When the Wu-Tang Clan burst onto the scene in the early 1990s, they were like nothing the world had ever seen. A crew of 9 of the deadliest MCs in New York City, embracing an aesthetic that merged pro-Black ideology, kung-fu flicks, and street hip-hop before expanding into fashion and video games, the Wu-Tang Clan reinvented the idea of rap superstars. They continued to innovate in 2014, countering the digital commodification of music with Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, an album whose singular ornate copy was sold at an auction for $2 million to disgraced hedge fund manager Martin Shkreli. (Shkreli was later convicted of fraud, and the album was sold in another auction by the U.S. government.)
RZA has spent substantial time in recent years preserving the rich history that Wu-Tang created. The producer/rapper has diversified his career to work in TV and film, and he’s used those as vehicles to help tell the Wu-Tang Clan’s story.
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