"[31][32] The Source cited Enter the Wu-Tang as one of the "100 Best Rap Albums", while also naming "Protect Ya Neck/Method Man" and "C.R.E.A.M." Between Masta Killa and Killah Priest, the rappers fought it out, trying to write the best verse to get on the song. [citation needed] "Tearz" tells two stories: RZA's little brother getting shot and Ghostface Killah recounting the story of a man who contracts HIV after having unprotected sex. [citation needed], Wu-Tang made music videos for the three A-sides, and the B-side songs including, "Method Man", "Da Mystery of Chessboxin'", and "Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing ta Fuck Wit". [citation needed] According to one columnist, "When Enter the Wu-Tang: The 36 Chambers first graced the pages of rap lore in 1993, Dr. Dre's funk-filled, West Coast gangster rap dominated the business. Man"). "Because [RZA] didn't have the best mixing or recording equipment, the album is wrought with a 'dirty' quality—the drums have more bass and are more hard-hitting than they are crisp and clean; the samples have an eerie, almost haunting type of echo; and the vocals, because each member's voice is already aggressive and gritty, perfectly match the production. In refusing to commodify themselves, they leave blank the ultimate canvas—the self." He was also the only member who was not a rapper at the time of the group's formation. Something as unique and unusual as this record isn't supposed to find itself at the height of commercial viability; it's supposed to smolder underground, hidden from the view of mainstream America, who surely would not be ready for such a challenge. … That was my first time as an MC. As far as with a mic in my hand, Wu-Tang was the first time. In fact, on the No Said Date DVD, Killah Priest claims that he and Masta Killa were in competition for the spot on "Da Mystery of Chessboxin'", and while Killah Priest fell asleep, Masta Killa stayed up all night writing and Killah Priest woke up the next morning to Masta Killa's verse. I loved to pop. Masta Killa was the last member to release a solo project, after it was delayed for several years and finally released in June 2004 with the title No Said Date; critically acclaimed, it became independent label Nature Sounds' best-selling album, notable for featuring every core member of the Wu-Tang Clan on the album after a period in the group's history that lacked unity. Jamel Irief (born Elgin Turner; August 18, 1969), better known by his stage name Masta Killa, is an American rapper and member of the Wu-Tang Clan. "Da Mystery Of Chessboxin'" lyrics. After that, he tried his hand at writing raps, and the first bars he ever wrote in his life became “Da Mystery of Chessboxin'” on 36 Chambers. among the "100 Best Rap Singles". The hood imagery of the lyrics is utterly pervasive and uncompromising, immersing the listener in a foreign land smack in the middle of New York. 16 tracks (40:49). [15][23] The album continued to sell steadily and was eventually certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America on May 15, 1995. "[7] He is a fan of Gladys Knight, Patti LaBelle, Barry White, Parliament-Funkadelic and Ohio Players. on May 17, 2019, 7:03am. 3. [28] In 2003, Rolling Stone named the album among the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time", asserting that "East-coast hip-hop made a return in 1993. [3] Each member recorded under an alias: Grice as The Genius, Diggs as Prince Rakeem or The Scientist, and Jones as The Specialist. [54] The album was titled A Better Tomorrow and the tour included dates throughout the United States, Europe, and Russia. Masta only appeared on one track on the Wu-Tang Clan’s first album, in the closing verse to “Da Mystery of Chessboxin”. Its title originates from the martial arts films Enter the Dragon (1973) and The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978).[2]. On MADE IN BROOKLYN, hip-hop heads get a chance to see just how far Masta Killa has come as an MC. [citation needed] The album was produced, mixed, arranged, and programmed by RZA, and was mastered at The Hit Factory in New York City by Chris Gehringer. About “Da Mystery of Chessboxin’” The B-Side to Wu-Tang’s classic “C.R.E.A.M”, “Da Mystery Of Chessboxin'” featured the two lesser known members of the Clan, U-God and Masta Killa. I never performed until we launched Wu-Tang. According to music journalist Ben Yew, the minimalist means of production plays directly into the music's "street" aesthetic. Killah Priest:I fell asleep, man. Lyrics to Da Mystery of Chessboxin' by Wu-Tang Clan from the Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) album - including song video, artist biography, translations and more! "[29][30] The magazine later listed it as one of the "Essential Albums of the 90s" and "100 Best Debut Albums of All Time. 9th Wonder, a producer and former member of Little Brother, is one of many whose vocal sampling styles are inspired by RZA. ", featuring Raekwon and Inspectah Deck, was the second single from the album, and the first new A-side to be released after the group signed with Loud/RCA. It was the Wu-Tang Clan's most successful single, reaching number 60 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 8 on the Billboard Hot Rap Tracks chart. The duo decided to create a hip hop group whose ethos would be a blend of "Eastern philosophy picked up from kung fu movies, watered-down Nation of Islam preaching picked up on the New York streets, and comic books. [citation needed] The singles were independently released as, "Protect Ya Neck"/"After the Laughter Comes Tears", which RZA financed by demanding $100 (USD) from each rapper who wanted a verse on the A-side. One of two songs to feature a single member of the group on the verses (, Recording Industry Association of America, List of hip-hop albums considered to be influential, "Wu-Tang's RZA Breaks Down 10 Kung Fu Films He's Sampled", "Days of the Wu — The RZA looks inside the Clan", "Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (Japan) at Allmusic", "Retrospect for Hip-Hop: A Golden Age on Record? "[10] Although Ol' Dirty Bastard is given co-production credit on "Da Mystery of Chessboxin'" and Method Man is co-credited for "Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing ta F' Wit", critics and admirers universally credit RZA with developing what Pitchfork called a "dusty yet digital production style [that] helped legitimize the use of more diverse sample sources to the hardcore New York rap massive, breaking away from James Brown based beats and embracing a style that turned the Underdog theme into the menacing coda for a group of underground terrorists. [4] By 1991, The Genius and Prince Rakeem were signed to separate record labels. Though this initial dominance was difficult to overcome, Wu-Tang still managed to carve out a piece of rap history. [citation needed] An Expanded Edition of the album available on digital platforms like Amazon Music and Spotify contains three additional tracks: a "Shao lin" version of "Protect Ya Neck", a "Home Grown" version of "Method Man", and an a cappella version of "C.R.E.A.M.". You may recall Masta Killa’s introduction on the Wu-Tang Clan’s 1993 debut Enter the 36 Chambers. "[11], Enter the Wu-Tang ushered in a new standard for hip hop at a time when hip hop music was dominated by the jazz-influenced styles of A Tribe Called Quest, the Afrocentric viewpoints of Public Enemy, and the rising popularity of West Coast gangsta rap. In his own iniquity it's the Master of the Mantis Rapture comin at cha We have an APB on an MC Killer Looks like the work of a Master Evidence indicates that it's stature Merciless like a terrorist hard to capture There are some who would confidently declare … ", "Pitchfork Feature: Top 100 Albums of the 1990s", "2002, Hiphop's Year One: Nas, Mobb Deep and Wu-Tang Clan Face 9/11", "Wu-Tang Clan: Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)", "Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) – Wu-Tang Clan", "The Wu-Tang Clan Story: Part One from Stylus Magazine", "Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers (Explicit Version) at Buy.com", "Wu-Tang Clan, 'Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)' (Loud/RCA)", "Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers): Billboard Albums", The Source's 5 Mic Albums on Lists of Bests, "Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums of All Time at RollingStone.com", "500 Greatest Albums of All Time Rolling Stone's definitive list of the 500 greatest albums of all time", "Rolling Stone Essential Albums of the 90s at Rocklist.net", "The 100 Best Debut Albums of All Time: Wu-Tang Clan", "The Source's 100 Best Rap Albums at Rocklist.net", "MTV.com Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time", "Wu-Tang Clan celebrates 20th anniversary of landmark debut", "Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) Still Sets the Gold Standard", "Coffee and Cigarettes: An Interview with RZA at Blackfilm.com", "Little Feat: An Interview With 9th Wonder at RemixMag.com", "Gold and Platinum Database Search at RIAA.com", "Nas, Wu-Tang Clan show growth, change with new albums at UWIRE.com", "RZA Explains What It Would Take to Reunite the Wu-Tang Clan", "Wu-Tang Clan Reveal Title of 20th Anniversary Album", "Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) at AcclaimedMusic.net", "100 Best Albums of the Nineties: Wu-Tang Clan, 'Enter the Wu-Tang 36 Chambers, "Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) [Expanded Edition] [Explicit]", "Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers): Credits at Allmusic", "Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers): Billboard Singles at Allmusic", "British album certifications – Wu-Tang Clan – Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)", "American album certifications – Wu-Tang Clan – Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)", "Wu-Tang Clan: Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)", Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s, Mathematics Presents Wu-Tang Clan & Friends Unreleased, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Enter_the_Wu-Tang_(36_Chambers)&oldid=1016392274, Short description is different from Wikidata, Album articles lacking alt text for covers, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2021, Articles lacking reliable references from January 2021, Certification Table Entry usages for United Kingdom, Pages using certification Table Entry with streaming figures, Certification Table Entry usages for United States, Pages using certification Table Entry with streaming footnote, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz release group identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, The information regarding accolades attributed to. 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