Fun Fun Fun Fest Artist Spotlight: Wu Tang Clan
Written by Waylon ODay on October 15, 2015
The most storied, enigmatic, and successful hip-hop collective in history is coming to Austin for what should be an amazing festival experience at FunFunFunFest at Auditorium Shores, November 6-8.
Here’s what you should know, Wu Tang’s members include Method Man, Ghostface Killah (Ghostface), The Genius (GZA), RZA, Cappadonna, U-God, Raekwon the Chef (Raekwon), Masta Killa, Inspecta Deck, and the late Ol’ Dirty Bastard (ODB). Wu Tang came on to the scene when the rap game was dominated by the then new style of west coast production pioneered by Dr. Dre, G-Funk. The Clan’s sound was something refreshing in what seemed to be a stagnant genre, with their raw style of delivery, and explicit lyrics, they took the music world by storm with their debut release Enter the Wu Tang (36 Chambers). Their music was littered with samples from old samurai flicks, most of which from the 1983 film where the group got their name Shaolin and Wu Tang.
After that release, a slew of solo releases from various members kept Wu Tang in the fore front of East Coast rap. ODB, GZA, Method Man, Ghostface, and Raekwon went on to be the most commercially successful of the original members. Wu Tang at this point was no longer just a musical collective, they were a business, making everything from video games to clothing lines to movies (RZA and Method Man became very involved in the Television/Film industry along with their music careers.) they effectively created an audience for their music, widening it with solo releases from their individual members, then capitalizing by producing consumer products with their brand on it. On top of that, Wu Tang has been associated with some of the biggest names in industry, helping further the careers of artists like Nas, Kanye West, MF Doom, and Busta Rhymes. All of these moves have established the Wu Tang Clan as one of, if not the best rap group of all time. Despite only having five releases under the “Wu Tang Banner” their discography is massive when you take in account all of the solo releases, with that being said, you have a lot of material to sift through before you see them at FunFunFunFest in Austin, November 6-8 at Auditorium Shore.
Below you can watch ODB in a classic MTV clip, and listen to the album that started it all, as well as links to tickets so you can see this once in a generation act. Thanks so much for reading, please leave a comment, and always keep checking the site for new and exciting articles about all things music.
