I didn't enter the Wu-Tang on November 9, 1993, the date that '36 Chambers' was released. I, like many others, discovered that they were nothing to fuck with years later -- specifically, 11 years later, when a friend gave me a 2004 compilation album, 'Legend of the Wu-Tang Clan,' that I wore out in my bedroom stereo and which required that I purchase the group's origin story. At that point, Wu-Tang Clan was three years removed from their uneven fourth album, 'Iron Flag,' and no one knew when a follow-up was coming. Mainstream hip-hop had moved on; a thoughtful kid named Kanye West was turning heads with his soul samples and thoughtful imagery. But every day and every night, walking to my friend's place with a Discman in hand or driving to my part-time job at Quizno's, I would pop on 'Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)' and lose my mind. I memorized lines, then verses, then songs, then every song. I debated with friends who had the best verse on 'Da Mystery of Chessboxin'.' I marveled at the lyricism of Method Man, and mourned the loss of Ol' Dirty Bastard -- at that time, just a few months deceased. I was an awkward teenage white boy trying to learn how to bring the ruckus; I still don't know how to do so, but I can name eight guys who do.
I discovered and grew to fiercely love the Wu-Tang Clan years after they swarmed onto the scene and detonated hip-hop conventions -- and that's always been sort of the legacy of the Wu, and specifically their bulletproof debut. It is rap music outside of this universe -- a group with multiple nicknames rallying around kung-fu films, sampling forgotten soul songs and playing chess -- and belonging to no time period, so it belongs to every time period. To this day, any kid looking for an alternative to the gaudier aspects of the genre can get lost in the eerie aesthetic and pinpoint wordplay of '36 Chambers.' The hook on 'Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nothin' Ta Fuck Wit' is still an insanely enjoyable phrase to scream, the production on 'C.R.E.A.M.' is still devastatingly layered, and figures like Method Man, Ghostface Killah, GZA and ODB are still demigods with no weak link in their group or faults in their rhyme patterns. These things are not going away.
Since 'Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers),' the Wu-Tang Clan has released more great music than they're typically credited for -- but '36 Chambers' is their landmark effort. Twenty years later, still nothing sounds quite like it; nothing can duplicate its hardest edges or most powerful passages. To me, and to the many awkward teenagers that will uncover the Wu-Tang Clan in the decades to come, 'Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)' is, and always will be, timeless.
Check out our track-by-track breakdown of the Wu-Tang Clan's debut album on its 20th anniversary of release.
1. 'Bring Da Ruckus'
Raekwon, Inspectah Deck and GZA all make admirable introductions, and RZA's cries are spiraling and piercing -- but there's a reason Ghostface is the leadoff hitter here, and he barges in like a mad genius.
2. 'Shame On a Ni--a'
Whereas five Wu members presented a dank, crushing philosophy on 'Bring Da Ruckus,' 'Shame' is all funk and goofball charm, with Method Man bouncing in as a fast-talking impresario and ODB remaining wild-eyed, threatening and hilarious. Paired with RZA's two-step re-imagining of 'Different Strokes,' 'Shame on a Ni--a' is one of the most downright fun hip-hop songs in history.
3. 'Clan In Da Front'
'Up from tha 36 chambaaas!' is RZA's Paul Revere moment, but the Genius handles the heavy lifting, draping metaphors over a tipsy piano hook. 'On 34th Street, in the Square of Herald/ I gamed Ella, the bitch caught a Fitz like Gerald...ine Ferraro, who's full of sorrow cause the ho didn't win,' the GZA slices, adding with a wink, 'but the sun will still come out tomorrow.'
4. 'Wu-Tang: 7th Chamber'
A posse cut that's not as immediate as 'Da Mystery of Chessboxin' or 'Protect Ya Neck,' 'Wu-Tang: 7th Chamber' rewards patience with hidden lyrical gems, whether it be the RZA dropping 'Holding meth got me open like fallopian tubes' as a brilliant simile for his preparedness or ODB punching the sky with 'The Ol' Dirty Bastard, wunderbar!'
5. 'Can It All Be So Simple'
Pure and simple, this pensive track is the first hint at the detailed stories that Raekwon and Ghostface would spin together as collaborative solo artists, most memorably on Rae's 'Only Built 4 Cuban Linx.' Don't skip over the outro, of course -- Method Man's description of his crew members is still the best introduction to the Wu-Tang Clan that exists. Never forget: when they form like Voltron, GZA happens to be the head.
6. 'Da Mystery Of Chessboxin'
'Da Mystery Of Chessboxin' is a great litmus test for Wu novices: if you can get down with six dudes whipping out dense verses over a particularly esoteric beat and after dialogue that extols chess, then you will probably be holding up that W for a long, long time.
7. 'Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nothin' Ta Fuck Wit'
The second side's mirror image of 'Shame on a Ni--a,' the menacing bass, horror-show melody and three buoyant verses assist a brash, brilliantly simple rallying cry that has become the Wu's calling card. The RZA sounds like a man possessed, but Inspectah Deck comes through and impressively matches his intensity.
8. 'C.R.E.A.M.'
It's always a bit of a shock to hear the twinkling piano keys and Raekwon and Rebel INS' tales of cold-hearted capitalism sandwiched between the far less serious 'Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nothin' Ta Fuck Wit' and 'Method Man,' but that's the beauty of the Wu: after entertaining listeners with braggadocio and jokes, they can flip the switch and deliver poignant realism.
9. 'Method Man'
Teenage boys have spent two decades repeating the puerile torture methods at the beginning of 'Method Man,' but after the '...and feeding you, and feeding you, and feeding you...,' Johnny Blaze drops four minutes of hip-swaying deliriousness, cackling through Fat Albert impersonations and smirking while praising the quality of his sperm. No one else in the Wu-Tang has a song named after them on '36 Chambers,' and for this reason, Method Man was established as the group's leader and most accessible star.
10. 'Protect Ya Neck'
The song that started it all: all hands are on deck in the Wu-Tang Clan's debut single, and the collection of dramatic strings, shrugging keys and undying percussion soundtracks the process of eight men placing their name tags on their chests. The 'Who has the best verse?' question is endlessly debatable -- my personal preference goes toward RZA's mad-dog raving.
11. 'Tearz'
'After laughter, comes tears,' goes the melting Stax Records sample on 'Tearz,' which features two starkly different tales of woe from the RZA (his brother got shot on the way to buy bread) and Ghostface (his friend wouldn't practice safe sex and got H.I.V.). The production here is ambitious even for the RZA, hitching the aforementioned Wendy Rene sample to a blaring rhythm.
12. 'Wu-Tang: 7th Chamber, Pt. 2'
A remix of the original 'Wu-Tang: 7th Chamber,' the 'Pt. 2' seems to exist as a fond farewell to fans jonesing for one more posse cut before the album closes. And as the group answers when asked to break down their magical style at the finale: 'It's a secret -- never teach the Wu-Tang!'
I discovered and grew to fiercely love the Wu-Tang Clan years after they swarmed onto the scene and detonated hip-hop conventions -- and that's always been sort of the legacy of the Wu, and specifically their bulletproof debut. It is rap music outside of this universe -- a group with multiple nicknames rallying around kung-fu films, sampling forgotten soul songs and playing chess -- and belonging to no time period, so it belongs to every time period. To this day, any kid looking for an alternative to the gaudier aspects of the genre can get lost in the eerie aesthetic and pinpoint wordplay of '36 Chambers.' The hook on 'Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nothin' Ta Fuck Wit' is still an insanely enjoyable phrase to scream, the production on 'C.R.E.A.M.' is still devastatingly layered, and figures like Method Man, Ghostface Killah, GZA and ODB are still demigods with no weak link in their group or faults in their rhyme patterns. These things are not going away.
Since 'Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers),' the Wu-Tang Clan has released more great music than they're typically credited for -- but '36 Chambers' is their landmark effort. Twenty years later, still nothing sounds quite like it; nothing can duplicate its hardest edges or most powerful passages. To me, and to the many awkward teenagers that will uncover the Wu-Tang Clan in the decades to come, 'Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)' is, and always will be, timeless.
Check out our track-by-track breakdown of the Wu-Tang Clan's debut album on its 20th anniversary of release.
1. 'Bring Da Ruckus'
Raekwon, Inspectah Deck and GZA all make admirable introductions, and RZA's cries are spiraling and piercing -- but there's a reason Ghostface is the leadoff hitter here, and he barges in like a mad genius.
2. 'Shame On a Ni--a'
Whereas five Wu members presented a dank, crushing philosophy on 'Bring Da Ruckus,' 'Shame' is all funk and goofball charm, with Method Man bouncing in as a fast-talking impresario and ODB remaining wild-eyed, threatening and hilarious. Paired with RZA's two-step re-imagining of 'Different Strokes,' 'Shame on a Ni--a' is one of the most downright fun hip-hop songs in history.
3. 'Clan In Da Front'
'Up from tha 36 chambaaas!' is RZA's Paul Revere moment, but the Genius handles the heavy lifting, draping metaphors over a tipsy piano hook. 'On 34th Street, in the Square of Herald/ I gamed Ella, the bitch caught a Fitz like Gerald...ine Ferraro, who's full of sorrow cause the ho didn't win,' the GZA slices, adding with a wink, 'but the sun will still come out tomorrow.'
4. 'Wu-Tang: 7th Chamber'
A posse cut that's not as immediate as 'Da Mystery of Chessboxin' or 'Protect Ya Neck,' 'Wu-Tang: 7th Chamber' rewards patience with hidden lyrical gems, whether it be the RZA dropping 'Holding meth got me open like fallopian tubes' as a brilliant simile for his preparedness or ODB punching the sky with 'The Ol' Dirty Bastard, wunderbar!'
5. 'Can It All Be So Simple'
Pure and simple, this pensive track is the first hint at the detailed stories that Raekwon and Ghostface would spin together as collaborative solo artists, most memorably on Rae's 'Only Built 4 Cuban Linx.' Don't skip over the outro, of course -- Method Man's description of his crew members is still the best introduction to the Wu-Tang Clan that exists. Never forget: when they form like Voltron, GZA happens to be the head.
6. 'Da Mystery Of Chessboxin'
'Da Mystery Of Chessboxin' is a great litmus test for Wu novices: if you can get down with six dudes whipping out dense verses over a particularly esoteric beat and after dialogue that extols chess, then you will probably be holding up that W for a long, long time.
7. 'Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nothin' Ta Fuck Wit'
The second side's mirror image of 'Shame on a Ni--a,' the menacing bass, horror-show melody and three buoyant verses assist a brash, brilliantly simple rallying cry that has become the Wu's calling card. The RZA sounds like a man possessed, but Inspectah Deck comes through and impressively matches his intensity.
8. 'C.R.E.A.M.'
It's always a bit of a shock to hear the twinkling piano keys and Raekwon and Rebel INS' tales of cold-hearted capitalism sandwiched between the far less serious 'Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nothin' Ta Fuck Wit' and 'Method Man,' but that's the beauty of the Wu: after entertaining listeners with braggadocio and jokes, they can flip the switch and deliver poignant realism.
9. 'Method Man'
Teenage boys have spent two decades repeating the puerile torture methods at the beginning of 'Method Man,' but after the '...and feeding you, and feeding you, and feeding you...,' Johnny Blaze drops four minutes of hip-swaying deliriousness, cackling through Fat Albert impersonations and smirking while praising the quality of his sperm. No one else in the Wu-Tang has a song named after them on '36 Chambers,' and for this reason, Method Man was established as the group's leader and most accessible star.
10. 'Protect Ya Neck'
The song that started it all: all hands are on deck in the Wu-Tang Clan's debut single, and the collection of dramatic strings, shrugging keys and undying percussion soundtracks the process of eight men placing their name tags on their chests. The 'Who has the best verse?' question is endlessly debatable -- my personal preference goes toward RZA's mad-dog raving.
11. 'Tearz'
'After laughter, comes tears,' goes the melting Stax Records sample on 'Tearz,' which features two starkly different tales of woe from the RZA (his brother got shot on the way to buy bread) and Ghostface (his friend wouldn't practice safe sex and got H.I.V.). The production here is ambitious even for the RZA, hitching the aforementioned Wendy Rene sample to a blaring rhythm.
12. 'Wu-Tang: 7th Chamber, Pt. 2'
A remix of the original 'Wu-Tang: 7th Chamber,' the 'Pt. 2' seems to exist as a fond farewell to fans jonesing for one more posse cut before the album closes. And as the group answers when asked to break down their magical style at the finale: 'It's a secret -- never teach the Wu-Tang!'
Apr 11, 2016 Licensed to YouTube by WMG, SME (on behalf of Rhino (Pure)); UMPG Publishing, PEDL, LatinAutor - Warner Chappell, UBEM, CMRRA, LatinAutor, UMPI, and 16 Music Rights Societies Song.
In 1993, the Wu-Tang Clan brought the ruckus to the hip-hop world. Comprised of nine rugged MCs—the RZA, the GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon the Chef, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and Method Man—representing Staten Island, New York aka Shaolin, the crew baptized the game with their seminal debut, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). The project ushered in a new era in music, one spearheaded by the unique sounds of the RZA, who provided a custom soundtrack of lo-fi griminess, dusty soul loops, and crackling production for he and the rest of the Clan to deliver their masterful lyrics.
36 Chambers not only had an immense musical impact, but a cultural one as well as Wu-Tang’s influence spread across the world. This is the central theme of For the Children: 25 Years of Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), a new short film (see video above) that highlights the impact of the album and how it inspired a whole new generation of artists. In addition to members of the Clan sharing their insights, the project also includes commentary from the likes of ASAP Rocky, Joey Badass, ASAP Ferg, and ODB’s son, Young Dirty Bastard.
To commemorate the 25th anniversary of 36 Chambers and the release of For the Children, we caught up with the RZA to discuss all things Wu—from the lessons he learned from Isaac Hayes and the crazy dream that inspired his iconic gold fangs to getting love globally and why Shakespeare ain’t got nothing on the Wu when it comes to lyricism.
Today marks 25 years since the Wu-Tang Clan dropped 36 Chambers, an album that still resonates with some many people today. What is it about the Wu that has been such an inspiration to hip-hop?
RZA: When I look at the Wu’s inspiration to hip-hop, I think that we’ve always been those guys. Whether you roll with us for the whole course, or you jumped out here and there, you could go through our catalog and find that part of daily bread-styled hip-hop is contained within the Wu-dynamic. I think we've proven something that may have been overlooked—something even we overlooked, which is the world stage of hip-hop.
RZA: When I look at the Wu’s inspiration to hip-hop, I think that we’ve always been those guys. Whether you roll with us for the whole course, or you jumped out here and there, you could go through our catalog and find that part of daily bread-styled hip-hop is contained within the Wu-dynamic. I think we've proven something that may have been overlooked—something even we overlooked, which is the world stage of hip-hop.
What do you mean by that?
RZA: We did it in a way that reflected the global appeal of hip-hop. Everybody wanted to dance when somebody like MC Hammer had the game on lock. That was a beautiful moment for a black man in music to be that popular and help to grow hip-hop through the world of dancing. But it didn't make a guy in China feel like he could wear his hair like he wanted to and write graffiti or break dance, you know what I mean? It didn't make him feel like they could grab a mic in Germany, have on a hoodie with a pair of Timberlands, and become a pop star or a rock star. It didn't give him that. [Our style of] hip-hop does that and Wu-Tang was part of that process along with the ’90s movement.
RZA: We did it in a way that reflected the global appeal of hip-hop. Everybody wanted to dance when somebody like MC Hammer had the game on lock. That was a beautiful moment for a black man in music to be that popular and help to grow hip-hop through the world of dancing. But it didn't make a guy in China feel like he could wear his hair like he wanted to and write graffiti or break dance, you know what I mean? It didn't make him feel like they could grab a mic in Germany, have on a hoodie with a pair of Timberlands, and become a pop star or a rock star. It didn't give him that. [Our style of] hip-hop does that and Wu-Tang was part of that process along with the ’90s movement.
If you take our first single, ‘Protect Ya Neck,’ and you look into every guy’s lyrics on it, you’ll find a gem that is as potent as any lyric that any other MC has written in history.
Fast-forward to today and you have hip-hop collectives like Brockhampton, ASAP Mob, Pro Era, and Odd Future, who all possess some of the Wu’s DNA. Do you have any advice for any of those groups following in your footsteps?
RZA: One thing that’s important when you become an OG or elder statesman of hip-hop as they would call it, is that you take time to share your experiences and wisdom with the younger generation. For me, if I'm being brutally honest here—the generation that was in front of me didn’t tell me shit, yo. While I was coming up, the generation that was doing it wouldn’t even open up about how much their budgets were because everybody was so secretive at that time. If you were getting $100,000 for an album, you didn’t know that you were supposed to get that, too. So you would get played because nobody was sharing the knowledge with you. That time was really bad for hip-hop, so I make sure that when the young brothers come up to me that I share wisdom with them so they could avoid the pitfalls that I stepped in and benefit from the games that I moved the needle forward with.
RZA: One thing that’s important when you become an OG or elder statesman of hip-hop as they would call it, is that you take time to share your experiences and wisdom with the younger generation. For me, if I'm being brutally honest here—the generation that was in front of me didn’t tell me shit, yo. While I was coming up, the generation that was doing it wouldn’t even open up about how much their budgets were because everybody was so secretive at that time. If you were getting $100,000 for an album, you didn’t know that you were supposed to get that, too. So you would get played because nobody was sharing the knowledge with you. That time was really bad for hip-hop, so I make sure that when the young brothers come up to me that I share wisdom with them so they could avoid the pitfalls that I stepped in and benefit from the games that I moved the needle forward with.
So none of your legends even bothered to passed the torch down?
RZA: Some artists in the game did help me, such as Isaac Hayes and Quincy Jones, and they were very open with wisdom and gave me some knowledge that helped me at least know that I was gonna step in some shit [laughs]. Isaac Hayes gave me some wisdom involving a situation that happened to him, and the same thing almost happened to me [but with what he told me] I could avoid it from turning bad. It did leave me wondering how something that happened to them in the ’60 and ’70s still happened to me exactly the same? There was supposed to be progress, but the problem with any game is that there’s always a trap waiting to hinder said progress. I remember the ASAP Mob coming to visit me early on. Rocky, Ferg, and Yams—rest in peace—came to the crib and we sat down together. I broke bread with them. I was fortunate enough to have the courage to write a book or two and put some wisdom in there so someone else could gain insight from my experiences. I think doing that is vitally important to the preservation of hip-hop and the culture, especially after 25 years.
RZA: Some artists in the game did help me, such as Isaac Hayes and Quincy Jones, and they were very open with wisdom and gave me some knowledge that helped me at least know that I was gonna step in some shit [laughs]. Isaac Hayes gave me some wisdom involving a situation that happened to him, and the same thing almost happened to me [but with what he told me] I could avoid it from turning bad. It did leave me wondering how something that happened to them in the ’60 and ’70s still happened to me exactly the same? There was supposed to be progress, but the problem with any game is that there’s always a trap waiting to hinder said progress. I remember the ASAP Mob coming to visit me early on. Rocky, Ferg, and Yams—rest in peace—came to the crib and we sat down together. I broke bread with them. I was fortunate enough to have the courage to write a book or two and put some wisdom in there so someone else could gain insight from my experiences. I think doing that is vitally important to the preservation of hip-hop and the culture, especially after 25 years.
It’s no secret that the Wu considered themselves some of the best on the mic, but you guys also had that same competitive spirit within the crew. Now that we’ve come upon this milestone anniversary, has there been any talk of you guys revisiting 36 Chambers to see whose bars and rhymes have held up over time?
RZA: [Laughs] That’s a good question. Actually, I would love see if a hip-hop historian or etymologist would be down to do it. The one guy most people measure lyrics against, William Shakespeare, has had a lot of our guys as competition. I believe that each of our lyrics are potent and become more substantiated as time goes on. If you take our first single, “Protect Ya Neck,” and you look into every guy’s lyrics on it, you’ll find a gem that is as potent as any lyric that any other MC has written in history. We all had relatable, evergreen ideas that—for anyone digging and dissecting our work—will find that these lyrics stand the test of time.
RZA: [Laughs] That’s a good question. Actually, I would love see if a hip-hop historian or etymologist would be down to do it. The one guy most people measure lyrics against, William Shakespeare, has had a lot of our guys as competition. I believe that each of our lyrics are potent and become more substantiated as time goes on. If you take our first single, “Protect Ya Neck,” and you look into every guy’s lyrics on it, you’ll find a gem that is as potent as any lyric that any other MC has written in history. We all had relatable, evergreen ideas that—for anyone digging and dissecting our work—will find that these lyrics stand the test of time.
In addition to the musical impact, Wu-Tang also influenced fashion and slanguistics. Can you talk about how y’all changed the game forever?
RZA: [Laughs] I got a couple of things that I could say about how we changed the game. But for something like the Wallabees, we just took that from our teenage years… Clogs or British Walkers were the two main shoes for those around the way, and then you had the Ballys, which was more so the high-end shoe. At the time, you could get Clogs or British Walkers for maybe $60, which meant they were fly enough to be fly, but not made for a businessman or a white man, you know what I mean?
RZA: [Laughs] I got a couple of things that I could say about how we changed the game. But for something like the Wallabees, we just took that from our teenage years… Clogs or British Walkers were the two main shoes for those around the way, and then you had the Ballys, which was more so the high-end shoe. At the time, you could get Clogs or British Walkers for maybe $60, which meant they were fly enough to be fly, but not made for a businessman or a white man, you know what I mean?
We were heavy into those and when Ghostface decided to swirl the colors—he was the first person to do that—other cats would take theirs in and dye them because there were certain colors that you couldn’t get at all. Wallabees only came in two colors, beige and black, and if you were lucky you might get a brown. But Ghost was the first dude that had actually mixed up the colors. And when the Wu blew up, you’d see kids rock Wallabees and Clogs how we made them in the street. The same thing for Timbs, right? Timberlands didn’t have multiple colors before us. You had the construction Timb, the black Timb, or maybe you’ll get the brown 40 Belows, but you didn’t have 40 different colors and flavors. The Wu helped to pioneer that whole industry.
We all had relatable, evergreen ideas that—for anyone digging and dissecting our work—will find that these lyrics stand the test of time.
Another big thing nowadays are the gold fangs coming back…
RZA: You mentioned the gold fangs, which has an interesting story behind it since you’re talking to the man who invented it—me, the RZA. I was always into some horrorcore, Halloween shit, man, and when I was young I had a dream about these vampire girls catching me [laughs]. I used to love those Italian vampire movies and the women were always sexy to me. In the dream, they’re biting me up and I ended up in this trash bag, being taken to their boss, and when they took me to the lair and revealed me, I had turned from human to vampire and my fangs were metal. So, when I started forming the Gravediggaz, I wanted to bring that dream to life and I got them made and they were just dope. Once I got them then Dirty [Ol’ Dirty Bastard] thought they were cool, and got them; Meth did the same, as well as other cats. They started showing up in other people’s videos. People inside and outside of New York were getting them. The guy who made them for me at Albee Square Mall [in Brooklyn] couldn’t keep them on the shelves once they hit! It turned his whole business around and he had to open up a second shop. And now, you’ll still see how they and other things we’ve created flourish around the world.
RZA: You mentioned the gold fangs, which has an interesting story behind it since you’re talking to the man who invented it—me, the RZA. I was always into some horrorcore, Halloween shit, man, and when I was young I had a dream about these vampire girls catching me [laughs]. I used to love those Italian vampire movies and the women were always sexy to me. In the dream, they’re biting me up and I ended up in this trash bag, being taken to their boss, and when they took me to the lair and revealed me, I had turned from human to vampire and my fangs were metal. So, when I started forming the Gravediggaz, I wanted to bring that dream to life and I got them made and they were just dope. Once I got them then Dirty [Ol’ Dirty Bastard] thought they were cool, and got them; Meth did the same, as well as other cats. They started showing up in other people’s videos. People inside and outside of New York were getting them. The guy who made them for me at Albee Square Mall [in Brooklyn] couldn’t keep them on the shelves once they hit! It turned his whole business around and he had to open up a second shop. And now, you’ll still see how they and other things we’ve created flourish around the world.
How were nine guys representing an overlooked borough like Staten Island achieve such lasting success?
RZA: I think that we have within our catalog, and especially with the 36 Chambers album, we have that reflection of the time [in which we made it]. That reflection of that pure, unfiltered, untouched by saccharine corporatized hip-hop. Because even though hip-hop, of course, goes through its changes, it still remains that unadulterated expression of an MC life, culture, and spirit at the core of it all, right? 36 Chambers is just that. It's that capturing energy that still holds onto your soul.
RZA: I think that we have within our catalog, and especially with the 36 Chambers album, we have that reflection of the time [in which we made it]. That reflection of that pure, unfiltered, untouched by saccharine corporatized hip-hop. Because even though hip-hop, of course, goes through its changes, it still remains that unadulterated expression of an MC life, culture, and spirit at the core of it all, right? 36 Chambers is just that. It's that capturing energy that still holds onto your soul.