New surprise double album gets a hefty price tag and star treatment
Photo by Kmeron (CC)
Just over 20 years ago, Wu-Tang Clan released their first album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). Their calling card was always the unique and grimy East Coast rap they did better than anyone else. The Staten Island, N.Y. group came, saw, conquered, and brashly established themselves as the most famous and influential hip-hop collective ever assembled.
In recent years, the Clan still rocks the road but since the death of Ol’ Dirty Bastard (ODB) in 2004, they have not been able to come together and make a solid record like the ones of days past. The relationship between de facto leader and main producer RZA and emcee Raekwon has been strained, GZA is busy lecturing about the creation of the universe at the University of Toronto, and their proposed 20th anniversary album A Better Tomorrow never saw the light of day. It seemed like the Wu was on its last legs, until they shocked the world once again.
On March 26, Forbes magazine released a report that the Clan had actually come together in the studio and recorded a special two-disc album called The Wu — Once Upon A Time In Shaolin. The exceptional thing about this project is that there is only one copy, which is going to be sold for millions of dollars to one person. The album will then go on tour to museums across the world for paid private listenings, guarded heavily by security.
Along with this massive announcement, the group also gave A Better Tomorrow a summer 2014 release date, this time for the general public.
With the two new releases, Wu-Tang Clan is revolutionizing the way things are done in the music business. More than 20 years ago, the late ODB said, “Wu is coming through at a theatre near you” — only this time it’s a museum near you.
