The group held out until they were offered a deal that allowed each member to record solo albums for whichever label he wanted, effectively making each rapper a free agent. Record labels needed to give them pricey contracts soon after.
The hard-hitting “Protect Ya Neck,” the Wu-Tang Clan’s first single, was released on their own independent label and became an underground hit. To accomplish so, they chose to start with a collaborative effort and then spread the word through solo projects, gaining more partners and getting stronger and more influential in the process. The nine rappers agreed to build an artistic and financial community, and the Wu-Tang Clan would become its own enterprise rather than just a group. History after the wu-tang clan formedĪs the RZA, GZA, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, and Ghostface Killah there are other local MCs that became a part of the crew including Method Man, Raekwon, U-God, Inspectah Deck, and Masta Killa. After seeing the movies Shaolin and Wu-Tang, RZA and Ol’ Dirty Bastard came up with the name for the group. The two decided to form a hip hop group with an attitude inspired by “Eastern philosophy learned through kung fu movies, Five Percent Nation teachings learned on the streets of New York, and comic books.” The Wu-Tang Clan was formed in late 1992, with RZA serving as the group’s leader and producer. After The Genius was renamed GZA, while Prince Rakeem was renamed RZA and Ol’ Dirty Bastard became the Specialist’s new identity.Īfter that time RZA began working with Dennis Coles, later known as Ghostface Killah, a rapper from Staten Island’s Stapleton Houses. But their labels quickly dropped both of them, unfortunately. On Cold Chillin’ Records, The Genius released Words from the Genius (1991), and Prince Rakeem released Ooh I Love You Rakeem (1991) on Tommy Boy Records. Later The Genius and Prince Rakeem were signed to different record labels by 1991. The trio was never signed to a major label, but they did get the notice of the New York City rap scene, and at that time artist Biz Markie recognized them. Grice was known as The Genius, Diggs as Prince Rakeem or The Scientist, and Jones was known as The Specialist. Long story short, In the late 1980s A group of 3 Cousins called Robert Diggs, Gary Grice, and Russell Jones decided and created the Force of the Imperial Master, also known as the All in Together Now Crew. I hear, I’m gonna uncover their interesting history and hidden facts to you. But their history is one of the least discussed topics. There is no doubt that wu-tang clan is one of the most influential hip-hop groups in the music industry.