How can hiphop be dead? If Wu Tang is forever?

Ever wondered who this beautiful gentleman is:

Or who exactly Tales Of Games latest project was based on?
http://www.gamingw.net/forums/index.php?topic=71364.0
Then fear NOT!, I have come to introduce you not only to some awesome music but to some pretty funny characters.

The Wu Tang Clan
The Wu Tang Clan is a hiphop group made up of nine members, one of which is deceased, seven of which are felons. The almighty Wu is also said to have over 300 affiliates (known as killa bees) and are rumoured to have ties to the Gambino crime family. At one point they were even investigated by the F.B.I for firearm smuggling.
They are also known for their grimy and revolutionary production style, intricate rhyming patterns and:

Wu tang was also one of the first big hiphop groups in the 90's and had their own brand of video games, action figures and clothing lines.
Lets go through each member and start with the CRAZIEST

Ol' Dirty Bastard
(don't do drugs)

Ol' dirty is the cousin of members the GZA and Rza and died of a drug overdose. He was basicially the Wu Tang hype man and the most bizzare human being alive.
Some basic facts:
A) He had thirteen kids,
B) He is famously known for going to collect food stamps in a limo whilst his album was still in the top ten in the U.S
C)He rescued a four year old girl from under a car.
D)He was good friends with Mariah Carey (you gotta be whacked out right!??)
E) He performed at a concert whilst being a futitave and he mangaed to escape police afterwards.
F)
Need I say anything more?
Albums to recommendNigga Please AKA  Black Man Is God, the White Man Is the Devil

Rza

Rza is probally the smartest of all the Wu, he's a prominent producer, rapper and actor, not to mention he studies Kung Fu so he can probally kick your ass. 
Specificially Rza has worked on the Kill Bill soundtrack and Afro Samurai. His new album also features Shavo from System of a Down, he has worked with John Frusciante , Rage against the machine and many more. I legitimately think he is a great musician.
RZA is behind basicially every classic album solo or group related, a lot of big producers state he heavily influenced their style. Even Kayne, and he hates everyone. Not to mention he confirmed he has produced a track on the new Dr Dre album (which will never come out).
Albums to recommend Bobby Digital in Stereo.
Also check out his newest album which is coming soon: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digi_Snax

Gza

The Gza (aka the genius) is one of the founding members of the Wu, he has a graphic novel underway and he as well as Rza is also an avid chess player (http://wuchess.com/) .
Gza is well known for his usage of complex metaphors and wordplay which is why his first solo album Liquid Swords is well respected.
Albums to recommend LIQUID SWORDS OBVIOUSLY
Gza also has a new album coming out which features a track produced by his son:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pro_Tools_%28album%29

GHOSTFACE AKA PRETTY TONEY

Yes that whole eagle is gold, yes it is a bracelet.
Ghostface is my favourite member of the Wu, all of his solo albums are pretty solid and he is the only member of the Wu that has the balls to release them consistently (Other than Method man but he's pretty boring imo). Ghostface essentially is my favourite cause he has the most charisma and is the most fun to listen to. He is easily in my top ten rappers alive and is underatted as fuck.
He also did a joint project with Mf Doom which apparently is still on its way but I doubt it will ever come out. Ghost had beef with Notorious BIG, 50 cent and Ma$e. The best thing about the beef with Ma$e was the rumour that instead of making a diss song about him, Ghostface instead punched him in the jaw. Apparently Ma$e had to get it wired, Kayne mentions it in his debut song: “Through the wire: Recently Ghostface appeared with Raekwon on a new track and was cut from the Iron Man movie despite his well known usage of the Iron Man persona.
Albums to recommend All of them especially Supreme Clientele and Fishscale.

U-God

Not much to say about ol U-God as he's got a pretty low profile. He's angry at RZA over album royalties and recently filed suit to sue Wu Music for over $40,000 in unpaid royalties.
It's a sad day when the Wu has fighting between members, U-God even left the group in 2004 over arguments with RZA.

Masta-Killa

This guy is another one of the quieter members of the clan and the last member to join before their debut album 36 chambers. A little known fact is that during the 36 Chambers recording sessions him and Killah Priest were in competition to join the Wu.
Sounds fair to me, NEXT UP:

Raekwon the Chef

Another one of my favourites, has a similar style to Ghostface and they basicially did the classic Raekwon album: Only Built for Cuban Linx together. A lot of Wu Tang fans are a little pissy at Rae because he was supposed to release the album probally about six years ago now, its really hyped and the only thing to come out of it was a new track on his myspace this month!
Ghostface and Raekwon are also performing tracks off of the new album at the Rock the Bells tour next month you lucky mongrels!
Despite its constant delays, it does sound very good. Apparently it's a mafia based concept album and the core members of the Wu are each playing a character.
Heres the new track, listen to Ghosts verse, its the best! Only he could pull off talking about getting Oral sex from his sons pregnant girlfriend then punching his son in the jaw when he pulls out a gun and sending him to the supermarket hahaha : http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=30783862&MyToken=59287ff0-dc7a-4454-9a88-68754d03d706
Raekwon is also in the new single from Big Boi from Outkast and he is in the new Game video delivering Heron.
Albums to recommend Only Built for Cuban Linx duh

Inspectah Deck

Despite having one of the coolest names in the Wu I don't really have anything to say about him hahaha.

Method Man

I don't find Method man all that interesting, he's probally the most well known member but in my opinion he's nothing special, maybe it's his voice or the fact that he's always on tv. Method man was really good friends with the Notorious BIG and essentially stopped a full scale war between BIG and Ghost/Rae.
He has a new album coming out sometime soon called The Crystal Method and his latest album is named 4/21 which is a reference to The day after 4/20 day This guy loves to get stoned.
Oh yeah supposedly his dick pops out in this video if you concentrate real hard:


Q:Why should I listen to the Wu Tang Clan?

A: Why? Because the Wu Tang have been around forever, whilst other groups come and go Wu have managed to stay relevant through their original usage of comic book  and martial art related slang and technical lyricism. Wu not only helped to popularize mafia themed rap music but they also are some of the best storytellers and refuse to dumb down their music or shy away from harsh subjects. Their first album is one of the greatest rap albums ever recorded and as Rza evolves as an artist he is beginning to introduce guitar based hiphop back into the mainstream. How many rap artists do you know that could pull off working with the son of one of the beatles?
The wu tang clan formed when cousins Rza,Gza and ODB were frustrated with the way the music industry worked, so Rza took control and built a career for every single member. How cool is that?


Discuss

REMEMBER WU TANG IS FOREVER