Wu disciples anxiously awaited its arrival after enduring four calendars without a collective effort from the crew.

In a year filled with blockbuster rap releases, Wu-Tang Forever was one of the most anticipated albums. In celebration of its 20th anniversary, VIBE highlighted five reasons why Wu-Tang Forever solidified the Wu-Tang Clan as rap icons. Deciding to follow in the footsteps of 2Pac and The Notorious B.I.G., the Wu-Tang Clan went on a victory lap with their double-disc album, a 27-track hip-hop gem that would cement the Wu as one of the strongest movements in hip-hop, and all of music, for that matter. In 1997, four years after the release of their debut, the Wu-Tang Clan returned as a full unit with their sophomore album, Wu-Tang Forever, which symbolized of the completion of the five-year plan RZA implemented during the genesis of the crew. With their debut studio album at platinum status, the Wu-Tang Clan took advantage of the non-exclusive deal they signed with Loud Records and began rolling out solo albums - Method Man’s Tical, Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version, Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, GZA’s Liquid Swords, and Ghostface Killah’s Ironman - which simultaneously established the group’s individual members and strengthened the Wu-Tang brand in the process. With classic singles like “Protect Ya Neck,” “C.R.E.A.M,” and “Can It All Be So Simple,” the squad’s music resonated within the city’s five boroughs and beyond. Debuting in 1993 with their seminal album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), the Wu helped breathe life back into a New York City rap scene that had lost its footing amidst the rise of West Coast hip-hop. The Staten Island-originating group went on to form like Voltron, assaulting the music industry with their rugged brand of rap. In an age where record labels made the rules, the Wu-Tang Clan crossed them out and wrote their own, breaking barriers that would prove the power of hip-hop and the revolutionary rap group.Īfter a sour experience at Tommy Boy Records, rapper/producer RZA founded the Wu-Tang Clan and enlisted his cousins GZA and Ol’ Dirty Bastard, as well as neighborhood cronies Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Method Man, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. When speaking of the most pivotal acts and movements in hip-hop history, to gloss over the impact of the Wu-Tang Clan would be criminal.

Wu tang clan forever cd