On this day in Hip Hop in 2003, the creator of the iconic Wu-Tang Clan “W” and the group’s only DJ Mathematics, released his debut solo project, Love Hell Or Right (Da Come Up) 21 Years Ago, on the indie On The Corner imprint.
As the first of seven full-length albums from Mathematics, this 21-track LP introduced several W affiliates, and Math recruited some of the more recognized Killa Bees on this project as well. Cappadona and other Wu members made their appearance on “Respect Mine”, while Sunz of Man’s Killa Sin and Prodigal Sunn on “Have Mercy ‘and “Hip Hop 101”, which includes late crooner Allah Real, elder Born Justice and Popa Wu’s son Shacronz. With Math exclusively producing all of the album’s tracks except for the skit “On The Radio”, produced by the RZA, Mathematics’ first full-length effort was a cavalier one.
Salute to Mathematics, RZA and the rest of the Clan and all of its affiliates for making this project a piece of Hip Ho[ History!
Wu-Tang Clan’s one-of-one album Once Upon A Time In Shaolin went through some big changes this year. It was formerly in the hands of sole owner Martin Shkreli, but now belongs to the digital art company PleasrDAO. It will technically be released as partial NFT buys. Now, according to Billboard, the court has sided with Pleasr and ordered Shkreli to hand over any existing copies he has of the project. In 2021, authorities seized the LP to account for the former pharmacy executive’s $7.4 million judgement in a securities fraud case. But he kept livestreaming it and boasting about the extra copies that he made.
This move from the court is to preserve the rare Wu-Tang Clan album’s one-of-one status and to punish Martin Shkreli for violating the original purchase terms and forfeiture order. Authorities barred him from “possessing, using, disseminating, or selling any interest in the album.” Per court documents, this is the same for “its data and files or the contents of the Album, or in any way causing further damage to Plaintiff respecting the album.” Shkreli must “sequester and turn over all of his copies, in any form” by August 30. He has until September 30 to file an affidavit detailing the “information regarding alleged copies of ‘Once Upon a Time In Shaolin,’ people he might’ve given them to, and any money he might’ve made from distributing or playing the album.”
NEW YORK, NY – APRIL, 1997: (L-R) U-God, Method Man, Raekwon, GZA, Ghostface Killah, Masta Killa, RZA, Ol’ Dirty Bastard of the American rap group Wu-Tang Clan pose for a portrait circa April, 1997 in New York, New York. (Photo by Bob Berg/Getty Images)
In other Wu-Tang Clan news, here’s what Method Man had to say about OUATIS. “I thought it was some circus spectacle,” he told Vanity Fair. “I never really spoke to RZA about it. It’s an uncomfortable subject to most of the guys, so we don’t really discuss it too much. The process of the thing being made was never told to us. We were never told what it was. We were recording and being paid to do a certain amount of records.”
“[Cilvaringz] put them altogether into a compilation of Wu-Tang songs and marketed it as a Wu-Tang album,” Method Man continued. “A single copy of a Wu-Tang album. We all had a problem with it because that’s not how it was described to us.”
The “genius” of the iconic WTC is celebrating his 58th born day today.
On this date in 1966, Gary Grice, better known to the rap world as the “GZA”, was born in Brooklyn, New York, and is now recognized as one of the most celebrated lyricists to ever grace the mic in Hip Hop.
Before the Wu-Tang Clan formed like Voltron, the GZA began his career as “The Genius”, signing a deal with Cold Chillin’ Records, where he released Words From The Genius in 1991. After an unsuccessful solo career, GZA joined forces with his cousin Robert “RZA” Diggs and created the world-famous Wu the following year and the rest is history. Wu-Tang Clan went on to become a multiplatinum group that is arguably the best Hip Hop collective of all time.
GZA went on the release four more solo projects and has even released a series on Netflix entitled Liquid Science, with the title being a play off of his Liquid Swords albums.
Peace and happy degree day to Allah Justice on his 58th birthday and many more hereafter!
Method Man has got classics on deck. He’s got solo hits, collab hits with Redman, and dozens of iconic songs with the Wu-Tang Clan. According to Spotify, he has over three million monthly listeners. And yet, he hasn’t been paid a dime in streaming royalties. The rapper dropped a bombshell during his recent appearance on Hot 97. Method Man admitted that he was unsure of how the streaming infrastructure works, before noting that he’s still waiting on money from platforms like Spotify and Apple Music.
Method Man was asked about the prevalence of AI, and the rapper admitted he was hesitant to co-sign. He cited Drake’s usage of AI to recreate Tupac’s voice on “Taylor Made Freestyle.” The rapper chose to shift the conversation to other aspects of the music industry, though. Aspects that have impacted huge names from the 1990s, in particular. “Honestly, I’ve never gotten a streaming check for any of my music,” he told the host. “I’m still trying to figure it all out.” This is not the first time Method Man has gone on the record to discuss his financial issues with the industry.
In 2018, the rapper addressed the long-standing financial situation in Wu-Tang Clan. The iconic group does not split things evenly between members. Instead, pay is broken down on a tier-basis, with some members earning more than others when it comes to albums and tours. Method Man talked about this system during an appearance on Howard Stern. “You can look at it as you have some individuals who make a certain amount as an individual,” he explained. “But when they’re with the group they’re makin’ three, four times the amount that they would make.”
Method Man has also attempted to rectify royalty situations on his own. In 2022, the rapper teamed up with Intercept Music to launch a platform that would protect independent artists. “Forging a powerful partnership with Method Man,” wrote Intercept chairman Ralph Tashjian. “Intercept underscores the value and promise of artistic emancipation in today’s creator economy.” The goal of Intercept was to provide independent artists with monthly revenue payments, and Meth became the face of the whole operation. The company is still active today.
On this date in 1994, WTC affiliates Gravediggaz dropped the crew’s groundbreaking debut album, 6 Feet Deep. The group, composed of Prince Paul, Frukwan of Stetsasonic, RNS, Grym Reaper, Mr. Sime, and The Abbott himself, aka the Rzarector, released this classic piece on Gee Street Records. The original title, Niggamortis, was changed to appeal to mainstream audiences.
The album became a trailblazing prototype for what is now recognized as the “horrorcore hip-hop” genre. It’s grizzly references to death, graves, and other snuff scenarios carved a lane for Gravediggaz all of their own.
Tracks like “Diary Of A Madman” and “Nowhere To Run, Nowhere To Hide” led the album’s momentum as strong singles. Still, hidden gems like “Bang Your Head” and “Here Comes The Gravediggaz” were favorites of backpacking rap enthusiasts everywhere.
Salute to the Gravediggaz for this solid album! Peace!
Once Upon a Time In Shaolin is a rare piece of hip-hop history. The album was recorded over the course of six years, and features every living member of the Wu-Tang Clan. Crucially, only one copy of the album exists. It was sold for a staggering $2 million in 2015, with the caveat that the album cannot be played in public until 2103. Cool in concept, but the Once Upon a Time In Shaolin story has been marred by issues with legal loop holes and the guy who bought it. The album is now considered a polarizing release by Wu-Tang, instead of a seminal one. Method Man shed light on this transformation during a recent interview with Vanity Fair.
Method Man admitted the album is a sore point for the group. He also revealed that he was never fully onboard with the concept. “I thought it was some circus spectacle,” he explained to the outlet. “I never really spoke to RZA about it. It’s an uncomfortable subject to most of the guys, so we don’t really discuss it too much.” The reason for the discomfort stems from the way in which is was made. According Method Man, the group, besides RZA, was not let in on the rollout plan. As far as they were concerned, they were making a standard Wu-Tang album for release. “The process of the thing being made was never told to us,” he said. “We were never told what it was. We were recording and being paid to do a certain amount of records.”
Method Man Felt Like He Was Lied To During Recording
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – APRIL 28: Method Man (C) of Wu-Tang Clan performs on Day One of 2023 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival at Fair Grounds Race Course on April 28, 2023 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Erika Goldring/Getty Images)
The disconnect between the plan, and the recording process, is what has stayed with Method Man. He doesn’t look fondly upon Once Upon a Time In Shaolin as a result. “[Cilvaringz] put them altogether into a compilation of Wu-Tang songs and marketed it as a Wu-Tang album,” he stated. “A single copy of a Wu-Tang album. We all had a problem with it because that’s not how it was described to us.” This isn’t the first time Method Man has spoken out against the single copy rollout. He called out Cilvaringz and RZA during a June interview with XXL. He went as far as to call the 88-year commercial ban against the album “stupid.”
“F*ck that album,” Method Man asserted. “When music can’t be music and y’all turning it into something else, f*ck that. Give it to the people.” The veteran rapper urged RZA to give Once Upon a Time In Shaolin for free, so Wu-Tang fans can enjoy it in their lifetime. RZA did not take the bait. The Wu-Tang leader told Method Man that the commercial ban was necessary to maintain the “integrity” of the album. He wanted to ensure it wasn’t seem as a gimmick. Ironically, it has become just that.
During a recent interview, Ghostface Killah opened up about how he wrote some of his verses through a schizophrenic episode he experienced, which he detailed. “Matter of fact, it might’ve started when I was in Ohio,” his remarks began. “You know, gun wars, we doing all this, I got shot, this and that and the third. One day… I don’t know, I just smoked some s**t, some weed, whatever. Like I told you, I’m standing in the kitchen, and everything just got light to me. I just dropped the water on the floor ’cause I couldn’t hold it. I ain’t pass out. But it was just like… I told my mans, ‘Yo, I got to go lay down. S**t, I’m bugging right now.’ But he said, ‘I’m bugging right now, too.’ In my mind, I’m like, ‘You ain’t bugging like this bugging right here.’
“So I lay down, and that’s when the s**t just… started whispering,” Ghostface Killah continued. “‘I’m gonna get you, I’m gonna get you.’ Just started going to those worlds. And I’m trying to fight it. Next morning, when I woke up, it was blurry. My vision was just kind of, like, you know how you… static-y on the TV? That’s how I was looking out of my f***ing eyes and s**t. Everything was just, ‘Damn, I got to fix the channel on this motherf***er.’
Ghostface Killah writing his Cuban Linx verses during schizophrenic episodes triggered by weed and diabetes explains EVERYTHING pic.twitter.com/IJLk6m1uVw
“And it was lasting like that for, like, a minute and s**t,” Ghostface Killah went on. “Everything was just off. I don’t know, s**t made me depressed, I didn’t know what it was, I couldn’t figure it out and s**t. It had to go. Yeah, s**t was telling me to do s**t. ‘Jump off the train, n***a, jump out the car,’ all that s**t. Like, I’m going through all that s**t.
“And the only one that I could tell -– ’cause it was s**ts telling me, ‘Yo, punch him in his face’ and s**t,” Ghostface Killah concluded. “I wouldn’t tell everybody, I would just tell RZA. ‘Yo, s**t’s telling me to snuff you right now, n***a.’ But he’s so smart that he’d bring me back by, like, breaking down the brain on me. Like, he’d just talk to me about the brain and tell me what works and how this is connected.”
On this day in Hip Hop history, one of the culture’s most influential musical masterminds was born. Wu-Tang Clan frontman Robert Fitzgerald Diggs a.k.a. RZA was born today (July 5) in Brooklyn, New York, 49 years ago. Since stepping on the scene in 1989, RZA has done more than just create an outrageously successful career for himself and his affiliates but has also forever shaped and changed the way a lot of things are handled in the music industry. From branding to merchandising to mastery of one’s craft, RZA stands as a pillar example of how someone given nothing but their own mind can rise to be a titan in the entertainment industry.
In honor of his birthday, we’ve compiled a list of five of RZA’s most important power moves that helped to build and strengthen his empire. Spanning from music to video games, RZA’s influence can be felt across culture, color lines and international borders.
-Signing With Tommy Boy Records
RZA signed with the famous Tommy Boy Records in 1991 under the moniker Prince Rakeem and released one EP, Ooh I Love You Rakeem. Although this may not have been the most eventful or productive period of RZA’s career, his tumultuous relationship with Tommy Boy is what helped RZA to formulate his own plan to monopolize Hip Hop. His time at Tommy Boy allowed him to build vital connections with artists and executives that can been seen lasting throughout the remainder of his career. Tommy Boy gave RZA a necessary first glimpse of how the music industry works as a whole, which helped him to finesse it into something that worked for him.
-The Five-Year-Plan
In his autobiography The Tao of Wu, RZA detailed a majority of the events surrounding the ridiculous success of Wu-Tang Clan, the most prominent of these being his “Five Year Plan.” This plan, enacted in 1992 following the success of the RZA-produced Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers, was RZA’s scheme for his group to become the most powerful figures in Hip Hop as a whole and individually. In an analogy, RZA explains, “I want all of y’all [Wu-Tang] to get on this bus. And be passengers. And I’m the driver. And nobody can ask me where we going. I’m taking us to No. 1. Give me five years, and I promise that I’ll get us there.”
At the end of the five year period, Wu-Tang Clan had released the Grammy Award-winning, number one Wu-Tang Forever LP (which sold four million copies in its first six months on shelves), GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, ODB and Ghostface Killah all had Top 10 albums on the Billboard 200 chart, and Wu-Tang Clan had a successful comic book, clothing line and video game under their belt.
-Wu-Tang Clan Record Deals
As Wu-Tang’s popularity continued to grow exponentially, major labels were breaking down the door to get a piece of the action. For a short while there was a question of where the group and its members would sign. In an attempt to divide and conquer the corporate music world, RZA came up with the idea to have the majority of the members sign with competing record labels. Although from the outside this plan may seem risky and convoluted, RZA was again right on the money with this decision. Having Method Man sign with Def Jam, Raekwon sign with Loud, Ghostface Killah sign with Sony, ODB sign with Elektra and GZA sign with Geffen/MCA allowed for maximum promotion of each artist. No one company had to divvy out the funds to try and support the promo of each of these rap icon’s solo work. This also allowed record labels to work together like never before when pushing Wu-Tang Clan (who remained under Razor Sharp Records) albums because of the number of companies involved with its production. Never before or since has there been a group to sign a deal of this nature.
-Wu-Wear
In 1995 Wu-Tang released their clothing line Wu Wear, which quickly became one of Hip Hop’s most coveted streetwear brands. The brand’s importance, however, doesn’t come from its popularity but its pioneering. With Wu Wear, Wu-Tang became the first rap group to be laced from head to toe in their own gear. This again gave the group another step ahead of their competition. Even today, Wu Wear is international worn and recognized as a prominent Hip Hop streetwear brand and can be found in stores across the globe and online on various outlets.
-Hollywood Takeover
RZA’s most recent and ambitious endeavor to date is his dabbling in acting and filmmaking. As an actor, RZA has appeared in 21 films and has written and directed three. His popular The Man With The Iron Fists Kung-Fu series has proven he can successfully take his love for traditional Asian martial arts films and put his own spin on them to create something of his own. His partnership with famed director Quentin Tarantino only further validates his abilities and potential as a filmmaker and opens the door to the possibility of future projects.
RZA has yet to stop shaping Hip Hop’s culture and sound over the years, although he may not be as visibly active as he once was. His prominence in this culture is known and felt by anyone with knowledge of Hip Hop, its origins and its success as a genre. From everyone here at The Source, happy born day RZA, thank you for building such a godly culture.
Adding to their coveted status is the extreme rarity of the original release. It is said that only 36 pairs were made, symbolizing the group’s seminal debut album, “Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers).” This rarity has made the “Wu-Tang” Dunk High one of the most sought-after sneakers in the collector’s market. As news of the return spreads, excitement builds among sneaker enthusiasts and Wu-Tang fans alike. The Nike Dunk High “Wu-Tang” is not just a pair of sneakers; it is a piece of hip-hop history and a testament to the enduring legacy of the Wu-Tang Clan. Keep an eye out for their release, as this legendary sneaker will make waves once again.
The sneakers feature a yellow rubber sole and an aged sail midsole. Also, the uppers of the sneakers are comprised of a black leather base, with vibrant yellow leather overlays. Further, the Nike Swoosh on the sides is orange as well. Finally, yellow laces and Wu-Tang branding on the tongues complete the sneakers. The heels also feature the logo but in black.
Hypebeast reports that the Nike Dunk High “Wu-Tang” will be released later this fall. Also, the retail price of the sneakers will be $115 when they are released. Further, make sure to let us know what you think about these kicks in the comments below. Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for the most recent updates and news from the sneaker community. We’ll make sure to offer you the newest products from the most notable brands.
The Wu-Tang Clan is arguably the most influential and magnanimous hip-hop group of all time that ranks almost as high on all-time music group lists. As such, it’s no surprise that they can get away with some truly historic, controversial, and above all unique ideas. Moreover, they just “released” their album Once Upon A Time In Shaolin via the record’s current owner Pleasr, who also announced that the album would have various listening parties around the world. However, if you are unfamiliar with this mythical album from the Wu, then you have some catching up to do before considering a purchase.
Furthermore, this is a pretty long and complicated story, but basically, the Wu-Tang Clan revealed a single physical copy of the album Once Upon A Time In Shaolin with no digital equivalents in 2015, meant to be in the hands of a single buyer. Former pharma tycoon and societal villain Martin Shkreli bought it for $2 million, but he wasn’t allowed to reproduce the album, share it, or profit from it until the year 2103, per the stipulations in their contract. After Shkreli’s arrest for security fraud, the project fell into the U.S. government’s hands as the result of an asset seizure.
Then, the NFT company PleasrDAO bought the album in 2021 for about $4 million, and didn’t do much with it until these new agreements to host limited listening parties of partial parts of Once Upon A Time In Shaolin. In addition, new negotiations with the Wu-Tang Clan also resulted in the album’s partial release as an NFT, with each $1 USD purchase yielding a five-minute snippet from the LP. Each individual purchase apparently “speeds up” the wide commercial release date of 2103 for the album. As you might imagine, it’ll take a lot of purchases to “unlock” the mythical project.
But if you want to hear a bit of Once Upon A Time In Shaolin for a dollar, check out the tweet above. There’s also more lore to learn about the album, such as PleasrDAO’s current legal battle against Martin Shkreli for playing unauthorized copies of the project. Overall, it seems like a massive but respectably honor-bound hassle to go through for a record. But it’s the Wu-Tang Clan; haven’t they earned that legend status?
Pleasr (@PleasrDAO)