Looks like U-God not gonna be in the series:
Hulu's....Wu Tang: An American Saga Official Thread 9/8
- Thread starter AMcV'88
- Start date
DoomzdayzV
Banned
they made ghost a 120 lbs lightskin dude? the fukk
Looks like U-God not gonna be in the series:
Disappointing
'Wu-Tang: An American Saga' looks at the iconic hip-hop group's origin, legacy, and lasting influence
The Wu-Tang Clan revolutionized hip-hop forever when they released their debut album, 'Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)'. Twenty-six years later, Hulu is releasing a 10-part miniseries, 'Wu-Tang: An American Saga,' that gives the viewers a fictionalized account of how the group came to be. We look at some of the reasons why the group is so iconic, half a century later.
The entry of the group sparked a renaissance in East Coast hip-hop, paving the way for artists like The Notorious B.I.G. and Jay Z. RZA, the leader of the group, boldly produced their music, featuring sparse beats and using soul samples that are prominent features of the genre today.
When the Wu-Tang Clan formed, hip-hop on the eastern coast played second fiddle to the western coast. Acts like Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube dominated the charts due to their high production values. RZA collaborated with Ghostface Killah to form the group, along with JZA and Ol' Dirty b*stard, to blend "Eastern philosophy picked up from kung fu movies, watered-down Nation of Islam preaching from New York streets, and comic books." The name of the group was inspired by the 1983 Hong Kong martial arts film, 'Shaolin and Wu Tang.'
The Wu-Tang Clan's work differed heavily from the hip-hop music coming out of the West Coast, for one, the use of minimalistic, hardcore sounds mixed with fierce, doleful lyrics helped the group cement their unique style. The group was massive, with nine members, but the styles of each member shone through. Their explicit, free-associative lyrics have influenced the genre even today.
Raekwon, Method Man, RZA and Ghostface Killah of Wu-Tang Clan perform onstage at the Mtn Dew ICE launch event on January 18, 2018, in Brooklyn, New York.
What set the Wu-Tang Clan apart, however, was that they were the first group that allowed their members to release solo works with labels that would complement their styles and personalities. The cycle of releasing albums as a group and as solo artists further cemented the group's position in the genre.
Before Kanye West and Jay_Z started their fashion labels Yeezy and Rocawear respectively, the Wu-Tang Clan cashed in on the popularity of their brand to release their fashion label, Wu Wear in the mid-90s - fans could buy items like shoes, sweatshirts, and pants. The label was a huge success for the Wu-Tang Clan, not only did they have their own stores, but the line was also sold in Macy's and Rich's. But clothes were not all that the group diversified into, before long they had their own production and publishing companies and other ventures.
The group was known to have one of the largest vocabularies among hip-hop and rap groups. With more than 6,000 unique words to be used in their lyrics, their songs featured phrases like "I bomb atomically, Socrates' philosophies / And hypotheses can't define how I be droppin' these / Mockeries, lyrically perform armed robbery / Flee with the lottery, possibly they spotted me."
In an interview with NPR, RZA stated that he "wanted to be a voice of the people" and famously said, "If MC Hammer sells 10 million records, that don’t mean nothing. That’s just 10 million people that are dancing. When Wu-Tang sells a million records, that’s a million people that has woke up." After all, the group's mission was to "open up the minds of the youth and the people and become aware of our people, our situation, our community, martial arts, knowledge of self, and all the things that we put into those songs." Using their home, Staten Island, as a backdrop, the group's lyrics cover many issues that the African-American community still faces - like racism, police brutality, and mass media representations.
Robert Diggs "RZA" attends Tribeca TV: Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics And Men - 2019 Tribeca Film Festival at Beacon Theatre on April 25, 2019, in New York City.
This is a group that never forgot their roots, so when they celebrated the 25th anniversary of the release of their debut album, 'Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)' on November 9th, 2018, the borough declared the date as "Wu-Tang Clan Day."
The first three episodes of Hulu's 'Wu-Tang: An American Saga' will be released on September 4, 2019. The next seven episodes, each corresponding to a studio album, will be aired weekly on Wednesdays.
The Wu-Tang Clan revolutionized hip-hop forever when they released their debut album, 'Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)'. Twenty-six years later, Hulu is releasing a 10-part miniseries, 'Wu-Tang: An American Saga,' that gives the viewers a fictionalized account of how the group came to be. We look at some of the reasons why the group is so iconic, half a century later.
The entry of the group sparked a renaissance in East Coast hip-hop, paving the way for artists like The Notorious B.I.G. and Jay Z. RZA, the leader of the group, boldly produced their music, featuring sparse beats and using soul samples that are prominent features of the genre today.
When the Wu-Tang Clan formed, hip-hop on the eastern coast played second fiddle to the western coast. Acts like Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube dominated the charts due to their high production values. RZA collaborated with Ghostface Killah to form the group, along with JZA and Ol' Dirty b*stard, to blend "Eastern philosophy picked up from kung fu movies, watered-down Nation of Islam preaching from New York streets, and comic books." The name of the group was inspired by the 1983 Hong Kong martial arts film, 'Shaolin and Wu Tang.'
The Wu-Tang Clan's work differed heavily from the hip-hop music coming out of the West Coast, for one, the use of minimalistic, hardcore sounds mixed with fierce, doleful lyrics helped the group cement their unique style. The group was massive, with nine members, but the styles of each member shone through. Their explicit, free-associative lyrics have influenced the genre even today.
Raekwon, Method Man, RZA and Ghostface Killah of Wu-Tang Clan perform onstage at the Mtn Dew ICE launch event on January 18, 2018, in Brooklyn, New York.
What set the Wu-Tang Clan apart, however, was that they were the first group that allowed their members to release solo works with labels that would complement their styles and personalities. The cycle of releasing albums as a group and as solo artists further cemented the group's position in the genre.
Before Kanye West and Jay_Z started their fashion labels Yeezy and Rocawear respectively, the Wu-Tang Clan cashed in on the popularity of their brand to release their fashion label, Wu Wear in the mid-90s - fans could buy items like shoes, sweatshirts, and pants. The label was a huge success for the Wu-Tang Clan, not only did they have their own stores, but the line was also sold in Macy's and Rich's. But clothes were not all that the group diversified into, before long they had their own production and publishing companies and other ventures.
The group was known to have one of the largest vocabularies among hip-hop and rap groups. With more than 6,000 unique words to be used in their lyrics, their songs featured phrases like "I bomb atomically, Socrates' philosophies / And hypotheses can't define how I be droppin' these / Mockeries, lyrically perform armed robbery / Flee with the lottery, possibly they spotted me."
In an interview with NPR, RZA stated that he "wanted to be a voice of the people" and famously said, "If MC Hammer sells 10 million records, that don’t mean nothing. That’s just 10 million people that are dancing. When Wu-Tang sells a million records, that’s a million people that has woke up." After all, the group's mission was to "open up the minds of the youth and the people and become aware of our people, our situation, our community, martial arts, knowledge of self, and all the things that we put into those songs." Using their home, Staten Island, as a backdrop, the group's lyrics cover many issues that the African-American community still faces - like racism, police brutality, and mass media representations.
Robert Diggs "RZA" attends Tribeca TV: Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics And Men - 2019 Tribeca Film Festival at Beacon Theatre on April 25, 2019, in New York City.
This is a group that never forgot their roots, so when they celebrated the 25th anniversary of the release of their debut album, 'Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)' on November 9th, 2018, the borough declared the date as "Wu-Tang Clan Day."
The first three episodes of Hulu's 'Wu-Tang: An American Saga' will be released on September 4, 2019. The next seven episodes, each corresponding to a studio album, will be aired weekly on Wednesdays.
Dave East talks playing Meth at around 6:25:
probably not as
#DXCLUSIVE: Dave East Speaks On The Importance Of The Wu-Tang Co-Sign
Casting for television is a tricky business, especially when it comes to a project that is biographical. You’re not just trying to bring in the casual fan, you’re fulfilling a duty to the unforgiving fans of the subject being portrayed.
For NYC native, Dave East the stars seemed to align perfectly for him to make the leap from the booth to the screen. The rising star MC signed on to play Method Man in Hulu’s new bio-series, Wu-Tang: An American Saga.
East, who recently made his feature film debut in the Netflix film Beats, knew that in addition to the powers that be at Hulu, he would also need the blessing of the seminal group themselves.
“[Wu-Tang is] who I really wanted to get that stamp of approval from cause that’s who I grew up on. Those are the artists that inspired me from when I was a kid ’til now, that are the reason I rap, I wanted to have relationships with them and pay homage to them cause I would never have taken rap as serious if I didn’t see them make it first,” East told HipHopDX in an exclusive conversation. “My first meeting with Meth was cool. We actually met in Staten Island and he was actually telling me his son is a fan of my rap,” he added.
East got an added seal of approval as Wu’s venerable architect and sound smith RZA walked by during the interview and sang his praises for the young star.
“He’s honorary Wu. When you see him doing his thing in this series, especially episode 7, he basically has to carry the whole episode,” said RZA. “This man is on fire, he’s on his path to some ill shyt,” he added.
East grew up in Harlem and has lived all over, but New York is bigger than many people realize. After spending some time in the borough that made the supergroup famous, he realized just how much they meant to the community that made them.
“I’m from Harlem and I grew up in Queens, Manhattan, I lived in the Bronx but I’d only been to Staten Island maybe three times in my life. It was always mad far, the ferry and all of that so this was the most time I’ve ever spent in Staten Island being on this Wu-Tang set, actually being in their hood, being in Park Hill where they’re from,” East noted. “I never did that before, and seeing the reaction from the people that live out there, that was dope. Just their whole vibe the whole culture of what they brought to hip hop and to New York, being able to see how RZA put that together was priceless. I feel like this series is the only way they could have really expressed how it all happened.”
Timing is everything in this business and while this series seemed destined to be a part of the Mass Appeal MC’s life, the timing wasn’t just good fortune, it was strategic.
“I always wanted to act. I just didn’t know how to do it, how to meet somebody to put me in a movie but I always felt like rap would get me in the door. And then with Nas signing me I knew that as far as rap goes I got a good stamp but I’ma have to make my own name in acting, whatever else I do, clothing. I made my own name in rap but I got Nas to stamp it,” said. “Now I got RZA to stamp my acting, but rap was the door opener, it got me out the hood, provided a way for me and my family to be cool.
“I feel like rap was my intro to [director and executive producer] Chris Robinson. I had just done a film with him called Beats. That was my first film. And then he reached out and said he was doing a Wu-Tang project and thought I could be [Method Man]. People always told me I look like him or remind them of him so I thought let me see if I could really get into that character. By the time I spoke to Meth, Meth was like ‘I’m glad it’s you.’”
Meth wasn’t the only OG that was excited that the young MC got the part.
“When I told [Nas] I was gonna be Meth he went crazy, he was like ‘I could see it son.’ He said ‘you always give me that Meth vibe anyway, you’re tall, the girls like you.’ He was ecstatic,” East remembered. “When the trailer came out he called me like ‘Yo, this look even crazier than I was thinking it was gonna be.’ He supports everything I’ve been doing. He always talks to me about being a brand, not just being a rapper, not just being an actor but becoming a brand and Dave East is a brand.”
Like most artists that endeavor to widen their reach beyond just being the talent, East ultimately has aspirations as an executive and the first story he wants to tell hits close to home.
“I would really like to do the Richard Porter story. He’s from Harlem and I wanna do his story cause Paid In Full came out but that kinda touched on [the story] but I wanna do a story on Rich, just his whole style and what he brought to Harlem,” East revealed. “He died tragically but I feel like his is a story that hasn’t been told unless you’re from Harlem then you know it. I got people that’s close to him that if I actually want to put that into the works I could get all the info I needed.”
Casting for television is a tricky business, especially when it comes to a project that is biographical. You’re not just trying to bring in the casual fan, you’re fulfilling a duty to the unforgiving fans of the subject being portrayed.
For NYC native, Dave East the stars seemed to align perfectly for him to make the leap from the booth to the screen. The rising star MC signed on to play Method Man in Hulu’s new bio-series, Wu-Tang: An American Saga.
East, who recently made his feature film debut in the Netflix film Beats, knew that in addition to the powers that be at Hulu, he would also need the blessing of the seminal group themselves.
“[Wu-Tang is] who I really wanted to get that stamp of approval from cause that’s who I grew up on. Those are the artists that inspired me from when I was a kid ’til now, that are the reason I rap, I wanted to have relationships with them and pay homage to them cause I would never have taken rap as serious if I didn’t see them make it first,” East told HipHopDX in an exclusive conversation. “My first meeting with Meth was cool. We actually met in Staten Island and he was actually telling me his son is a fan of my rap,” he added.
East got an added seal of approval as Wu’s venerable architect and sound smith RZA walked by during the interview and sang his praises for the young star.
“He’s honorary Wu. When you see him doing his thing in this series, especially episode 7, he basically has to carry the whole episode,” said RZA. “This man is on fire, he’s on his path to some ill shyt,” he added.
East grew up in Harlem and has lived all over, but New York is bigger than many people realize. After spending some time in the borough that made the supergroup famous, he realized just how much they meant to the community that made them.
“I’m from Harlem and I grew up in Queens, Manhattan, I lived in the Bronx but I’d only been to Staten Island maybe three times in my life. It was always mad far, the ferry and all of that so this was the most time I’ve ever spent in Staten Island being on this Wu-Tang set, actually being in their hood, being in Park Hill where they’re from,” East noted. “I never did that before, and seeing the reaction from the people that live out there, that was dope. Just their whole vibe the whole culture of what they brought to hip hop and to New York, being able to see how RZA put that together was priceless. I feel like this series is the only way they could have really expressed how it all happened.”
Timing is everything in this business and while this series seemed destined to be a part of the Mass Appeal MC’s life, the timing wasn’t just good fortune, it was strategic.
“I always wanted to act. I just didn’t know how to do it, how to meet somebody to put me in a movie but I always felt like rap would get me in the door. And then with Nas signing me I knew that as far as rap goes I got a good stamp but I’ma have to make my own name in acting, whatever else I do, clothing. I made my own name in rap but I got Nas to stamp it,” said. “Now I got RZA to stamp my acting, but rap was the door opener, it got me out the hood, provided a way for me and my family to be cool.
“I feel like rap was my intro to [director and executive producer] Chris Robinson. I had just done a film with him called Beats. That was my first film. And then he reached out and said he was doing a Wu-Tang project and thought I could be [Method Man]. People always told me I look like him or remind them of him so I thought let me see if I could really get into that character. By the time I spoke to Meth, Meth was like ‘I’m glad it’s you.’”
Meth wasn’t the only OG that was excited that the young MC got the part.
“When I told [Nas] I was gonna be Meth he went crazy, he was like ‘I could see it son.’ He said ‘you always give me that Meth vibe anyway, you’re tall, the girls like you.’ He was ecstatic,” East remembered. “When the trailer came out he called me like ‘Yo, this look even crazier than I was thinking it was gonna be.’ He supports everything I’ve been doing. He always talks to me about being a brand, not just being a rapper, not just being an actor but becoming a brand and Dave East is a brand.”
Like most artists that endeavor to widen their reach beyond just being the talent, East ultimately has aspirations as an executive and the first story he wants to tell hits close to home.
“I would really like to do the Richard Porter story. He’s from Harlem and I wanna do his story cause Paid In Full came out but that kinda touched on [the story] but I wanna do a story on Rich, just his whole style and what he brought to Harlem,” East revealed. “He died tragically but I feel like his is a story that hasn’t been told unless you’re from Harlem then you know it. I got people that’s close to him that if I actually want to put that into the works I could get all the info I needed.”
Spring Grove actor plays Ghostface Killah's brother with Muscular Dystrophy
All smiles and laughs — that's usually what fills the room once he's a few seconds into his Kevin Hart impersonation.
Sam McKoy-Johnson is more than the characters he depicts in person or on his YouTube channel, though. The 20-year-old Spring Grove resident is an actor — a near lifelong pursuit and dream not many people know about.
Aside from the bubbly, camera-ready personality, McKoy-Johnson is different than most actors. He's been auditioning for more than half of his life, and he has brittle bone disease.
Brittle bone disease, also known as osteogenesis imperfecta, "is a lifelong genetic disorder that causes your bones to break very easily, usually without any type of injury, as from a fall," according to WebMd.
Because of this diagnosis, McKoy-Johnson has had many surgeries, and he gets around by an electric chair or wheelchair. For some time, his dreams of acting had to be put on pause. And, even when he returned to auditioning, he faced a lot of rejection.
The show, set to premiere in September 2019, is a biographical series following the rise of the iconic hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan. McKoy-Johnson auditioned for the role of Darius Coles, Ghostface Killah's younger brother who has muscular dystrophy.
McKoy-Johnson said he watched countless videos in order to get the mannerism and demeanor accurately, so he could be authentic for those who actually have the disease.
Unlike most auditions, he wasn't constantly thinking about whether or not he got the role because of an empty void at home. The family dog, Tracy, died shortly after the audition, so much of his energy was spent combating grief.
But, when he unexpectedly got the good news about the role, he could hardly believe it.
“It was a complete shock to me because I’ve always been turned down,” he said.
McKoy-Johnson hopes when people realize that he isn't just depicting someone in a wheelchair, but that it's part of his everyday life, more aspiring actors with disabilities will feel represented. And, maybe producers will be more willing to cast them when they audition.
"If you need a wheelchair role, put a person with a real wheelchair in the role," McKoy-Johnson said. It's a stance he takes because "everybody has dreams." And, if he let his disability indefinitely delay his dreams, he never would have gotten his breakout supporting role.
His time on set for the show has wrapped, but he looks forward to going to more auditions and adding to his YouTube channel. He's currently studying communications at HACC.
McKoy-Johnson has a handful of people he can impersonate to a tee. But, when it comes to the catalyst behind his acting accomplishments, there's a universal lesson that others should emulate.
"You just gotta keep trying."
All smiles and laughs — that's usually what fills the room once he's a few seconds into his Kevin Hart impersonation.
Sam McKoy-Johnson is more than the characters he depicts in person or on his YouTube channel, though. The 20-year-old Spring Grove resident is an actor — a near lifelong pursuit and dream not many people know about.
Aside from the bubbly, camera-ready personality, McKoy-Johnson is different than most actors. He's been auditioning for more than half of his life, and he has brittle bone disease.
Brittle bone disease, also known as osteogenesis imperfecta, "is a lifelong genetic disorder that causes your bones to break very easily, usually without any type of injury, as from a fall," according to WebMd.
Because of this diagnosis, McKoy-Johnson has had many surgeries, and he gets around by an electric chair or wheelchair. For some time, his dreams of acting had to be put on pause. And, even when he returned to auditioning, he faced a lot of rejection.
The show, set to premiere in September 2019, is a biographical series following the rise of the iconic hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan. McKoy-Johnson auditioned for the role of Darius Coles, Ghostface Killah's younger brother who has muscular dystrophy.
McKoy-Johnson said he watched countless videos in order to get the mannerism and demeanor accurately, so he could be authentic for those who actually have the disease.
Unlike most auditions, he wasn't constantly thinking about whether or not he got the role because of an empty void at home. The family dog, Tracy, died shortly after the audition, so much of his energy was spent combating grief.
But, when he unexpectedly got the good news about the role, he could hardly believe it.
“It was a complete shock to me because I’ve always been turned down,” he said.
McKoy-Johnson hopes when people realize that he isn't just depicting someone in a wheelchair, but that it's part of his everyday life, more aspiring actors with disabilities will feel represented. And, maybe producers will be more willing to cast them when they audition.
"If you need a wheelchair role, put a person with a real wheelchair in the role," McKoy-Johnson said. It's a stance he takes because "everybody has dreams." And, if he let his disability indefinitely delay his dreams, he never would have gotten his breakout supporting role.
His time on set for the show has wrapped, but he looks forward to going to more auditions and adding to his YouTube channel. He's currently studying communications at HACC.
McKoy-Johnson has a handful of people he can impersonate to a tee. But, when it comes to the catalyst behind his acting accomplishments, there's a universal lesson that others should emulate.
"You just gotta keep trying."
Jimmy the gent
I'm still eatin off Lufthansa
This airs tomorrow, yeah?
No U God? WTF! I don’t care how wack people think he is it’s not a real Wu Tang story without U God in it. Im not a big Wu Head so I really don’t know if he was their since the beginning. I know Cap came later and they was saying he wasn’t officially part of the Wu but he is in this movie but not U God?