It’s a testament to what we believe in  ourselves as artists, and it’s a testament to hip-hop itself. Having this birthplace in New York and having multiple representatives of it, but also having this gritty, rugged representation of hip-hop. Which is different than some of our peers. How did the residency come together? It’s something that wu tang name generator-Tang has been striving to do through my leadership for almost seven years.

It might be because of RZA’s magic on the backend, stitching together loose threads as only he can. It might be because pretty much everyone was a more skilled rapper than they were four years earlier. But I like to believe that it’s in tune with the Hong Kong action movies they worshiped. In those films sometimes blood and non-blood brothers engage in a sword duel or point handguns at each other’s faces, but when they finally team up, the connection is almost mystical.

And it was like all we did was be a part ofour environment to the fullest. Like Cap was telling you, it was like, "Yo, wewas still kids, we was still going to school." I remember going to school andsaying, "Alright, I missed one day." Then I missed three days, it’s like,"Three days ain’t bad." Two weeks. I’m like,"How am I going to tell my moms this shit? But we wasstill growing up as kids, and like he said, finagling. There was a lot ofthings going on in our neighborhood, so Staten Island had their own way ofdelivering their rhymes. And our rhymes is fresh from the neighborhood, fromcats that just was freestyling, and you know what I mean, they was partydoctors.

I got gold albums as Bobby Digital. But with Wu-Tang Clan, I’m platinum. We’ll let [attendees] come find out. Hey, the biggest surprise is just to watch all of us, right?

The Wu came through and the outcome was critical. During scheduled off-day recording sessions, Ghostface and Raekwon would fly home to tend to solo business opportunities. When everyone was back Stateside, it was more of the same. RZA spent thousands of dollars to reopen the studio at the wu tang clan name generator Mansion, his old New Jersey home where much classic post–36 Chambers material was recorded, as HQ for the new album. Method Man was reportedly rejuvenated. But Ghost’s and GZA’s presence was sparse.

To discuss some of the stranger-than-fiction stories which have circulated over the years, I meet with approximately half the Clan at the opulent Kimpton Fitzroy hotel in Central London. RZA and Young Dirty Bastard – who tours with the group to perform his late father’s verses – freestyle right up in my face, throwing random questions at me and rhyming off the back of my answers. That evening, Wu-Tang headline a sold-out show at Wembley Arena as part of the Gods of Rap tour with fellow rap vets Public Enemy, De La Soul and DJ Premiere.

They didn’t even want us with the fatigues on. Lamar has since won Best Rap Album two more times, taking home the golden gramophone in 2018 for his blockbuster LP DAMN., and in 2023 for his bold fifth album, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers. He also extended his love and gratitude to his fiancée, Whitney Alford, and shouted out his Top Dawg Entertainment labelmates. Lamar specifically praised Top Dawg's CEO, Anthony Tiffith, for finding and developing raw talent that might not otherwise get the chance to pursue their musical dreams.

R.Z.A. said they had to have stickers printed the next day, so it was crunch time to develop a brand logo. Finally, the name Wu-Tang has also been linked to Chinese history and philosophy. The Wu-Tang Clan has always been interested in martial arts and Eastern philosophy, and their music often reflects these influences.