Not saying this is a positive thing, I'm just saying this is the difference of our character." Now Staten Island (or Shaolin Island as they would rename it) was not as well known for its Rap scene as The Bronx and Brooklyn and RZA seized on that outsider pride and their gritty credibility.Īccording to him, ”We were street kids," he says, "guys that was more like felons, or high-school dropouts. He chose the nickname The RZA, while Gary became The GZA, and Russell took Ol’ Dirty Bastard or O.D.B. He convinced them all to trust his vision, no questions asked, and to devote five years to his master plan for success. And so I say that we have the best lyrics, so, therefore, we are the Wu-Tang Clan." He merged both crews into a supergroup and named them and his new production company after the bad guys from one of his favorite Kung Fu movies.Īs he put it, "I thought that Wu-Tang was… the best sword-style of martial arts.
Dre’s G-Funk Gangsta Rap Robert had other ideas. While East Coast Hip Hop was all about good vibes, unity, and Afrocentrism and the West Coast was dominated by Dr. Robert moved to Ohio in 1990 to live with his mom but a couple years later got into trouble that included being up for an attempted murder charge stemming from a shoot out.Īfter being found not guilty he returned to Staten Island relieved and vowing never to go in that direction again. Inspectah Deck, and Clifford Smith who started as Shakwon before settling on Method Man.īy the late ‘80s Robert and Gary got individual solo records deals with unsuccessful results and both were dropped. or Dig ‘Em Down Posse that included the best rappers from his Park Hill neighborhood of Staten Island: Dennis Coles A.K.A. Using nicknames, Robert became Prince Rakeem or The Scientist, Gary used Allah Justice and then The Genius, and Russell was The Specialist.Ī short while later Robert also formed another group called the D.M.D. In the mid-’80s the three cousins formed a Rap group they originally named Force of the Imperial Master before becoming the All in Together Now Crew.
They were also enamored with ‘70s and ‘80s, Chinese, Kung Fu films which included those featuring Bruce Lee and two others in particular, 1978’s “The 36th Chamber of Shaolin” and 1983’s “Shaolin Vs. They loved old Soul and R&B as well as the new phenomena of Rap music, breakdancing, graffiti, and DJing. They were raised with the teachings of The Five Percent Nation, a mid-‘60s Harlem-based offshoot of The Nation of Islam that combatted the city’s inherent racism by instilling self-worth, hope, pride, and unity in the black community. Robert Fitzgerald Diggs, Gary Grice, and Russell Jones were cousins who grew up in the Staten Island and Brooklyn boroughs of New York in the ’70s and ’80s. Released November 9th in 1993 on Loud Records and produced by RZA, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, and Method Man, this is the debut album by the Staten Island and Brooklyn, New York, nine-man, Hardcore Hip Hop, collective. MUSIC HISTORY WRITTEN BY HEAD WRITER DJ MORTY COYLE: