Protect Ya Neck sound clip

In 1992, an underground track, "Protect Ya Neck", emerged from boomboxes to radio stations and made an impact on rap that was unique up to this point. Avowed students of the mental (or Shaolin) aspect of the martial arts and Islam, and rabid fans of kung-fu films, Wu once again attaches an Afro-Asiatic discipline to the art of rhyming. Drop kicking powerful, "Protect ya Neck" (their first hit) type furor into the new mix, they push the lyrical envelope, plundering metaphorical gold mines in the process. In all of hip-hop's history there's never been a rap aggregation like the Wu-Tang Clan. However, it didn't happen overnight. Each member had his own sad street struggle story before the group blew up.

Headed by, and produced by the RZA, the Wu-Tang Clan is a 9-member rap group that has gained enormous popularity throughout the mid 1990s. RZA, 1 Genius/GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Ghost Faced Killa, Raekwon, U-God, Inspecta Deck, and MastaKilla make up the Wu-Tang Clan. The key to their success, and uniqueness, is that all 9 members have "made a pact to form an artistic and financial community" with each other. Along the same lines, is that each member is allowed to record solo albums, with the profits still being shared by all nine members.

In November 1993, Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers was released with "critical success". The album did not become a hit until the song "C.R.E.A.M." was released; "Cash Rules Everything Around Me." To date five of the nine members have solo albums out: Method Man, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Genius, RZA, and Raekwon. On the Wu-Tang family's solo album front, to date, there have been no less than five platinum or gold CDs, adding to the Clan's legendary status. In June of 1997 the Wu-Tang Clan emerged with their long-awaited double album, enhanced CD, Wu-Tang Forever.