The Wu-Tang Clan has rightfully assumed their position as one of music’s most legendary groups of all time, having built an unparalleled legacy since the release of Enter The Wu-Tang back in 1993. And while the Wu has endured for decades, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing for the group, who has occasionally had to contend with infighting. Yet as the RZA confirmed to Rick Rubin, during the latest episode of the Broken Record podcast, the Wu-Tang’s bond runs far stronger than any petty feud. 

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“We are a brotherhood,” explains RZA. “Look, my best example is that I got a lawsuit. U-God is suing me, right? And this lawsuit has been going on for three years now. And we were in Australia last year. They did a Wu-Tang tour in Australia at the Syndey Opera House, and he gets there and his credit card isn’t working. So I took my credit card, put him in a suite, and took care of everything for him. And then GZA’s like ‘Only Wu could do that. This ni**a’s suing you, and you’re feeding him and lending him money.’ I said that’s business. I love this man. I love my brothers, man.”

“We have that love for each other,” he continues. “I’m proud, and I think our parents would be proud. This is a community. Wu is a community. A lot of these bands, maybe two guys know each other. This is a group of men who at minimum, twenty-five, thirty year relationships. Me and Raekwon go back to the third grade, bro. It’s a blessing and that part of it permeates and seems to trump anything else.”

Check out the Wu-Tang reflections below, and for more RZA wisdom, peep the entire episode of Broken Record right here. 

It’s not often that a rap collective produces several top-tier MCs that withstand the test of time, though it’s not unheard of. Perhaps that’s why Wu-Tang Clan is indisputably one of the best hip-hop groups of all time. In a recent interview with MC Serch on The Serch Says podcast, Method Man revealed not only his top 5 MCs of all time but also who he believed is the most underrated member of the group — Inspectah Deck.

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“I think a lot of the appeal to Deck is … remember back in the days, before videos, and you heard an MC, you had to kind of — you never knew what they looked like, all you could focus on was the words,” Meth told Serch. “I think if Deck came in that era right there where all they could focus on was the words and not the spectacle of what’s going on around him, he would have blew up much more than he did.”

He added, “He’s very well respected but when you think of Wu-Tang, honestly his name doesn’t come up first. But when you think iconic verses, his name is coming up first.”

Meth continued to explain Cappadonna’s position as the person who essentially showed everyone in Wu-Tang Clan how to rap. “People frontin’ on Capp and shit, but Capp damn near taught all of us to rhyme and shit. He was doing that way back before we was even thinking about fuckin’ rhymin’,” he said before declaring Deck as top 5 dead or alive. ““I’m giving him his roses now. Deck. Top 5, dead or alive,” he said before Serch inquired about the other four slots. “Nobody. Deck. Deck. Deck. Deck. Fuckin’ Deck. My shit might change in the future but right now, my Top 5 is Deck.”

Serch explained to HipHopDX in an interview about his new podcast that he already knew a lot about Meth but many of the questions were laid out so he can hear these answers come out of Method Man’s mouth. 

“We have a research team,” Serch told HipHopDX. “Our podcast, I really mirror it the way Howard Stern runs his show. We have people that do pre-interviews before the artists come up and do their show. We do a lot of research before every show so that when they come on to the show, we’re not asking the dummy questions like, ‘Where are you from?’”

Check out clips from their podcast below.

Wu-Tang Clan has nothing but love for Canada. The legendary hip-hop collective has teamed up with the City Of Ottawa to raise funds for charities in the region such as CHEO, Ottawa Food Bank, and the Ottawa Mission. 

This all began in early April when they took notice of local businessman Adam Miron’s tweet asking them to donate to the local Food Bank. Though it appeared to be a long shot, they made a donation. Within the next 48 hours, Wu-Tang Clan said another $280K was being raised and donated.

The 36 Chambers online store launched A Better Tomorrow collection with three new items to purchase — a t-shirt, hand sanitizer, and meal. All proceeds will go towards the previously mentioned charities. The t-shirt includes the iconic Wu-Tang “W” logo with “Ottawa” written in the center. All profits from the shirt will go to the Ottawa Food Bank. 

The Wu-Tang Clan hand sanitizer is in partnership with plant-based Victoria manufacturer, Jusu Body. Each bottle purchased will be matched with another bottle that will be donated to the Ottawa Mission as well as other shelters in Canada. The additional profits will also be donated to the shelters.

For the frontline workers, The Almighty Wu has an option on the 36 Chambers website to purchase The Saga Continues Bowl from Pure Kitchen locations in Ottawa. Wu-Tang Clan pledged to use those profits to donate meals for the front-line workers at CHEO.

The Wu-Tang Clan ain’t nothin’ to f*ck with, and if you need clarification on what that means, apparently you can just ask Tracy Morgan. The acclaimed comedian is “Wu for life” and recently revealed just how close of a friendship he has with the members of rap’s iconic supergroup. Tracy chatted with Sway in the Morning telephone and during the discussion, he mentioned he and the late-great Ol’ Dirty Bastard used to party together.

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“[ODB] would come see me perform and then me and him would get in the car, in the drop-top and go crazy around New York City,” the comedian said. “Just wildin’. And then one night we hung out ’til like, four in the morning. We went to Brooklyn. We went to my mom’s crib and all that. Then we rolled to the city and there was the studio. And we went in the studio and I seen a complete change. He’s business, man. I see the complete change.”

Tracy explained that all night they were drinking and partying in the Big Apple, but when they hit the recording studio at six o’clock in the morning, “it was business.” The actor added that he wasn’t exactly sure what song Ol’ Dirt Bastard was working on, but it “might have been ‘Shimmy Shimmy Ya.'”

Check out what else Tracy Morgan had to say about getting fit, but not buff because he claims nobody wants to see a comedian that can beat them up. 

The air was crisp as I walked down the crowded Los Angeles streets. Songs like “C.R.E.A.M.” and “Gravel Pit” shaped so much of my childhood that it felt like a dream to be meeting up with the creator of the magic. Born Robert Fitzgerald Diggs, RZA is the mastermind that transformed from rapper, to music producer, to movie soundtrack curator, to actor, to movie producer. His evolution is dizzying, much like his work ethic. RZA is almost a mythical creature at this point in his career, toiling away both in front of and behind the scenes as if he never made it at all. The Wu-Tang Clan‘s de-facto leader ascended humanity long ago, and entered the stratosphere of legend. 

RZA stood taller than I expected. He walked into the hotel room with the energy of a lion: regal, dangerous, and wise all at once. When he spoke, his voice was a booming bass that reverberated around the Los Angeles hotel room. His movements seemed calculated, like an android from Westworld following a loop. We sat down over a cup of TAZO tea and discussed the inner workings of a genius. RZA was set to return his TAZO retreat, entitled Camp TAZO: Zen, which is a two-day creative retreat that took place in February. Ten select creators took part in activities and experiences designed to help them take their creativity to the next level. Alongside the retreat, RZA dropped off five unique Guided Exploration tracks aimed at helping anyone, anywhere explore and unlock their creative potential. Prior to the retreat and release of the tracks, RZA and I spoke about his inspirations, his creative process, and he even hinted at big things coming for season 2 of Hulu’s Wu-Tang: An American Saga.

This is our second interview with RZA. Read the first one here. 

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HotNewHipHop: What brought you to collaborate with TAZO? You have this esoteric vibe and this seems like a good fit, but how did it come to fruition?

RZA: It was an organic fit. My agency reached out and they had a deck that TAZO had prepared. They sent it to me like ‘do you want to be part of this campaign,’ I was like ‘It’s natural.’ Because it’s part of what I do naturally, which is spreading this culture. Spreading ZEN. 

It’s 2020, everybody is trying to get on this health kick. What really sets this retreat apart? What is something that you put into this that you feel is really different?

Well, first of all, it’s definitely 2020 and I’m glad people are trying to have more knowledge of their health. Put their health in front of their wealth. You can have all the wealth and not no health, ya mean? But, our exploration is not just about the physical health of things, it’s an exploration to unlock the potential out of people who may not think they got creativity. Out of people who are creative but don’t get a chance to focus on their creativity based on (what) they’re chasing. Whether they’re chasing the dollar, or they’re surrounded by distractions because of family, friends, or even just the noise in the world. To help un-stagnate that. Because in the midst of all that, I’m still creative. 

Elaborate further.

We doing explorations. We got one called “Kill The Noise.” Meaning, you know, how do you center yourself in the midst of all the confusion around you, and still be yourself? Well, I use the sun as an example of that. Imagine what’s rotating around the sun, beyond our planets, the comets, the asteroids. Everything just twirling but the sun is centered still. That’s its job. So, that same mindset can be done in a creative aspect for a person. Whether he’s in the studio, whether it’s the writer with the pen and he has writer’s block ‘I can’t write, I can’t write.’ I won’t deny that certain places are better for certain things, but at one point I couldn’t write in certain locations. I wrote one of my best lyrics at this lake in Ohio, and I never released the lyric. But I know that this is the masterpiece. When I read it, it’s almost like a scripture. But then, back in the city, I was like ‘I wanna go back there and write again.’ I remember when Nas was like ‘Yo, sometimes I hit the hotel, get an L for the weekend hit the hotel and just write.’ And that’s New York City, just go into that… it’s still noisy, but it’s still a different energy. Point being made by saying that to you is that some people feel like things around them are stagnating them… just like there’s a focus to make your muscle move. There’s a focus to make that energy of creativity move. And that’s “Kill The Noise.”

Was there a demographic you were going for with these TAZO Exploration tracks? Or was this something you put out for everybody?

Yeah, it’s no demographic. There are probably certain demographics that need it more than others, right? It’s just like, some people like ‘he trying to bring this to the hood.’ Listen. The hood could use some things better, are more vital, in some areas. Just like people in the desert need water more than people who live near the ocean right? (laughs) But water is for everybody. 

So, talk about your influences a little bit. You hopped around a lot as a kid. You were in North Carolina, Ohio, PA, New York. How did those different cultures influence how you think?

I think that was one of the blessings of life for me is being able to live in different communities and places. Because it automatically goes to a diverse way of thinking for me. And then if you think about the Wu-Tang Clan, right, we got diverse personalities in my crew. I have 11 brothers and sisters, you watch the TV show we can’t show 11 that’s the whole damn season [laughs]. I’m from a family of 11. 

You have also traveled quite a bit, and we know Wu-Tang has lots of Eastern influence. Tell me about a traveling memory that stands out to you.

First thing, let me say one thing about China. I hope you make it there one day. In one city I went to, they built a scale version of another city. Like so, you’ve heard of the Forbidden City? That’s where the king, all the shit… that’s probably three times the size of any Hollywood stage. 

And they recreated that?!

Exactly! And it’s just a set. So, that park I was in wasn’t a famous park of nothing like that. But it still was like Central Park. Central Park is about… it starts on 59th street and some of it goes up to about 96th. Basically 20-30 blocks. Man, this park was already bigger than Central Park. 

How about when it comes to working on movies? Have you ever had creative differences with actors or writers?

One actor told me that, ‘Yo, I don’t wanna die.’ But I said, ‘In the script, you die brother,’ (laughs). ‘Yeah but I don’t want that character to kill me’ and I’m like ‘wow.’ Because it became a competition. So I’m like ‘Okay, you gonna die. That’s a fact. I can switch it up, I can get you killed by someone else. I can work with that.’ In fact, so he told me also he had a crush on another character. I said, ‘You know what, I’ma have that character kill you.’ It’s going to be more artistic for me. That’s art right? But that’s also the creative force happening.  

What would be your advice to young black men trying to follow in your footsteps, trying to get into this industry? 

I would say to a young writer that, first thing I would tell them, write regardless of whether you’re getting paid for it or not. That’s the first thing I tell them because Picasso couldn’t even imagine how valuable his paintings were going to be. So, your experience is what you’re capturing when you’re writing. Or your imagination, or your opinion. So it’s unique. In the fact that it’s as unique as your fingerprint. You gotta keep leaving your fingerprints everywhere. And eventually, right, the value of it, whatever that value is, is going to manifest itself. That painter starts on a blank canvas, it’s just paper and oil. Until it’s complete. One of our points of our exploration is also about the idea that people get on a paper chase. Talk about chasing the money, we don’t get a chance to develop our, and evolve our, skill and talent. And the money comes in front of the talent. And I’ve said it to rappers after the 90s and the 2000s came in. I kinda met a few West Coast rappers and whatever. I just told them ‘Yo, by the time I was heard as an MC on the mic as far as 36 Chambers… I probably already wrote 400 different lyrics. So now, my shit is condensed. Like think of Inspectah Deck, ‘I smoke on the mic like smoking Joe Frazier/ the hellraiser/ raising hell with the flavor.’ That was cool for then. But he was writing for ten years before he got to that. And then, by the time he got to that, the world accepts it… but those lyrics are mediocre compared to when ‘Triumph’ comes out. Now the same rapper says, ‘I bomb atomically, Socrates’ philosophies/And hypotheses can’t define how I be droppin’ these/Mockeries, lyrically perform armed robbery/ Flee with the lottery, possibly they spotted me.”  That’s just four lines. He just gave you the whole history of civilization and pulled off a bank robbery [laughs]. So, that’s because that pen never stops. So I would advise a young writer, don’t do it for the money. 

Last but not least, Wu-Tang: An American Saga… everybody is waiting on the second season. Can you give us anything as far as scope, story… are we going to get to see any other rappers from hip-hop history?

Only thing I gotta say about that is that, first of all, I wanna thank all the fans. For supporting the show. A lot of people didn’t have Hulu and actually got Hulu… they did a little bit of analytics. And it was like it attracted new customers, I wanna thank the people who tuned in for it. It’s not easy to get a second season in today’s climate. We have one. And I can assure them we’re in the writer’s room and if you liked the first season we are striving with full thrusters to make it better.

Kim Kardashian and Taylor Swift were doing just fine on their own with their recent internet spat, but Michael Rapaport just couldn’t hold back on adding his two cents. Recently, the past rift between Kanye West and Swift once again reared its ugly head. The full video of their discussion about his single “Famous” hit the streets, causing Kim and Swift to engage in a war of words on social media.

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Kim told the singer “nobody cares” about the controversy any more while Swift, along with her manager, accused the reality star of doctoring previous videos. Soon after, Rapaport shared a video of himself bashing Kim and everything she stands for. “No one cares, okay. Nobody gives a f*ck about this bullsh*t with you and Taylor Swift,” he said. “Or f*cking kooky Kanye and Taylor f*cking Swift—if he never ran up there and took the award from Swifty, we still wouldn’t be talkin’ about it. The only one still talkin’ about it is you.”

The actor then accused Kim of  brining this up because “your f*cking show is premiering Thursday.” Rapaport also challenged Kanye to run up on a man the next time he wants to interrupt an award speech. “Do it to the Wu-Tang Clan,” he said. “Or do it to one of those dudes from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. They’ll f*ckin’ dropkick him off the f*cking stage. F*cking lunatic Kardashians.” Watch the clip below.

By now, the Coronavirus has become part of our daily lives, dictating not only our real-life habits but our internet browsing habits as well. As such, many have been desperate for any answer that might re-establish some semblance of routine. Luckily, the Wu-Tang Clan has been a grounding presence in the game for decades now and that has yet to change. The united force of RZA, GZA, Inspectah Deck, Raekwon The Chef, Ghostface Killah, Masta Killa, the spirit of ODB, and Method Man have come forward with some key tips for combating COVID-19 Shaolin style.

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"Protect Ya Neck against the Coronavirus," writes The Clan, in an official Twitter PSA. "We are making a few thousand prints and distributing them across New York City. Feel FREE to do the same in your City. Share and RT this to the world." In addition to the sentiment, they also broke it down with an acronym-fueled guide. 

"W - Wash hands properly," it begins. "U - Use mask properly. T - touch nothing. A - Avoid large gatherings. N - Never touch your face with unclean hands. G - Go to the hospital if you have severe symptoms." Wise wisdom, and while similar opinions are in no shortage it does bring a certain comfort to hear it from the Wu-Tang Clan. Be safe out there people -- these are strange times we live in. 

The relationships between Shyheim and members of the Wu-Tang Clan are solid now, but for a brief time, there was a bit of a strain. The rapper has been affiliated with the rap collective since he was a child, so when Shyheim got sent away to prison over a second-degree manslaughter conviction, he thought they would come to see him. Shyheim admitted that it didn’t happen, and it took him some time to come to terms with it.

“Like, damn, RZA ain’t come,” Shyeim said. “You sit there sometimes it’s like, dream it, right? I remember I used to dream sometimes like, yo, RZA gon’ show up. I know [Method Man] comin’. And then it’s like, nobody come. Not to say that they owe me anything to come besides friendship and things like that but I just believed I had a different relationship.“

Shyheim added that as he “evolved,” he realized that the Wu were grown men with responsibilities and families that don’t involve his troubles. “They got love for me, but it’s just not in the schedule. It’s not like when you young and you’re like, I’m goin’ to see my man… You’re preparing for your future and your retirement.”

He also dropped off some advice to the younger generation of emcees. “Get rid of your ego,” he said. “Get rid of what people are gonna think of you, because most of the time, we’re trying to live up to status quo. We’re trying to look like—I know for me, it was kinda like, yo, I’m f*cked up for real in real life. I’m struggling. I gotta get to it. I can’t show up without having a Benz. What Shyheim look like without a Benz? Then you start perpetrating for what other people think.” Watch Shyheim’s clip with VladTV below.

A collective group of thieves used fake aliases as members of the Wu-Tang Clan in order to scam Georgia hotels out of more than $100,000 in purchases and services. According to the New York Post, a complaint filed by the US District Court in Atlanta revealed that the group of scammers was using the Staten Island-bred hip-hop group and the Roc Nation entertainment firm to acquire rooms and services from various resorts throughout the metropolitan areas of Georgia as the thieves drove around in a rented Rolls-Royce Phantom. 

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Prosecutors have stated that the criminals were able to run up a $45,000 tab at Atlanta’s Terrace Hotel while the FBI obtained evidence that the group also left an unpaid bill of $39,000 at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta. Two Atlanta recording studios also fell victim to the group of scammers as they employed a total of $17,000 worth of recording time and equipment. Lastly, the faux Wu-Tang Clan and Roc Nation affiliates’ rented Phantom accosted A-National Limousine approximately $60,000. 

According to the court documents, the thieves allegedly used a stolen credit card alongside a fake credit line to ‘fund’ their faulty operation. The group of scammers’ run officially came to an end at the Fairfield Inn and Suites in Augusta, GA when they attempted to book ten rooms under their Wu-Tang/Roc Nation pseudonyms. After becoming suspicious, the hotel’s sales director contacted Roc Nation directly and was informed that the men shared no connection with the Jay Z-owned organization. 

All of the men were detained by the Richmond County Sheriff’s Department, but only two men, Walker Washington and Aaron Barnes-Burpo were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Two of the men detained told the authorities that they were hired by Washington and Barnes-Burpo as bodyguards and were homeless. The other participants in this elaborate scheme were not charged. 

The modern hip-hop landscape feels like fertile ground for lone wanderers. Though it wasn’t always. There was once an era in which rap crews reigned supreme, gangs roving the game waving their own respective flags. Especially at the turn of the century. Every superstar seemed to have their own loyal band. Interesting dynamics and standout members proved inevitable — all part of the fun. Any hip-hop head in their late twenties can likely rattle off names like D12, G-Unit, State Property, The Lox, Bravehearts, Disturbing Tha Peace, Tha Eastsidaz, and the St. Lunatics. Some have delivered hip-hop classics; others have faded from memory.

The rap crew has been a mainstay in the game since the late eighties, since Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, MC Ren, and DJ Yella united to form NWA. Years later came Wu-Tang Clan, arguably the greatest band to ever bless the culture. The product of ten emcees, disparate in styles though united in vision, the Shaolin warriors achieved commercial and critical dominance. Likewise did legendary groups like Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Three 6 Mafia have untold impact on the culture, their influence on production trends and flow-schemes evident now more than ever. Cam’ron, Mase, and Big L fought record label attention as Children Of The Corn, their movement shattered by Big L’s untimely murder. The Hot Boys, a New Orleans based collective helmed by the notorious Birdman, brought a new bounce to the table. Nas, AZ, Foxy Brown, and Nature joined Dr. Dre for The Firm, a mafioso clique that ultimately floundered under the weight of expectation.

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The list goes on. To shine a spotlight on all deserving parties would require far more than a single article. But there is one interesting pattern worthy of exploration, one that really came to manifest in the early millennium. The idea that a commercially successful rapper had a band of little homies waiting in the wings, ready to be put on. Was it a label-fuelled movement? Perhaps; you can bet the Interscope powers that be were salivating at the thought of a D12 album, especially if it didn’t impact Em’s contract as a solo artist. Business aside, the arrival of a crew often introduced new dynamics, undoubtedly fueled by a good-natured sense of healthy competition. Upon listening to D12’s Devil’s Night and St Lunatics’ Free City, there’s a certain edge to both Eminem and Nelly, culminating in some of their rawest and most effortlessly confident work.

Such results wouldn’t be possible without capable colleagues and standout members. For D12, it was Proof, the architect behind the Dirty Dozen’s vision; and of course the gruesome Bizarre, but he’s a standout for reasons beyond technical prowess. For St-Lunatics it was the original schoolboy, Murphy Lee, the high-school prodigy who had a decent solo career in his own right. Those familiar with the group might be quick to vouch for Ali’s prowess, but Murph’s marketability gave him leverage once the crew hype faded. And in most cases, such a fate is not a matter of if, but when. Sadly, rap crews often benefit most from one illustrious centerpiece; if one of the supporting players can find solo success, it’s akin to a late-game Hail Mary catch. Sometimes the buzz is so ridiculous it impacts everyone in the vicinity. It happened to Lloyd Banks, who carved his way from G-Unit’s punchline king to a respectable solo artist with a classic to his name. Young Buck found similar success in his own right, with Straight Outta Cashville serving as a respectable look for the Nashville emcee. 

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Circumstances matter. When a group arises on equal footing, as was the case when Jadakiss, Styles P, and Sheek formed The Lox in the mid-nineties, the established dynamic allowed for a smooth transition into solo waters. Especially for Kiss and Styles, who explored new artistic depths on their debut albums Kiss Tha Game Goodbye and A Gangster And A Gentleman. Such cases skew closer to the Wu-Tang model, in which no discernible skill-based leader is selected by default. It’s the reason The Lox has been able to thrive for as long as they have, despite boasting only three crew albums to their name. Same goes for the Diplomats, who formed in 1997 after the dismantling of Cam’ron’s Children Of The Corn. With Cam, Jim Jones, Freekey Zeekey and later addition Juelz Santana operating on more or less equal footing, the healthy competition from within allowed each member to forge solo careers on their own merit. Sadly, tension ultimately destroyed the group from within, an inherent risk when four capable emcees move forward with no authoritative leader calling the shots. 

The rise and fall of the Diplomats echoes that of a newer group, the lyrical powerhouse that is Slaughterhouse. At the time of their formation, Royce Da 5’9”, Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz, and Crooked I were all accomplished lyricists, despite having never sustained long term success in the mainstream. Benefitting from the combined attention of their already established solo fanbases, the group was all but unburdened by the pressure of breaking an artist into the mainstream. The raison d’etre was simple: strive for lyrical excellence in the spirit of hip-hop tradition. Pure in theory, albeit naive: rather than pursuing the mixtape route, the group signed with Shady Records and attempted to reinvent themselves as commercially ble. In this case, it could be said that a case of “too many cooks” brought upon their downfall; others might argue that ego and creative differences played a role. As of this moment, their lost sophomore album Glass House remains an urban myth, forgotten until that one fateful day it leaks from the bluest ether.

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Such sharp demises are the risk when no clear group hierarchy exists. In some ways, the “little homie” model is the more sustainable option, though the ceiling is significantly lower. Look no further than Ludacris’ short-lived Disturbing Tha Peace family, though it ultimately gave us Tity Boi. Or Nas’ Bravehearts, whose main contribution to the game was “Oochie Wally” — do with that what thou wilt. In hindsight, it’s rare for a group (not to be confused with a duo) to sustain a lengthy and creatively fulfilling career. Even a modern-day quartet like Black Hippy, comparable in many ways to Slaughterhouse, never found the time nor motivation to link up for an album. Heavyweight stars seldom do — does anybody remember the short-lived promise of CRS, the Thom Yorke sampling trifecta of Lupe Fiasco, Kanye West, and Pharrell Williams?

Yet today’s era has brought several exciting movements into the fold. Borne of vision-chasing principles previously seen in the likes of Wu-Tang Clan and The Diplomats yet instilled with a contemporary desire to shift culture, SpaceGhostPurpp’s Raider Klan was among the most impactful early movements to benefit from the internet. In 2008, the hazy and eclectic producer united with artists like Kadafi, Dough Dough Da Don, the late Jitt, and eventually Denzel Curry and Yung Simmie. Drawing influence from their environment of Carol City, Raider Klan’s impact went on to stretch beyond music, encompassing the community and providing like-minded artists with a means of expression. Though with massive collectives of this nature comes another risk, that varying degrees of both talent and motivation will lead to varying degrees of success and sustainability. 

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When that does end up happening it need not tear a crew apart. Even as clear standout members begin to thrive as solo artists, some groups remain tethered by a sense of familial loyalty and mutual artistic respect. The A$AP Mob comes to mind, as brought to life by visionary creative Yams in 2006.  Inspired by a shared desire to push several facets of artistic culture ranging from music to fashion, the Mob united several like-minded New Yorkers under one banner. Though A$APs Rocky, Ferg, Twelvvy, Nast, Ant, and producer Ty Beats have all experienced different career trajectories, the Mob and by extension Yams’ memory represents a shared ideology above any well-defined creative goals. A similar vibe was felt during the rise of Odd Future, the primary creative outlet for a young Tyler, The Creator. Originally formed in 2007, Odd Future’s formative lineup consisted of Tyler, Hodgy Beats, Jasper, and Left Brain, who quickly found their music gaining steam. As the band of outcasts gained notoriety, Earl Sweatshirt, Domo Genesis, and Frank Ocean added their minds to the creative brain trust. Unlike the Mob, however, Odd Future is more or less inactive, fondly remembered for the spirit they once represented. 

And so it goes. Though the rap crew all too often meets an untimely and unamicable end, few go out without leaving a profound impact on the fans. Sometimes, if luck would have it, the dust might even settle to reveal a classic album or two. It’s hard not to look back on all the movements come and gone and not feel a pang of nostalgia. Past, present, or future, what’s your favorite hip-hop crew? 

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