Surely, the first gathering of the Wu-Tang Clan’s nine members registered on a Chinese seismograph. There is New York rap before 36 Chambers and New York rap after 36 Chambers, but the line of demarcation seems to need geography, topography, or climatology–it’s almost as physical as it is mental. (Clearly, their A&R’s were mountain climbers who played electric guitar.) Chastened–and in Diggs’ case briefly imprisoned–they returned to civilian life and became GZA and RZA. New York was largely still in the throes of the Daisy Age and hip-house–if rappers were hiding razor blades under their tongues, they were also wearing Pan-African pendants on their chests–and The Genius and Prince Rakeem were cast as unserious horn-dog lotharios. In the Wu canon, their 1991 releases are minor works. Grice (“The Genius”) and Diggs (“Prince Rakeem”) respectively inked single deals with Cold Chillin’ and Tommy Boy. Though their group Force of the Imperial Master had recorded a well-received single, “All In Together Now,” Jones was left in the cold when Diggs and Grice signed a management contract with Jamaica Records. In the mid-late 1980’s, cousins Robert Diggs, Russell Jones, and Gary Grice traveled around New York City in search of rap battles.

silence miscellaneous Kung-Fu flicks GZA’s failed record deal with Cold Chillin’ RZA’s failed record deal with Tommy Boy. An itemized inventory of Wu-Tang Clan’s Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers): nine cigarette cherries glowing beneath the caged walkways of Staten Island’s Stapleton Projects nine sword blades tarnished by splintered bone the feeling of a knee scraped on dirty concrete the synthetic grease and trash smell of summertime New York subway tunnels untraceable Timberland boot prints astride mounds of filthy wintertime slush countless cans of food stolen by Ghostface Killah during recording sessions an inestimable weight of marijuana $300–in quarters–for studio time used to record “Protect Ya Neck ” one VCR whirring in 2 a.m.

Enter the wu tang 36 chambers