1 00:00:16,720 --> 00:00:17,920 If what you say is true, 2 00:00:18,920 --> 00:00:20,200 the Shaolin and the Wu Tang 3 00:00:20,280 --> 00:00:21,760 could be dangerous. 4 00:00:22,880 --> 00:00:25,760 Yes, my lord. We saw them practicing with each other. 5 00:00:25,840 --> 00:00:27,200 Their kung fu is first-class. 6 00:00:27,280 --> 00:00:28,560 So who came with the name? 7 00:00:28,640 --> 00:00:32,000 Who came up with, "Yo, we gonna call it Wu-Tang Clan"? 8 00:00:32,080 --> 00:00:33,840 I heard Ghost say "Wu-Tang" first. 9 00:00:33,920 --> 00:00:35,160 It stemmed from the town. 10 00:00:35,240 --> 00:00:37,800 So you didn't come up with the word "Wu-Tang"? 11 00:00:37,880 --> 00:00:40,760 - No, the Wu-Tang comes from a movie. - Right, right, understand. 12 00:00:40,840 --> 00:00:44,560 First of all, we was calling the Ballantine ale, the Shaolin. 13 00:00:44,640 --> 00:00:46,480 And the Olde English Wu-Tang. 14 00:00:46,560 --> 00:00:48,400 Wu-Tang shit. Then the flick came. 15 00:00:48,480 --> 00:00:51,520 - But no, the flick was first. - No. 16 00:00:53,040 --> 00:00:54,360 I seen the movie. 17 00:00:54,440 --> 00:00:57,280 - He brought the movie to you. - No. I saw it on the deuce. 18 00:00:57,360 --> 00:01:00,800 - I brought it to your flick, though. - No, you brought it to my crib. 19 00:01:00,880 --> 00:01:02,680 You brought the tape, but me and Dirty... 20 00:01:02,760 --> 00:01:03,960 I ain't know you seen it. 21 00:01:04,040 --> 00:01:06,640 But I told you to watch this shit like this, yo. 22 00:01:11,080 --> 00:01:12,160 I ain't know that, man. 23 00:01:15,560 --> 00:01:16,840 Hold on! 24 00:01:16,920 --> 00:01:18,560 Hold on. Cut, cut! 25 00:01:18,640 --> 00:01:20,320 No, no, Rae's made it... 26 00:01:20,400 --> 00:01:22,600 Rae's made it into a... 27 00:01:22,680 --> 00:01:23,920 The rap, the music form. 28 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:27,840 Who you're gonna say put the slang on the streets, Tony did that. 29 00:01:27,920 --> 00:01:30,040 Who put the Wu-Tang Clan into a movement? 30 00:01:30,120 --> 00:01:31,880 - I started that Wu-Tang. - That was you. 31 00:01:32,840 --> 00:01:34,760 - You put... yeah. - He put the movement in it. 32 00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:36,760 Who made it nothing to fuck with? 33 00:01:36,840 --> 00:01:39,160 - We made it nothing to fuck with. - We did. 34 00:01:39,240 --> 00:01:40,520 Ah, that's right. 35 00:02:31,280 --> 00:02:34,640 WU-TANG CLAN: OF MICS AND MEN 36 00:02:34,720 --> 00:02:35,960 After Ohio, 37 00:02:36,040 --> 00:02:38,880 I was awakened to what my positive energy could do, 38 00:02:38,960 --> 00:02:40,320 what my intelligence could do. 39 00:02:41,920 --> 00:02:45,960 I'm realizing that I could bring that energy 40 00:02:46,040 --> 00:02:47,760 to the world through music. 41 00:02:49,840 --> 00:02:52,120 RZA's house was the spot, man. 42 00:02:52,200 --> 00:02:54,720 It just became the thing to do. "When you done hustling, 43 00:02:54,800 --> 00:02:56,160 let's go to RZA house." 44 00:02:56,240 --> 00:02:57,760 RZA'd play the tracks. 45 00:02:57,840 --> 00:02:59,480 We going on for hours, 46 00:02:59,560 --> 00:03:01,160 spending the night, 47 00:03:01,240 --> 00:03:02,560 waking up the next day 48 00:03:02,640 --> 00:03:04,520 you know, sleeping on top of each other. 49 00:03:04,600 --> 00:03:06,360 He looked very determined. 50 00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:08,400 Like he was on a mission. 51 00:03:08,480 --> 00:03:13,280 His aura just stood out amongst everybody. 52 00:03:13,800 --> 00:03:16,280 I was in the streets a lot, know what I'm saying? 53 00:03:16,360 --> 00:03:18,840 But Meth was more serious than me 54 00:03:18,920 --> 00:03:20,320 when it came to entertainment 55 00:03:20,400 --> 00:03:21,520 and making his rhymes. 56 00:03:21,600 --> 00:03:25,520 Just finding something else to do instead of just being on the block, 57 00:03:25,600 --> 00:03:27,560 selling drugs, wasting away, and worrying 58 00:03:27,640 --> 00:03:29,120 about getting locked up or not. 59 00:03:29,200 --> 00:03:30,920 Come do this rap shit. 60 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:32,920 And RZA was, like, a getaway thing 61 00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:35,440 when it came to me escaping our life. 62 00:03:35,520 --> 00:03:37,960 The condition of the neighborhood 63 00:03:38,040 --> 00:03:40,360 and the people... That shit hit family and friends. 64 00:03:40,440 --> 00:03:43,720 You know, my brother is me. You know what I'm saying? 65 00:03:43,800 --> 00:03:46,200 There's no separation in knowledge and understanding. 66 00:03:46,280 --> 00:03:48,320 The father and the son is one the same. 67 00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:50,680 I was just going with the flow, but I also felt 68 00:03:51,680 --> 00:03:53,280 there was gonna be a breakthrough. 69 00:03:53,360 --> 00:03:55,880 It was just a feeling that I had. 70 00:03:55,960 --> 00:03:58,280 I felt... I just felt that he, like... 71 00:03:58,360 --> 00:04:00,480 RZA came to everybody with the proposal 72 00:04:01,240 --> 00:04:03,240 and he told us exactly what he wanted to do. 73 00:04:03,320 --> 00:04:05,000 Okay, we got a lot of offers and shit, 74 00:04:05,080 --> 00:04:06,960 but the best deal is the one with the dude 75 00:04:07,040 --> 00:04:08,560 to do everything ourselves. 76 00:04:08,640 --> 00:04:11,400 - The creative control type of... - Right. Know'm'sayn? 77 00:04:11,480 --> 00:04:14,080 It's the kind of deal where none of us ain't tied down. 78 00:04:14,160 --> 00:04:17,280 We can sign to another label and all that shit. 79 00:04:17,360 --> 00:04:19,920 That's the deal we want, whereas we gonna be no slaves. 80 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:22,520 Most of these record companies treat you like their son. 81 00:04:22,600 --> 00:04:25,760 We gonna make it for ourselves at the same time, the singles, 82 00:04:25,840 --> 00:04:27,600 and nobody will steal nothing from us. 83 00:04:27,680 --> 00:04:29,240 That's our entire plan. 84 00:04:29,320 --> 00:04:33,560 He knew how to speak in a way where we all felt 85 00:04:33,640 --> 00:04:35,880 what he's saying is real. 86 00:04:35,960 --> 00:04:37,600 He told me, "Just give me a year 87 00:04:37,680 --> 00:04:39,520 and if shit don't go right after a year, 88 00:04:39,600 --> 00:04:41,320 you can go back to doing what you do." 89 00:04:42,800 --> 00:04:44,800 That's one of the next moves we gotta do. 90 00:04:44,880 --> 00:04:47,320 We gotta start building something in Shaolin 91 00:04:47,400 --> 00:04:49,560 of our own shit, you know what I'm saying? 92 00:04:49,640 --> 00:04:51,520 Real, man, you know what I'm saying? 93 00:04:52,480 --> 00:04:54,760 At first, we was trying to do everything together. 94 00:04:54,840 --> 00:04:57,480 Every evening, I met with RZA. 95 00:04:57,560 --> 00:04:59,760 We'd have dinner, talk about tomorrow's plan, 96 00:04:59,840 --> 00:05:00,920 what we gonna do. 97 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:04,040 We started taking meetings with different labels. 98 00:05:04,680 --> 00:05:07,400 When we went for this deal, one of the things he told me 99 00:05:07,480 --> 00:05:09,360 he need to have, you know, 100 00:05:09,440 --> 00:05:12,840 regardless of what, when, and where, we must have full creative control. 101 00:05:12,920 --> 00:05:15,240 We gonna slaughter it and take over this rap world. 102 00:05:16,040 --> 00:05:17,360 Play with the niggas. 103 00:05:17,440 --> 00:05:18,440 You know, remember. 104 00:05:18,520 --> 00:05:20,440 He had a project before. It was a dud. 105 00:05:20,520 --> 00:05:21,760 "Oh, We Love You, Rakeem." 106 00:05:21,840 --> 00:05:24,320 Yo, this is Prince Rakeem, the Wu-Tang slang master 107 00:05:24,400 --> 00:05:26,320 with the Shaolin posse on Staten Island. 108 00:05:26,400 --> 00:05:28,400 Check out my video, "Oh, We Love You Rakeem," 109 00:05:28,480 --> 00:05:29,720 because I love you, too. 110 00:05:44,920 --> 00:05:46,200 When I signed to Tommy Boy, 111 00:05:46,280 --> 00:05:47,760 I was 18 years old. 112 00:05:47,840 --> 00:05:49,720 - What label you on? - Tommy Boy Records. 113 00:05:49,800 --> 00:05:52,000 My record came out at 19. 114 00:06:02,560 --> 00:06:04,840 Got a few shows at 20, the chance to go out, 115 00:06:04,920 --> 00:06:08,360 move that record, get some fans and a few dollars in my pocket, 116 00:06:08,440 --> 00:06:09,760 and that was it. 117 00:06:28,840 --> 00:06:30,880 It wasn't successful, right? 118 00:06:30,960 --> 00:06:33,880 The song wasn't the kind of vibe I really was on personally. 119 00:06:33,960 --> 00:06:36,360 I didn't think I was to be sold as a ladies' man. 120 00:06:38,080 --> 00:06:40,000 But I didn't know no better. 121 00:06:40,080 --> 00:06:42,960 Those are very smart people at the top of this music business. 122 00:06:43,040 --> 00:06:44,560 Tommy Boy got their act together. 123 00:06:44,640 --> 00:06:47,640 I didn't know that the label could be wrong. 124 00:06:47,720 --> 00:06:50,000 Yo, it's the Wu-Tang Clan, boy. 125 00:06:50,080 --> 00:06:52,960 It started from my man Genius and Rakeem, you know, 126 00:06:53,040 --> 00:06:54,720 being up in the business and all that. 127 00:06:54,800 --> 00:06:55,800 Things ain't work out. 128 00:06:55,880 --> 00:06:57,840 I had an album out on Cold Chillin'. 129 00:06:57,920 --> 00:06:59,600 They try to get a fellow to cross over 130 00:06:59,680 --> 00:07:01,520 on some crazy stuff and put out something 131 00:07:01,600 --> 00:07:03,480 that wasn't really going with the flow. 132 00:07:03,560 --> 00:07:04,480 "Come Do Me"! 133 00:07:04,560 --> 00:07:06,280 Rakeem was on Tommy Boy, too. 134 00:07:06,360 --> 00:07:08,200 They tried to front on him. 135 00:07:08,280 --> 00:07:09,800 Now they fronting on two members. 136 00:07:09,880 --> 00:07:11,720 Two members of the clan, now, 137 00:07:11,800 --> 00:07:13,240 so what happened now was 138 00:07:13,320 --> 00:07:16,840 it's time to... it's time to do it ourselves, man. 139 00:07:16,920 --> 00:07:18,760 'Cause yo, in the street, 140 00:07:18,840 --> 00:07:20,200 survival and all that. 141 00:07:20,280 --> 00:07:22,760 You gotta protect your neck, man. We from the streets. 142 00:07:22,840 --> 00:07:25,280 Don't let these people 143 00:07:25,360 --> 00:07:26,640 change you, baby. 144 00:07:26,720 --> 00:07:28,320 Do what you gotta do, man. 145 00:07:28,400 --> 00:07:30,480 If they don't want to accept your material, 146 00:07:30,560 --> 00:07:31,800 do it yourself, man. 147 00:07:31,880 --> 00:07:34,400 And I'm cool with a little bit money save up your joint. 148 00:07:34,480 --> 00:07:35,720 Do it yourself. What? 149 00:07:35,800 --> 00:07:37,000 We did it ourselves! 150 00:07:37,080 --> 00:07:38,080 Do it yourself. 151 00:08:09,240 --> 00:08:10,960 - Come on, louder! - Wu-Tang! 152 00:08:11,040 --> 00:08:12,440 - Louder! - Wu-Tang! 153 00:08:12,520 --> 00:08:13,520 I don't think RZA knew 154 00:08:13,600 --> 00:08:15,480 that it was gonna be as big as it is. 155 00:08:15,560 --> 00:08:17,480 I know he always probably wanted it to be. 156 00:08:17,560 --> 00:08:20,800 - Wu-Tang! - Wu-Tang! 157 00:08:20,880 --> 00:08:22,560 That's all he fucking dreamed about, 158 00:08:22,640 --> 00:08:24,440 was being in this music shit. 159 00:08:24,520 --> 00:08:26,680 Give it up for the Wu-Tang Clan! 160 00:08:34,960 --> 00:08:38,120 Power is another brother I knew since I was a kid. 161 00:08:39,520 --> 00:08:42,880 Power's a stone-cold hustling machine. 162 00:08:42,960 --> 00:08:45,480 Money-getting little nigga from the block. 163 00:08:51,680 --> 00:08:53,320 It's two things that make you do good. 164 00:08:53,400 --> 00:08:55,400 Either you're inspired or you're desperate. 165 00:08:55,480 --> 00:08:56,880 Everybody was hustling. 166 00:08:56,960 --> 00:09:00,440 Divine Just, Power Cipher. 167 00:09:01,160 --> 00:09:02,880 Divine is my man, right? 168 00:09:02,960 --> 00:09:05,680 Like, I never really hung out with RZA, 169 00:09:05,760 --> 00:09:07,720 but obviously, yeah, this is my man brother. 170 00:09:07,800 --> 00:09:08,920 He's like, "Yo! 171 00:09:09,720 --> 00:09:11,440 You still want to do this music shit? 172 00:09:11,520 --> 00:09:14,560 Yo, we gotta do it now if you want to do it." 173 00:09:14,640 --> 00:09:17,600 That's when, you know, I started forming my crew, 174 00:09:17,680 --> 00:09:18,960 started forming my company. 175 00:09:19,040 --> 00:09:20,880 What's up? This big Power Cipher, 176 00:09:20,960 --> 00:09:24,400 executive producer on the Wu-Tang Clan joint, 177 00:09:24,480 --> 00:09:26,240 Power came with a shoe box 178 00:09:26,320 --> 00:09:27,240 full of cash. 179 00:09:27,320 --> 00:09:29,000 Shit. "Here." 180 00:09:29,520 --> 00:09:31,440 But yo, who cares about the money, man? 181 00:09:31,520 --> 00:09:33,520 The shot is what it's worth. 182 00:09:33,600 --> 00:09:35,360 Then I went to Mike McDonald, 183 00:09:35,440 --> 00:09:36,480 my man Lask. 184 00:09:36,560 --> 00:09:37,960 I'm originally from the Bronx. 185 00:09:38,040 --> 00:09:40,680 I moved to Staten Island in 1976. 186 00:09:40,760 --> 00:09:41,920 We moved to Park Hill. 187 00:09:43,640 --> 00:09:47,800 I was established in the industry before Wu-Tang, and I ran into RZA. 188 00:09:47,880 --> 00:09:49,360 He said, "I was looking for ya." 189 00:09:49,440 --> 00:09:53,120 RZA introduced MC. "Mike would be a great help with us." 190 00:09:53,200 --> 00:09:56,520 He's like, "Yo, I ain't got no money right now, 191 00:09:56,600 --> 00:10:00,440 but once shit take off, I got you," so I'm like, "Yo, let's do it." 192 00:10:00,520 --> 00:10:02,240 All right, you vice president. 193 00:10:02,320 --> 00:10:04,960 Mook was president of management. I was vice president. 194 00:10:05,040 --> 00:10:06,640 MIKE McDonald VP OF PROMOTIONS. 195 00:10:06,720 --> 00:10:08,800 It wasn't no office, man. 196 00:10:08,880 --> 00:10:10,240 It's street, man. 197 00:10:10,320 --> 00:10:12,520 We got no office. The office is RZA's house. 198 00:10:12,600 --> 00:10:14,480 The room was no bigger than this, kid. 199 00:10:14,560 --> 00:10:18,080 Here's is where his equipment was set up at. 200 00:10:18,160 --> 00:10:20,240 I don't even think he had a bed in there. 201 00:10:20,320 --> 00:10:22,400 He would sleep on the floor in a sleeping bag. 202 00:10:22,480 --> 00:10:25,800 And I already understood, listening to shit, 203 00:10:25,880 --> 00:10:27,400 "Yo, that shit is banging. 204 00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:29,760 If people could hear that on the radio, 205 00:10:29,840 --> 00:10:31,040 they fucking with that." 206 00:10:31,120 --> 00:10:33,480 I was the promotion man. That was my thing. 207 00:10:33,560 --> 00:10:36,120 So we's getting college play, was getting chart action, 208 00:10:36,200 --> 00:10:38,600 so then me and RZA, we put some money together, 209 00:10:38,680 --> 00:10:40,200 we hired a publicist. 210 00:10:40,280 --> 00:10:42,240 Back then, I ain't know Divine was involved. 211 00:10:42,320 --> 00:10:44,720 I found out Divine was involved later. 212 00:10:45,480 --> 00:10:46,480 Divine... 213 00:10:47,080 --> 00:10:48,800 was still doing what he do, 214 00:10:48,880 --> 00:10:51,560 but he was feeding the program, 215 00:10:51,640 --> 00:10:53,680 but he wasn't physically there. 216 00:10:56,120 --> 00:10:59,200 'Cause he was away, doing what he do to feed the program. 217 00:11:00,920 --> 00:11:03,840 We didn't have no guides, so it was a lot of... 218 00:11:03,920 --> 00:11:05,160 trial and error. 219 00:11:05,240 --> 00:11:08,160 It's, like, on-hands learning and fronting a lot, 220 00:11:08,240 --> 00:11:10,480 because we all came in this together. 221 00:11:11,360 --> 00:11:12,520 Didn't know the business. 222 00:11:12,600 --> 00:11:14,680 Only a couple of us knew some of the business. 223 00:11:14,760 --> 00:11:16,240 It didn't matter, right? 224 00:11:16,320 --> 00:11:18,120 I knew whatever we was gonna try, 225 00:11:18,200 --> 00:11:20,720 win, lose, or draw, would probably be better 226 00:11:21,520 --> 00:11:23,280 than what we was already doing. 227 00:11:24,040 --> 00:11:25,960 All right, we're rolling. 228 00:11:26,040 --> 00:11:29,400 My first thing in hip-hop was doing A&R at Jive Records. 229 00:11:29,480 --> 00:11:31,560 I was the person that recognized the talent 230 00:11:31,640 --> 00:11:35,360 and then cajoled the label. 231 00:11:35,440 --> 00:11:37,680 So we had gotten the, uh, 232 00:11:37,760 --> 00:11:39,960 Wu-Tang demo with "Protect Ya Neck,". 233 00:11:40,040 --> 00:11:43,000 "Method Man," maybe a couple of other songs, 234 00:11:43,080 --> 00:11:44,880 but nobody could touch it, 235 00:11:44,960 --> 00:11:46,640 because it was a non-exclusive deal. 236 00:11:46,720 --> 00:11:49,240 There was no label that was going to give RZA 237 00:11:49,320 --> 00:11:51,480 a non-exclusive deal, meaning that... 238 00:11:52,560 --> 00:11:54,680 When you... when any label signs a group, 239 00:11:54,760 --> 00:11:57,960 they have the exclusive right to sign every single one of them 240 00:11:58,040 --> 00:12:00,680 if they choose to go do their own solo deals, 241 00:12:00,760 --> 00:12:02,480 so if I sign Destiny's Child, 242 00:12:02,560 --> 00:12:03,640 I get Beyoncé. 243 00:12:04,200 --> 00:12:05,360 We couldn't sign them, 244 00:12:05,440 --> 00:12:07,320 but we met with RZA. 245 00:12:07,400 --> 00:12:09,040 I really liked the music, 246 00:12:09,640 --> 00:12:13,880 but more than the music, I was just so impressed by him. 247 00:12:14,640 --> 00:12:17,760 He had a really unique way 248 00:12:17,840 --> 00:12:20,320 of looking at everything. 249 00:12:21,160 --> 00:12:23,160 Talking about his music, 250 00:12:23,240 --> 00:12:26,200 talking about his group, his whole vision for everybody. 251 00:12:26,280 --> 00:12:30,080 First it's gonna be Meth, and then it's gonna be GZA, 252 00:12:30,160 --> 00:12:31,960 and then it's gonna be Dirty, 253 00:12:32,560 --> 00:12:35,120 and then it'll be Ghost and Rae. 254 00:12:35,200 --> 00:12:36,840 We bonded right away, 255 00:12:36,920 --> 00:12:39,720 and we've been friends ever since. 256 00:12:43,480 --> 00:12:46,440 I'm the longest-running music video show in the world. 257 00:12:46,520 --> 00:12:50,160 Hi, I'm DJ Ralph McDaniels, and, uh, welcome to New York's 258 00:12:50,240 --> 00:12:52,840 number one video show, Video Music Box. 259 00:12:52,920 --> 00:12:55,720 I started in 1983. We still come on. 260 00:12:55,800 --> 00:12:58,600 For 35 years, we've been doing Video Music Box. 261 00:12:58,680 --> 00:13:00,200 Voice of the street till I die! 262 00:13:00,280 --> 00:13:01,920 This is the... the archives. 263 00:13:05,360 --> 00:13:07,840 There's tons of tapes down here. 264 00:13:07,920 --> 00:13:10,120 This is stuff that should be in a museum. 265 00:13:10,200 --> 00:13:11,800 It should be in a better space. 266 00:13:11,880 --> 00:13:14,280 There's stuff here that I don't even remember. 267 00:13:14,360 --> 00:13:16,640 I used to come down here and go, "Yes, right here." 268 00:13:16,720 --> 00:13:18,640 I could do that with everything right here. 269 00:13:18,720 --> 00:13:21,640 If it's back there somewhere, I forgot what's back there now. 270 00:13:21,720 --> 00:13:22,720 Let's go up here. 271 00:13:24,640 --> 00:13:27,600 Um, okay, this is, uh, Wu-Tang "Protect Ya Neck." 272 00:13:28,480 --> 00:13:31,240 RZA said, "I got a video for a song called 'Protect Ya Neck, ' 273 00:13:31,320 --> 00:13:34,400 and I'm gonna bring it to you and tell me what you think." 274 00:13:34,480 --> 00:13:35,480 I said, "All right." 275 00:13:35,520 --> 00:13:38,520 So he came and it was all of these guys. 276 00:13:38,600 --> 00:13:40,720 "What's going on here? Who are these people?" 277 00:13:40,800 --> 00:13:42,280 But that was the rest of the Wu. 278 00:13:43,000 --> 00:13:44,800 I throw in "Protect Ya Neck" 279 00:13:44,880 --> 00:13:47,480 in the 3/4-inch deck, the big cassette decks, 280 00:13:47,560 --> 00:13:48,760 and boom. 281 00:13:48,840 --> 00:13:51,520 I'm like, "What the hell is this?" 282 00:13:57,360 --> 00:14:00,120 RZA said, "Would you play it?" I say, "Yeah, I'll play it. 283 00:14:00,200 --> 00:14:02,400 Just clean it up, you know, when you finish it." 284 00:14:02,480 --> 00:14:04,240 He said, "You can play it like that,". 285 00:14:04,320 --> 00:14:06,240 So I said, "It's got time code on it." 286 00:14:06,320 --> 00:14:08,920 He's like, "That's cool. You can play it like that." 287 00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:11,000 And I started playing it for a while. 288 00:14:11,080 --> 00:14:12,880 I didn't know what the reaction was, 289 00:14:12,960 --> 00:14:14,600 'cause there was nothing like that. 290 00:14:26,720 --> 00:14:28,120 Steve Rifkind called me. 291 00:14:28,200 --> 00:14:30,880 "Ralph, what do you think of the Wu-Tang, 'Protect Ya Neck'?" 292 00:14:30,960 --> 00:14:32,680 "It's dope. We're playing the video." 293 00:14:41,480 --> 00:14:43,600 He says, "Should I sign them?" "Absolutely." 294 00:14:57,040 --> 00:14:58,800 It was early '93. 295 00:14:59,640 --> 00:15:00,960 - "Protect Ya Neck." - Steve? 296 00:15:01,040 --> 00:15:02,040 - 'N. - Steven. 297 00:15:02,080 --> 00:15:05,480 I'm like, "What the fuck is this? This is a rock band." 298 00:15:06,280 --> 00:15:08,360 So I tried reaching out to RZA. 299 00:15:08,440 --> 00:15:09,520 No answer. 300 00:15:10,040 --> 00:15:12,840 - Went on for six weeks. - You called him for six weeks? 301 00:15:12,920 --> 00:15:15,400 Six weeks, no answer, 302 00:15:15,480 --> 00:15:16,800 and he just shows up. 303 00:15:16,880 --> 00:15:18,720 He says, "The guys are here. 304 00:15:18,800 --> 00:15:20,280 Do you want to meet everybody?" 305 00:15:20,360 --> 00:15:21,200 I'm like, "Yeah." 306 00:15:21,280 --> 00:15:23,440 So I'm in a guest office... 307 00:15:23,520 --> 00:15:25,120 I want to say from here... 308 00:15:25,200 --> 00:15:26,840 The size of this table. 309 00:15:27,400 --> 00:15:31,320 And all nine guys come in and they start performing. 310 00:16:29,160 --> 00:16:30,800 Somebody comes barging in 311 00:16:30,880 --> 00:16:33,080 and says, "That's that shit." 312 00:16:34,280 --> 00:16:36,880 And then storms out. Never saw them again. 313 00:16:36,960 --> 00:16:39,640 Walked in, said it, left, and that's... 314 00:16:39,720 --> 00:16:41,560 I don't know if I got set up or not... 315 00:16:41,640 --> 00:16:43,960 I thought that was one of his fucking staff people. 316 00:16:44,040 --> 00:16:46,200 I never saw the guy ever again. 317 00:16:46,280 --> 00:16:47,960 He says he ain't know him either. 318 00:16:48,040 --> 00:16:50,280 He said he had no idea, he said some random guy 319 00:16:50,360 --> 00:16:52,200 came in and said, "Yo, that's that shit." 320 00:16:52,280 --> 00:16:55,320 Yeah, no, he wasn't with us, but yeah, it did... that did happen. 321 00:16:55,400 --> 00:16:57,120 I'm looking at him and starting... 322 00:16:57,200 --> 00:17:00,920 The energy in the room that day, even the energy in the record... 323 00:17:01,000 --> 00:17:03,400 To me, that was about survival. 324 00:17:03,480 --> 00:17:05,680 It wasn't like, "Oh, I'm changing the industry." 325 00:17:05,760 --> 00:17:08,520 This was like, "I gotta jump-start this fucking company." 326 00:17:08,600 --> 00:17:09,960 What magazine is that? 327 00:17:10,040 --> 00:17:11,320 This is Beat Down, nigga. 328 00:17:11,400 --> 00:17:12,680 Tell us about it, kid. 329 00:17:13,280 --> 00:17:15,360 A'ight, Beat Down. Get this shit, $2, man. 330 00:17:16,040 --> 00:17:18,720 Hey, y'all. They still be getting two beans for it, 331 00:17:18,800 --> 00:17:20,520 but we got Wu-Tang on the cover. 332 00:17:20,600 --> 00:17:22,720 Nah, they post... they get how much 333 00:17:22,800 --> 00:17:24,880 they want to get, they got us up on that beat. 334 00:17:24,960 --> 00:17:28,080 Wu-Tang on the cover. You'd be like, "This is Staten Island advance." 335 00:17:28,160 --> 00:17:30,520 I almost lost it. I don't even wanna be in the scene. 336 00:17:30,600 --> 00:17:33,720 I ain't even wash up today, and I had pussy. 337 00:17:33,800 --> 00:17:35,320 I told you you done stank. 338 00:17:35,400 --> 00:17:37,640 I still got pussy on my balls and dick right now. 339 00:17:39,600 --> 00:17:41,040 Smell like shit, too. 340 00:17:45,320 --> 00:17:47,960 RZA called me, says, "Guys, Steve Rifkind's 341 00:17:48,040 --> 00:17:49,280 interested in the group." 342 00:17:49,360 --> 00:17:51,440 I was like, "I-I-I don't know." 343 00:17:51,520 --> 00:17:52,960 He's a promoter. 344 00:17:53,040 --> 00:17:56,600 So he can get your shit out there, you know what I mean, 345 00:17:56,680 --> 00:17:59,040 but as far as a label album... You know. 346 00:17:59,120 --> 00:18:02,440 He had this Twist a, and that wasn't really happening. 347 00:18:02,520 --> 00:18:04,240 He had another artist, too. I forget. 348 00:18:04,320 --> 00:18:06,800 RZA said, "There's nine of us. 349 00:18:06,880 --> 00:18:09,600 You know, I need to shop each guy on my..." 350 00:18:09,680 --> 00:18:12,160 I have no problem, as long as I have first right, 351 00:18:12,240 --> 00:18:14,520 because to me, the group is bigger than the solo. 352 00:18:14,600 --> 00:18:16,960 He signed the Wu-Tang Clan as a group, 353 00:18:17,040 --> 00:18:18,280 but not the individuals. 354 00:18:18,360 --> 00:18:20,560 If get my guys signed somewhere else, they good. 355 00:18:20,640 --> 00:18:24,000 We give you opportunity to bid it, but you pass on it, 356 00:18:24,080 --> 00:18:25,840 you know we're going with them. 357 00:18:25,920 --> 00:18:28,600 He had first right to each member. 358 00:18:28,680 --> 00:18:31,040 You know, if somebody offered them a solo deal, 359 00:18:31,120 --> 00:18:32,560 you run it past him. 360 00:18:32,640 --> 00:18:35,920 If he could match it, he match it. If he can't, you was free to go. 361 00:18:36,000 --> 00:18:38,160 That was revolutionary. It wasn't done before. 362 00:18:38,240 --> 00:18:39,800 A month later, the deal was done. 363 00:18:40,480 --> 00:18:42,680 All he had was 60 grand, he said. 364 00:18:42,760 --> 00:18:45,520 What I got out of that? I probably got about a G out of that. 365 00:18:45,600 --> 00:18:48,680 He lucky, 'cause I don't remember getting nothing. 366 00:18:48,760 --> 00:18:50,400 "But," he say, 367 00:18:51,400 --> 00:18:53,880 "I'm gonna let you do anything you want to do. 368 00:18:53,960 --> 00:18:57,040 No restrictions. I support anything y'all want to do." 369 00:18:57,120 --> 00:18:58,480 That's all we wanted to hear. 370 00:18:58,560 --> 00:19:00,720 It wasn't about just getting all the money now. 371 00:19:00,800 --> 00:19:04,400 You know, it wasn't about the dough. It was about the plug. 372 00:19:04,480 --> 00:19:07,560 You know what I mean? And the doing something 373 00:19:07,640 --> 00:19:09,240 that you could feel good about, 374 00:19:09,320 --> 00:19:11,920 you know, when it's time to get pulled over or... 375 00:19:12,000 --> 00:19:13,600 You know, like, "What? 376 00:19:13,680 --> 00:19:15,200 You're fucking with me? 377 00:19:15,280 --> 00:19:17,600 You don't want to fuck with me, officer. 378 00:19:17,680 --> 00:19:19,360 You don't want to fuck with me, man. 379 00:19:19,440 --> 00:19:21,880 I got a fucking rap fucking contract, man." 380 00:19:29,520 --> 00:19:31,120 Y'all can't stop with that camera. 381 00:19:31,200 --> 00:19:32,640 What's up? Yo. 382 00:19:32,720 --> 00:19:35,600 Look at this shit. Turn around. See that shit right there? 383 00:19:35,680 --> 00:19:38,760 They fucking sweating us. Listen. They sweating us for no reason. 384 00:19:38,840 --> 00:19:42,440 They on our dick 'cause they see us with a little bit of something. 385 00:19:42,520 --> 00:19:45,280 And they want to come fuck with us. That's my manager! 386 00:19:46,000 --> 00:19:49,000 Know what I'm saying? Focus on that shit. Word up. 387 00:19:49,600 --> 00:19:52,040 Why they fucking with us? They always bring that shit 388 00:19:52,120 --> 00:19:53,120 to the minority, man. 389 00:19:53,160 --> 00:19:54,560 We can't have shit. 390 00:19:54,640 --> 00:19:55,920 A'ight, no problem. 391 00:19:56,000 --> 00:19:58,440 They searching people's shit like that, man. 392 00:19:58,520 --> 00:20:00,000 That's sad, man. 393 00:20:01,200 --> 00:20:04,440 We political, man. We rap stars, and look what we gotta go through. 394 00:20:04,520 --> 00:20:05,960 See, this shit is real. 395 00:20:08,000 --> 00:20:09,000 You find your gun? 396 00:20:10,800 --> 00:20:12,080 All right, listen to me. 397 00:20:12,160 --> 00:20:13,600 If you want to discuss this, 398 00:20:13,680 --> 00:20:15,720 go back to the station, we'll talk about it. 399 00:20:15,800 --> 00:20:19,160 You want to take it to that level? We can take it to that level. 400 00:20:22,680 --> 00:20:25,320 And you just see it's so hard for people in the ghetto 401 00:20:25,400 --> 00:20:28,480 to fucking be able to make it, 'cause nine times out of ten, 402 00:20:28,560 --> 00:20:30,280 we all criminals in they eyes, 403 00:20:30,360 --> 00:20:31,920 and that's fucked-up. 404 00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:34,160 You know what that's for? They said they heard 405 00:20:34,240 --> 00:20:36,120 somebody had a gun in there. 406 00:20:36,200 --> 00:20:37,200 They heard. 407 00:20:38,880 --> 00:20:42,120 We're here with babies, man. All this shit for nothing. Look. 408 00:20:42,200 --> 00:20:44,520 They acting like they had M16s 409 00:20:44,600 --> 00:20:45,840 or some shit over there. 410 00:20:46,880 --> 00:20:48,280 Look at that shit, man. 411 00:20:49,400 --> 00:20:52,240 Killer Hill! Stay out! 412 00:20:53,440 --> 00:20:57,120 THE WAVE NIGHTCLUB STATEN ISLAND 1993 413 00:21:13,560 --> 00:21:15,640 A shout-out to my girl, Jennifer! 414 00:21:15,720 --> 00:21:18,360 ...I love you! What's up? Yeah, b-bum-bum-bum. 415 00:21:18,440 --> 00:21:21,680 "Peace" to my brother Haas, the nigga in C94. Peace, boy. 416 00:21:21,760 --> 00:21:24,960 I'd like to give a shout-out to Marissa, Jennifer, all my girls... 417 00:21:25,040 --> 00:21:28,360 A shout-out to my nigga born scientifical Van Dyke projects. 418 00:21:28,440 --> 00:21:30,840 Shout out to my sister Peggy. I love you! 419 00:21:30,920 --> 00:21:34,360 I want to give a shout-out to MGP! We in here, bring your full effect. 420 00:21:34,440 --> 00:21:35,920 Zulu king's in the house. 421 00:21:37,800 --> 00:21:39,120 You too, Mom! Sue 60... 422 00:21:39,200 --> 00:21:41,240 I want to make a shout-out 423 00:21:41,320 --> 00:21:43,600 to my motherfucking brother, Method Man. 424 00:21:43,680 --> 00:21:45,120 Wu-Tang in the house! 425 00:21:45,200 --> 00:21:47,880 - A shout-out to the whole GP crew! - Hey, yo, Now Born. 426 00:21:47,960 --> 00:21:49,160 Now Born's in the house! 427 00:21:49,240 --> 00:21:51,880 I'd like to give a shout-out to all my peoples in Shaolin. 428 00:21:51,960 --> 00:21:52,960 Wu-Tang! 429 00:21:53,040 --> 00:21:54,480 Shaolin's coming through. 430 00:21:54,560 --> 00:21:55,640 Protect your neck, kid. 431 00:21:56,960 --> 00:21:59,000 Protect your necks. This world is real. 432 00:22:01,640 --> 00:22:02,560 Now check it. 433 00:22:02,640 --> 00:22:04,800 I'm cool with the peoples from Park Hill, 434 00:22:04,880 --> 00:22:06,880 I'm cool with peoples from Stapleton, 435 00:22:06,960 --> 00:22:11,040 I'm cool with peoples from the wild, wild west, the jungle. 436 00:22:11,120 --> 00:22:12,520 Now what I'm saying is, right, 437 00:22:12,600 --> 00:22:14,320 there's some shit being spread. 438 00:22:14,400 --> 00:22:15,800 Know what I'm saying? 439 00:22:15,880 --> 00:22:18,680 Niggas is going and shit... Whatever, whatever. Do your shit. 440 00:22:18,760 --> 00:22:20,520 But don't involve my peoples with that. 441 00:22:20,600 --> 00:22:22,480 We out here trying to get our shit legal, 442 00:22:22,560 --> 00:22:23,720 you know what I'm saying? 443 00:22:23,800 --> 00:22:26,520 Don't knock us because we trying to get our shit legal. 444 00:22:26,600 --> 00:22:29,480 We realm, we came from the same place y'all came from. 445 00:22:29,560 --> 00:22:31,160 You know what I'm saying? 446 00:22:31,240 --> 00:22:33,400 If y'all with me, where y'all at? 447 00:22:33,480 --> 00:22:35,480 My peoples if you with me, where y'all at? 448 00:22:36,240 --> 00:22:38,240 Everywhere! Fuck that Shaolin! 449 00:22:44,440 --> 00:22:45,800 Now RZA, bring that back... 450 00:22:45,880 --> 00:22:47,480 I was actually born in Long Island. 451 00:22:48,440 --> 00:22:50,280 '71, March 2nd, 452 00:22:50,360 --> 00:22:53,000 to Genola Williams 453 00:22:53,080 --> 00:22:54,920 and Clifford Smith, Sr. 454 00:22:55,000 --> 00:22:57,520 My old daddy was young, my mom was young, 455 00:22:57,600 --> 00:23:00,080 and I think they had kids too early. 456 00:23:00,160 --> 00:23:01,680 Either both of them wasn't ready, 457 00:23:01,760 --> 00:23:03,560 one of them wasn't ready... I don't know. 458 00:23:03,640 --> 00:23:04,880 I'm not here to judge Dad. 459 00:23:04,960 --> 00:23:08,600 I just know that as a child, we would move around a lot 460 00:23:08,680 --> 00:23:10,040 without him. 461 00:23:10,120 --> 00:23:13,240 Sometimes, he would probably be sleep in the bed 462 00:23:13,320 --> 00:23:15,400 and we packed up and we gone, 463 00:23:15,920 --> 00:23:18,160 'cause Genola done packed up the kids 464 00:23:18,240 --> 00:23:20,120 and went back home to Indiana. 465 00:23:20,800 --> 00:23:22,440 He would always find us, though. 466 00:23:22,520 --> 00:23:24,280 He loved his kids, you know. 467 00:23:25,160 --> 00:23:27,400 I know for a fact my father loved me, man, 468 00:23:27,480 --> 00:23:29,160 'cause he used to try and steal me. 469 00:23:29,960 --> 00:23:30,960 You know? 470 00:23:31,720 --> 00:23:33,280 He would try and take me. 471 00:23:33,360 --> 00:23:35,840 "I want my son." You know what I mean? 472 00:23:35,920 --> 00:23:37,720 My mother wasn't having any of that. 473 00:23:39,160 --> 00:23:41,160 We wound up going to 474 00:23:41,240 --> 00:23:44,000 a shelter for battered women 475 00:23:44,920 --> 00:23:46,440 in Brooklyn. 476 00:23:47,320 --> 00:23:49,520 I had to be, like, six, seven years old. 477 00:23:49,600 --> 00:23:52,560 It was an experience that I cherish, 478 00:23:52,640 --> 00:23:54,560 because it's the reason why I even ended up 479 00:23:54,640 --> 00:23:55,640 in Staten Island. 480 00:23:56,480 --> 00:23:58,160 See, the thing about the shelter was 481 00:23:58,240 --> 00:23:59,560 they would take women in 482 00:23:59,640 --> 00:24:01,640 off the street like, right then and there. 483 00:24:01,720 --> 00:24:03,120 Extreme cases, whatever. 484 00:24:03,200 --> 00:24:06,200 That's a dangerous situation regardless, men beating on women. 485 00:24:06,280 --> 00:24:07,800 I've never put my hand on a woman. 486 00:24:09,720 --> 00:24:13,080 The lady that ran the place was a Muslim lady named Ummi. 487 00:24:13,160 --> 00:24:14,960 Ummi means mother, of course. 488 00:24:15,040 --> 00:24:17,120 Just the people that lived there 489 00:24:17,200 --> 00:24:19,800 there was an African family, Renaldo and his family, 490 00:24:19,880 --> 00:24:21,800 and Wayne and Ronnie, who had been there 491 00:24:21,880 --> 00:24:22,880 before I was there, 492 00:24:22,920 --> 00:24:26,040 and just I took to them off top, 'cause we were, like, besties. 493 00:24:26,120 --> 00:24:28,080 They gonna bug out when they see this shit. 494 00:24:28,160 --> 00:24:30,000 They probably think I don't remember them 495 00:24:30,080 --> 00:24:31,320 or they don't know it's me. 496 00:24:31,400 --> 00:24:33,360 It's me, Ronnie, Wayne, and Sean. Yeah. 497 00:24:34,240 --> 00:24:37,920 I used to go through depressions, 'cause all my friends were leaving. 498 00:24:38,000 --> 00:24:40,560 You couldn't stay there that long, and I remember Jose 499 00:24:40,640 --> 00:24:41,920 was the first one who left. 500 00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:43,600 Wayne, Ronnie... 501 00:24:43,680 --> 00:24:46,160 It was sad, 'cause I didn't have friends there anymore. 502 00:24:46,240 --> 00:24:48,280 I used to just sit by myself. I wouldn't eat. 503 00:24:50,240 --> 00:24:51,600 Just thinking about, like, 504 00:24:52,400 --> 00:24:55,000 "When is it our time to get the fuck out of here?" 505 00:24:55,080 --> 00:24:56,400 And that time came. 506 00:24:56,480 --> 00:24:59,840 Our first month in Staten Island, we lived with Ummi... 507 00:25:01,000 --> 00:25:02,640 and then my mother found a place. 508 00:25:03,160 --> 00:25:05,480 The apartment we moved in... I did not like it. 509 00:25:05,560 --> 00:25:08,480 The look... it smelled funny, it was weird-looking and shit, 510 00:25:09,360 --> 00:25:12,880 'cause I'm a Long Island kid. Green grass... You know, suburbia. 511 00:25:12,960 --> 00:25:15,400 Black middle class. Very black middle class. 512 00:25:18,600 --> 00:25:20,720 But I adjusted, made friends, 513 00:25:20,800 --> 00:25:23,240 and this was my first exposure to hip-hop. 514 00:25:36,160 --> 00:25:39,080 It feels good to still be out, performing, 515 00:25:39,160 --> 00:25:40,640 25 years later. 516 00:25:41,920 --> 00:25:45,640 I mean, it's always good to be in a studio as one, as a single unit, 517 00:25:45,720 --> 00:25:48,720 sharing thoughts and ideas and rhymes. 518 00:25:48,800 --> 00:25:52,320 It always feels good to be together and get around each other. 519 00:26:08,600 --> 00:26:10,720 One thing about the Wu-Tang Clan: 520 00:26:10,800 --> 00:26:13,200 Most people don't know that it started 521 00:26:13,280 --> 00:26:16,640 with a man with an idea and a business, 522 00:26:16,720 --> 00:26:17,920 pursuing a dream. 523 00:26:18,000 --> 00:26:19,320 - And that's you. - That's me. 524 00:26:20,000 --> 00:26:22,360 It started with me, Mr. Robert Diggs, 525 00:26:22,440 --> 00:26:24,440 having the experience in the industry... 526 00:26:25,400 --> 00:26:27,280 A bad experience, but an experience 527 00:26:27,360 --> 00:26:29,080 that also gained me knowledge. 528 00:26:29,160 --> 00:26:31,880 I went and formed Wu-Tang Productions. 529 00:26:32,600 --> 00:26:34,200 I have my own record label. 530 00:26:35,120 --> 00:26:37,400 So Wu-Tang Productions is a company, 531 00:26:37,480 --> 00:26:39,360 similar to Def Jam, 532 00:26:39,440 --> 00:26:41,400 and I pursued talent to join me... 533 00:26:42,840 --> 00:26:44,880 and the talent did join me. 534 00:26:50,920 --> 00:26:53,360 I then went and got contracts drafted up, 535 00:26:53,920 --> 00:26:56,440 and I signed a 50/50 production deal 536 00:26:56,520 --> 00:26:58,400 with each individual. 537 00:26:58,480 --> 00:27:00,360 But the Holy Qur'an says 538 00:27:00,440 --> 00:27:01,920 make it work with your brother, 539 00:27:02,000 --> 00:27:03,400 but put it in a contract 540 00:27:03,480 --> 00:27:05,160 to secure it on paper. 541 00:27:05,240 --> 00:27:07,960 I was never signed to Loud. 542 00:27:08,040 --> 00:27:10,000 I was signed to Wu-Tang Productions. 543 00:27:10,080 --> 00:27:12,680 We was all signed, except for Genius. 544 00:27:12,760 --> 00:27:15,240 I was never signed to Wu-Tang Productions. 545 00:27:15,320 --> 00:27:17,480 I told RZA, "Man, we family. I mean, we don't... 546 00:27:18,080 --> 00:27:19,480 I don't need to sign anything. 547 00:27:19,560 --> 00:27:23,400 Long as I keep my word and you keep yours, we're good." 548 00:27:26,560 --> 00:27:28,680 - And rolling. - Okay. 549 00:27:28,760 --> 00:27:33,200 Back in those days, you had signing directly to the record label, 550 00:27:33,280 --> 00:27:36,520 or, in some cases, you had the option of signing a production deal, 551 00:27:36,600 --> 00:27:39,200 and a production deal was basically, 552 00:27:39,280 --> 00:27:43,720 you have a company that signs to the label 553 00:27:43,800 --> 00:27:45,800 and you sign artists underneath your company. 554 00:27:45,880 --> 00:27:48,920 It's easier, in a sense, to tell these labels, 555 00:27:49,560 --> 00:27:51,760 "Hey, I am Whatever Productions. 556 00:27:51,840 --> 00:27:54,320 These guys are under me. You deal with me directly." 557 00:27:54,400 --> 00:27:56,160 But in the long run, 558 00:27:56,240 --> 00:27:58,560 you know, when people realize 559 00:27:58,640 --> 00:28:00,200 that the label went through you, 560 00:28:00,280 --> 00:28:02,000 they paid you and you paid them, 561 00:28:02,080 --> 00:28:04,840 they wonder why they don't get all the money from the label. 562 00:28:04,920 --> 00:28:06,240 It becomes a problem. 563 00:28:06,320 --> 00:28:08,840 "How come I ain't get paid as much as you, blah, blah, 564 00:28:08,920 --> 00:28:10,880 and you didn't do much for this record." 565 00:28:10,960 --> 00:28:13,080 And it... you know, it gets touchy, 566 00:28:13,160 --> 00:28:14,560 and, you know, 567 00:28:14,640 --> 00:28:18,120 it's a form of control, too, so I could see that being a problem, 568 00:28:18,200 --> 00:28:20,080 'cause people don't want to be controlled. 569 00:28:21,240 --> 00:28:22,480 Yeah, yeah, yo, what's up? 570 00:28:22,560 --> 00:28:25,680 I'm Lefty Left on the left-hand side and I'm right here now 571 00:28:25,760 --> 00:28:27,040 at Firehouse Studios. 572 00:28:27,120 --> 00:28:28,640 We'll check out the Wu-Tang Clan. 573 00:28:29,640 --> 00:28:30,640 Follow me. 574 00:28:31,080 --> 00:28:34,160 "Protect Ya Neck" was out there. Ralph McDaniels playing a video... 575 00:28:34,240 --> 00:28:36,280 When you think about "Protect Ya Neck," 576 00:28:36,360 --> 00:28:38,720 we just displayed all the swordsmans we got. 577 00:28:39,360 --> 00:28:41,280 So now it was time to record. 578 00:28:41,360 --> 00:28:44,800 Yeah, Firehouse. Yeah, we in here now, y'all. 579 00:28:44,880 --> 00:28:46,840 Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). 580 00:28:46,920 --> 00:28:48,320 You know, Prince Rakeem's... 581 00:28:48,400 --> 00:28:49,600 Here we are. This is it. 582 00:28:49,680 --> 00:28:51,800 'Sup? Look into the camera. What's going on? 583 00:28:51,880 --> 00:28:53,400 Fuck you want to know. 584 00:28:54,920 --> 00:28:57,440 I'm gonna get rich this shit. You know what I'm saying? 585 00:28:57,520 --> 00:28:59,720 Old GZ back in this piece, what you eating, fish? 586 00:28:59,800 --> 00:29:01,080 What's going on? 587 00:29:01,160 --> 00:29:04,120 Wanna give me some freestyle off the dome a little later on? 588 00:29:04,200 --> 00:29:05,440 It's the manager, Mike. 589 00:29:05,520 --> 00:29:07,680 What's going on, baby? How you doing? 590 00:29:07,760 --> 00:29:10,240 What's going on? Peace. My man, Inspectah Deck. 591 00:29:10,320 --> 00:29:11,600 What's up, baby? What's up? 592 00:29:11,680 --> 00:29:12,720 Firehouse Studios. 593 00:29:13,680 --> 00:29:15,680 It was like a little hole-in-the-wall spot. 594 00:29:15,760 --> 00:29:17,000 It had some okay equipment. 595 00:29:17,080 --> 00:29:19,760 I remember the pipes coming through there. 596 00:29:19,840 --> 00:29:23,880 It used to get hot and we used to have mad people coming in and out. 597 00:29:23,960 --> 00:29:25,960 It was a party every night. 598 00:29:26,040 --> 00:29:27,920 Method Man, what's up, baby? 599 00:29:28,640 --> 00:29:30,160 Love, love. What's up, yo? 600 00:29:30,240 --> 00:29:33,520 My man, Raekwon the Chef. What's going down up in this piece? 601 00:29:33,600 --> 00:29:37,560 It's on, baby, I'm telling you. This year is our year, man. 602 00:29:37,640 --> 00:29:40,720 I was excited, you know, from looking at something on TV 603 00:29:40,800 --> 00:29:42,440 to saying, "Damn, I could do that," 604 00:29:42,520 --> 00:29:45,040 to now, I'm getting that shot! 605 00:29:45,120 --> 00:29:47,720 It's like, "Holy shit. Niggas giving me the floor? 606 00:29:47,800 --> 00:29:48,920 Oh, I'm gonna..." 607 00:29:50,200 --> 00:29:52,200 If it make it, it make it. 608 00:29:52,280 --> 00:29:54,320 If it don't, it was just about being there. 609 00:29:54,400 --> 00:29:57,400 You know, we making some noise and we about to blow the fuck up. 610 00:29:57,480 --> 00:30:01,200 Genius is just the beginning of what's about to take place. 611 00:30:01,280 --> 00:30:03,600 We gonna rock the fucking rap industry. 612 00:30:03,680 --> 00:30:05,880 We gonna fuck everybody up. 613 00:30:05,960 --> 00:30:09,200 I don't give a fuck. We fucking running all this shit. 614 00:30:09,280 --> 00:30:13,080 'Cause shit definitely ain't gonna be the same no more. Trust me. 615 00:30:18,320 --> 00:30:19,880 I got three babies out here. 616 00:30:20,720 --> 00:30:23,200 I like to see my children and they wake me up. 617 00:30:25,760 --> 00:30:27,000 Where I grew up, 618 00:30:27,080 --> 00:30:28,800 it was always a struggle. 619 00:30:28,880 --> 00:30:30,840 Being with the Wu-Tang Clan, 620 00:30:30,920 --> 00:30:33,120 I could change a lot of things in my life. 621 00:30:35,760 --> 00:30:37,400 I got my earth, my wife right here. 622 00:30:37,480 --> 00:30:39,680 Shaquita be earth in the name of Allah. 623 00:30:39,760 --> 00:30:42,240 I love my wife, dearly. 624 00:30:42,320 --> 00:30:44,840 We had our first two children while we lived here. 625 00:30:45,840 --> 00:30:47,680 Yeah, 112 Putnam Avenue. 626 00:30:47,760 --> 00:30:49,640 We used to put our milk out on the, um... 627 00:30:49,720 --> 00:30:50,960 On the ledge. 628 00:30:51,040 --> 00:30:52,520 We had no refrigerator. 629 00:30:53,120 --> 00:30:54,240 We went through a lot. 630 00:30:58,160 --> 00:30:59,960 We were righteous people 631 00:31:00,040 --> 00:31:01,720 in the nation of gods and earths. 632 00:31:01,800 --> 00:31:03,480 They're not like other kids 633 00:31:03,560 --> 00:31:05,240 because they have knowledge. 634 00:31:05,320 --> 00:31:08,560 Knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. They know the true meaning of it. 635 00:31:08,640 --> 00:31:10,680 He was god, and I was considered as the earth, 636 00:31:10,760 --> 00:31:12,160 and earth has to be watered. 637 00:31:12,240 --> 00:31:15,120 So being watered means that he nourished me, 638 00:31:15,200 --> 00:31:17,560 take care of me, teach me how to take care of myself. 639 00:31:18,280 --> 00:31:20,720 By this time, he done gave me my name and everything. 640 00:31:20,800 --> 00:31:22,600 "Shaquita be earth in the name of Allah, 641 00:31:22,680 --> 00:31:25,560 for I be the one who reflects the light of Allah into His seats, 642 00:31:25,640 --> 00:31:27,600 thus bringing forth these positive reactions 643 00:31:27,680 --> 00:31:28,600 of the one and only. 644 00:31:28,680 --> 00:31:30,760 I be the reproducer for what Allah borns. 645 00:31:30,840 --> 00:31:33,840 Being black is being beautiful, for all things come from original. 646 00:31:33,920 --> 00:31:36,000 Peace, I sincerely love Allah's mathematics 647 00:31:36,080 --> 00:31:37,800 is good for the mind and the body." 648 00:31:38,480 --> 00:31:39,480 Uh, sorry. 649 00:31:41,760 --> 00:31:42,800 He, um... 650 00:31:44,640 --> 00:31:46,400 He made me, um, 651 00:31:46,480 --> 00:31:48,520 remember that, 'cause when we were in a... 652 00:31:48,600 --> 00:31:50,360 In a bathroom in his apartment, 653 00:31:51,360 --> 00:31:54,400 I wasn't allowed to leave the bathroom until I knew it. 654 00:31:54,480 --> 00:31:56,240 He wouldn't let me out of the bathroom. 655 00:31:56,320 --> 00:31:58,640 He said, "When you learn that, what your name means, 656 00:31:58,720 --> 00:32:00,480 then you can come out of the bathroom," 657 00:32:00,560 --> 00:32:02,680 and I stayed in there for hours, 658 00:32:02,760 --> 00:32:07,320 'cause I didn't like to study, and I didn't want to learn it, 659 00:32:07,400 --> 00:32:10,040 but I see that he wasn't letting me out of the bathroom, 660 00:32:10,120 --> 00:32:12,200 and he's seeing I have problems with studying, 661 00:32:12,880 --> 00:32:14,880 so he was on the other side of the bathroom, 662 00:32:14,960 --> 00:32:18,120 and we would go over, word for word, sentence for sentence, 663 00:32:18,200 --> 00:32:20,400 and I would learn how to... What it meant, 664 00:32:20,480 --> 00:32:22,920 and it took me a long time to get it, but I got it, 665 00:32:23,000 --> 00:32:25,800 and then, by me going through that, it meant a lot to me, 666 00:32:25,880 --> 00:32:28,160 'cause he made me learn it, and once I learned it, 667 00:32:28,240 --> 00:32:29,720 I kept it with me all my life. 668 00:32:31,880 --> 00:32:33,200 Yeah, yeah, it did. 669 00:32:33,280 --> 00:32:36,000 It sort of... at that point, it just changed my whole life, 670 00:32:36,080 --> 00:32:37,880 'cause I had a meaning to my name. 671 00:32:37,960 --> 00:32:39,840 No one never gave me a meaning to my name. 672 00:32:39,920 --> 00:32:43,320 My grandma named me Tracy, but it was just real special. 673 00:32:47,720 --> 00:32:48,960 I think that 674 00:32:49,040 --> 00:32:52,880 what was different about them was that you could really hear 675 00:32:52,960 --> 00:32:55,400 the truth through their lyrics. 676 00:32:56,360 --> 00:32:59,280 That was definitely one of the things that we had in common 677 00:32:59,360 --> 00:33:01,880 because we was coming from this... 678 00:33:01,960 --> 00:33:04,040 We was cut from the same kind of cloth. 679 00:33:04,120 --> 00:33:08,040 You know, I was able to just let my frustration off 680 00:33:08,120 --> 00:33:09,240 on the microphone. 681 00:33:13,640 --> 00:33:15,520 It was like... I got that out. 682 00:33:15,600 --> 00:33:16,600 You know. 683 00:33:17,240 --> 00:33:23,200 One of my friends, Saul Moskovich, had, uh, 36 Chambers on tape, 684 00:33:23,280 --> 00:33:26,560 so I was, like, nine or ten, and we listened to it 685 00:33:26,640 --> 00:33:29,720 just, like, over and over and over and over and over and over again. 686 00:33:29,800 --> 00:33:31,920 You know, I remember, like, we were really into. 687 00:33:32,000 --> 00:33:35,120 "Cash Rules Everything Around Me," and my friends would listen to it, 688 00:33:35,200 --> 00:33:37,240 and it's a really sad song in a lot of ways, 689 00:33:37,320 --> 00:33:39,000 and the beat is kind of sad 690 00:33:39,080 --> 00:33:41,080 and it just always seemed like 691 00:33:41,160 --> 00:33:44,480 the music I listened to had a very hard approach 692 00:33:44,560 --> 00:33:46,880 to these terrible circumstances, 693 00:33:46,960 --> 00:33:48,680 and, I think, 694 00:33:48,760 --> 00:33:51,520 some of the Wu-Tang songs were the first songs 695 00:33:51,600 --> 00:33:53,200 that I heard that had, like, 696 00:33:53,280 --> 00:33:56,120 an approach that really acknowledged the sadness, 697 00:33:56,200 --> 00:33:57,720 um, and, like, the pain of it. 698 00:33:57,800 --> 00:34:00,680 And I think even to take it further, 699 00:34:00,760 --> 00:34:02,400 I think that's why they was 700 00:34:02,480 --> 00:34:03,880 the most successful, 701 00:34:03,960 --> 00:34:08,960 because... they was masters at expressing 702 00:34:09,040 --> 00:34:11,440 their pain. You know? 703 00:34:11,520 --> 00:34:14,280 Being able to speak it where you could understand it 704 00:34:14,360 --> 00:34:17,240 and, you know, it didn't... It never went over your head, 705 00:34:17,320 --> 00:34:18,320 you know? 706 00:34:19,760 --> 00:34:23,240 WKCR 89.9 FM. My name is Bobbi to Garcia. 707 00:34:23,320 --> 00:34:24,880 DJ Stretch Armstrong. 708 00:34:24,960 --> 00:34:27,320 I heard them up on Stretch and Bobbito's show, 709 00:34:27,400 --> 00:34:29,600 and then I found out they weren't signed to Loud. 710 00:34:29,680 --> 00:34:31,120 They had individual options. 711 00:34:31,200 --> 00:34:34,680 Peace to Bobbi to! Shout out to everybody in Shaolin! 712 00:34:45,840 --> 00:34:47,160 And I took a cab up there. 713 00:34:47,240 --> 00:34:49,600 And I went to meet them. RZA knew who I was. 714 00:34:49,680 --> 00:34:53,080 He said, "You knew me when I was with Tommy Boy Records." 715 00:34:54,960 --> 00:34:57,040 RZA, Masta Kill a, and Dirty 716 00:34:57,120 --> 00:34:58,400 all came to my office. 717 00:34:58,480 --> 00:35:00,440 I thought that Meth was the standout star. 718 00:35:00,520 --> 00:35:02,000 "Where's Meth?" and he said, 719 00:35:02,080 --> 00:35:04,080 "I'ma put Meth over here with Russell now," 720 00:35:04,160 --> 00:35:05,560 like he's gonna be on Def Jam. 721 00:35:05,640 --> 00:35:07,640 I'll sign that piece today. 722 00:35:07,720 --> 00:35:08,840 Def Jam. 723 00:35:09,360 --> 00:35:10,560 It's going DZA. 724 00:35:10,640 --> 00:35:12,480 Hell yeah. Ah! 725 00:35:12,560 --> 00:35:14,080 Go... Ah, shit, nigga. 726 00:35:14,160 --> 00:35:15,600 Yeah. 727 00:35:15,680 --> 00:35:17,320 Sitters said they'll buy it. 728 00:35:17,400 --> 00:35:19,640 Getting fucked up now to celebrate. 729 00:35:22,160 --> 00:35:24,760 "But I want to put Dirty here with the gods." 730 00:35:24,840 --> 00:35:26,040 He was a smart guy, RZA. 731 00:35:26,120 --> 00:35:28,320 He knew what everything was. He's playing chess. 732 00:35:28,400 --> 00:35:29,920 So he had already in his mind... 733 00:35:30,000 --> 00:35:32,160 Even before I met him, he probably wanted to put. 734 00:35:32,240 --> 00:35:33,480 Dirty on Elektra. 735 00:35:33,560 --> 00:35:36,120 I think he thought that was the place for him to be. 736 00:35:36,200 --> 00:35:37,400 We had labels that 737 00:35:37,480 --> 00:35:39,480 would usually be competing against each other 738 00:35:39,560 --> 00:35:42,400 actually working with each other for our cause. 739 00:35:43,160 --> 00:35:44,440 Insane. 740 00:35:44,520 --> 00:35:45,360 Unheard of. 741 00:35:45,440 --> 00:35:47,680 RZA had the plan, but who knew? 742 00:35:48,280 --> 00:35:49,280 And, uh... 743 00:35:49,720 --> 00:35:51,440 I guess I got lucky. 744 00:35:51,520 --> 00:35:52,960 I guess we all did. 745 00:35:53,040 --> 00:35:54,760 That's pretty cool. Pretty cool. 746 00:35:57,360 --> 00:35:58,360 Yo, yo, yeah, yeah. 747 00:35:58,400 --> 00:36:01,680 Getting ready to do something with Elektra. 748 00:36:01,760 --> 00:36:04,560 Watch out for it. It's called "Dirty Kung Fu." 749 00:36:04,640 --> 00:36:06,440 You know, it's gonna come to you loud. 750 00:36:07,480 --> 00:36:09,000 Yo, ignore these niggas, yo. 751 00:36:09,080 --> 00:36:10,640 All right, what's going on, man? 752 00:36:11,320 --> 00:36:12,320 Hi. 753 00:36:14,480 --> 00:36:16,160 This is my little sister over here. 754 00:36:16,240 --> 00:36:19,000 I'm saying? Just chilling and shit, you know what I'm saying? 755 00:36:19,080 --> 00:36:21,600 So when I signed him, RZA brought me the two-inch reels, 756 00:36:21,680 --> 00:36:23,480 and he was like, "Here's the record." 757 00:36:23,560 --> 00:36:24,840 I was like, "What the fuck?" 758 00:36:27,600 --> 00:36:28,680 - Yo. - That finish weak. 759 00:36:28,760 --> 00:36:30,360 Nigga dissing me. 760 00:36:31,680 --> 00:36:34,040 - Go ahead, man. - Yo, check it out. Yo, yo... 761 00:36:34,120 --> 00:36:36,480 Dirty was a genius. You know, he was a brilliant guy. 762 00:36:36,560 --> 00:36:38,680 The whole album cover was his idea. 763 00:36:38,760 --> 00:36:40,920 "I want to make my album, uh, my welfare card," 764 00:36:41,000 --> 00:36:42,520 and he brought his card. 765 00:36:42,600 --> 00:36:44,360 It's strictly fucking welfare. 766 00:36:44,440 --> 00:36:46,960 'Cause I've been living in a shelter all my life. 767 00:36:47,040 --> 00:36:48,840 He sold a lot of records. He was a star. 768 00:36:48,920 --> 00:36:52,640 White people love Ol' Dirty Bastard. And it's fucked-up why they love him. 769 00:36:52,720 --> 00:36:54,840 They love him because he's like Flavor Flav. 770 00:36:54,920 --> 00:36:56,080 He's a fucking clown. 771 00:36:56,160 --> 00:36:58,960 You know, some liberal clandestine racism to me. 772 00:36:59,720 --> 00:37:00,880 Dirty was being Dirty. 773 00:37:01,680 --> 00:37:03,760 To me, he was never a clown. He was brilliant. 774 00:37:05,120 --> 00:37:06,880 This is how I get my money. 775 00:37:07,440 --> 00:37:09,400 You know? I'm not ashamed. 776 00:37:10,040 --> 00:37:11,560 Don't you be ashamed! 777 00:37:11,640 --> 00:37:14,760 There was a food stamp card that I had as an ID. 778 00:37:14,840 --> 00:37:17,360 He didn't have one, but I did. It had my picture on it. 779 00:37:17,440 --> 00:37:20,040 And he put his face on it and used the same thing. 780 00:37:20,120 --> 00:37:23,440 He put "36 Chambers" or "ODB." He just fixed it up. 781 00:37:23,520 --> 00:37:26,680 That's what was his album cover, and he just did that, and he's like, 782 00:37:26,760 --> 00:37:28,400 "Oh, I got a great idea, Shaquita." 783 00:37:28,480 --> 00:37:29,480 I'm like, "Really?" 784 00:37:30,080 --> 00:37:31,840 "You can't do that. It's embarrassing," 785 00:37:31,920 --> 00:37:33,680 I was embarrassed to be on food stamps. 786 00:37:33,760 --> 00:37:37,120 I never was ashamed of welfare. I love being it. I don't care. 787 00:37:37,200 --> 00:37:39,960 You owe me 40 acres and a mule anyway. 788 00:37:40,600 --> 00:37:41,440 For real. 789 00:37:41,520 --> 00:37:43,880 I wasn't asked to come here. Know sayin'? 790 00:37:43,960 --> 00:37:47,680 From a bad action, you're gonna get a bad reaction, you know? 791 00:37:48,400 --> 00:37:50,120 You make a dollar bill 792 00:37:50,200 --> 00:37:51,520 and it's only paper. 793 00:37:51,600 --> 00:37:52,880 That's all it is, is paper. 794 00:37:53,520 --> 00:37:57,960 And then you make us fight and kill one another over paper. 795 00:37:58,040 --> 00:37:59,440 That's how I feel about it. 796 00:38:00,040 --> 00:38:01,840 That's how I will always feel about it. 797 00:38:09,600 --> 00:38:11,800 It felt good after leaving Cold Chillin'. 798 00:38:13,560 --> 00:38:15,480 Boy. Yes, yep. 799 00:38:16,080 --> 00:38:17,920 I just remember just hearing them beats 800 00:38:18,000 --> 00:38:19,240 for the first time. 801 00:38:20,040 --> 00:38:22,200 Almost like striking back. 802 00:38:22,280 --> 00:38:23,480 We'll show them. 803 00:38:34,680 --> 00:38:37,440 I mean, I sat there watching RZA make the beat, you know. 804 00:38:37,520 --> 00:38:40,720 Well, you see him have the record. It was... it was you know, a lot of... 805 00:38:41,640 --> 00:38:43,200 playing it, looping it. 806 00:38:43,960 --> 00:38:45,320 Playing the shit, looping it. 807 00:38:48,640 --> 00:38:51,720 But what I paid attention most to was when he caught the melody. 808 00:38:54,080 --> 00:38:56,160 It was like, "Oh, that sounds dope." 809 00:38:58,640 --> 00:39:01,120 Raekwon and Power, Deck, and Meth 810 00:39:01,200 --> 00:39:02,560 would come over often. 811 00:39:03,800 --> 00:39:05,960 God bless, you know, RZA's mom. 812 00:39:06,760 --> 00:39:09,680 She used to welcome us in and then kick us out. 813 00:39:09,760 --> 00:39:11,920 She used to make us go out on the balcony, 814 00:39:12,000 --> 00:39:14,680 so RZA had to get the long mic cord, 815 00:39:14,760 --> 00:39:16,600 and while he's inside the house 816 00:39:16,680 --> 00:39:19,520 we on the balcony, on the mic, and he's working the beats 817 00:39:19,600 --> 00:39:21,560 and we just passing the mic back and forth, 818 00:39:21,640 --> 00:39:23,320 and he's just recording everything. 819 00:39:23,400 --> 00:39:26,160 RZA wanted that dusty, 820 00:39:26,240 --> 00:39:28,080 45 record... 821 00:39:28,880 --> 00:39:31,400 "shit popping off the needle" 822 00:39:31,480 --> 00:39:33,440 style of music, you know what I mean? 823 00:39:33,520 --> 00:39:37,440 He felt that the more closer we are to the streets, 824 00:39:37,520 --> 00:39:39,480 the more respect it's gonna get. 825 00:39:39,560 --> 00:39:41,120 I pick the beat up, 826 00:39:41,200 --> 00:39:43,080 and let Deck and Raekwon go... 827 00:39:43,960 --> 00:39:45,720 and they got on this track, yo, 828 00:39:45,800 --> 00:39:47,280 and they both did 829 00:39:47,360 --> 00:39:49,760 about 64 bars apiece. 830 00:39:50,640 --> 00:39:53,240 Me and Rae did, like, three verses apiece on that. 831 00:39:53,320 --> 00:39:56,480 Anyway, that song was called "The Lifestyle of the Mega-Rich." 832 00:39:57,840 --> 00:39:59,640 That's "Lifestyles of the Mega-Rich,". 833 00:40:00,320 --> 00:40:02,520 It's simply that freestyle shit, G. 834 00:40:02,600 --> 00:40:04,560 But it had no hook. 835 00:40:04,640 --> 00:40:08,040 Method Man had the best hooks, hands-down. 836 00:40:08,120 --> 00:40:09,520 And if I wanted a hook, 837 00:40:10,280 --> 00:40:12,080 "Yo, Meth, I need a hook for this shit." 838 00:40:12,160 --> 00:40:13,880 My boy Raider Ruckus got locked up. 839 00:40:13,960 --> 00:40:15,680 He used to write me these letters 840 00:40:15,760 --> 00:40:18,880 and I remember him putting "C.R.E.A.M." in one of them. 841 00:40:19,600 --> 00:40:22,240 Gotta get this C.R.E.A.M. Cash Rules Everything Around Me. 842 00:40:22,320 --> 00:40:25,040 C.R.E.A.M. Cash rules everything around me. 843 00:40:25,120 --> 00:40:26,960 Because cream rises, you know? 844 00:40:27,040 --> 00:40:30,200 So money make you rise, so "cream" was money. 845 00:40:44,040 --> 00:40:46,200 And I was like, "S... that's it right there." 846 00:40:46,280 --> 00:40:47,360 Deck and Rae, man. 847 00:40:47,440 --> 00:40:50,640 Like, that is Wu-Tang right there when I think of Wu-Tang and shit 848 00:40:50,720 --> 00:40:52,080 in my... in... in my head. 849 00:40:53,440 --> 00:40:54,840 Yo, Rae, come here, man. 850 00:40:54,920 --> 00:40:56,400 What up? 851 00:40:56,480 --> 00:40:57,880 Hey, Rae, you ready? 852 00:40:57,960 --> 00:40:59,200 I can't even hear it! 853 00:40:59,280 --> 00:41:00,720 I got the shit jacked, G. 854 00:41:00,800 --> 00:41:02,280 I can hear it, but turn it up. 855 00:41:05,240 --> 00:41:06,800 - You all set, Rae? - Here we go. 856 00:41:22,760 --> 00:41:26,040 Raekwon's first verse just was a... 857 00:41:26,120 --> 00:41:29,400 I think a great way to describe growing up in New York. 858 00:41:29,480 --> 00:41:33,320 His voice and his cadence followed by Inspectah Deck. 859 00:41:35,080 --> 00:41:37,880 "Twenty-two long, hard years and I'm still struggling." 860 00:41:48,040 --> 00:41:49,480 "And I'm alive on arrival." 861 00:41:49,560 --> 00:41:52,680 Instead of dead on arrival, I'm alive on arrival. 862 00:41:52,760 --> 00:41:54,200 They describe his life. 863 00:41:54,280 --> 00:41:56,080 A man with a plan, a dream. 864 00:41:56,160 --> 00:41:57,640 To make cream, which fail 865 00:41:57,720 --> 00:41:59,280 I went to jail at the age of 15. 866 00:41:59,800 --> 00:42:01,560 Each one of them describing their lives 867 00:42:01,640 --> 00:42:03,920 was powerful. 868 00:42:04,000 --> 00:42:05,800 When this nigga came home from camp, 869 00:42:05,880 --> 00:42:09,600 I looked for Deck for three days 'cause everybody was buzzing, 870 00:42:09,680 --> 00:42:11,600 talking about, "Yo, Deck is... Deck... Deck... 871 00:42:11,680 --> 00:42:12,840 This nigga nasty." 872 00:42:12,920 --> 00:42:16,320 Haven't even heard the nigga rhyme. Used to be in his house all the time. 873 00:42:16,400 --> 00:42:18,880 Do you remember when he spit? I think it was the one... 874 00:42:18,960 --> 00:42:22,080 "The rhyme where I shine like gold." That was the first verse. 875 00:42:22,160 --> 00:42:23,600 I told him. "Average Flow." 876 00:42:23,680 --> 00:42:26,160 When he came over and dropped "Average Flow Niggas"... 877 00:42:26,240 --> 00:42:29,160 - He blew niggas out of the water. - We was all at Stapleton. 878 00:42:29,240 --> 00:42:32,520 You used to come from Park Hill, and then we would go to Stapleton? 879 00:42:32,600 --> 00:42:36,520 We knew we was gonna see Ghost, RZA, GZA might be there, 880 00:42:36,600 --> 00:42:38,560 Dirty might be on his way on the ferry. 881 00:42:38,640 --> 00:42:40,720 Let me tell you something. This like a test. 882 00:42:40,800 --> 00:42:43,560 Everybody keep their little doss to themselves, 883 00:42:43,640 --> 00:42:45,080 but it's like, "It's hard." 884 00:42:45,160 --> 00:42:48,120 No, niggas are still sharing. Niggas are still sharing bars, dog. 885 00:42:48,200 --> 00:42:50,240 - A few lines. - I crumpled up mad papers, 886 00:42:50,320 --> 00:42:52,000 writing lines with these niggas, yo. 887 00:42:52,080 --> 00:42:53,360 We wrote rhymes together. 888 00:42:53,440 --> 00:42:56,000 We write rhymes together, but... but not everybody. 889 00:42:56,080 --> 00:42:58,800 When Inspectah Deck came out with "I smoke on the mic," 890 00:42:58,880 --> 00:43:00,880 that's when I knew that "Yo, you know what? 891 00:43:00,960 --> 00:43:02,840 I ain't waiting for nobody else. 892 00:43:02,920 --> 00:43:04,320 I'm getting up next." 893 00:43:05,040 --> 00:43:07,560 We knew how to feed off each other. 894 00:43:07,640 --> 00:43:10,000 'Cause RZA started to learn who sound good with who. 895 00:43:10,080 --> 00:43:13,640 That's the worst you can do to an MC in the studio while he writing. 896 00:43:13,720 --> 00:43:16,400 - Bug anybody? - "Check this shit out I just wrote." 897 00:43:16,480 --> 00:43:18,800 "Nah, nigga, I'm writing right now." 898 00:43:20,240 --> 00:43:22,400 He might come through with the crazy shit 899 00:43:22,480 --> 00:43:24,960 and then just kill your shit. Like, "Damn, hold on, B." 900 00:43:25,040 --> 00:43:27,000 - Deck was known for that. - Yeah, yeah, yeah. 901 00:43:27,080 --> 00:43:28,680 He... he the first. He go first. 902 00:43:28,760 --> 00:43:30,120 He humble as fuck. 903 00:43:30,200 --> 00:43:33,720 He had us in that studio for hours, trying to follow one of his verses. 904 00:43:33,800 --> 00:43:35,120 It's a... it's a challenge, B. 905 00:43:35,200 --> 00:43:37,240 Deck was a little fucking monsters. 906 00:43:53,000 --> 00:43:54,440 All of us was around each other 907 00:43:54,520 --> 00:43:56,080 for that first album. 908 00:43:57,040 --> 00:43:59,200 Everybody was there all the time. 909 00:44:01,280 --> 00:44:02,680 There was a lot of input. 910 00:44:02,760 --> 00:44:05,120 Everything was critiqued, tight. 911 00:44:05,200 --> 00:44:06,800 There was no feelings involved. 912 00:44:08,960 --> 00:44:10,680 Yo, shit is getting 'tiqued out here. 913 00:44:12,560 --> 00:44:14,400 Hey, you, it's nighttime. 914 00:44:14,480 --> 00:44:16,240 And it was just fun. 915 00:44:16,320 --> 00:44:17,520 We was just there. 916 00:44:17,600 --> 00:44:18,880 The spirit was in the air. 917 00:44:18,960 --> 00:44:20,680 And it's like, "Yo, what's happening?" 918 00:44:20,760 --> 00:44:22,560 Yeah, we just looking at each other 919 00:44:22,640 --> 00:44:24,640 like, "You ready? You ready?" 920 00:44:25,240 --> 00:44:26,880 But that's Mister Smith, right? 921 00:44:26,960 --> 00:44:29,320 That's all Inspectah Deck killing that shit. 922 00:44:29,400 --> 00:44:31,680 - What's the name of this joint? - Enough about here. 923 00:44:31,760 --> 00:44:33,040 It's called "C.R.E.A.M." 924 00:44:33,600 --> 00:44:35,200 Mm, yeah. 925 00:44:37,160 --> 00:44:39,320 And I'm hearing from Steve from Loud Records. 926 00:44:39,400 --> 00:44:40,920 Kick a little song for me, Steve. 927 00:44:41,000 --> 00:44:42,880 Waiting to have Wu-Tang finish their album 928 00:44:42,960 --> 00:44:45,120 so we can get this out and go platinum with it. 929 00:44:45,200 --> 00:44:46,560 - That's about it? - Yes. 930 00:44:46,640 --> 00:44:48,280 I don't like to talk. 931 00:44:48,360 --> 00:44:50,400 All right, I hear that. Oh, Steve, yo. 932 00:44:50,480 --> 00:44:53,000 - Everybody was young. - Pan that shit the fuck up. 933 00:44:53,080 --> 00:44:55,720 To sell a product, people gotta know you got one, 934 00:44:55,800 --> 00:44:58,080 and then they gotta know that that shit is good. 935 00:44:58,720 --> 00:45:00,880 I had to market that album, mold it, 936 00:45:00,960 --> 00:45:02,440 hit the streets with the dudes. 937 00:45:03,600 --> 00:45:04,440 Interviews... 938 00:45:04,520 --> 00:45:06,360 We're a group of righteous men. 939 00:45:06,440 --> 00:45:08,720 We the gods, man, and our job is to teach. 940 00:45:08,800 --> 00:45:09,800 Shows... 941 00:45:09,880 --> 00:45:11,080 Wu-Tang is coming soon. 942 00:45:11,160 --> 00:45:15,760 Power Cipher, Divine! Power Cipher, Divine! 943 00:45:15,840 --> 00:45:17,920 Guest appearances, walkthroughs... 944 00:45:18,960 --> 00:45:21,200 - Hey, thank you. - Everybody else was full. 945 00:45:22,200 --> 00:45:24,480 Anything I could find to get them noticed, 946 00:45:24,560 --> 00:45:27,320 get them out in the street, to make people listen to them. 947 00:45:29,480 --> 00:45:32,560 You know, it was all new. You put a single out and it took off. 948 00:45:33,520 --> 00:45:36,160 Next thing you know, you're doing shows, you're in demand, 949 00:45:37,120 --> 00:45:38,840 and we're all learning. 950 00:45:38,920 --> 00:45:40,360 We're all making mistakes. 951 00:45:40,440 --> 00:45:42,240 We here to show and prove the realism. 952 00:45:42,320 --> 00:45:44,200 We ain't here just to be rhyming. 953 00:45:44,280 --> 00:45:45,320 They was hungry. 954 00:45:45,920 --> 00:45:47,280 We was going for Boston... 955 00:45:48,280 --> 00:45:51,160 to Florida, back up, Virginia, Philly... 956 00:45:51,240 --> 00:45:53,440 Sometimes we'd do two, three shows in one night. 957 00:45:53,520 --> 00:45:56,520 You know, I remember going to Philly and do a show 958 00:45:56,600 --> 00:45:59,800 and then we had to be at the Fever in the Bronx the same night, 959 00:45:59,880 --> 00:46:03,200 and we just on the highways, speeding, 100 miles an hour, 960 00:46:03,280 --> 00:46:04,840 zipping back to the Bronx. 961 00:46:25,200 --> 00:46:28,240 My name is Tonya. I want to give a shout-out to my son, Dontae, 962 00:46:28,320 --> 00:46:30,440 and a shout-out to my man, U-God. 963 00:46:30,520 --> 00:46:31,560 Peace, baby, you. 964 00:46:31,640 --> 00:46:34,320 You'll be home in a minute. I love you, my nigga. 965 00:46:34,400 --> 00:46:36,320 U-God was in jail at the beginning. 966 00:46:36,400 --> 00:46:38,480 I came in out of the fucking can, 967 00:46:39,160 --> 00:46:42,000 so I'm trying to adjust to all this shit that was going on. 968 00:46:42,080 --> 00:46:45,600 I got two felonies, so I gotta report to the parole officer. 969 00:46:45,680 --> 00:46:49,160 Is it cool to go to Baltimore to do the show? 970 00:46:49,240 --> 00:46:51,360 For the most part, he was working with me. 971 00:46:51,440 --> 00:46:53,080 If they see you're making moves... 972 00:46:53,160 --> 00:46:55,880 That's just the beginning. It's just the beginning! 973 00:46:55,960 --> 00:46:58,920 We did it the only way we knew how to do it. 974 00:46:59,000 --> 00:47:00,200 We just did it. 975 00:47:00,280 --> 00:47:02,480 If you came out here to see Wu-Tang, 976 00:47:02,560 --> 00:47:04,840 let me hear you say "Wu-Tang!" 977 00:47:04,920 --> 00:47:06,080 Wu-Tang! 978 00:47:06,160 --> 00:47:10,240 - Wu-Tang! - Wu-Tang! 979 00:47:10,320 --> 00:47:13,320 We up in this Wu-Tang Clan record release party. 980 00:47:13,400 --> 00:47:16,840 I got the clan right here. I got Inspectah Deck, I got U-God. 981 00:47:16,920 --> 00:47:19,240 Shaolin is in the house, man. 36 Chambers. 982 00:47:19,320 --> 00:47:21,400 This the RZA's sister. Sharif. What's up? 983 00:47:21,480 --> 00:47:23,800 Yo, this party is mad phat. 984 00:47:23,880 --> 00:47:26,800 Mad industry people, mad girls. 985 00:47:26,880 --> 00:47:28,480 We got mad celebrities up in here. 986 00:47:28,560 --> 00:47:30,880 Loud Records up in this piece. 987 00:47:30,960 --> 00:47:33,320 My man Dres from Black Sheep. How you doing? 988 00:47:33,400 --> 00:47:34,720 Ah, just taking it easy, bro. 989 00:47:34,800 --> 00:47:37,520 We got West Coast flavor here. We got MCA up in this piece. 990 00:47:37,600 --> 00:47:39,680 - What's up, baby? - Yeah, I'm just chilling. 991 00:47:39,760 --> 00:47:42,360 Over here on the East Coast at the Wu-Tang Clan party. 992 00:47:42,440 --> 00:47:45,320 Shit, we got Sadat up in this piece. What's up, bro? 993 00:47:45,400 --> 00:47:47,200 Lounging. You got some hot-ass lights. 994 00:47:47,280 --> 00:47:49,920 I got my man from Black Moon up in this piece. 995 00:47:50,000 --> 00:47:53,040 Fucking Buckshot Shorty and Dru-Ha and shit. 996 00:47:57,080 --> 00:47:58,920 Yo, get a look at this crowd! 997 00:47:59,000 --> 00:48:01,040 Say it now, motherfucking house! 998 00:48:01,120 --> 00:48:02,240 Wu! 999 00:48:02,320 --> 00:48:07,560 - Wu-Tang! - Wu-Tang! 1000 00:48:07,640 --> 00:48:08,760 Wu-Tang! 1001 00:48:11,880 --> 00:48:12,880 It was just new. 1002 00:48:12,920 --> 00:48:15,040 It was different, it was grimy, it was hard. 1003 00:48:15,120 --> 00:48:17,800 It was the essence of us from the streets, 1004 00:48:17,880 --> 00:48:19,320 and we was really living it. 1005 00:48:19,400 --> 00:48:21,160 Shaolin representing this joint. 1006 00:48:21,240 --> 00:48:24,080 Just, like, you can absorb energy 1007 00:48:24,160 --> 00:48:25,720 and that shit just stick to you. 1008 00:48:27,080 --> 00:48:28,640 It just spilled out in the music. 1009 00:48:28,720 --> 00:48:30,800 But yo, Cream, that stand for money, man. 1010 00:48:30,880 --> 00:48:32,840 Cash rules everything around me, man. 1011 00:48:57,920 --> 00:49:00,120 When "C.R.E.A.M." dropped, 1012 00:49:00,200 --> 00:49:02,920 that's when shit got funky. 1013 00:49:13,400 --> 00:49:15,360 They dropped the fucking music video 1014 00:49:15,440 --> 00:49:17,400 and the record the next day after. 1015 00:49:17,480 --> 00:49:19,440 More things just started popping off, then. 1016 00:49:19,520 --> 00:49:20,760 We did Arsenio Hall. 1017 00:49:20,840 --> 00:49:23,600 Please give it up for Wu-Tang Clan. Go, yo. Go, go, go. 1018 00:49:28,080 --> 00:49:31,600 Since tonight is the night of all nights! 1019 00:49:32,640 --> 00:49:34,840 Most people gather around 1020 00:49:34,920 --> 00:49:36,880 to see the show 1021 00:49:36,960 --> 00:49:39,200 that is coming through your town. 1022 00:49:39,280 --> 00:49:42,080 My name, besides you don't know, 1023 00:49:42,160 --> 00:49:44,480 is Wu-Tang! 1024 00:49:44,560 --> 00:49:47,560 That shit went from 200,000 sales, 1025 00:49:47,640 --> 00:49:51,200 that shit went to 500,000, then 500,000 to 700,000, 1026 00:49:51,280 --> 00:49:54,040 then 700,000 to 1.2 to 1.5. 1027 00:49:54,800 --> 00:49:57,080 Then shit just went nuts after that. 1028 00:50:10,040 --> 00:50:12,760 After that, I knew life was never gonna be the same. 1029 00:50:23,880 --> 00:50:28,200 Music, to me, is a reflection of what you go through. 1030 00:50:28,280 --> 00:50:30,040 We in the hood. We don't go to therapy. 1031 00:50:30,120 --> 00:50:31,800 We just take it for what it was. 1032 00:50:31,880 --> 00:50:35,680 If somebody get their head blown off, or we duck shots and we fuck around 1033 00:50:35,760 --> 00:50:38,840 and we get into scuffs and fight and get cut or shot, or grazed, 1034 00:50:38,920 --> 00:50:41,160 we just wipe it off and keep it going. 1035 00:50:41,240 --> 00:50:42,640 Then my son got shot. 1036 00:50:46,280 --> 00:50:48,240 U-God, one of our members... His son Dontae... 1037 00:50:48,320 --> 00:50:50,400 He got blasted, understand, around the way... 1038 00:50:51,120 --> 00:50:53,880 Force-fire shootout, man, you know what I'm saying? 1039 00:50:53,960 --> 00:50:55,600 - Mommy! - What? 1040 00:50:55,680 --> 00:50:57,520 Method Man. 1041 00:50:59,920 --> 00:51:01,160 That's nice. 1042 00:51:01,240 --> 00:51:02,840 Dontae, he lost his spleen. 1043 00:51:02,920 --> 00:51:04,240 - How old is he? - He's two. 1044 00:51:04,320 --> 00:51:06,000 Two years old and lost his spleen. 1045 00:51:06,920 --> 00:51:08,720 Yeah, he's paralyzed in one leg. 1046 00:51:08,800 --> 00:51:11,480 He's going through therapy right now. We gonna push it. 1047 00:51:11,560 --> 00:51:13,560 Up a little bit more. High up. High up. 1048 00:51:13,640 --> 00:51:15,040 High up, high up. There. 1049 00:51:15,120 --> 00:51:17,680 And so let's see if you can do this. 1050 00:51:17,760 --> 00:51:19,560 One, two. 1051 00:51:19,640 --> 00:51:22,560 Oh, you're doing such a good job. 1052 00:51:22,640 --> 00:51:25,360 We just realized that all that gold record and all that 1053 00:51:25,440 --> 00:51:28,080 will not... will not really save you from the brutality 1054 00:51:28,160 --> 00:51:30,920 or from the subtext you gotta go through. 1055 00:51:31,000 --> 00:51:34,960 - Wu-Tang. - Wu-Tang! 1056 00:51:36,000 --> 00:51:38,840 Welcome home, Dontae Hawkins, Staten Island's littlest hero. 1057 00:51:41,120 --> 00:51:42,760 There's a lot of Dontaes out there. 1058 00:51:42,840 --> 00:51:45,080 Look at Dontae! 1059 00:51:45,160 --> 00:51:47,920 And we, as a society, owe it to these young people 1060 00:51:48,000 --> 00:51:50,760 to make life safer for them, so that's our mission. 1061 00:51:51,600 --> 00:51:53,720 This is a Staten Island story. 1062 00:51:53,800 --> 00:51:54,880 This is our story. 1063 00:51:54,960 --> 00:51:57,160 We're not gonna let them forget Dontae. We can't. 1064 00:52:59,000 --> 00:53:00,120 Arsenio Hall? 1065 00:53:00,200 --> 00:53:01,200 Forget about it. 1066 00:53:01,240 --> 00:53:02,360 Shit was perfect. 1067 00:53:02,880 --> 00:53:03,880 It was beautiful. 1068 00:53:04,840 --> 00:53:06,840 We came out and we made our mark, 1069 00:53:06,920 --> 00:53:08,960 and I think dudes lost sight 1070 00:53:09,040 --> 00:53:12,120 of how that actually really happened. 1071 00:53:14,640 --> 00:53:16,560 Man, we done came a long way. 1072 00:53:16,640 --> 00:53:18,560 Yo, this is Rakeem's brother... 1073 00:53:18,640 --> 00:53:20,480 Divine was always my man, right? 1074 00:53:20,560 --> 00:53:21,960 Wu-Tang, baby. Watch out! 1075 00:53:22,040 --> 00:53:24,040 Watch out! It's coming down, baby! 1076 00:53:26,720 --> 00:53:30,960 Well, Divine, I mean, early on, I didn't really see him that often. 1077 00:53:31,040 --> 00:53:32,880 I started seeing him a little later. 1078 00:53:32,960 --> 00:53:35,240 Like, I remember one time, RZA came and he say, 1079 00:53:35,320 --> 00:53:37,480 "Power and 'Vine's gonna be part of management." 1080 00:53:37,560 --> 00:53:38,720 You know what I mean? 1081 00:53:38,800 --> 00:53:41,880 More or less. So I was like, "Okay, you know, whatever." 1082 00:53:41,960 --> 00:53:44,720 Mook and Lask... a lot of people don't know our business 1083 00:53:44,800 --> 00:53:46,120 and didn't know our business. 1084 00:53:46,200 --> 00:53:48,400 They just seeing everything coming together 1085 00:53:48,480 --> 00:53:50,440 and yeah, those guys worked for us. 1086 00:53:50,520 --> 00:53:52,640 When they came, they was work for hire, 1087 00:53:53,200 --> 00:53:54,640 and we was growing, 1088 00:53:54,720 --> 00:53:58,480 so we needed somebody to be a manager every day. 1089 00:53:58,560 --> 00:54:02,400 I ain't know they were investors. I was like, "Yo, okay," but like, 1090 00:54:02,480 --> 00:54:03,680 I didn't understand. 1091 00:54:03,760 --> 00:54:04,680 I'm thinking. 1092 00:54:04,760 --> 00:54:06,800 "Okay, now we got to split this four ways." 1093 00:54:06,880 --> 00:54:08,440 Like, "Oh, man." You know? 1094 00:54:08,520 --> 00:54:09,960 We starting to make money, 1095 00:54:10,040 --> 00:54:12,000 now my cut's getting lower. 1096 00:54:15,560 --> 00:54:17,920 This is, uh, Divine interview, take one. 1097 00:54:24,120 --> 00:54:28,560 RZA's kept a ban on my ability to speak publicly. 1098 00:54:28,640 --> 00:54:31,120 He's just been like, "No, they're not ready for you." 1099 00:54:31,200 --> 00:54:33,720 RZA's like, "Vine, you are a fucking tyrant." 1100 00:54:35,320 --> 00:54:36,680 I am a tyrant, 1101 00:54:36,760 --> 00:54:38,680 and not in the negative sense of the word. 1102 00:54:39,360 --> 00:54:40,520 I'm a businessman. 1103 00:54:41,400 --> 00:54:44,000 I think about business 1104 00:54:44,080 --> 00:54:45,320 when I'm asleep, 1105 00:54:45,400 --> 00:54:48,120 but I can honestly tell you that them motherfuckers drove me 1106 00:54:48,200 --> 00:54:49,800 to the point whereas I lost it, 1107 00:54:50,360 --> 00:54:53,160 and I lost myself 1108 00:54:53,240 --> 00:54:55,360 because I stopped believing in who I was. 1109 00:54:55,440 --> 00:54:56,840 I wasn't allowed to speak, 1110 00:54:56,920 --> 00:54:59,440 but now he's like, "Your 25 years is up. 1111 00:54:59,520 --> 00:55:00,760 Do whatever you want." 1112 00:55:05,520 --> 00:55:08,520 Subtitles: Patricia Rosemberg plint.com