The Saga Continues: Wu-Tang Clan On Their History Making Moment In Las Vegas

Photo Credit: Mark Hanson

BY LAURA SCHREFFLER

PHOTOGRAPHY MARK HANSON

STYLING CYNAMIN JONES

PHOTOGRAPHY ASSISTANT KENT AVERY

STYLING ASSISTANT MONAE MARIE

SHOT ON LOCATION AT THE SHAG ROOM AT VIRGIN HOTELS LAS VEGAS

Photo Credit: Mark Hanson

It is an early Friday morning in Las Vegas, and RZA, Wu-Tang Clan’s de facto leader, has almost unobtrusively slipped into The Shag Room at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, quietly taking in the organized chaos of our shoot. Here, a revolving roster of members and their entourages — managers, publicists, siblings, stylists, and friends — have all come together to make the iconic ensemble’s first group shoot in three years possible, and for a purpose: the Staten Island-formed outfit is ready to discuss their history-making moment as Sin City’s very first hip-hop residency.

RZA — otherwise known as Robert Fitzgerald Diggs — is leaning against the bar when I meet him, instilled with a quiet peace and distinctive authority. He is tranquil, but also watchful, taking in Cappadonna, who is speaking energetically about his chakras; DJ Mathematics, who is divulging that he’s working on his first book; Young Dirty Bastard, getting his hair styled in the same wild and distinctive fashion as his late father, Old Dirty Bastard; Raekwon, sipping on green tea and catching up with Inspectah Deck and Masta Killa; and Method Man, who is quietly sitting in a corner. But RZA, placid and unflappable, takes a moment to break away from the steady hum of people around him, and follows me to one of the room’s Bedouin-style booths to discuss how this monumental moment came to be. What he shares is that, like everything else that’s occurred in the world of Wu-Tang, the residency was all part of a master plan — his master plan.

“The most important thing to know is that this was planned,” the rapper, record producer, composer, actor, and filmmaker, who turns 55 on July 5, tells me of Wu-Tang Clan: The Saga Continues Residency. “We thought about it almost six years ago now, but at that time, I don’t think everything was properly aligned with us as performing artists. The business didn’t make sense, and even the potential demand wouldn’t have been at the level that it should have been — but the aspiration was there. When I realized it was a premature thought, the team and I decided to work towards it. And so, we took those footsteps, starting with our documentary.”

Photo Credit: Mark Hanson

He’s referring to the four-episode docu-series Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men, which was released on Showtime in 2019 and told the group’s story, from their earliest moments to present day, in commemoration of their 25^th anniversary. Later that year, Hulu debuted the series Wu-Tang: An American Saga, a fictionalized account of their lives that RZA co-created with Watchmen screenwriter Alex Tse. The 2023 N.Y. State of Mind tour with Nas was the final piece of the pre-residency puzzle.

And so, according to RZA, the residency was not so much a question of if, but when. “All of it was strategized,” he maintains now. “We weren’t sure if all of it would work, if it would hit the mark, but it did. This residency, which we are sparking now, is the wick to something that we consider to be another groundbreaking move. I don’t know how to say this without throwing my ego into it, but this [residency] is a lamppost; hopefully they’ll be able to use us as a marker, because it’s our intention to spark that kind of light.”
The guys all collectively agree that RZA is responsible for not only getting them to this milestone, but also making them what they are today. It is Ghostface Killah — né Dennis David Coles, 54 — who sums it up most concisely. “I give it up to RZA. He had a vision and did a lot of things in hip-hop that most people didn’t do. Instead of going around for a group deal, he had the idea to get exclusivity for each artist, and made that happen along with Steve Rifkind. After that, everything just kept spreading. GZA was his own god, Method Man was his own god, Ol’ Dirty and everybody was powerful, and it still trickled down to me, Raekwon, Masta Killa, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Cappadonna. Everyone made noise, then we form together like Vultron. And now, we are back at it again.”

Photo Credit: Danny Hastings

He sees the residency as another steppingstone in their story of greatness, another example of how far they’ve come. “Having a residency in Vegas [symbolizes] longevity, and it’s important to our legacy,” he notes. “To see where we came from to where we’re at right now — coming from the staircase to the main stage — feels important.”

The members collectively agree, though some, including DJ Mathematics (otherwise known as Ronald Maurice Bean, 52), are still in disbelief. “You think about the Rat Pack a lot, coming out here, but I never thought we would be here,” he admits.

Lamont Jody Hawkins, aka U-God, disagrees: in his opinion, Wu-Tang is the modern-day Rat Pack. “We’ve been dibbling and dabbling in Vegas for a minute,” the 53-year-old says with a toothy grin. “And slowly but surely, we’ve been unfurling our wings. We’ve been having a good time out here — a really good time, if you know what I mean. It kind of feels like we’re in the Frank Sinatra days.”

Photo Credit: Mark Hanson

Unlike the actual Rat Pack —  a group of entertainers who made films together and appeared in Las Vegas casinos from the late 1940s through the 1960s, comprised of Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop — only one member of the Wu-Tang crew has fallen, but he most definitely isn’t forgotten. Cappadonna, 54-year-old Darryl Hill, takes a break from discussing his healing abilities and current health cleanse to pay respect to Ol’ Dirty Bastard, who passed away from an accidental drug overdose in 2004 at the age of 35. “This is epic, it’s so major, and we’re all here to experience it. Well, most of us,” he amends. “Rest in peace, ODB.”

Not in his place, but as his legacy, ODB’s son, Young Dirty Bastard, né Barsun Unique Jones, 35, is here to give Las Vegas his all. But then, he’s always done so with Wu-Tang Clan, since first performing with the group in 2004, when RZA suggested he join them onstage in Atlanta to perform his father’s hit track “Shimmy Shimmy Ya.” He’s been preparing for this moment as a way of continuing his dad’s legacy — and his own. “This is a big deal for us, and for hip-hop in general. We’re here, kind of marking our territory, but we’re also welcoming in our brothers and friends in the rap game. It’s definitely a step into a bigger culture here, because it’s not just about rap. It’s about something fresh, about being part of something bigger than us.”

For his part, Inspectah Deck, or Jason Richard Hunter, who turns 54 on July 6, feels that, “this is a surreal moment for a couple of reasons. Being 53, when I look back, I never thought we’d be 30 years in the game at this level. To be here in Las Vegas with this residency, at this age, it just feels like we’re picking up steam. I’m thinking, OK, it’s time to retire, but people are still interested, people still want to hear what we have to say after 30 years. A lot of people don’t make it that long in the rap game, so it’s impressive and also humbling; a whole lot of emotions rolled up into one. I try to stay humble and not let it go to my head, or like I’m above anybody else. I also take that moment for what it is: like, Hey, this is huge, this is great, you did something monumental that not a lot of people could do. I probably haven’t embraced it in the way I should, but there’s time: our story is still being written.”

Photo Credit: Mark Hanson

Fifty-four-year-old Corey Woods, otherwise known as Raekwon, agrees, and fully owns the group’s collective excellence. “You never know your greatness when you’re great; people always have to remind us about it,” he confesses. “But I think that Vegas itself and being the first rap group to do this here, kind of speaks volumes. We’re defining our power here, almost like a competitive sport. For us to be here is almost like Hall of Fame recognition; when you start to see things like this happen, you’re in line to get inside that Hall of Fame. You never know how far the stars are; you just see them sometimes. They’re so far away, but they’re also right in front of you.”

Raekwon is speaking, and it’s like poetry. RZA might be, as I learn, the abbot, but Raekwon feels like the glue of the Wu. He’s the first to arrive at the shoot — a half hour early, even — raring to go, endlessly positive, the ultimate hype man. They all keep it real, but there’s something about his steadiness, his excitement at being right here, right now, at the type of shoot he’s likely done thousands of times, as if it were the first, that speaks to his character. He’s clearly happy to be here, enjoying this milestone moment with his brothers, likening the residency to a “dream come true. We used to rhyme in a staircase, so being able to make it to this level of expressing our lyrics and knowing where we came from, to being here, a place where millions of people come to enjoy themselves and enjoy entertainment, definitely feels a little different to us. I couldn’t tell you that we would do this. When we were coming up, it was never in the program — but it’s a blessing, a bucket list thing. To be here now is to realize that dreams really do come to fruition.”

RZA is slightly more pragmatic. Yes, dreams do come true, but he knows the work involved to make them a reality. Still, I feel like I’m talking to Bruce Lee (a reference of which makes perfect sense given that the group’s name is not only a reference to the 1983 martial arts film Shaolin and Wu Tang, but that martial arts in general have been a constant theme in their music) as he expresses how this residency “hit the mark,” so to speak. “Using the mark as an analogy, the archer could be pretty well trained — he has the right bow, the right weight on his arrow — yet the wind could come at a bad moment, or a bird could fly by and cause you to miss. But even with missing, you should definitely try to have a strategy, an alternative path, and I think that way as I try to navigate Wu-Tang.

Photo Credit: Mark Hanson

“That’s why they call me the abbot,” he continues. “An abbot is almost like a religious term that was used in Shaolin. He’s the head of spiritual guidance, or the best knower of the situation. Everybody has their own skills and capabilities, but they would defer to the abbot because his opinion is going to hold the strength of three others. He was the head of the temple, but he wasn’t the best fighter. In Shaolin tradition, the abbot would be asked, ‘Should we fight?’ And he would say yes or no. To be clear, the abbot can fight, but you don’t want him to; you want to strive to protect the abbot at all costs, because his knowledge is the conglomeration that can help more warriors, more students. ‘The abbot’ was a title that my [Wu-Tang] brothers gave me in our early phase of formation. People would say, ‘He’s the leader,’ but that’s not true. Leaders can be dictators, or tyrants. Becoming an abbot is something done through experience, compassion, empathy, study, calculations. When something comes to the table, you’re able to think in a circle. So, bringing that back to us, when I pitched the idea to Wu about a Vegas residency three years ago, I said, ‘This is the plotted trajectory,’ but we have to hit these marks before we get there.”

The iconic group has definitely hit their target here if fan response is any indication. Wu-Tang Clan: The Saga Continues Residency is a tribute to the members’ prolific, multi-decade career. As such, seven of the OG members — RZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, U-God, Masta Killa, and Inspectah Deck — as well as Cappadonna, who became an official member in 2007; Mathematics, the group’s official DJ and creator of their iconic symbol; as well as Young Dirty Bastard, kicked off this major moment in their history on February 9, followed by further shows in March, with additional dates of September 27 and 28 to come. [The only missing member at these shows was GZA, for reasons unknown.] 

Photo Credit: Mark Hanson

I caught their set post-shoot on March 22, where the group performed iconic hits like “C.R.E.A.M. (Cash Rules Everything Around Me),” “Da Mystery of Chessboxin,” “Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing ta F’ Wit,” and “Protect Ya Neck” — tracks that are about as recognizable as anything in the rap canon — to a packed house at The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.  It was a night. Yet, this evening serves as just one tiny example of their career, which should be spoken about with only reverence and respect. 

Since forming on Staten Island in 1992 and exploding onto the scene in 1993 with Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) — an album of which is widely considered to be one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time — Wu-Tang have released seven more records in their own distinctive style of classic funk and soul track samples, Five Percenter terms, Kung Fu phrases, and comic book and street slang (that would eventually be notated in The Wu-Tang Manual) — three of which went platinum — and a slew of solo albums; pursued their individual creative ventures inclusive of water, coffee, clothing, wine, and cannabis; and successfully launched the careers of a number of artists (of whom are collectively known as the Wu-Tang Killa Beez).

Shockingly, the group has never won a Grammy; a true travesty. But, in RZA’s opinion, mere awards cannot dictate their worth. “Sometimes, the industry can forget about you; they can move on from you,” he says quietly. “But you have to figure out how to keep your value, or how to put a value on yourself that no one can take from you. As a group, I saw that we needed to speak for ourselves, that we needed to collectively agree to a movement and activate it. If we did that, which we did at the beginning of our career, then we could reform back into a laser and hit the target we were aiming for. And that plan was the documentary, the TV show, the tour, the residency. The documentary and the TV show both got Emmy nominations, so the plan is working. There’s success coming out of it, and not just personal fulfillment or economic success, either. This was all a calculated move; I was blessed with learning chess at a young age, and I think that helped me. A young lady taught me that — and a few other things — in the process. So, when you ask me how that feels, well, it feels great. It feels great to have a calculated move pay off, to be doing this with my brothers, to be making history. But don’t forget this: we’re still striving to create our legacy, and we’re still living it.”

Photo Credit: PATRICK GRAY – KabikPhotoGroup.com

ON NOVEMBER 9, 2023, the Empire State Building was lit up in black and yellow to commemorate another major moment in Wu-Tang Clan history: the release of Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers).

RZA, GZA, Method Man, Ghostface Killah, U-God, Mathematics, and Cappadonna all attended the lighting ceremony on the 86^th floor of the Observatory. It was the kind of moment to inspire awe in all — a milestone to mark just how they’ve come from those early days in The Firehouse back in Brooklyn, where they recorded the majority of 36 Chambers. The Firehouse was a work in progress — exposed wires, full of holes, raw and a little unfinished — a complete departure from where they record today. Yet, that space is symbolic in that serves to highlight the differences between then and now. And truly, they were as happy then as they are now. Life is just different.

As it would be, of course. Many changes would obviously occur over the course of 30 years. The Wu-Tang crew keenly feel the weight of those years, and simultaneously, are still able to marvel at all that they’ve done.

Photo Credit: Mark Hanson

Back then, says Raekwon, Wu-Tang were the trailblazers. “It’s almost like a thing that’s passed down to generations. When we were coming up, we wanted to be like LL, Rakim, and Slick Rick, and now you have the younger generation saying they want to be like Wu-Tang and Nas; all the guys that came from a certain level of time and music that allowed music to grow. Personally, I love to see the young generations have something to follow.”

And now? “I might describe us as vanguards, because we stand with a different kind of armor,” he explains.

It’s true that the Wu-Tang of today are not the same group that they were when they started. Back then, they had something to prove. Now, the icons still have something to say, but they’re in a different place in life saying it.

Photo Credit: Mark Hanson

“It’s almost like we were rap activists back then, just trying to exploit it to a level to where your skills and style mattered. Charisma mattered, integrity mattered, and business mattered. Back when we were young, we set our minds to doing something great. When you’re young, you talk about, ‘I want to do this, I want to do that.’ And we were part of building that train set to make it happen, but it’s definitely a different landscape now,” Raekwon admits, sharing, “Music has changed a lot for us. I tell people all the time, ‘We didn’t have social media. We didn’t have those things that meant so much to marketing yourself as an artist.”

Ghostface Killah concurs. “[We were still] learning the game, looking at how to work a record. Looking at the business, the good of the game, the bad of the game, and at the same time, [I was] still growing as an artist, growing as a person, and still dealing with artistry. [I’m now] learning how to write into deeper depths than I ever did. There are a lot of avenues that have changed and that I’ve learned from.”

What will never change, says Inspectah Deck, is the Wu-Tang spirit. “I mean, we’re getting older, getting little grays, but that’s physical. My spirit has gotten better, and music has definitely [improved, too]. It’s more fun now than it was when I was a struggling artist coming into the game, trying to find my name and my way. But once you’re established, it’s an incline. It took us a little while, but once we put our foot in the concrete and put our footprint down, it’s slowly but surely improved, and I’m enjoying it.”

Photo Credit: Mark Hanson

U-God doesn’t feel like the group is doing anything different, or being anyone else, from who they set out to be. Authenticity has always been a hallmark of Wu-Tang, and that has remained consistent throughout their career. “As I see it, we just do what we were doing,” he says. “We came with our own swagger, our own little taste buds, to the game. We put our little spices in. You like cilantro? Yeah, we put that in there. You like pineapple? We put that in there. We just did our own thing. And some people loved the little thing we cheffed up. It’s been able to support us. We have a fan base that loves us, and we love them back. It’s a beautiful thing.”

Witnessing the admiration and love the group still has for one another after all this time is also a beautiful thing. They are not friends or co-workers so much as family in a way that you can only truly know those that have been through the trenches with you. They have supported one another through thick and thin, as a group, and individually. As a recent example, Raekwon and Method Man came in to make clutch appearances on Ghostface Killah’s May-released album, Set the Tone. They are also making appearances on a still unnamed album from Mathematics.

So, when something like the Las Vegas residency happens, even if on a much smaller scale, it’s a blessing in that they get to spend real, uninterrupted time with one another. Let’s not forget that the saga has indeed continued: the guys have solo careers, separate business ventures, and their own families. They are not as present in each other’s daily lives as they once were, but that doesn’t mean they love one another any less.

Photo Credit: Mark Hanson

Notes Masta Killa, “Everyone is busy, has families, and we’re not as young as we used to be; our time is obligated to all the other things that we’re involved in. But it’s always special to make it back to this point of the gathering of people. I think for me, it’s always a joy to see all of these guys together and to perform with them. We always have a great time behind the scenes. The dynamic is still the same: it’s all love and peace.”

Their love and respect for one another after all this time is both a blessing and a luxury, and of this they have no doubt. “Time,” declares RZA, “is the most important commodity that anybody needs to have. It’s the one thing that you don’t get back — so you’ve got to spend it wisely. [And so] something I learned 10 years ago has now become my motto [which is this]: if you’re not having a good time, you are wasting your time.”

Which, from the sounds of it, the members of Wu-Tang Clan are doing anything but. They are a little older and a little wiser, perhaps, than they were in their younger years, but they are still here, still crushing the game in a big way, still lighting things up. And for that, they are and always will be thankful.

Photo Credit: Mark Hanson

Ghostface Killah says as much now. “I’m grateful to have good people around me. I’m grateful for life, to still be around. I’m grateful to still be relevant in this game. I’m grateful to do things for others and make others happy. I’m grateful for it all. When it’s the end of the night, I’m grateful for a nice comfortable bed. Going to sleep, waking up in the morning, hugging my pillows, getting something to eat when I want to. Some people just can’t do that. There are a lot of things that are small to us, and bigger to others, and I’m grateful for it all. That’s how I live my life. Grateful. As long as I can remember, every day I must say ‘alhamdulillah’ — thank you, God — because God shows me something to be grateful for every day, whether I realize it or not.”

Masta Killa echoes this sentiment. “To be here, to be alive, to be together, is everything. We’re in Vegas, so I’ll say this: you have to play the hand you’re dealt to the best of your ability. Our choices are what shape and mold our lives, and life in itself is a beautiful experience. [But] life wasn’t always a royal flush. I could have started out with a pair, but I’ve never stopped playing the game.” He pauses, before saying, “Life is the experience… and as long as we’re here, we’re blessed to have another day to do it. That’s the game, and I’m never going to stop playing; I’m never going to fold my hand.”

And the saga continues. 

Photo Credit: Mark Hanson