The game ain;t been the same since since B.I.G. died, and Wu swarmed on New York from out that beehive...
-Jay Electronica
November 9th marks the 20 years since "ENTER THE WU-TANG 36 CHAMBERS" hit the stores-and launched a revolution that would change the business of Hip Hop forever. Previously unknown to hip hop fans outside of New York, the original nine members are said to have chipped in $100 dollars apiece to press up the debut singles "PROTECT YA NECK" & "METHOD MAN." The success of those two singles would launch a bidding war, with the same record labels that dissed them just a year or so earlier vying for the opportunity to sign the crew to a deal. But it was Loud Records CEO Steve Rifkind that had the vision to sign The WU to a deal that would also allow each individual member to sign solo deals with the label of their choosing. The rise to super stardom came slow, as the album didn't really break into the mainstream until 1994; but once the single "C.R.E.A.M." was released, it was on... I remember it like yesterday. A close family friend-technically my sister-worked at Blockbuster Music I think; and dropped a promo copy on me. INSTANTLY I was taken back with the raw sound, ill concepts, Shaolin Kung Fu samples, and grimy lyrics. Based on 1993 standards, there just wasn't much of that going around. But along with A Tribe Called Quest & Black Moon, the foundation of the next Golden Age of Hip Hop (1994-1996) would be ushered in... I still rock this album today, as if it came out only a couple of years ago. Of course from here, the Wu Tang Clan would dominate the next four or five years of hip hop, and open even more doors with clothing lines, movies & more. So tonight I listen to the album that started the WU-REVOLUTION, and wait patiently for what will likely be their final album to drop next year.
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