A lot has been said about RZA's original five-year plan for the Wu-Tang Clan, but for those of you who are new to the group, here's the gist: essentially, in 1993 he requested to have full creative control over the direction of the group for its first five years of existence, promising every member wealth and popularity in return for allowing him to lead them, after which point he would relinquish control and let everyone do their own thing, for better or for worse. What this meant was that he was the primary (but not the sole, weirdly enough) producer for the first seven projects from the Wu-Tang Clan proper, guiding each performance, locating the best samples (or interpolations that he would later turn into samples, to save money), and generally being a dick with the group's finances allegedly.
This holiday season, I wanted to shine a light on the five-year plan specifically, mostly because I'm trying to gauge interest in something but also, I'm interested in what everyone else thinks about Prince Rakeem's narcissistic demands. The Wu is one of the most popular groups in hip hop even to this day, so whatever he did worked, obviously, but that doesn't mean the dude's playbook was perfect. What say you?
Take this time to revisit my write-up for the Wu-Tang Clan's first album - yes, it's sparsely written and could use a revamp, that's part of what I'm trying to gauge interest in, hint hint - and let's discuss.
RZA's Five-Year Plan #1: Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (November 9, 1993)
Link to original write-up
-Max
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