Wu-Tang Clan

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风格: #东岸说唱　#硬核说唱　#老派说唱
地区: United States of America 美国

艺人介绍

这支来自纽约长岛的hip-hop乐队的原始成员包括Genius aka GZA，RZA aka Prince Rakeem，Ol' Dirty Bastard，Raekwon，Method Man，Ghostface Killah，Inspectah Deck aka Rebel INS和U-God。Wu-Tang Clan乐队的历史可以追溯到由Rakeem堂兄弟，the Genius和Ol' Dirty Bastard组成。在Rakeem和the Genius组成Wu-Tang Clan之前就各自在Tommy Boy唱片公司和Cold Chillin'唱片公司出版了自己的唱片，如今这些唱片公司都辽无踪影。乐队的每个成员都以自己的功夫知识自豪，在他们的首张专辑里，划成两派，武当和少林，象征他们在说唱时的两个对立面。他们独立制作的单曲Protect Ya Neck在地下广为流传，这引起了主流唱片公司的注意。当他们作为一个乐队整体和Loud/ RCA唱片公司签约的时候，在合同上他们也注明了乐队成员可以在乐队之外作个人的发展。The Genius和Geffen公司，Method Man和Def Jam公司，Ol' Dirty Bastard和Elektra公司都签有个人发展的合同，而Raekwon留在Loud/RCA作个人发展。RZA也与Prince Paul和Fruitkwan组成了Gravediggaz，同时兼顾Wu-Tang Clan和自己个人发展。Wu-Tang Clan的音乐素材里包含了学院化的韵律，这对于他们那种在音乐中分为对立两派，相互争论的风格很有用。音乐的背景节奏采样于功夫影片。这些富有攻击性的功夫文化色彩的音乐和以前的说唱很不一样，他们的首张专辑Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)在他们自己的录音室录制，36 Chambers暗指少林派功夫里常常提到的人体的36个要穴。RZA在作品中的所有的节奏和采样方式很快在地下hip-hop界时髦起来。专辑最后在美国达到了金唱片，但是1993年11月刚出版的时候只达到专辑榜41位。而单曲&C.R.E.A.M.&迟到的成功使得乐队成为炙手可热的说唱明星。而在1994年，乐队出了件糟糕的事儿，3月13日U-God的2岁儿子Dante Hawkins在户外玩耍的时候被街头枪战流弹击中，被打伤了双手和肾。就在一天后，他们一个圈内的朋友在一次突然意外中丧生。

Wu-Tang Clan现在的官方成员又增加了两位Masta Killa和Cappadonna，这个长长的名单上还包括一些合作者Shyheim, Killah Priest, Shabazz The Disciple, Killarmy以及the Sunz Of Man，他们也都出版了口碑不错的个人专辑。乐队在1997年重新集结，但是新专辑明显不如他们的处女专辑，甚至不如GZA的个人专辑Liquid Swords。不过专辑仍然是hip-hop历史上期待值最高的专辑，并且在6月登上了美国专辑榜的第一位。除此之外还有一些与Wu-Tang Clan相关的专辑，包括Killah Priest出色的个人专辑Heavy Mental，Cappadonna的畅销专辑The Pillage，这都使得Wu-Tang Clan及其旁支成为一个庞大的产业王国，现在他们又在出卖自己的服装和电视游戏。乐队的成员现在准备录制一张the W作为一次精彩的回归，制作人员还包括了一些从未合作过的客座音乐人。

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine & Steve Huey

Emerging in 1993, when Dr. Dres G-funk had overtaken the hip-hop world, the Staten Island, NY-based Wu-Tang Clan proved to be the most revolutionary rap group of the mid-90s — and only partially because of their music. Turning the standard concept of a hip-hop crew inside out, the Wu-Tang Clan were assembled as a loose congregation of nine MCs, almost as a support group. Instead of releasing one album after another, the Clan were designed to overtake the record industry in as profitable a fashion as possible — the idea was to establish the Wu-Tang as a force with their debut album and then spin off into as many side projects as possible. In the process, the members would all become individual stars as well as receive individual royalty checks.

Surprisingly, the plan worked. All of the various Wu-Tang solo projects elaborated on the theme the group laid out on its 1993 debut, the spare, menacing Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). Taking their group name from an powerful, mythical kung fu sword wielded by an invincible congregation of warriors, the crew is a loose collective of nine MCs. All nine members work under a number of pseudonyms, but they are best known as RZA (formerly Prince Rakeem; aka RZArecta, Chief Abbot, and Bobby Steels; born Robert Diggs), GZA (aka the Genius, Justice, and Maxi Million; born Gary Grice), Ol Dirty Bastard (aka Unique Ason, Joe Bannanas, Dirt McGirt, Dirt Dog, and Osirus; born Russell Jones), Method Man (aka Johnny Blaze, Ticallion Stallion, Shakwon, Methical, and MZA; born Clifford Smith), Raekwon the Chef (aka Shallah Raekwon and Lou Diamonds; born Corey Woods), Ghostface Killah (aka Tony Starks and Sun God; born Dennis Coles), U-God (aka Golden Arms, Lucky Hands, Baby U, and 4-Bar Killer; born Lamont Hawkins), Inspectah Deck (aka Rebel INS and Rollie Fingers; born Jason Hunter), and Masta Killa (aka Noodles; born Elgin Turner).

Although RZA wasnt one of the two founding members — GZA and Ol Dirty Bastard were the first — the vision of the Wu-Tang Clan is undoubtedly due to his musical skills. Under his direction, the group — through its own efforts and the solo projects, all of which he produced or co-produced — created a hazy, surreal, and menacing soundscape out of hardcore beats, eerie piano riffs, and minimal samples. Over these surrealistic backing tracks, the MCs rapped hard, updating the old-school attack with vicious violence, martial arts imagery, and a welcome warped humor. By 1995, the sound was one of the most instantly recognizable in hip-hop.

It wasnt always that way. Like most rappers, they began their careers trying to get ahead whatever way they could. For RZA, that meant releasing a silly single, Ooh, I Love You Rakeem, on Tommy Boy Records in 1991. On the advice of his label and producers, he cut the humorous lover-man single, which went absolutely nowhere. Neither did the follow-up single, My Deadly Venom. The experience strengthened his resolve to subvert and attack record industry conventions. He found partners in GZA and Ol Dirty Bastard. GZA had also released a record in 1991, the full-length Words from the Genius on Cold Chillin, which was preceded by the single Come Do Me. Both records were unsuccessful. After the failure of his album, GZA teamed with an old friend, Ol Dirty Bastard, to form the crew that would evolve into the Wu-Tang Clan within a year.

RZA quickly became part of the crew, as did several other local MCs, including Method Man, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, U-God, Inspectah Deck, and Masta Killa. The nine rappers made a pact to a form an artistic and financial community — the Wu-Tang Clan wouldnt merely be a group, it would be its own industry. In order to do this, they decided to establish themselves through a group effort and then begin to spread the word through solo projects, picking up additional collaborators along the way and, in the process, becoming stronger and more influential.

The first Wu-Tang Clan single, the hard-hitting Protect Ya Neck, appeared on their own independent label and became an underground hit. Soon, the record labels were offering them lucrative contracts. The group held out until they landed a deal that would allow each member to record solo albums for whatever label he chose — in essence, each rapper was a free agent. Loud/RCA agreed to the deal, and the bands debut album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), appeared in November 1993. Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) was both critically acclaimed and commercially successful; although its financial success wasnt immediate, it was the result of a slow build. C.R.E.A.M., released in early 1994, was the single that put them over the top and won them a devoted following. The group wasted no time in pursuing other projects, as a total of five of the members — GZA, RZA, Raekwon, Method Man, and Ol Dirty Bastard — landed solo contracts as a result of the success of C.R.E.A.M. RZA was the first to re-enter the studio, this time as a member of the Gravediggaz, a group he founded; in addition to RZA, who was rechristened RZArecta, the group included De La Soul producer Prince Paul, Stetsasonics Frukwan, and Brothers Grimms Poetic. The Gravediggazs album 6 Feet Deep appeared in August 1994; it eventually would go gold. Labeled horrorcore by the group, it was an ultra-violent but comical tour de force that demonstrated RZAs production prowess. Shortly after its release, Raekwon released his first single, Heaven and Hell, on the Fresh soundtrack; the song was produced by RZA and featured Ghostface Killah.

The first Wu-Tang member to become a major solo star was Method Man. In November 1994, he released Tical, the first official Wu-Tang solo album. Again, RZA produced the album, creating a dense, dirty sonic collage. Tical became a big hit in early 1995, as did Meths duet with Mary J. Blige, Ill Be There for You/Youre All I Need to Get By. Ol Dirty Bastard followed Method Mans breakthrough success with Return to the 36 Chambers, which appeared in March 1995 on Elektra Records. Thanks to the hits Brooklyn Zoo and Shimmy Shimmy Ya, the record became a gold success. Out of all the solo albums, it was the one that sounded the most like Enter the Wu-Tang, although it did have a more pronounced comic bent, due to Ol Dirtys maniacal vocals. Tales From the Hood, a movie soundtrack featuring Inspectah Decks first solo track, appeared in May.

Later in 1995, the two most critically acclaimed Wu-Tang records appeared: Raekwons Only Built 4 Cuban Linx and GZAs Liquid Swords. Raekwon released his album on Loud/RCA in August 1995; the record featured extensive contributions — a total of 12 songs — from Ghostface Killah, his greatest exposure yet. GZAs solo album was released by Geffen Records in November 1995. In February 1996, Ghostface Killahs first solo track, Winter Warz, appeared on the Dont Be a Menace to South Central While Youre Drinking Your Juice in the Hood soundtrack. Later that October, he released his own solo debut, the critically acclaimed, 70s soul-flavored Ironman; the record was the first released on RZAs new Epic subsidiary, Razor Sharp Records.

The Wu-Tang Clan finally reconvened and returned with their second album, the double CD Wu-Tang Forever, in June of 1997. Hugely anticipated, the album entered the charts at number one — selling over 600,000 copies in its first week alone — and quickly spawned the hit single Triumph. There were several contributions from guest associate Cappadonna (born Darryl Hill), whod appeared on Only Built 4 Cuban Linx and Ironman, and would later become the tenth member of the Wu-Tang Clan. The group toured extensively in support of the album, getting into a few minor scuffles with the law along the way.

In the meantime, the next phase of the Wu-Tang plan started to take shape: unearthing new associates and spinning the resulting stable of talent into a brand-name franchise. A group of Wu protégés dubbed Killarmy released their debut album, Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars, on Priority Records in August 1997, drawing heavily upon the Clans martial imagery. 1998, however, was truly the year for Wu-related side projects. In March, Cappadonna released his solo debut, The Pillage, on Columbia. The same month, Killah Priest — not an official part of the Clan, but a frequent guest and a member of another protégé group, the Sunz of Man — made his solo debut on Geffen Records with Heavy Mental, an acclaimed album filled with spiritual imagery that established him as one of the more distinctive solo artists in the Wu-Tang orbit. In July the Sunz of Man released their own debut album, The Last Shall Be First, on Red Ant, and yet another group of up-and-comers dubbed the Wu-Tang Killa Bees released their first album, The Swarm, Vol. 1, on Priority, featuring a number of guest appearances by Wu members and associates. In August, Killarmy issued their second album, Dirty Weaponry.

1998 was also the year Ol Dirty Bastard began a long and bizarre saga of erratic behavior and run-ins with police that found him making headlines with alarming (and ridiculous) regularity. In February he interrupted Shawn Colvins acceptance speech at the Grammy Awards to protest the Clans loss in the Best Rap Album category; shortly thereafter, he announced he was changing his name to Big Baby Jesus, an idea that never picked up steam. This was only the beginning — over the next year and a half, ODB would be arrested for a litany of offenses that included assault, shoplifting, making terrorist threats, wearing body armor after being convicted of a felony, possessing cocaine, and missing countless court dates. Plus, in early 1999, the whole Clan fell under suspicion of masterminding a gun-running operation between Staten Island and Steubenville, OH — charges that were never proven to have any validity.

In the midst of this legal sideshow, the Clan kicked off a second round of solo projects in late 1998. This time around, RZA curtailed his activities somewhat, making appearances but often leaving the majority of the production duties to his protégés. Still, he released his own solo debut, the soundtrack-styled RZA as Bobby Digital in Stereo, in November 1998 on V2; the same month, Method Mans second album, Tical 2000: Judgement Day, debuted at number two on the charts. June 1999 saw the release of an excellent singles compilation, RZA Hits, which covered the first Wu-Tang album and the first round of solo albums (1994-1995); the very next week, GZAs second album, Beneath the Surface, was released. September brought plenty of new Wu product: Ol Dirty Bastards Nigga Please, released while the rapper was in rehab; Method Mans acclaimed duo album with Redman, Blackout!; and the first-ever solo album by Inspectah Deck, Uncontrolled Substance, which appeared on Relativity. Another Wu member made his solo debut in October, when U-God issued Golden Arms Redemption on Priority; Raekwon returned the following month with Immobilarity. Finally, Ghostface Killah issued his well-received sophomore set, Supreme Clientele, in January 2000.

However, this second round of Wu-Tang solo albums didnt attract as much attention, either critically or commercially. True, Method Man remained a popular solo star (and, to a lesser degree, so did ODB), and reviews were highly positive for Ghostface Killah (and, to a lesser degree, GZA). But the Wu franchise was suffering from inconsistency, overexposure (theyd spawned a clothing line, a video game, a comic book, and more), and a flood of musical product that even diehards found difficult to keep up with. Their once-distinctive sound was becoming commonplace and diluted, not just through the collectives own releases but also RZAs many imitators; plus, by this time, Timbaland had taken over the mantle of hip-hops most cutting-edge producer.

Indie filmmaker Jim Jarmusch commissioned RZA to compose a soundtrack for his acclaimed Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, the results of which were unveiled in early 2000. Other than that, the Clan reconvened for a new album and was mostly quiet during much of 2000 — aside from Ol Dirty Bastard, who unfortunately continued to spiral out of control. He spent some time in a California jail for violating the terms of his probation, but appeared to be on the right track when suddenly, in October — with just two months of rehab to go — he escaped the California facility and spent a month on the run from the law. Fans were shocked when ODB turned up on-stage at the New York record-release party for the Clans new album, The W, which was released with considerably less fanfare in November 2000. A leaner, more focused collection, The W featured only one track from ODB and pictured Cappadonna as a full-fledged member of the group (though he remained unnamed on their official contract with Loud).

ODB managed to exit the club after his surprise performance but was soon captured by police in Philadelphia and extradited to New York to face charges of cocaine possession. In April 2001, he cut a deal with prosecutors that resulted in a sentence of two to four years in state prison, bringing his outlaw saga to a sad end. In August 2001, RZA issued his second Bobby Digital album, Digital Bullet; November brought solo albums from Ghostface Killah (Bulletproof Wallets) and Cappadonna (The Yin and the Yang). This time, though, there was no full round of solo projects in between Wu albums; the full group (minus ODB) assembled for their fourth album, Iron Flag, which was released in December 2001, just one year after its predecessor. Despite a lot of activity for the various solo projects, Wu-Tang released only a live album, 2004s Disciples of the 36 Chambers, during the subsequent five years. That document was one of the last places to hear Ol Dirty Bastard, who died of a heart attack in November 2004. In early 2007, in anticipation for the Clans upcoming album, 8 Diagrams, Nature Sounds issued the Mathematics-compiled Unreleased, a collection of new remixes and hard-to-find, previously unreleased songs from the group and some of their friends. It wasnt until the end of the year, however — after a couple of delays and some criticism from Raekwon and Ghostface directed at RZA regarding the overall sound of the record — that 8 Diagrams came out.

Wu-Tang Clan　武当派

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Wu-Tang Clan 武当派

艺人介绍

热门评论

最新简评（共248条）

Wu-Tang Clan　武当派