Raised in a turbulent environment marked by crime and poverty, he found solace in music and began rapping at a young age. Growing up in a working-class family, he was exposed early to the harsh realities of life in a community plagued by poverty, crime, and instability. In 1993, I met the three guys that I still cherish to this day as my best friends. We were all freshmen at a suburban high school in south central Kansas. What we had in common at first (military kids, hoop dreamers, and hip-hop heads) was enough for us to gel and insulate ourselves from some of the racial antagonisms that come with attending a majority-white high school.

Responsibility for the accuracy of information provided in stories not written by or specifically prepared for the Academy and its Affiliates lies with the story’s original source or writer. Content on this site does not reflect an endorsement or recommendation of any artist or music by the Recording Academy and its Affiliates. June 9, 2008 • Hip-hop fans who play chess can now head to a new online social network site called WuChess. Music and chess have a mathematical rhythm and flow that make them similar, says The RZA, a founding member of the wu tang gang name generator-Tang Clan who also backs the new site. December 3, 2008 • From its very first single in 1993, the Wu-Tang Clan brought a hyperactive, slang-driven and wildly popular brand to rap. Now, a new documentary portrays the rise and ongoing struggles of hip-hop’s first empire.

Raekwon “didn’t show up at all,” RZA says. The Wu-Tang Clan gathered at the Tiny Desk to commemorate the 25 years since the release of the group’s landmark album Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). With more than 60 albums between the various members, The Clan’s combined discography left them spoiled for choice when it came to narrowing down the set list for their performance.

However, Lamar would later learn that Tiffith’s impact on his life dates back to multiple encounters between his father and the TDE founder, which Lamar raps about in his 2017 track “DUCKWORTH.” Due to the breakthrough success of his Aftermath Entertainment debut (good kid, m.A.A.d city), most people attribute Kendrick Lamar’s discovery to fellow Compton legend Dr. Dre. But seven years before Dre’s label came calling, Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith saw potential in a 16-year-old rapper by the name of K.Dot. This firsthand account of spending the most joyous holiday locked up and separated from the one you love offers a different kind of longing than the average lonesome Christmas tune. He created visual stories with his words and the influx of his voice alone. GZA, a cult favorite and cerebral member of the Wu, also dropped an equally important album with Liquid Swords.

“The best sword-style of martial arts, and the tongue is like a sword. And so I say that we have the best lyrics so therefore, we are the Wu-Tang Clan.” Easy Mo Bee, who produced Words From The Genius, told Merlis that he has demo tapes by The Genius that contains rhymes that found their way onto Enter The wu tang name generator-Tang. “Every time he came to the crib he would bring somebody different”, he recalled. “I remember a young Raekwon tagging along and he also brought this guy named Ason who called himself Ol’Dirty Bastard. GZA also released a project in 1991 titled “Words From The Genius” on Cold Chillin’ Records. “It’s, like, two sides of the family. It’s, like, the dirty side [Jones’ family] and it’s the Diggs [RZA’s family]. No matter what, how high we climb the Wu Mountain,” Jones said.

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