| Arriving in the
early 1990s, when rap was split between gangstas and bohemian
jazz-rappers, Staten Island's Wu-Tang Clan promptly reinvented
intelligent hardcore hip-hop. A unique contract deal, allowing the
group's individual members--including Ol' Dirty Bastard, GZA, Method
Man, Raekwon, and chief sonic architect RZA--to pursue solo careers on
the side, made them the most prolific rap crew of the late-'90s and
beyond. In addition to their various individual projects, Wu-Tang's love
of Asian martial arts cinema led to them presenting various Hong Kong
classics and to RZA's collaborations with filmmakers Jim Jarmusch (GHOST
DOG: THE WAY OF THE SAMURAI) and Quentin Tarantino (KILL BILL) |
