Supergroups often imply a collective of people who have previously established success, whether as solo artists or members of another notable group, but it’s a rare thing when the establishment of a supergroup is the starting point for a number of artists who go on to be institutions in their own right. Wu Tang Clan, and their debut album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), might be the only musical moment where that’s happened.
The center of gravity was the family relationship between Ol’ Dirty Bastard, RZA and GZA, who were cousins and the first to form up as a Force of the Imperial Master, before expanding the crew slightly and renaming themselves a couple of times. When RZA began to additionally collaborate with fellow Staten Island rapper Ghostface Killah they developed the concept of combining Eastern-tinged mysticism drawn from Kung Fu movies they loved with radical street activism that was permeating New York at the time.
GZA and RZA were the only ones with an established industry presence, having released albums under the name Genius and Prince Rakeem respectively, before teaming up with their cousin ODB to make the track All in Together Now, which drew the attention of legend Biz Markie. With the mixture of Kung Fu philosophy, National of Islam inspired street politics and a comic book team sensibility, coalescing around an ever-growing crew, Ol’ Dirty Bastard pulled the name from the film Shaolin and the Wu Tang, and lo, the nine-piece voltron of MC’s was formed.
36 Chambers is the band's mission statement and chief mythology builder, and a bold mixture of heavy underground beats, minimal production, smooth world play and classic bravado. 36 Chambers is unique in how removed it seems from the rest of the Hip Hop of the era. Unlike even their other New York contemporaries, Wu Tang indulged their love for martial arts movies, over-the-top braggadocio, fictional allusions and humorous skits over realist portrayals of gangsta life or aspirational clichés about partying on yachts piled high with women and champagne. It set them apart and kept them largely out of the regional beefs that defined much of that era of rap music.
Crews were not a new thing in Hip Hop, but what set Wu Tang apart was their adoption of a comic book stylization of being a super hero (or villain) team and their embrace of fictional and mythological tropes regarding their individual characters. They established these in the flows and verses of 36 Chambers and the various threads are writ large across the course of the album. And then, like any classic comic book series, the plots were expanded upon in the individual members respective solo careers that followed.
This record can be seen as the emergent point of the influential careers of Method Man, RZA, Ol’ Dirty, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah and others. And further to that it’s largely viewed as one of the records that kicked off the so-called East Coast Renaissance which stole the crown from the heads of West Coast artists like Dr. Dre and Snoop Dog for a period of years in the 1990s, and went on to feature Nas, The Notorious B.I.G. and others.
RZA’s use of samples from soul music, atmospheric production and thick beat-box inspired drum sounds had a enduring impact on Hip Hop, the echoes of which can be heard in much that came after, from Mob Deep to Kanye West. RZA himself has gone on to become one of the most influential Hip Hop producers and beatmakers of all time, all of which began with the style he pioneered on 36 Chambers.
The rest of the group also made waves. Method Man released an influential solo album Tical and went on to experiment in acting. Ol’ Dirty Bastard had a storied solo career that was cut short by his death, and perhaps most notable in popular consciousness for his bizarre contribution to Mariah Carey’s hit single ‘Fantasy.’ GZA’s Liquid Swords acted as an unofficial sequel to 36 Chambers, while Raekwon released a string of strong efforts and Ghostface Killah made the excellent Supreme Clientele out of the depths of personal suffering in 2000. Members would frequently feature on each other’s albums, and RZA often contributed beats. The group has released a number of additional records since 1993, culminating most recently in the single copy release of Once Upon a Time in Shaolin which was bought by pharmaceutical villain Martin Shkreli in 2015. The legacy of the Wu Tang Clan is ongoing, but it all began with entering the 36 Chambers.
(The second album of week! Let me know what you think in the comments. Let's talk!)