There will never be another group like Wu-Tang Clan. Atleast, not in the realms of hip-hop. The groundbreaking Staten Island collective delivered incredible bodies of work, from their group efforts to the timeless solo albums from different members of Wu-Tang. They did it in their own terms, though. The DIY approach to recording and production captured a raw authenticity yet their lyrical style was far beyond the norm of the time.
During a recent interview on Jemele Hill's Unbothered, Method Man discussed an array of topics from his comic book podcast with Marvel to his role on Power Book II. Early on in the podcast, Jemele Hill dives into Wu-Tang Clan's history and impact on the game; coming from Staten Island to defining the genre. For Meth, it largely had to do with the fact that they began with a largely Black audience. From there, curiosity grew across the globe.
"Well, I think a lot of it is attributed to how well received we were by the Black community which always makes others very curious. Like, 'What's going on over there? What's all the racket?' Then when they get their hands on the music and they actually give it a chance, it's like, 'Oh, okay, I see it,'" Meth explained.
And you gotta think, if you go to a Wu-Tang concert in 2020, the audience is incredibly diverse. Not even among different races and ethnicities, but fans of music altogether. Metalheads and backpackers alike find a common ground in their appreciation for Wu-Tang Clan."Those fans from back then, including our Black fans, they held on to that stuff in their soul," he added. "I mean, that music is so relevant to them today that they want to play it for their kids. It's them like trying to tell them, 'This is your music education. This is where you should start at. If you're going to listen to anything, listen to this first.'"
He continued, "It's the same way they are rabid about when grunge metal was out and even heavy metal. And those guys were straight bums. They dress like bums, but they were gazillionaires from music. You look at freaking, one of my favorite bands, Metallica. You see those guys, they ain't got the big chains or none of that. You know, it's grungy. And Wu-Tang defined -- if you could call it a grunge rap, let's call it that. Grunge hip hop. That's exactly what it was. So, we were the Nirvana of our time."
Method Man chats Wu-Tang's impact around the 19:06 mark.