Ok. I'm just getting into this band, that is, I've only got two albums (Enter Wu-Tang Clan and The W) but I'm intrigued by... everything they are!

I mean, I can see that they've got some sort of a concept going. And it's just cool how they've got their own Wu-Tang names

I guess I want to start a discussion on what Wu-Tang Clan do, why they formed, what they mean and what they've become.

From what I understand (which isn't much, hehe) all the band members have, unlike many of their modern counterparts, come out of real slums. They grew up in these poverty sticken towns, developed there and are still based there.

And they're getting rich. Their clothes range is probably more popular than their music. , people wear Wu-Tang clothes without having heard any of their music! But this means that all the money these guys are raking in is staying in the slums...

On the Enter Wu-Tang Clan album, there's the intermission where it's like the band is being interviewed. One thing one of them says is something like "We're trying to make something for ourselves, so that when our children get old they got something for themselves."

I thought that was pretty cool.

Well they come from Staten Island. They always say "Shaolin" in their songs and shit like that and Shaolin to them just means staten island. I don't really know much about them as far as autobiography goes.. I know about their music though. There's 9 members of the actual Wu Tang Clan. Ghostface Killa, Ol' Dirty Bastard (dead), Method Man, Gza, Rza, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Raekwon, and Master Killa. They also have tons of affiliates... people who aren't actually in the clan but are affiliated with the group.. they have more connections than any other group in hip hop. Guys like Cappadonna, Killah Priest, etc.

All I know is that the name Wu Tang has something to do with asian kung fu sword fighting or something like that, and each one of the members is named after a comic book character.

Solo albums you need to get if you're a fan of the Wu:

GZA - Liquid Swords
Raekwon - Only built 4 Cuban Linx
Ghostface Killa - Ironman
Ol Dirty Bastard - Nigga Please
Method Man - Tical

There are much more but that should do it for now.

wu-tang was the group that made me fall in love with hip hop way back when and my cousin's would have it on and i'd just be in it. yeah theyre all from staten island, and they all have 2nd aliases given to them by raekwon in built only 4 cuban linx (an essential wu album) so yes i am in love with the crew, but as far as the autibiography goes, they're supposed to do mysterious due to the marriage of hip hop and martial arts they use. they did beat the hell out of a magazine writer for putting an article about them with illustrations in a magazine without their permission in an almost mocking manner. but yeah, the music really speaks for itself...