ORIGIN
Name Wu-Tang originates from the martial arts film, Shaolin and Wu Tang, where warriors were trained to fight in the Wu Tang kung fu style
Group originally composed of RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa
FOUNDING
Late 1980s: Cousins robert diggs (Prince Rakeem/The scientist), gary grice (the genius), and russell jones (the specialist) formed a group named force of the imperial master, also known as the all in together now crew.
The group never signed to a major label, but caught the attention of the NY city rap scene and was recognized by rapper Biz Markie.
1991: Genius and Prince Rakeem signed to separate record labels where both were eventually dropped by their labels. Group refocused efforts and on new monikers; Genius became GZA "Jizza," Prince Rakeem became RZA "Rizza."
After collaborating with some artists such as Dennis Coles, later known as Ghostface Killah and another rapper from Stapleton Houses in Staten Island, the duo decided to create a hip hop group whose ethos would be a blend of Eastern philosophy picked up from kung fu movies, Five Percent Nation teachings picked up on the NY streets, and comic books.
1992: Wu Tang Clan assembled, with RZA as the de facto leader and the group's producer. Name was adopted after the film Shaolin and Wu Tang.
START OF FAME
1993: Wu-Tang Clan released their independent single "Protect Ya Neck," resulting in the start of their fame through a sizable underground following.
Loud/RCA record agrees to sign the group, releasing their debut album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) in November, which to date is regarded as one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time.
Due to the group's creative and influential force, this allowed the group members to negotiate solo contracts while their group was signed to a label.
SOLO ALBUMS
1994: Method Man's (RZA) debut album, Tical, was released in November (1st member to release a solo project).
1995: Raekwon's debut studio album, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx..., was released in August. GZA's debut album, Liquid Swords, was released in November.
1996: Ghostface Killah released his first solo album, Ironman, in October.
Although the albums were released as solo, RZA's presence behind the production, and the large number of guest appearances from other Wu-Tang Clan members has rendered them to be mostly all-round group efforts.
GRAMMY NOMINATED
1997: Wu-Tang Clan reassembled to release the Grammy-nominated multiplatinum double album Wu-Tang Forever, which debuted at number one on the Billboard Charts. According to Nielsen SoundScan, the album has sold over 8.3 million copies to date worldwide.
DIVERSIFICATION
1998: After the release of Wu-Tang Forever, the empire shifted its focus to promoting emerging affiliated artists. The album Wu-Tang Killa Bees: The Swarm (a compilation album) showcased Wu-affiliated artists, including new solo tracks from the original group members. The Swarm certified gold.
1998-2000: In the space of two years, the second round of solo albums from Wu-Tang saw second efforts from the five members who had already released albums, as well as debuts from all the remaining members with the exception of Masta Killa (seven of them being released in the space of seven months between June 1999 and January 2000).
THE W AND IRON FLAG
2000: The group released “The W,” which went double platinum. The album was recorded while Ol’ Dirty Bastard was incarcerated, and so his vocals recorded over the inmate telephones.
2001: Wu-Tang Clan released Iron Flag, of which made use of outside producers and guests, including Ron Isley, Flavor Flav, and Trackmasters. Method Man began his acting career along with close collaborator Redman
ISSUES, DEATH, DOCUMENTARY
2003: Ol’ Dirty Bastard was released from incarceration and immediately signed with Jay-Z’s Roc-A-Fella Records on the same day that he was released.
2004: U-God left the group, later releasing a DVD titled "Rise of a Fallen Soldier" detailing his frustrations with being in the group (mainly issues with his treatment from RZA). He then formed his own group with some young protegés, called the Hillside Scramblers, with whom he released an album. During a phone conversation on live radio, U-God and RZA had a heated dispute which ultimately led to the two reconciling and U-God returning to the group.
The Wu-Tang Clan also unexpectedly returned to the live stage, going on a European tour before coming together as a full group to headline at the Rock the Bells festival in California. The concert was released on CD as Disciples of the 36 Chambers: Chapter 1, and the Clan also released a music-video greatest hits album: Legend of the Wu-Tang Clan.
On November 13, Ol' Dirty Bastard collapsed in the Wu-Tang's recording studio and was pronounced dead later that night. Wu-Tang paid him homage a number of times: in August 2006, one of his sons came out at a Wu-Tang concert at Webster Hall and rapped "Brooklyn Zoo", along with his mother, and during a concert at the Hammerstein Ballroom the Clan brought his mother out on stage for a sing-along to "Shimmy Shimmy Ya".
2005: RZA released his first book: The Wu-Tang Manual, and the release of U-God’s second album, Mr. Xcitement. GZA and producer DJ Muggs and Grandmasters also held a long-awaited collaboration.
The documentary, U-God: Rise of a Fallen Soldier, was released. It portrayed U-God’s side of the struggle between him and RZA.
CONTINUATION OF SOLO ALBUMS AND 8 DIAGRAMS
2006: On March 28, Ghostface Killah released Fishscale, to much critical acclaim and some commercial success. On June 25, Inspectah Deck released a street album entitled the Resident Patient, a prelude to his upcoming album, titled The Rebellion, which is said to be his final solo album. Masta Killa released his second studio album, Made in Brooklyn, and Method Man released 4:21…, of which debuted in the Billboard Top Ten.
2007: Ghostface Killah released his seventh full-length album – The Big Doe Rehab. Wu-Tang Clan released their fifth full-length group album, 8 Diagrams, on Steve Rifkind’s SRC Records, of which marked the inclusion of Cappadonna as an official member of the group. 8 Diagrams received mixed views, causing Raekwon and Ghostface Killah to propose recording a group album (Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang) without RZA production. The album would become Raekwon’s fifth solo album.
2008: RZA released Digi Snacks to primarily introduce group affiliates, such as Freemurder, Killa Sin, Black Knights. GZA released his Pro Tools album.
RZA announced that a deal with digital music company, “The Orchard,” was made to release the Wu-Tang Clan’s back catalogue worldwide digitally for the first time. The catalogue includes 13 previous releases that have been previously unavailable digitally.
Gerald K. Barclay directed the Wu-Tang documentary, entitled "Wu: The Story of the Wu-Tang Clan," which later premiered on BET.
2009: U-God released his third solo album: Dopium, featuring several Wu-Tang members and affiliates. RZA produced Wu-Tang Chamber Music, a side project that featured five Wu-Tang members, along with NYC mainstays AZ, Kool G Rap, Cormega, Havoc, Sean Price, and M.O.P. Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…Pt. II was released and features guest appearances from several big name artists and Clan members, with production from RZA, Dr. Dre, Pete Rock, and J Dilla amongst others. The album debuted at number 4 on the Billboard 200 and number 2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
Ghostface released Ghostdini: Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City.
A documentary on Ol’ Dirty Bastard was released, entitled "Dirty: The Official ODB Biography." The documentary features interviews and stories from family members, Wu-Tang members, affiliates, and old interviews with Ol’ Dirty Bastard.
2010: Wu-Tang Saga, including Cappadonna and footage of the Clan dating back to the early nineties, was released.
FINAL ALBUMS
2011: Wu-Tang Live AT The Palladium NYC was released through the group’s official Facebook page as a collector’s digital download. The page was limited to 100 downloads before the page was disabled.
2013: Late April, Wu-Tang Clan performed at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
An unreleased Wu-Tang song, “Execution in Autumn,” was released for purchase through RZA’s record label Soul Temple Records, and the Clan performed at the 2013 HOT 97 Summer Jam.
The first promotional single “Family Reunion” featuring Masta Killah, Method Man, Ghostface Killah, and RZA was released on the Soul Temple Records website.
2014: A Better Tomorrow, courtesy of Warner Bros. Records, was released.
The Wu-Tang recorded "The Wu-Once Upon A Time in Shaolin," was finished with affiliated producer Cilvaringz. The album, a double album consisting of 31 tracks, will not be given a conventional commercial release and only one copy has been produced; this copy will be toured in museums, art galleries and music festivals before being sold at a high price to a single individual. Despite the album's exclusivity it made an appearance in electronic dance music producer Skrillex's music video for one of his song even though he did not purchase the project.
2017: The group's latest album "The Saga Continues" was released, featuring all members of Wu-Tang Clan except U-God, who sued the group for over $2 million in royalties in November 2016.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
RZA: Now a husband and father. This year, he collaborated with Good Humor to make a new jingle for ice cream vans to replace Turkey in the Straw, which has gained notoriety for its association with minstrel shows. As of August 2020, Good Humor and Wu-Tang Clan's RZA announced their collaboration to create a new tune for ice-cream trucks. With the endeavor, Good Humor and RZA aim to help drivers learn about the racist roots of "Turkey in the Straw" and how to replace the music box in the truck that plays it.
GZA: Still touring, having recently played venues in Nashville, Boston, and several cities in Florida. He has recently worked with 36-year-old three-time Grammy-nominated rapper Rapsody on the song “Ibtihaj” for her latest album Eve. This year, GZA provided a voice role in Netflix's Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts as Bad Billions.
Method Man: Has been working hard on his nutrition and fitness. Aside from this, he collaborated with uglychristmassweater.com on sweater and socks set in December 2018. Shortly thereafter he released the album Meth Lab Season 2: The Lithium. He then appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in January 2019. This year, he appeared as a recurring character in the Netflix original series "Teenage Bounty Hunters" as Terrance Coin, Bowser's rival bounty hunter.
Ghostface Killah: Still books for shows, beats, and features. In addition, he is still touring, most recently with fellow Wu-Tang member Raekwon.
Masta Killa: While he is a lesser-known member of the Wu-Tang Clan, he has been busy promoting the group on his social media. He has spent a lot of time posting about the group’s 36 Chambers 25th Anniversary Celebration Tour, Showtime’s “Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men,” and Hulu’s “Wu-Tang: An American Saga.”
Raekwon: Has been playing solo shows as well as performances with fellow Wu-Tang member Ghostface Killah. In addition to music, he is focused on fatherhood.
U-God: He has been busy writing a book, “RAW: My Journey Into the Wu-Tang Clan,” as well as releasing his latest album Venom. According to U-God’s website, his book is an unforgettable first-person account of his journey from the streets of Brooklyn to some of the biggest stages around the world.
Inspectah Deck: Recently released his latest album “Chamber No. 9,” offering exclusive merchandise, CD’s, vinyl, digital downloads, and more. In addition to music, Inspectah Deck has also created branded skate decks aptly called Inspectah Decks.
Cappadonna: Became an official member in 2007. He is also a member of the rap group Theodore Unit together with fellow Wu-Tang member Ghostface Killah and is still performing.
