REMEMBERING WU TANG

On Nov. 9, 1993, hip-hop changed forever. Last week marked Wu-Tang Clan’s 20-year anniversary of “Enter the Wu-Tang (36 chambers).” So where are we now in the hip-hop world? Kendrick Lamar and Nas may be heating up a hip-hop storm, but it’s hard to live up to the Dr. Dre days of the 90s. If you respect hip-hop, you respect the Wu-Tang. Even Drake has a song titled, “Wu-Tang Forever.” Twenty years later, and I’m crossing my fingers for the Clan to bring back the ruckus.
“36 chambers” holds a special place in the heart of most music lovers. I was just a year old at the time of the original release. It wasn’t until sophomore year of college that I was lucky enough to discover the art of Ghostface Killah, RZA, GZA, Ol’ Dirty Bastard (may he rest in peace), U-God, Method man, Raekwon, Inspectah Deck and Masta Killa. Kung-Fu film intros and rap assassins made it clear that “Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthin Ta F’ Wit.” When I was applying for school loans the only words running through my head were that “cash rules everything around me, C.R.E.A.M, get the money, dolla dolla bill ya’ll.” Dave Chappelle even did a parody of all too captivating, vulgarly raw “Method Man.” That’s when you know you hit it big. The beauty of hip-hop can be defined by albums like this. Although it wasn’t the commercial success it deserved, Wu-Tang left behind an undeniable legacy. Even with successful album after successful album, “Enter the Wu-Tang (36 chambers)” stands out among them all.
But when Wu-Tang Clan began touring again there were rumors of a new album. It became obvious with the shows they were selling out that their fans were still alive and well. The rumors were confirmed to be true when the release of their lead single, “Family Reunion” came out. The RZA had an interview with Grantland about the upcoming album, “A Better Tomorrow.” It seems that there is a delay in getting the boys in the studio.
“I feel like we have enough material on the album. I just need Raekwon to come onboard fully,” RZA said. “I need some more energy from Ghostface Killah and GZA, too. If they give that energy, I will give us a great last album. If they don’t give us the energy, I gotta figure out a plan B.”
Don’t stop until you perfect it boys, we need it. Until then, I will continue to pray for the elegant return of legends of hip-hop. For now, we have Spotify, headphones and one of the greatest albums of all time. If you haven’t been on the Wu-Tang Clan train yet, you “best learn quick to protect ya neck.”