Your 1st exposure to the Wu and earliest memories
I'm 35. Grew up in southern Georgia. Not a lot of NYC rap made it down here in the mid 90s. We got Biggie, a few Nas singles. More so 2Pac and Dre. We played Miami booty music like Luke and old-school party rap like Juice Crew, Sir Mix-a-Lot and Whodini until Outkast came out.
But I still remember seeing "C.R.E.A.M." playing on BET in the mid 90s. It was so radically different, man. First rappers I've seen who looked like the bummy, dangerous thugs from my neighborhood. Staten guys seemed more like Southern niggas because they had their own slang, fashion, weird taste in music, gold grills, etc. and were just outsiders who got overlooked or underrated as stupid or no good. They were gritty and hungry. I like to think thats why Raekwon and ODB were the first to put a stamp on Outkast. Also a lot of the 5% stuff Wu preached was familiar to me as a kid because Malachi York and the Nawaubians moved to Georgia in the early 90s so weird people like Outkast would use the same terms like "devils" and "God".
Because CREAM was so iconic, Rae, Meth and Deck are still the members I love the most. But then ODB blew up right after Pac died and I know people say Jay-Z or DMX filled in Pac's role. Its obvious to me ODB was that guy. Pac was a crazy dude always getting into legal trouble and crying out about racism and celebrating thugs. ODB's pop run was kinda short but thats probably my favorite run of any top rapper. Just crazy. He would be on MTV with squeaky clean white kids and it was like he was exposing them to a whole world they'd never seen but needed to. I legit cried when ODB died and I don't think another rapper's death will ever disappoint me more.
Its weird but I saw and gravitated to Rae, Meth, ODB videos on TV but didn't realize they were all in the same group until years later. I didn't get "36 Chambers" until I was in middle school, maybe 2001. That was the first "hardcore" NYC hip-hop I ever heard and its been my shit ever since. Again, I grew up thinking hip-hop = G-Funk, booty bass "pop that pussy!" shit and 80s stuff like the Fat Boys or MC Hammer. The same shit that influenced most Southern rap. Wu Tang was mind blowing because it influenced all the NY rap that was slowly making a comeback (Puffy, Mase, Lox, Cam'ron, Rocafella) but it was so much better and raw. Even tho they started the coke dealing and money rap, it was more out of desperation and proving themselves. They had a pro-black philosophy behind it and promoted brotherhood and being a tough guy instead of just corporate thugging.
After that hearing that album, I was the Wu Tang kid even tho I was like 5 years late. Because NONE of the kids I grew up with even knew Wu Tang Clan. And that was kinda cool because Wu made a little comeback in the 2000s with "Gravel Pit" and a bunch of solo projects. And the internet was blowing up so I found tons of other Wu fans were like a global brotherhood of super rap fans who collected all these rare songs by every random Wu affiliate. By the time I was in college, Ghostface was getting love from underground heads and Trap was making the South learn "Cuban Linx" was this blueprint album we needed to hear. But I felt beyond everyone else down here. I was in my U-God/Masta Killa/Warcloud phase, like "y'all, just getting into RZA and Method Man?" Real hip-hop snob
Most of the best friendships I've ever had were based solely on the fact they liked Wu Tang. And a few were real Wu heads who could debate albums and members' skills and the timeline of events.
To me, Wu Tang really is for the children. I know older fans brag how they lived through the Wu's dominance in NYC and saw Wu Wear stores but I think the biggest fans found Wu as teens and kids. Something about them makes them unique and better than any other group of rappers. Gangsta rap was taking over but gangsta rappers were trying so hard to be scary and above the audience. Wu were showing off their intelligence and kindness, like a bunch of cool geeky dudes you could meet anywhere. But they were also just as street and potentially dangerous. CREAM established quickly that they came from scarier places than 99% of rappers so they weren't going to waste time proving their street cred. They rapped about whatever they wanted and it was more rebellious and punk rock than rock at the time. And from my childhood to this day, I educate people about hip-hop lyricism when they say some bullshit like Lil Wayne or Kendrick or Eminem are top 5 ever. Wu have and will continue being this high standard of music to stunt on people who like garbage music. Because everyone knows Wu Tang but only like 5% really listen to them.
But I think Wu fans who became rappers, youtube and their TV show has upped the popularity they lost after the Hot 97 thing. I wonder how a new album would do and if it will make a new generation of fans. They're needed now more than ever with the New World Order, blacks acting foolish, men and women switching genders, everyone losing God and rap being the biggest poison there is.
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