Clan culture
Wu Tang headlines
Staff and wire reports
Big Meles this weekendWHAT'S most surprising about Wu-Tang Clan is that the band has time to do shows like this weekend's Big Mele at all. Between clothing contracts and individual record deals, Wu-Tang has become one of the most successful -- not to mention financially diversified -- hip-hop acts of the '90s. Despite receiving little commercial radio and TV exposure, the band's 1993 debut, "Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)," and the five solo albums released since by Wu members Method Man, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Genius, Raekwon and Ghostface Killah have sold a combined 5.2 million copies in America.
Wu-Tang's second album, "Wu-Tang Forever" (Loud/ RCA), debuted last month in Billboard magazine's No. 1 slot for albums. The disc showcased a band moving forward lyrically and acoustically while moving backward stylistically, taking less of a frenzied end-of-the-millennium approach and favoring simpler, old-school beats.
But don't bet on hearing a third soon. The band claims to have no intention of releasing a follow-up until the year 2000. The nine members are too busy pursuing other projects.
Two more solo albums are on their way. One of the most anticipated of these is the debut from the band's producer and mastermind RZA, who recently signed a deal with Gee Street Records. RZA's album is due early next year, and he has said that he plans to record a "complex, heart-warming" set of songs using a live band.
Meanwhile, Wu-Tang's Inspectah Deck also recently signed a deal, with Loud Records. By choosing the label that also releases Wu-Tang Clan's group albums, Inspectah Deck said he feels that his album has a better chance of being properly marketed.
Inspectah Deck said he was glad to be one of the last members to release a solo album. "I'm like a hidden camera," he said. "I always have everything under surveillance all the time. Everybody goes out and does their solo album, and I watch and I learn as they learn. So when it's my turn, I know how to go about it."
But the Wu-Tang empire -- which has been called a model for economic development -- doesn't end with recording.
There are boutique record labels (one for RZA, another for the entire group), a nail salon and even a popular clothing line called Wu-Wear. A small restaurant chain may also be in the works.
And in addition to artist credits, "Wu-Tang Forever" contains an order form for T-shirts, jackets, the web site address http://www.wu-tang.com and 900 numbers to keep up with band members' work.
Wu rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard probably wasn't kidding when he noted, "If the Wu-Tang Clan gets in trouble now, it's likely to be for an antitrust violation."
"It's a Wu world," says Tracii McGregor, an editor at the hip-hop magazine The Source. "They've taken over."
"They've just got this cult following," McGregor says. "It's like they're more than just rap artists; they're almost like comic book characters. Their fans just have to have everything Wu-Tang does.
"In 10 years, I bet you everything Wu-Tang-affiliated will be a collector's item. Easily."
Most items would be marked by the group's ubiquitous, Batmanlike "W" logo. "The logo is Wu-Tang Clan," McGregor says. "You see that logo and know who it is, because it's been splattered all over the place."
The logo, which RZA calls "the carrier," has appeared in some shape or form on the cover of every Wu-Tang group and solo recording (upside down as a "M" on Method Man's "Tical," sideways as a "G" on the Genius album "Liquid Swords").
"Wu-Tang is a little bit too hardcore for the mainstream, but they just have this thing that appeals to the kids," says Scott Gilbert, owner of Getta Clue, which stocks Wu-Wear.
Says McGregor: "They've stayed true to the roots of hip-hop culture and they don't compromise at all. They did it themselves, and their music has out-sold everybody. Every album that they've put out has gone gold or platinum.
"Everbody's checking for the Wu-Tang Clan."
To alleviate traffic problems of the past, for your saftey and to protect the future of The Big Mele, promoter Goldenvoice suggests: Do the right thing
Carpool if possible. Arrive early to avoid traffic.
The Big Mele
