power, and that's from bein born the god/But many doubt my knowledge of self" That was 5% lingo.

Even IceCube said on "When will They Shoot", "I met Farrakhan and had dinner/Now you ask am I 5 Percenter?"

T Rogers, the guy who started the Bloods in L.A. once said, when refering to what he thought of NY before the gangbanging, that he thought NY was an all 5% city. The 5% influence was real strong in NY and it was felt all over in the 80's and 90's. Yet a lot of people never really understood the lingo.

When The Wu Tang came out they went 5% lingo crazy. But they were always flipping it with their slang. When Ghostface said on "97 Mentality" "To The year Born God all the Gods strike hard fast from the swine hold down your boulevard Father U The C Cypher"

He was saying 'in the year 1997 all the Black men need to hold down their areas and stop eating pig and **** The cops." But u don't care and u didnt know the 5% lingo, u woulda missed it

You do have a good taste in hip-hop.

[i seen hippos]

You're an idiot if you think Mobb Deep was garbage after Infamous.

[~primetime~]

You're an idiot if you think Mobb Deep was garbage after Infamous.

well, actually I just stopped listening after that...maybe it is good

I am old...what can I say

I was expecting comments more like this about Outkast rather than Mobb Deep though...I know there are posters here in love with post SPCM Outkast...when ATAliens came out it was just very very different then the Outkast that we grew to love, it was very difficult to accept...

[i seen hippos]

well, actually I just stopped listening after that...maybe it is good

I am old...what can I say

I was expecting comments more like this about Outkast rather than Mobb Deep though...I know there are posters here in love with post SPCM Outkast...when ATAliens came out it was just very very different then the Outkast that we grew to love, it was very difficult to accept...

Mobb Deep is my favorite rap duo/group of all time. I get defensive. lol

Although they haven't been good since Free Agents: The Murda Mix Tape.

[StroShow4]

Great thread. I ****ing love the Wu. Also, very interesting story, RBA.

[DonDadda59]

That sh*t was massive in the 90s and early 2000s...then they practically vanished, but lets take a moment to remember how dope they were


Remember? I never forgot.

http://student.valpo.edu/tbricker/wu-tang.jpg

[Jackass18]

well, actually I just stopped listening after that...maybe it is good

I am old...what can I say

I was expecting comments more like this about Outkast rather than Mobb Deep though...I know there are posters here in love with post SPCM Outkast...when ATAliens came out it was just very very different then the Outkast that we grew to love, it was very difficult to accept...

I never knew anyone that had a problem accepting ATLiens and I'm probably older than you.

[~primetime~]

I never knew anyone that had a problem accepting ATLiens and I'm probably older than you.

they are like 2 completely different groups altogether

look at Andre here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YBFYZxu2dw
he was your normal everyday southern gangsta pimp...

look at when Andre went "weird" in ATLiens:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJFurh4S5Og
what the f*ck happened?


****IN GANGSTA:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_OtjRHmV-g

****IN GAY:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAeFEmp0WFU


and then from there it just got stranger and stranger...

http://static.guim.co.uk/Guardian/lifeandstyle/gallery/2008/sep/22/catwalk.fashion/Andre3000wig1-2631.jpg

http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2009/03/06/gal_costumes_03.jpg

http://myfashionlife.com/uploads/andre3000.jpg

[Legend of Josh]

Andre 3000 total bite off Kool Keith

... this if fact

[Jackass18]

I don't listen to rap for the costumes the performers wear.

[playtetris]

^^^
e.badu f*cked up his head.

a few thoughts:

- great story, rba. i've actually heard a similar anecdote from a couple of sources now, but you told it supremely well. wu has this legendary reputation; so many great tales of their gangsterdom have emerged throughout the years. another cool story involves ODB, masta killa, meth and redman running into a record company exec's office with AK's to renegotiate/free them from a record contract.

- you're only 20 ridonks? wtf? i always thought you were at least 22 odd. damn, that makes me feel old. anyways, 'liquid swords' the pinnacle of wu's writing. so many great metaphors, double meanings in there; the word play is absolutely amazing.

- how did rza f*ck up triumph? he killed that verse IMO. cappa was horrible, though. i was always under the impression that cappa had his early verses written by someone else. 'winter warz' and 'iron maiden' were always too fresh to be cappa verses.

- masta killa is actually very dope. his first solo album is >>> 'tical', and his latest joint was very nice too.

[~primetime~]

^^^
e.badu f*cked up his head.

a few thoughts:

- great story, rba. i've actually heard a similar anecdote from a couple of sources now, but you told it supremely well. wu has this legendary reputation; so many great tales of their gangsterdom have emerged throughout the years. another cool story involves ODB, masta killa, meth and redman running into a record company exec's office with AK's to renegotiate/free them from a record contract.

- you're only 20 ridonks? wtf? i always thought you were at least 22 odd. damn, that makes me feel old. anyways, 'liquid swords' the pinnacle of wu's writing. so many great metaphors, double meanings in there; the word play is absolutely amazing.

- how did rza f*ck up triumph? he killed that verse IMO. cappa was horrible, though. i was always under the impression that cappa had his early verses written by someone else. 'winter warz' and 'iron maiden' were always too fresh to be cappa verses.

- masta killa is actually very dope. his first solo album is >>> 'tical', and his latest joint was very nice too.
I agree, he is either a complete hit or miss IMO and in triumph he hit a damn home run...

Watch for the wooden soldiers, C-Cypher-Punks couldn't hold us
A thousand men rushing in, not one ***** was sober <---:lol
Perpendicular to the square, we stand bold like Flare
Escape from your Dragon's Lair, in particular
My beats travel like a vortex, through your spine
to the top of your cerebrum cortex
Make you feel like you bust a nut from raw sex
Enter through your right ventricle clog up your bloodstream
now terminal, like Grand Central Station
Program fat baselines, on Novation
Getting drunk like a ****, I'm duckin five-year probation

I know that "c-cypher-punks" are cops but what are the wooden soldiers?...is that a reference to chess peices or something?

[playtetris]

I agree, he is either a complete hit or miss IMO and in triumph he hit a damn home run...

Watch for the wooden soldiers, C-Cypher-Punks couldn't hold us
A thousand men rushing in, not one ***** was sober <---:lol
Perpendicular to the square, we stand bold like Flare
Escape from your Dragon's Lair, in particular
My beats travel like a vortex, through your spine
to the top of your cerebrum cortex
Make you feel like you bust a nut from raw sex
Enter through your right ventricle clog up your bloodstream
now terminal, like Grand Central Station
Program fat baselines, on Novation
Getting drunk like a ****, I'm duckin five-year probation

I know that "c-cypher-punks" are cops but what are the wooden soldiers?...is that a reference to chess peices or something?

the first few lines are very militaristic, and seem to depict an battalion of dudes bumrushing the cops when f*cked up. therefore, if we extend the metaphor, the wooden soldiers would be the "toys" of the army.

my favourite rza verses:

- 'wu tang clan ain't nuttin ta f*ck with' (how can you hate his verse in that?);
- 'nutmeg';
- '4th chamber' ("camouflaged chameleon, ninjas scaling your building, no time to grab the gun they already got your wife and children");
- 'wu gambinos'

[Big Al All day]

U-God is last tho :oldlol:
Haha I know I always try to rank my favorites, but it always changes.

At the moment it probably goes

Inspectah
ghostface
Method Man
gza
raekwon
odb
rza
masta
u god

Ol dirty bastard - Goin down
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ylvr8TSnI0Q
always loved this song

ol dirty bastard - cuttin headz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tn5pWHh0jdk

Raekwon - North Star
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZP39nPguKA

[Big Al All day]

You're an idiot if you think Mobb Deep was garbage after Infamous.
No doubt, Hell on Earth is a DOPE album.

The infamous is probably a more important, maybe better, but Hell on Earth is much more complete. Every beat is sick, all the rhymes are tight, its just a great album.

At the moment I like hell on earth more than the infamous.

[RedBlackAttack]

Interesting thread...

I remember the 'Wu-Tang era' for completely different reasons than most, though. Before 36 Chambers came out and anyone knew who the hell Wu-Tang was, they were creating absolute havoc in my hometown.

I was born, raised, and went through high school in a small Ohio town named Steubenville. When I say small, I'm talking about under 20,000 people. It is about 25 minutes from downtown Pittsburgh, under two hours from Cleveland, and under three hours from Columbus. So, while it is a relatively little city, it is sort of in the middle of a lot of 'big' cities (relatively speaking).

In the late-80s and early-90s, our city (like just about every other urban area in the country) was introduced to crack and serious gang crime. The leaders of Steubenville's drug cartel were a group of guys that referred to themselves as the Godz. Violence was out-of-control for a city our size. There were literally shootings every night.

Packs of guys from New York were also showing up every night and waring with the local 'home grown' gangsters (this was a tough town before they showed up).

I had friends that my older brother went all through school with getting shot and killed on a regular basis. One fight, in particular, that was widely talked about at the time was when Ghostface, ODB, and a lesser known affiliate of the Godz jumped a guy that was on lunch break during school hours because he was a black guy with a white girlfriend.

Little did they know, the guy they were jumping was an All-State football player and took third in Ohio as a heavyweight wrestler. He proceeded to beat the hell out of all three of them. The event was witnessed by about half of my high school and is still talked about regularly today.

When 36 Chambers was released, Steubenville pretty much went into a state of shock. These guys that had been reeking havoc on our city were suddenly the biggest things in the f#cking music industry... Who knew?

RZA grew up in Steubenville, so it is no coincidence that they picked this city to attempt to take over, but it still is pretty amazing looking back. The last real incident with the Godz (ie Wu-Tang) was when one of their producers -- Wise God Allah -- was shot dead in downtown Steubenville in the mid-90s, riddled with bullets. He was shot many times by multiple people, one of which I knew well (his name is Keith West and he just got out of jail a couple of years ago).

There were retaliations and another guy that I knew well was shot dead outside of his house (Spanky Ware). A few months later, several members of the Wu-Tang Clan were pulled over in Steubenville (RZA, Ghost, and several others) with a car full of guns. They got a slap on the wrist and that is really the last that we heard of them, crime-wise.

There were several local Steubenville kids that hopped on board with Wu, though. The most notable were Killarmy, which was a Wu offshoot made up almost entirely of Steubenville rappers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killarmy

What a crazy time to be around for... Just type in Wu-Tang Clan and Steubenville in google and you will get hundreds of results. I was always a fan of Wu and, in the 90s when they were playing Pittsburgh, one of the Wu's promoter whom my brother had known since high school dropped off 20 tickets for me and my buddies... He had Method Man in the car with him.

Pretty cool.

If you listen back to old Wu albums, though, pay attention to all the shoutouts for Ohio and references to Tappan Lake, a pretty big camping spot just outside the city limits where Wu-Tang would go to pen many of their lyrics.

While other 'gangsta rappers' may have been faking it and mere observers to the drug game, take it from me... the Godz were the real thing.

So, yeah... A few years later. :oldlol:


No, this isn't just a mindless bump.

The FBI recently released its files on ODB a couple of week ago and, what do we see?

A massive connection between the Wu's illegal activity and my hometown, Steubenville, Ohio. It is prominently featured throughout the files, as much as NYC. They even traced a couple of hits by the Wu back to Steubenville, which I think I touched upon in the above post (too lazy to read that long @ss thing).


See... Not everything I type is just mindless babble and exhaustive droning on about god knows what... Just 80% of it.

Anyway...

Linky Linky (http://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2012/01/18/fbi-docs-wu-tang-bought-their-guns-in-ohio)

I was there... Witnessed the madness. A city of under 20,000 on the banks of the Ohio River thrown into an unbelievable gang war headed by the likes of RZA, ODB and Ghostface Killa.

Crazy.

[Nick Young]

wish method man still made good albums like tical, rightnow ghost face and masta killa are the only ones making decent albums. INSPEKTAH DECK WHERE ARE YOU

[L.Kizzle]

wish method man still made good albums like tical, rightnow ghost face and masta killa are the only ones making decent albums. INSPEKTAH DECK WHERE ARE YOU
Method Man is releasing his last studio album this year.

[detroitkid816]

So, yeah... A few years later. :oldlol:


No, this isn't just a mindless bump.

The FBI recently released its files on ODB a couple of week ago and, what do we see?

A massive connection between the Wu's illegal activity and my hometown, Steubenville, Ohio. It is prominently featured throughout the files, as much as NYC. They even traced a couple of hits by the Wu back to Steubenville, which I think I touched upon in the above post (too lazy to read that long @ss thing).


See... Not everything I type is just mindless babble and exhaustive droning on about god knows what... Just 80% of it.

Anyway...

Linky Linky (http://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2012/01/18/fbi-docs-wu-tang-bought-their-guns-in-ohio)

I was there... Witnessed the madness. A city of under 20,000 on the banks of the Ohio River thrown into an unbelievable gang war headed by the likes of RZA, ODB and Ghostface Killa.

Crazy.
really crazy. I remember hearing a story about Ghostface wearing a mask early in his career because he was wanted for murder, but didn't really know what to think of it. I also remember reading jimmy henchmen proclaim the wu and jay-z as some of the only REAL guys to make it big as rappers. here is an interesting article (http://www.villagevoice.com/2000-05-23/news/wu-tang-clan-is-sumthing-ta-****-wit/) I found