GZA had a solid record pre-Wu-Tang as The Genius, but it is 1995’s Liquid Swords on which this battle-hardened rapper comes into his own. His arch-prankster energy remains most effective as a feature (see his verse on Biggie’s ‘The What’). Method Man’s 1994 debut Tical remains a solid offering, with a couple of great singles like ‘Bring the Pain’, but is ultimately nothing to write home about. A supreme producer, RZA worked his magic on each solo album.

This five-year period, between 1993’s debut and 1997’s double album Wu-Tang Forever is truly the golden age. There’s the GZA (The Genius), the laidback Pirlo of the operation RZA, the organiser, whose grizzled production defined the group Ghostface Killah and Raekwon, the “now-you-see-me-now-you-don’t” Inzaghi/Shevchenko strike partnership Ol’ Dirty Bastard, the Ronaldinho, the like of whom will never be seen again and of course, there’s Method Man, Inspectah Deck, Masta Killa and U-God, four more MCs for the ages.Įarly on, RZA signed every MC up for a now-legendary “five year plan”, wherein each MC would be signed to a different label for a solo album in order to propel the whole group further. Revered as one of the great hip-hop records, Enter ’s production is grainy and gristly, as RZA weaves Kung-Fu film samples into its fabric to create something that feels truly out-there even now.īut perhaps the greatest thing about Enter is that it serves as an introduction to nine rappers, all of them brilliant in their own way. Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) remains the obvious and only starting point with the Wu-Tang Clan.

Supreme clientele book sample