enter the wu-tang: 36 chambers

Today In Hip Hop History: Wu Tang Clan’s Debut Album ‘Enter The 36 Chambers’ Turns 30 Years Old!

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936full enter the wu tang 36 chambers cover

On November 9th, 1993 rap music was changed forever. 9 Gods from the slums of Shaolin, who together form the Wu Tang Clan, released their first studio LP entitled Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers).
This album was recorded from 1992 to 1993 at Firehouse Studio in New York City. The album was recorded on Loud Records and distributed by RCA Records. It cost a total of $36,000 to complete.

The album’s concept was inspired heavily by the group’s love for Kung Fu flicks, particularly the 1978 Liu Chia-Liang film The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, a story about a man who set out to become the master of all 36 chambers of kung fu and reach a form of enlightenment. In the movie, the 36th chamber of kung fu is to bring the knowledge and wisdom of kung fu to the people of the entire world. For Wu-Tang Clan, that was the goal with this album.

The project was entitrely produced by the group’s leader, RZA, through the art of sampling. The beats consisted of a lot of soul And martial art samples along with sounds from early hip hop synthesizers. Lyrically, this album was nothing like anything that came before it or would come after it. I was a change from the afrocentric “boom-bap” that was prevalent in New York. It was edgy and street while remaining intellectual in content. The Wu-Tang Clan was able to synchronize their hustler mentality with the wisdom of an ancient martial arts master. Well known singles from this album include, but are not limited to, “Protect Ya Neck”, “Method Man”, and “C.R.E.A.M.”

Upon its release, in an article for The Source, The Ghetto Communicator wrote “This record is harsh, but so is the world that we live in. For B-boys n’girls who come from the core of the hard, this is the hip-hop album you’ve been waiting for”. The rest is history.

The post Today In Hip Hop History: Wu Tang Clan’s Debut Album ‘Enter The 36 Chambers’ Turns 30 Years Old! first appeared on The Source.

The post Today In Hip Hop History: Wu Tang Clan’s Debut Album ‘Enter The 36 Chambers’ Turns 30 Years Old! appeared first on The Source.

RZA Is Turning ‘Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)’ Into A Series Of Symphony Shows For Its 30th Anniversary

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2023 marks the 30th anniversary of the groundbreaking Wu-Tang Clan debut album Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). With that in mind, the group’s de facto leader RZA has something special planned to celebrate the anniversary: A run of shows at New York’s Gramercy Theatre turning the kung-fu-obsessed rap recording into a straight-up symphony.

Considering the original’s orchestral components, which were drawn from a variety of sources including ’70s soul records and actual classical compositions, it’s a reworking that makes a lot of sense. Other rappers, such as Nas, have done similar things with some of their most pioneering works, and RZA himself even produced a ballet earlier this year called 36 Chambers Of Shaolin And A Ballet Through Mud.

The shows will take place November 7th, 8th, and 9th, with tickets going on sale Friday, September 8th at 10 am. You can get more info here. Meanwhile, the Wu-Tang Clan as a crew kick off the next part of their North American tour alongside De La Soul and Nas next Friday, September 15th at Madison Square Garden. See below for the full schedule.

09/15 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
09/20 – Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena *
09/22 – Hollywood, FL @ Hard Rock Live *
09/23 – Jacksonville, FL @ Daily’s Place *
09/24 – Tampa, FL @ Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino *^
09/26 – Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena *
09/27 – Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center *
09/29 – Atlantic City, NJ @ Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall *
10/01 – Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena *
10/02 – Laval, QC @ Place Bell *
10/04 – Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center *
10/07 – Minneapolis, MN @ Target Center *
10/08 – Chicago, IL @ United Center *
10/10 – Winnipeg, MB @ Canada Life Centre *
10/13 – Edmonton, AB @ Rogers Place *
10/14 – Calgary, AB @ Scotiabank Saddledome *
10/16 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena *
10/17 – Portland, OR @ Moda Center *
10/18 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena *
10/21 – Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand Garden Arena *
10/22 – Highland, CA @ Yaamava Theatre *

^ = Daytime Pool Party Performance
* = w/ De La Soul

Wu-Tang Clan’s ‘Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)’ and A Tribe Called Quest’s ‘ The Low End Theory’ Added to National Recording Registry

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The Low End Theory A Tribe Called Quest Enter the Wu Tang 36 Chambers

As the defining era of the nineties continues to mature, the admirable sounds of the beloved time reign heavily in longevity. Earlier this week, the Library of Congress announced the names of 25 recordings have been added to the National Recording Registry for 2022 including Wu-Tang Clan’s Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) and A Tribe Called Quest’s The Low End Theory.

The two hip-hop classics join Duke Ellington’s Ellington At Newport, Nat King Cole’s “The Christmas Song,” “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen, “Don’t Stop Believin” by Journey, and more to the 2022 class. Representing modernized rhythm and blues, Alicia Keys’ debut album Songs in A Minor has also been added to the National Recording Registry this year.

According to the Library of Congress, the records that were chosen to join the registry “were influential in helping to deepen and grow the genres of rap, hip-hop and R&B in American culture.”

A Tribe Called Quest’s The Low End Theory is recognized for its distinct fusion of jazz into the palm of rap. The diversified production by Ali Shaheed Muhammad, the unique tone of Q-Tip, the lyrical stiffness of Phife Dawg, and the trivial presence of Jarobi marbled a profound lane during a time of budding hip-hop culture.

Released in 1993, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) is the groundbreaking debut album of the Wu-Tang Clan and went on to set the tone for the hip-hop sound of the east. Presenting nine Staten Island-based emcees, with three of them stationed in Brooklyn, Enter the Wu-Tang comprised four hit singles, “Protect Ya Neck,” “Method Man,” “C.R.E.A.M.,” and “Can It Be All So Simple,” in which the success of each single resulted in revamping New York City’s notoriety in the genre.

In order to be inducted into the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry, a work must be at least 10 years in age and “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” to American culture. Due to hip-hop’s grand role in the face of American music, classic recordings that hold an undeniable impact are bound to be considered.

Enter the Wu-Tang and Low End Theory will join historically notable hip-hop works including “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Public Enemy’s Fear of a Black Planet, Tupac Shakur’s Dear Mama, Dr. Dre’s The Chronic, Nas’ Illmatic, Jay-Z’s The Blueprint, and many more.

The post Wu-Tang Clan’s ‘Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)’ and A Tribe Called Quest’s ‘ The Low End Theory’ Added to National Recording Registry appeared first on The Source.