It’s been 14 years since the Wu-Tang Clan took hip hop by the scruff of it’s neck and kicked new life into a stagnating genre. They arrived just as the first flush of gangsta superstars helped shift rap’s centre of gravity from its New York birthplace to the barbecues, swap meets and low-rider cars of sun-kissed Los Angeles, a city on the opposite coast with it’s own distinct style.
Today, the rap game is on the cusp of a similarly uncertain future. People agonize about rap and it’s integrity and beliefs, record sales are down, panic is setting in, and the audience is confused. Where can a genre in turmoil turn to bring some light to chase away the darkness? Enter the rap group that changed everything so completely that the record industry had to tear up it’s rulebook and rethink the way it operated.
A nine strong, hydra-headed flurry of sparring egos, clashing styles, and ever increasing self belief; a band who wrote their own mythology, and came with an army of acolytes and a surplus of alter egos. They represented their rap band as superheroes and today, who else but the Wu-Tang Clan can resuscitate a genre that some feel is breathing it’s last breath?
The 8 Diagrams Tour rolls into London this summer with the full crew, in attendance will be original members, Rza, Methodman, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, U-God, Inspectah Deck, Masta Killa, Gza The Genius and Street Life.
15th & 16th JULY 2008
Shepherds Bush Empire
Shepherds Bush Green
London W 12
Tickets (standing) £30.00 plus booking fee
Tickets (seated) £35.00 plus booking fee
VIP Tickets £40 plus booking fee
Doors: 7.00pm
Credit card booking: Ticketmania 0870-6000-88
Box Office Ticketweb: 08444 771000
