The revolutionary course of hard-core rap took a sharp turn to the real in 1993. That year, the platinum debut album ENTER THE WU-TANG (36 CHAMBERS), struck a strategic, genre expanding blow for the hip-hop nation. Eternally elevating the urban art-form, it justly propelled the WU-TANG CLAN to the apex of rap music. Now bonafide superstars, Staten Island’s Wu-warriors: Prince (The RZA) Rakeem, Raekwon, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Method Man, GhostFace Killah, Genius (GZA), U-God, Master Killa and Inspectah Deck. In all of hip-hop’s history there’s never been a rap aggregation like the Wu-Tang Clan. However, it didn’t happen overnight. On the real, each member had his own sad street struggle story before the group blew up. Life on the cold concrete of "Gaten Island" was, and still is, haunted by crime, drugs, violence, hustling and poor people striving to survive. Living under such life devaluing conditions had most of the bad-ass brothers we now know as the Wu-Tang Clan. Known to capitalize on many levels, economics as well as art is the priority for Wu-Tang’s diversely business-minded membership. In addition to their Staten Island based recording studio, production company and record label, their entrepreneurial savvy extends to several other areas, which all come under the umbrella of the famous (bird-like) double sword Wu-Tang trademark symbol. It’s always prominently displayed on their records, promotion and marketing material and flourishing Wu-Wear street gear line. And having gone high tech, Wu’s popular world-wide web-site (
http://www.vibe.com), has become hip-hop’s most accessed Internet address to date.