Wu-Tang Clan - Protect Ya Neck

The Wu Emergence

The Wu-Tang Clan is a Staten Island, New York based hip hop group consisting of eight, formerly nine American rappers. They are one of the most successful hip-hop groups of all time and regarded as one of the most influential acts of the 1990’s. Each member raps under a number of pseudonyms but they are best known as, The RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killah and the late Ol’ Dirty Bastard. The RZA (pronounced Rizza) is the organiser, producer and mastermind of the Wu-Tang Clan and is ‘credited for creating one of the most influential sounds and styles in hip-hop history’ (Norris, 2005, p.4).

The group first started gaining underground recognition after RZA assembled his best MCs to record the self financed single “Protect Ya Neck”. The finance came from each member bringing along fifty dollars to pay for the session. The single was then marketed from RZA’s basement.

‘We pressed five hundred copies and sold it directly to record stores and DJs. This was before the internet and the whole direct-to-buyer explosion. After that started a buzz, I knew we could bargain from a position of strength.’ (RZA, 2005, p. 75)

The single, which featured eight of the nine members, gained considerable airplay on local, underground and college radio stations. The intro of the song on the LP version:

“So whassup man?”

“Coolin man”

“Chillin chillin? Yo you know I had to call, you know why right?”

“Why?”

“Because, yo, I never ever call and ask, you to play somethin’ right?”

“Yeah”

“You know what I wanna hear right?”

“Whatchu wanna hear?”

“I wanna hear that Wu-Tang joint.”

“Wu-Tang again?”

“Ahh yeah, again and again!”

is from a call-in listener on the hip-hop show on WNYU, the New York University radio station. Community radio played a large part in the initial ‘buzz’ of The Wu-Tang Clan. The emergence of community and public radio has been touted as the most vibrant and hopeful response to the trend towards globalisation and commercialism because local communities identify more strongly with local cultural issues (Forde, Foxwell, Meadows, 2002, p.9). While the lyrical content on the debut album: Enter the Wu-Tang generally varies from rapper to rapper, the basic themes are the same—urban life, martial arts movies, comic book references, and marijuana—and the setting is generally the harsh environment of New York City.

The Wu-Tang Clan’s debut album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) dropped in late 1993. This groundbreaking debut helped restore interest in the East Coast hip-hop scene at a time when hip-hop was dominated by the jazz influenced styles of groups such as A Tribe Called Quest, and Dr. Dre’s funk-filled, West Coast gangster rap. RZA’s minimalistic production techniques and use of samples from Kung-fu movies gave the album an earthy, gritty, street quality. A lack of funds actually assisted them with the sound of the album. Because they didn’t have the best mixing or recording equipment, the album is wrought with a “dirty” quality – the drums have more bass and are more hard-hitting than they are crisp and clean; the samples have an eerie, almost haunting type of echo; and the vocals, because each member’s voice is already aggressive and gritty, perfectly match the production (Yew, 2004). This is a contrast to Dr. Dre’s polished production techniques with slow driving beats and heavy use of synthesisers. Enter the Wu-Tang played a pivotal role in the resurgence of East Coast hip-hop. Allmusic indicates that Nas's Illmatic (1994), The Notorious B.I.G.'s Ready to Die (1994), Mobb Deep's The Infamous (1995), and Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt (1996) are among the records of this era that reflected the Wu-Tang Clan's influence.

Each member of the Wu-Tang Clan has his own unique persona and distinctive style which contributes to the variety and consistency of their releases. While they all have different flows and varying lyrical skills, what they generally have in common is an aggressive delivery, gritty vocals, violent lyrical content, bizarre sense of humour and free associative style. The use of double-meaning lyrics, slang and metaphor is also a signature style of the clan. The Wu invented many slang terms that would later be referenced and respected by other influential hip-hop figures, most notably ‘C.R.E.A.M.’ meaning money.

The unorthodox structure of the group allowed The RZA to negotiate a revolutionary contract deal where The Wu-Tang Clan was signed to one label, but each member was free to pursue solo careers under labels of their choice. This was something unheard of in the industry at the time and changed the way hip-hop artists negotiate, the way deals are structured; ‘it changed the whole rap game’ (RZA, 2005). RZA’s philosophy was: divide and conquer. He wanted the industry to work for him, and although his strategy had flaws, it worked out in the long run. ‘I wanted the industry to have friendly competition with my product, without even knowing they were competing with each other. And then I’d bring them together for the final money maker.’ (RZA, 2005, p.76).

 The three-year stretch after the group released its debut album remains perhaps the greatest winning streak in rap history (Breihan, 2006). It was during this period that solo albums were dropped by clan members: Method Man, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, GZA, Raekwon, and Ghostface Killah to critical and commercial acclaim. The later solo projects saw RZA branch out in terms of production characteristics and move away from the raw, stripped down beats heard on Enter the Wu-Tang.  He experimented with soul samples, strings and keyboard while still maintaining that unique Wu flavour. Because of The RZA’s presence behind the production and large number of guest appearances from other clan members, these ‘solo’ releases are generally regarded as an all-round group effort. In 1995 RZA managed to negotiate with the different record companies and convinced them to display The Wu-Tang release and several of the solo releases together in record stores. ‘Everybody sells double that month. It was the first time that three different labels made a triple deal together. That’s how my logo, my brand, became the strongest brand in the industry’ (RZA, 2005, P.77).

After the initial success of the clan, their popularity and commercial appeal steadily declined over the years for a number of reasons. The death of Ol’ Dirty Bastard changed the dynamic of the group, The RZA started to take less responsibility for production and as some of the members grew older, their aggressive attitude and delivery slowly fizzled and their flows became increasingly laid back, (I say ‘some’ because other members can still spit harder than ever), and although the golden days of the Wu-Tang Clan are over, their influence and legacy will live on. Wu-Tang forever.

References

Breihan, T. (2006), ‘Return of the Ruckus’, www.villagevoice.com

Forde, S., Foxwell, K., Meadows, M. (2002), ‘Culture Commitment Community: The Australian Community radio sector’, Griffith University, Brisbane.

The RZA, Norris, C. (2005), The Wu-Tang Manual, Penguin Group (USA) Inc. New York

Yew, B. (2004), ‘Retrospect for Hip-Hop: A Golden Age on Record?’ PROUDFLESH: A New Afrikan Journal of Culture, Politics & Consciousness: Issue 3

Bibliography

Del F. Cowie (2001), Wu-Tang Clan: Days of the Wu, Timeline December 2001 issue

Huey, S. Review: Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). Allmusic.

Yew, B. (2004), ‘Retrospect for Hip-Hop: A Golden Age on Record?’ PROUDFLESH: A New Afrikan Journal of Culture, Politics & Consciousness: Issue 3