The Agenda

Wu-Tang Clan at Lupo’s

by John Taraborelli

Wu-Tang Clan’s utter failure to put on something at least resembling a good show
when their “reunion tour” rolled into town is completely incomprehensible.

For all the credit they get as musical innovators, Wu-Tang’s deepest and most indelible impact on hip-hop is likely their business sense. As the gravitational center of the music has shifted from New York, and slick, club-oriented music has become dominant, the gritty, minimalist beats and cerebral, paranoid lyrics of the quintessentially New York Clan are no longer the pervasive influence they once were. However, the hip-hop industry as it stands today bears the unmistakable stamp of the RZA’s master plan. The “W” became hip-hop culture’s first real brand name, as innumerable solo projects, vanity projects, a clothing line, several movies, and even deodorant endorsements eventually stood beneath the Iron Flag. For better or worse, the Wu established the hip-hop-artist-as-entrepreneur model that is the industry standard today. It is for this reason that their utter failure to put on something at least resembling a good show when their “reunion tour” rolled into town is completely incomprehensible.