The Twelve Days of Wu-Mas 2025 - Day #11

Back in the late 1990's, RZA was working every angle he possibly could to reach his goal of complete world domination. He had actually managed to secure outside record deals with the rest of his Wu-Tang Clan brethren, so he figured he could do the same with the myriad affiliates the group had collected since their debut like so many grains of sand in their respective shoes after a trip to the beach. Groups Sunz of Man and Killarmy, both of which were comprised of members who would later bring their friends, and then they would bring their friends, into the hip hop sphere, were first, after which RZA laid his cards down with The Swarm, a compilation project featuring many of the lesser-known associates of the Wu all in one place. The Swarm, naturally, led to other acts, both individuals and groups, who would not only release their own projects, but then try to put their friends on, and then their seeds would marry the seeds of other affiliates, and that's how to keep Wu-Tang money all up in the family.

Anyway, the Wu-Syndicate was one of the recipients of a bump in interest post-The Swarm. The Virginia-based trio (why only two of the members made the album cover is a mystery to me - one could claim it's because the third was indisposed at the time of the photo shoot, but then why would he be in the liner notes as a part of the same setup/ Why did I have the bowl, Bart?), made up of rappers Joe Mafia, Myalansky, and Napoleon, were very loosely affiliated with the Clan, coming on to the scene through sheer willpower and a co-sign from RZA himself, which makes perfect sense when you remember that he was trying to expand his empire by any means necessary at the time. Wu-Syndicate specialized in criminal raps over harder beats, as their self-titled debut album would attest, and they frequently discussed not just the prizes they won from the street life, but also the sacrifices and losses that they suffered, which, I know, makes them sound like every other rap act in fucking history, which is why they didn't make it much further than this debut.

At least not until Black Stone of Mecca arrived on the scene...

Catch up with my thoughts on Wu-Syndicate, a Patreon-exclusive review that is now unlocked for subscribers at every tier, including "free". Enjoy!

-Max