
GZAs debut album, Liquid Swords, was released in November 1995. The album also featured rapper Nas, who was the first non-Wu-Tang-affiliated rapper to appear on a Wu-Tang Clan album. His debut album, Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version, was released in March 1995, and is considered a hip hop classic.Ĭuban Linx was a diverse, theatrical epic that saw RZA move away from the raw, stripped-down beats of the early albums and towards a richer, cinematic sound more reliant on strings and classic soul samples.Ĭuban Linx featured all but one Wu member, and featured the debut from Cappadonna. The track All I Need from Tical was the winner of the Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the 1995 Grammy Awards.Īfter the release of Tical, Ol Dirty Bastard was the next member to launch a solo career. RZAs hands-on approach to Tical extended beyond his merely creating the beats to devising song concepts and structures. It was entirely produced by RZA, who for the most part continued with the grimy, raw textures he explored on 36 Chambers.


In November 1994, Method Mans debut album, Tical, was released. The Gravediggaz released 6 Feet Deep in August 1994, which became one of the best known works to emerge from hip hops small subgenre of horrorcore. We still could negotiate with any label we wanted, like Meth went with Def Jam, Rae stayed with Loud, Ghost went with Sony, GZA went with Geffen Records, feel me.Īnd all these labels still put Razor Sharp Records on the credits. The success of Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers established the group as a creative and influential force in mid-1990s hip hop, allowing Ol Dirty Bastard, GZA, RZA, Raekwon, U-God, Method Man, and Ghostface Killah to negotiate solo contracts. Though there was some difficulty in finding a record label that would sign Wu-Tang Clan while still allowing each member to record solo albums with other labels, Loud RCA finally agreed, releasing their debut album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), in November 1993. Wu-Tang theme, dividing the album into Shaolin and Wu-Tang sections. The Genius released Words from the Genius (1991) on Cold Chillin Records and Prince Rakeem released Ooh I Love You Rakeem (1991) on Tommy Boy Records.Įmbittered but unbowed, they refocused their efforts and on new monikers The Genius became GZA (pronounced jizza), while Prince Rakeem became RZA (pronounced rizza). The group never signed to a major label, but caught the attention of the New York City rap scene and was recognized by rapper Biz Markie.īy 1991, The Genius and Prince Rakeem were signed to separate record labels. In 2004, NME hailed them as one of the most influential groups of the last ten years.

Kris Ex of Rolling Stone called Wu-Tang Clan the best rap group ever. Wu Tang Forever Album Movie Shogun Assassin.
