What happened to the Ghostface-produced Clan album?

[RADIOACTIVE MAN]

Not only does he have 100s of grimey beats sitting which I’ve heard and i assure you, would blow you mind, dude has tons of unreleased tracks , no, not as Bobby digital, I’m talking rzarectah gravediggaz style I’ve heard . A notable joint i heard i believe was with him, bazz and killah priest. Man listen….

[Sky Blue Bally Kid]

I personally think a lot of producers just don't want to pay to clear samples, which is why a lot of stuff remains unreleased. It's not a case of just releasing old tracks any more.

[Sam the Seed]

I don't think the issue is getting beats. Its that a few members like Rae & U-God don't like the artistic direction RZA takes the group. RZA has old beats but he wants to put his newer sound on a new album and members have been vocal about preferring their old sound and not being able to rap well over RZA's new production. There's no enthusiasm for them if RZA is producing and RZA has no enthusiasm of working with dudes who don't like his beats and just want '97 Wu beats.

I side with RZA because all we get is Wu members rapping over fake 90s RZA beats 24/7. A Wu album should sound new and game-changing and probably not fit their comfort zones lyrically. Thats also why I think certain members like GZA, INS and Masta Killa rapped better on the last few Wu albums because they aren't stuck trying to be commercial, gangsta and rap over stereotypical Wu beats. Ghost, Rae & Meth just want to have a hit album and be in the limelight again, IMO. Thats not bad because a new Wu album would have to sell a ton of units and make the casual fans happy just to pay their salaries. People forget how little these guys get off these albums if they tank when its split 8 or 9 ways.

But when everyone's money gets low, watch them come back to RZA. And RZA knows it. He's not fucking with them and told them to go make their own Wu albums because he knows they can't because they need him more than he needs them. But niggas like Rae and Ghost are stubborn and prideful.

[noel411]

Tbh as much as 90's hip hop is far superior to anything that came after, it doesn't work to release that sound now. It was of its thyme. Things progressed. Best thing to do is look for a modern adaptation of that sound, that won't sound outdated in the present time.

If they rap over beats Rza made in the 90's (which there's zero chance they ever will, imo), I really don't think it'll work at all.

[Jet Set]

Usually exec producer credits are courtesy credits. Most of the time , they had little to minimal input in the whole fruition of the project. Sometimes it’s some dude who who suggested a few tidbits here and there . And what i meant was , if it ain’t the diggs family overseeing a wutang clan project, it ain’t gonna go anywhere . It’s just like that. It’s not just Rza at play here , there’s the shadow government too, divine etc .

but what knows , it may just happens and I’m talking outta my asss.

Ayeah, Wu-Tang Productions. I know what you mean. Any Clan cake if already divided before the Clan is up to the table.

Wasn't it Rae talking about outside producers on a Clan album. Which RZA was not fond off, because that would be another slice of their cake be taken away from the table. Can't recall if Rae wanted to put the money up for that or not.

[hiphopjunky]

Tbh as much as 90's hip hop is far superior to anything that came after, it doesn't work to release that sound now. It was of its thyme. Things progressed. Best thing to do is look for a modern adaptation of that sound, that won't sound outdated in the present time.

If they rap over beats Rza made in the 90's (which there's zero chance they ever will, imo), I really don't think it'll work at all.

It might not work for Wu specifically, but there is newer music that has come out the last few years with a very 90's feel (I'm thinking NY boom-bappy shit) and for me at least, it definitely works (maybe I'm stuck in the 90's). Here's an example...this is actually a recent song with a shelved beat from the 90's

[noel411]

Sounds dope, but it's only one track. I don't think an album full of beats like that would be very impactful in 2023.

[RADIOACTIVE MAN]

i beg to respectfully differ from you guys. Wutang and their sound is exactly the recipe needed to have solo flourishing careers EVEN IN TODAYS ERA. MF DOOM, did it, and he came at it from nowhere with no even half the clout wu has. heres the thing. dudes did not take advantage of their power. each member has a unique persona and each of them actually have a following that has stuck with them through these years, THEY ARE WHAT I CALL LEGACY ARTISTS. they have core fan bases. the problem is that they did not feed their base enough, they let alot of great idea's die or get hijacked by lesser groups and artists. Gza for instance should have had a long catalogue/ merch and taken advantage of his space/ intellectual themed persona. Imagine the market out there for that. imagine how much he would be caking right now had he stayed consistent with that, hell he could have even had sponsorships from entities like nasa etc behind him but he slacked (but then again, no fault of his, wont put his biz out there)

the point is, these dudes could have been killing it tapping into the underground/mainstream circuit with all the avenues they actually have access to. they let so many things die that would have made their names a force to be reckoned with, wu films for instance was a great idea , had they been making movies, etc, who knows how legitimate thart brand would be today. wu wear is now a hipsters paradise and i doubt it has anything to do with their brand anymore. each of these dudes have AFFILIATES that fans actually wanna see product from, they could have used their intermission time to pump out projects, curate avenues for these dudes etc. Theres no group better suited for solo careers EVEN IN TODAYS TIME. they have a cult following

[Whips-n-Chains]

Sounds dope, but it's only one track. I don't think an album full of beats like that would be very impactful in 2023.

Not a fan of Griselda? They’ve dropped projects for about the last 6-7 years sounding like 90s boom bap.

[josborne3680]

Not really a Griselda track. Was from Rigz/Muggs album and that was before Rome started really working with Griselda. Peace

[ShaDynasty]

I don't think Griselda really sound like the 90s, just influenced by. And they have a big cult following. Its been said many times, but Gunn producing a Clan album would be an instant classic.

[Jet Set]

i beg to respectfully differ from you guys. Wutang and their sound is exactly the recipe needed to have solo flourishing careers EVEN IN TODAYS ERA. MF DOOM, did it, and he came at it from nowhere with no even half the clout wu has. heres the thing. dudes did not take advantage of their power. each member has a unique persona and each of them actually have a following that has stuck with them through these years, THEY ARE WHAT I CALL LEGACY ARTISTS. they have core fan bases. the problem is that they did not feed their base enough, they let alot of great idea's die or get hijacked by lesser groups and artists. Gza for instance should have had a long catalogue/ merch and taken advantage of his space/ intellectual themed persona. Imagine the market out there for that. imagine how much he would be caking right now had he stayed consistent with that, hell he could have even had sponsorships from entities like nasa etc behind him but he slacked (but then again, no fault of his, wont put his biz out there)

Interesting. Sophia Chang hooked him up with the lecture circuit, back in 2010. I believe she stopped managing him in 2015, which is also the year The Spark was released in collaboration with NASA, his European tour was cancelled so he could finish Dark Matter with Vangelis. And in the 2018 series Liquid Science he mentions one of the people of NASA as his friend. Besides that isn't he also involved with this chess thing for young kids? Recall him posting about this.

the point is, these dudes could have been killing it tapping into the underground/mainstream circuit with all the avenues they actually have access to. they let so many things die that would have made their names a force to be reckoned with, wu films for instance was a great idea , had they been making movies, etc, who knows how legitimate thart brand would be today. wu wear is now a hipsters paradise and i doubt it has anything to do with their brand anymore. each of these dudes have AFFILIATES that fans actually wanna see product from, they could have used their intermission time to pump out projects, curate avenues for these dudes etc. Theres no group better suited for solo careers EVEN IN TODAYS TIME. they have a cult following

Wu-Films Could have been pretty big. Normally I'd say I do not get why this was not pursued. But RZA being RZA and always doing something else. This could have been a label that was pushing Domestic Violence, bobby digital films, The W mini movie, etc. They started out on VHS, but DVD was on the horizon at that point. No Limit banked on that shit, why did RZA not? (Hot Boyz is a horrible film. Yet these things ended up on rental shelves in Europe.) In any case Wu-Films was a wasted opportunity. Same for Wu-Electronics. Though there is some more background here with the patents on the Replicator. Yet they could still have done DVD-players and headphones for example. But I think RZA always wanted new tech. If somebody has some story on that Wu-Tang Playstation game, hook me up. Pretty interested to hear how that went down. Again, the game was not perfect. Which makes it perfect for a sequel with a lot of improvement and more involvement from the Clan. Heck, they could have gone for Dreamcast with 4 players at this point.

Wu-Wear. Whenever I see this nowadays I almost miss the bootlegs. Maybe because it is less self conscious than the stuff they release now which is just black yellow. It misses a clear vision in my opinion, but probably sells to the legacy people.

Legacy is the word though. Just push it out with an extra song as anniversary and they'll buy it.

[CuzinBilly]

It was announced in 2016 and mentioned as recently as 2020. https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.55647/t...ns-final-album
I wonder if the pandemic got it scrapped.

Rza is a control freak knowing this I bet he cancelled that project. During the promotion of his album with dj scratch he was asked about a new wu album. His answer made me skeptical on a Wu album ever being released. Just like when he told Rae to move forward on a Wu Tang movie with Leo DiCaprio than changed his mind last minute.

[noel411]

I don't think Griselda really sound like the 90s, just influenced by. And they have a big cult following. Its been said many times, but Gunn producing a Clan album would be an instant classic.

Yeah they're actually a perfect example of what I'm saying DOES work. A modern adaptation of that style of production.

There's no fucking way u can say that if u had an album with half griselda beats n half unreleased 90's beats, it wouldn't b obvious what was what.

[Sam the Seed]

Rza is a control freak knowing this I bet he cancelled that project. During the promotion of his album with dj scratch he was asked about a new wu album. His answer made me skeptical on a Wu album ever being released. Just like when he told Rae to move forward on a Wu Tang movie with Leo DiCaprio than changed his mind last minute.

This is possible. Remember he's one of the 8 MCs and no way RZA is rapping on a Wu album he didn't produce the majority of. Because even if he doesn't produce it, the group is his baby and he will be blamed if its bad and feel something if its BETTER than the last few albums. Its like Vince McMahon leaving WWE and finding a way to take over again.