Wu-Tang Clan return with new single, ‘Claudine’: Listen

I kept waiting, figuring that by election day, they’d be all over it. Wu-Tang’s legendary album was recorded in secret and published just once, on a CD secured in an engraved nickel and silver box. Though the group intended the bizarre trappings as a protest against the commodification of music, Shaolin later became the ultimate commodity. In 2015, Shkreli — already infamous as the man who intentionally spiked the price of crucial AIDS medications — bought it at auction for $2 million. Since then, the album has had a history almost as unusual as its release. By releasing only one copy of the album, the group wanted to “put out a piece of art like nobody else has done in the history of [modern] music,” Wu-Tang member Robert “RZA” Diggs told Forbes in 2014.

There is probably too much of him on Forever, a sign of how much control he had, but the way he raps every line as if it could change your life is magnetic, even when it’s not as deep as he thinks. He’s so engaging that even when he parts the seas so he can monologue for a couple of minutes, it’s mesmerizing. “Yo this is true hip-hop you listenin’ to right here/In the pure form, this ain’t no R&B with a wack nigga takin the loop,” he says on the intro to disc 2, so convincing that he probably could have made C.

Out West, the Tyler, The Creator-led Odd Future surpassed the 11-member group in scale, but their work and impact haven’t matched that of the Staten Island collective. While some were more commercially successful than others, they all added to the group’s influence and arguably proved its distinction for best rap group of all time. With Enter The Wu-Tang and their subsequent releases, Wu-Tang cornered the rap market in the 1990s. Before Wu-Tang, there were no other notable rap acts from Staten Island.

As Los Angeles was shifting hip-hop’s power base from its historic New York home, nine powerful necromancers emerged from the shadows of Staten Island, “the forgotten borough”, to rebuild the east coast in their own image. Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) was a new blueprint in slimy-grimy NYC street rap. The spirit of regional greats like Kool G Rap loom over their shoulders, but the Clan pull you into their own forbidding image of the city, built from components of gangster rap, Five-Percenter ideology and hours of kung-fu movies. Their debut album Enter the wu tang name generator-Tang (36 Chambers) included hit tracks such as “Protect Ya Neck” and “C.R.E.A.M.” The stylized golden W became one of the most recognizable logos in music, the branding not only emblazoned on clothing, but permeating other areas of popular culture, such as skateboards, video games, and action figures.

And so it’s only one of many contradictions here that the dude who needs this the least wants it the most. For several months, I chased down and spent time with all 10 members of the Wu-Tang Clan,2 winding my way from Brooklyn to New Jersey to Tennessee to Arizona to — of course — Shaolin in the process. It was, for the most part, maddening. As a fan, I was happy to find that a certain anarchic spirit is still rooted deep within the wu tang nickname generator.

And we used to sing them songs in the neighborhood, and then it just hereditary passed down to us. So, Staten Island and had they own delivery. It felt like you was free, like it wasn’t really no problems. You know what I mean, even if the cops was out there, just seemed like, you were just, whether you got high, you were still fly. And you just felt free, like you couldn’t wait to come outside, you know what I mean, to see your boys, get back in the same activity that you did last night.

Although I don´t rhyme or deejay as much anymore, I still collect records and try to follow latest music as closely as possible. Recently I was asked to write a story about Wu-Tang Clan for the biggest Finnish music magazine Rumba. If you are Finnish reader, I recommend reading it.

Rogan, himself has a connection to the band admitting to listening to their music in his car during the days of his comedy touring. Fast forward to 2025, and Rogan has taken it up a notch by bringing Raekwon into the studio. This episode reminded fans why Wu-Tang remains a cultural force even decades later. Many fans online couldn’t contain their excitement and took to the comment section of Rogan’s IG post to share their love and anticipation. His father, who was largely absent, left a void that Method Man sought to fill with his passion for music, drawing influence from the hip-hop culture that began to emerge in the late ’80s and early ’90s. His mother, who worked tirelessly to support the family, faced her own challenges, which Method Man witnessed firsthand.

If he going to us to the championship first, tothe first one, let’s go. That’s why I said it all revolves around family becausethat’s how we was moving. That we felt like he was the one that got to comeout first. Everything was preciselydealt with. We looked at it like we done did everything, we done tried everything, in the streets doing this, and just doing everything to win, you know, anything we felt like was gonna really help us, that’s what it was about. Butthis particular project right here was the gusto.