YMMV / Wu-Tang Clan

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• Archive Panic: Wu-Tang Clan has at best six studio releases (seven if you count the infamous Once Upon a Time in Shaolin unless the album is ever leaked online), so it isn't too bad. But then you look at their compilations, the studio albums of each member and then you look at every single Wu-Tang Killa Beez's solo release which at times features collaborators from the Wu themselves and then... oh dear, good luck.
• Big-Lipped Alligator Moment: This interview. ODB and Method Man are talking about 2Pac and Biggie, when ODB randomly denies being crazy right out of nowhere.
• Bile Fascination: The Shaolin drama is this for many and arguably what brought Wu-Tang's name back into the mainstream for better and for worse, with many people debating on whether or not it will ever see the light of day.
• Ensemble Dark Horse: Masta Killah due to his reclusive nature and being known for having the best verse with Inspectah Deck on "Da Mystery of Chessboxin'".
  • OL' DIRTY BASTARD, often considered by fans to be one of the most beloved and missed due to being the most insane and crazy member of the group.
• Epileptic Trees: Regarding the infamous Once Upon a Time in Shaolin album, there have been some debates about the album, most notably three different reddit posts regarding the album. Bottom line, it's believed the album isn't an actual album, consisting mainly of beats used by Cilvaringz and the fact the project originally was a fan project by Cilvaringz as a gift "to the fans". When RZA took interest, the album was instead packaged as a "One copy only" thing, was script from being put in museums, and then just sold off for auction, it being bought by Shkreli.
• First Installment Wins: To the point that some of their later albums were criticised for not being as good as Enter the Wu-Tang or their first batch of solo albums. Although Wu-Tang Forever is close.
• Harsher in Hindsight: As epic as the music video for "Triumph" is, a lot of the imagery these days will be seen in bad taste due to the 9/11 attacks (New Yorkers panicking in the streets, a possible terrorist attack, and the shot of the World Trade Center towers in the New York skyline).
  • They decided to release one copy of an album — Once Upon a Time in Shaolin — auctioning it off in 2015 to just one bidder. It ended up getting bought by billionaire 'Pharma Bro' Martin Shkreli, who had become one of the most hated men in America over his questionable hiking the prices of much-needed medications for deadly diseases.
    • When Shkreli was arrested in December 2015 on charges of securities fraud related to a previously-owned hedge fund company, one of the first and most often asked questions was if the FBI seized (rescued) the "Shaolin" album. Alas.
  • The song "Tearz" features an intro where members of the Wu are panicking over a loved one who's dying in front of them becomes this considering in 2004, OBD would collapse at the group's recording studio and die hours later.
• Memetic Mutation: Memes Rule Everything Around Me.
  • Memes ain't nuthin' ta fuck with.
  • Everyone has been in Wu-Tang for at least 5 minutes. Yes, even YOU.
  • The rumor that members of Wu Tang and Bill Murray can exploit a morals clause in the sales contract of the Once Upon a Time in Shaolin album, and steal the album back from the person who bought it (who turned out to be hated billionaire Martin Shkreli). Even though the rumor proved false, people want to see it happen (or at least a movie version of it).
  • The Wu-Tang logo is this, for everyone.
• Never Live It Down: Selling an album to the very hated Martin Shkreli and putting an 88-year rule/ban that makes it impossible for any fan to listen to unless by sheer luck and a very small miracle. Suffice to say, even if Once Upon a Time in Shaolin were to be leaked ^note Shkreli did later on release snippets of two songs off the Shaolin album when Donald Trump won the election, it's still unknown if he's trolling or if he will release the album, stating during a stream he wants to have at least blessing from the other members before fully releasing it (Despite the "contract" saying he can do what he pleases with the record besides commercialize on it..) , it's surprise fans would never let the band (especially The RZA) forget it, especially with RZA and Cilvaringz justifying the entire reason for Shaolin not being released commercially for an artistic statement based on the significance by the number 8.
  • ANYTHING on Once Upon a Time in Shaolin has become this. From the fact RZA went forward with an incredibly poorly executed "release" of it being sold for the misguided purpose of "art" to Shkreli's ownership of the album. There was even speculation about the album being a legit Wu-Tang album after Shkreli began selling it on ebay and U-God and Method Man's managers stated the album was actually a Cilvaringz album with Wu-Tang associates on it only for it to have the Wu-Tang brand slapped on by RZA. The album actually was close to being sold but due to Shkreli being sent to prison after making some very poor choices before his trial date and it becoming seized and ultimately sold off by the feds, but it's unknown what will be about the album. Basically, this album will forever linger for its poor release and the drama surrounding it, if it does leak.
• Periphery Demographic: Extremely popular among fans of extreme metal and especially hardcore punk and grindcore, to the point where the Wu is practically a Sacred Cow in those circles as well.
  • GZA in his own right has an extremely dedicated periphery demographic among rock music fans, particularly due to his 1995 solo offering, Liquid Swords. This was something that was planned, as he signed to a label (Geffen) with a minimal hip hop presence, so he would be promoted in an effort to draw other acts.
• Sacred Cow: Wu-Tang are highly loved and people take the phrase of "Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nu-thin' ta Fuck Wit" very seriously and consider them a staple of hip-hop. Even with the controversy surrounding Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, the group is still viewed as geniuses and one can relate to. Their hometown of Staten Island (which is referenced by the Clan as "Shaolin") even sees them as heroes, showing that people from a broken town like Staten can escape the hard life.
  • Also applies to Method Man, Ghostface and Raekwon, but Zig-Zagged with RZA due to his Insufferable Genius, the Small Name, Big Ego aspects, and of course, the drama involving the Shaolin album.
• Sampled Up: Enter the Wu-Tang will render you unable to listen to the Underdog theme without hearing "the Wu-Tang Clan ain't nu-thin' ta fuck wit!"
• Seasonal Rot: Arguably 1997–2001, mainly due to group strife and the settling after Wu-Tang Forever.
  • Not so much Seasonal Rot as a hiatus between group albums. Ghostface Killah had Supreme Clientele (2000). GZA had Beneath the Surface (1999). Inspectah Deck had Uncontrolled Substance (1999). Method Man had Tical 2000: Judgment Day (1998) and Blackout! (with Redman, 1999). Ol' Dirty Bastard had Nigga Please (1999). All were well received and sold well. The W was a group album that came out in 2000 that was well received and featured the hit "Gravel Pit" so even the years are debatable.
    • Output since hasn't exactly been the best received since though. 8 Diagrams was heralded as a new sound for RZA, a fact that most notably, Raekwon and Ghostface took issue with and continued afterwards with Once Upon a Time... and everyone showing annoyance except for RZA.
• Tear Jerker: The aptly-named "Tearz".
  • "Can It Be All So Simple".
  • As well as their tribute to ODB on 8 Diagrams, "Life Changes". And on that note, "Ason Jones", Raekwon's tribute on Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. II.
  • Ditto "I Can't Go to Sleep" from The W.
• Win Back the Crowd: Though commercial success has yet to become the way people see the group now, compilation material (Chamber Music, The Man With the Iron Fists OST and Legendary Weapons) have proven that there is indeed life left in these martial masters of the mic.
  • In regards to the bad reputation that tarnished the group's image with Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, the Mathematics produced The Saga Continues garnered some approval.

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