Artist:Wu-Tang Clan
Song:C.R.E.A.M.
Album:Wu: The Story of the We-Tang Clan
The rap group Wu-Tang Clan were successful in the 90s despite the fact that radio stations didn't want to play anything that wasn't family friendly. C.R.E.A.M. was one of their biggest hits. They were very influential on the East Coast rap sound. And several of the group members went on to solo success. Cousins Robert Diggs, Gary Grice and Russell Jones formed the rap group Force of the Imperial Master. They started getting noticed in the New York rap scene. Their nicknames were the Scientist, the Genius and the Specialist. Diggs and Grice released unsuccessful albums in 1991. Both were dropped from their labels. Diggs became RZA. Grice became GZA. Jones became Ol' Dirty Bastard. They started working with Dennis "Ghostface Killah" Coles and they decided to form a group based on "Eastern philosophy picked up in Kung-Fu movies and comic books". The name Wu-Tang Clan came from a movie. Diggs was the group leader and music producer. The 1993 single Protect Ya Neck got record company attention. But they wanted to record solo for different label. Loud Records with RCA distribution were OK with that. Their debut album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) was released in late 1993. The album was considered at the time to be the best hip hop album of all time. C.R.E.A.M. was the third single. It reached #8 on the Rap chart. And despite the lack of mainstream radio play, the album was certified 3XPlatinum. C.R.E.A.M. means Cash Rules Everything Around Me. Among the rappers were Clifford "Method Man" Smith, Corey "Raekwon" Woods and Jason "Inspectah Deck" Hunter. At the same time, they all released solo albums on different label. Diggs produced everything. Wu-Tang Clan's 1997 album Wu-Tang Forever was even more successful. It was certified 4XPlatinum. There was also a second round of solo albums. The 2000 album The W was certified Platinum and Gravel Pit was their only top ten pop hit. Then things started to decline with the the 2001 album Iron Flag. This was mostly due to oversaturation and tension within the group. There were stories of Diggs abusing his control. And then there was Jones' 2004 death. Wu-Tang Clan continued to record. But they weren't as successful. They last recorded in 2014. This comp covers the Loud/RCA years. Wu-Tang Clan has never disbanded. So they could return. But I think it's doubtful. Here's the video for C.R.E.A.M. by Wu-Tang Clan.
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