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Wu-Tang Clan have linked up with longtime producer Mathematics for a special Record Store Day release titled Black Samson, The Bastard Swordsman.

Coming from the Wu-Tang, The Saga Continues collection, the 12-track album is limited to 5,000 copies that will only be sold at participating Record Store Day retailers on April 12th.

Besides appearances from all nine surviving Wu-Tang Clan members, the 2xLP features contributions from Kool G Rap, Benny the Butcher, Kurupt, and more. It marks the first Wu-Tang project since 2017’s The Saga Continues, which was also helmed by Mathematics.

“Wu-Tang has always been about pushing boundaries — musically, artistically, and culturally. With Black Samson, The Bastard Swordsman, I’m giving fans not just an album, but a piece of history — something truly one of a kind,” Mathematics said in a statement. “This is more than music; it’s innovation, storytelling, and legacy all in one. I am excited for...

The wrestling world has lost another legend with the death of WWE’s “Leaping” Lanny Poffo. The 68-year-old’s cause of death is not known at this time. Poffo, a Canadian-born American citizen, began his wrestling career with the All-South Wrestling Alliance in 1974. He won a Tag-Team Championship alongside his father, Angelo. The younger brother of the late Randy Savage, Poffo’s wrestling career was highlighted by a victory over Hulk Hogan. The WWE paid tribute to Poffo on their website, writing, “Arriving in WWE in 1985 alongside his brother, ‘Leaping’ Lanny Poffo was one of the first high-flyers in WWE. While he achieved some success as a fan favorite reading his own poetry and throwing Frisbees to the crowd, he reached new heights as The Genius while managing Mr. Perfect [Curt Hennig]. WWE extends its condolences to Poffo’s family, friends and fans.” Lanny’s last Instagram post appears to...

Hulu’s chronicling of the Wu-Tang Clan saga will come to an end later this winter, when the series’ third and final season is released via the streamer.

Wu-Tang: An American Saga will kick off its farewell tour on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023 (with three episodes), followed by a new release every “Wu-Wednesday,” with the finale dropping on April 5.

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For those who have not seen The quintessential samurai flick Shogun Assassin, just stop reading now and go watch it. That said, Lone Wolf and Cub was originally a manga about a samurai pushing his son around in a carriage while seeking revenge. It has two things I love - a high body count and spraying blood. It was made into 6 different films in the 1970s and in 1980 the first two of these was re-cut and dubbed in English.. and they made Shogun Assassin for the American market. Wu-Tang member Gza's first album, Liquid Swords, uses cuts from this film.

Now the below the bar news; Steven Paul, the producer behind the Ghost in the Shell Remake, bought the rights. So you're probably saying why is it going to be a bad remake? Steven Paul is behind such classics as Baby Geniuses and its numer [Continued ...]...

New details have emerged from the sale of a secret, single-copy new album by rap crew Wu-Tang Clan — specifically that the American who nabbed the item at auction paid well into seven figures for the rare find. Online auctioneer Paddle8 announced in March they would sell the 31-track “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin,” featuring Wu-Tang stars like RZA and Gza. The company now confirms the double-disc effort, encased in a silver-and-nickel-plated box, has fetched top dollar. The album sold to a “private American collector” for a sum “in the millions,” a statement said. While the sale closed in May,...

Wu-Tang Clan have been talking about it for a while, and now it looks like a reality: the legendary rap group's 20th anniversary album, "A Better Tomorrow," finally has a release date, and right in the nick of time. Warner Bros. Records wild drop the set on Dec. 2 this year... so at least now it won't be out on their 21st anniversary. RZA, Gza, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and Cappadonna will all be present and accounted for on the set. In a very corporate-y statement, Wu-Tang had this to say in a release: "Wu-Tang Clan is excited to join the Warner family of esteemed artists. After 20 years in the business with different label outlets, we are delighted to be amongst a team of industry professionals who understand our unique artistry and will help spread it to the masses unadulterated. RZA and his brother Divine...

With the obvious exception of dear departed Ol Dirty Bastard, the entire Wu-Tang Clan reunited on “The Daily Show” last night to celebrate their 20th anniversary and because nothing brings old band members back together like a new album to promote. All nine surviving members, including RZA, Ghostface Killah, Method Man, Inspectah Deck, Gza, and longtime hold-out Raekwon, performed “Ron O’Neal” from the November release, “A Better Tomorrow,” as well as Wu-Tang chestnut, “Triumph.” It’s worth watching the video just for the act’s intro and to meet a new surprise member. Raekwon, who told Rolling Stone in April that he wouldn’t be part of the new project because of business differences (as opposed to the usual creative differences), explained his change of heart—kind of— to Jon Stewart by comparing himself to an athlete: “I consider this a sport," Raekwon said. "I think it's important as...

Loners and outcasts have no greater cinematic patron saint than Jim Jarmusch, the fiercely independent writer-director who's spent over three decades chronicling urban fringe-dwellers, road trippers, rockabilly tourists, Zen hitmen and, now, vampires. The 60-year-old filmmaker's latest, Only Lovers Left Alive, centers on a centuries-old couple (played by Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston) who like their Type O served neat, though its a far cry from the recent wave of vampire chic; it's really a languorous romance in which two lovers struggle with immortality-engendered ennui. It may be Jarmusch's first foray into horror films,...

There’s a good chance the long-overdue and final album from Wu-Tang Clan will see the light of day this year. The legendary rap collective just dropped “Keep Watch,” the first single off its new album “A Better Tomorrow.” Listen below. The soulful song pairs Gza, Method Man, Cappadonna and Inspectah Deck’s spitfire verses with a chorus from Brooklyn-based singer Nathaniel. Longtime Wu-Tang producer DJ Mathematics provides a classic 90s beat. Last November, RZA said the new album was about six weeks away from completion and that “everybody did their verses except Raekwon.” This week, Raekwon tweeted “Keep dreaming,” which could be a reference to the new song and his lack of participation. With or without him, "A Better Tomorrow” is now available for pre-order — and though no release date has been announced — its arrival seems imminent.

Before Shawn Corey Carter picked a stylized version of the word "Jehova" (J-Hova, "Hov") for a nickname and well before Kanye West decided to shed his "slave name" in favor of his "God name," "Yeezus," there was U-God.

Born Lamont Jody Hawkins, the Staten Island rapper with the distinctly rugged voice took his place in rap history in Wu-Tang Clan, the legendary group credited with transforming rap and bringing a street sound to new levels of popularity.

"Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)," the group's debut album, turns 20 years old this November, giving U-God plenty of time to reflect and build upon two decades of experience in the rap game. On Tuesday, the Staten Island rapper is releasing "Keynote Speaker," an album that features Method Man, Inspectah Deck, Gza, RZA and more. U-God described the album as "his becoming" in an interview with HuffPost Entertainment -- one that has been a long time coming,...

Here are some of our favourite scenes involving the world's most likable actor - what have we missed that you'd add to the list?

All right-thinking individuals love Bill Murray. From Caddyshack and Stripes through to Fantastic Mr Fox and Moonrise Kingdom, he's been one of cinema's most consistently likable presences for more than 30 years, turning in terrific performances even in forgettable films. But if you had to pick just one scene, from one of his films, to illustrate his talents, what would it be?

Here are five of our favourites, including suggestions from @guardianfilm Twitter followers @michaelrobb87, @AlBritten, @ChrisBza, @EdKeates and @filipequintans. We've aimed for a mix of some well-known, some more obscure appearances – but what have we missed?

1. The dinner scene in What About Bob?

Murray plays a psychiatric patient with multiple phobias, who invites himself on holiday with his increasingly apoplectic therapist (Richard Dreyfus). This scene is...

For most of its early stages, it seemed like the biopic "Dirty White Boy" could do no wrong. First, Michael K. Williams (aka Omar from HBO's "The Wire") was cast to play the late rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard (or Odb) in the film, and then it looked like the actual members of the Wu-Tang Clan were going to appear as themselves in the movie. While this blew our collective minds, the fact that the Wu-Tang would play themselves in a movie more or less about themselves alongside Williams had a suspicious element of being too good to be true. When Gza, Odb's cousin and fellow founding member of the Wu-Tang, announced he wasn't going to appear in the film, those suspicions were realized.

Gza won't be the only Wu-Tang member to step away from the biopic. Count Raekwon out too. Pitchfork got word from Raekwon's representatives that he...

Of all people, Michael K. Williams knows that if you come at the king, you best not miss. Such is the case with "Dirty White Boy," the upcoming biopic about the infamous late rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard. Star Michael K. Williams told the NY Daily News that the producers are working overtime to get the real Wu-Tang Clan members in the movie playing themselves.

Williams, best known as Omar Little on "The Wire," Chalky White on "Boardwalk Empire" and Professor Kane on "Community," said that the producers "have no desire to cast any actors as the Wu-Tang … We need all hands on deck."

Of course, the extensive group of rappers are no strangers to the world of film. Besides being heavily influenced by kung fu films, members of the collective have appeared on TV shows and movies for years. Method Man was on "Oz," "The Wire" and "CSI," and has...

Music biopics come and go, but this spring minds were blown when the always awesome Michael K. Williams was cast as Ol' Dirty Bastard in the film "Dirty White Boy." Of course, any movie involving Odb has to include the Wu-Tang Clan, and the idea of trying to find actors to fill those roles would be a mind-boggling challenge. But likely, the filmmakers don't have to worry about that.

“[We] have no desire to cast any actors as the Wu-Tang,” Williams told the New York Daily News (via Shadow & Act). “We need all hands on deck.” The paper goes on to add that we can "expect to see" RZA, Gza, Method Man, Raekwon and Ghostface Killah in the film along with other members like Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa and Cappadonna. So in short, it will be Michael K. Williams as Odb hanging out with actual Wu-Tang Clan, which is basically...

If you're unfamiliar with Gramatik (Dennis Jasarevic), he's a music producer well-known in electronic and hip-hop circles who was born and raised in Slovenia during the fall of Communism in the Eastern Bloc. He first got turned onto hip-hop through Wu-Tang's 36 Chambers album, and started gaining real attention in 2008, after posting his old-school funk, soul, and R&B-influenced tracks online.  Break Science are a couple of New York electronic artists named Adam Deitch and Borahm Lee, who've worked with Wyclef Jean and the Fugees, Raekwon and Gza, and Lee "Scratch" Perry among others. Deitch's breakbeat-style drums and Lee's trip-hop/dub affinity demonstrated on keyboards and laptop, produce music fresher than a baby's powdered ass, as evidenced on the duo's debut Ep, Further Than Our Eyes Can See. Gramatik and Break Science recently teamed up (both are signed to [...]...

Mobb Deep, Slaughterhouse, Erykah Badu and more revisit classic material for a day of hip-hop celebration on New York stop.

By Rob Markman

Nas at Rock The Bells

Photo: MTV News

New York — Thousands of rap fans gathered in hip-hop's birth city for a daylong celebration of the genre's classics. Nas, Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu and Wu-Tang Clan's Raekwon and Ghostface Killah all performed at the Rock the Bells 2011 festival on Governor's Island in New York City on Saturday (September 3).

The musical tour was comprised of four stages, including the main Rock the Bells stage, the Wu-inspired 36 Chambers stage and the underground-themed Paid Dues stage. More than 20 acts, including Mobb Deep, Slaughterhouse, Black Moon, Big K.R.I.T., the Immortal Technique and Gza, performed, with some dedicating their sets to their own classic albums; others devoted their shows to just a gang of fan-favorites.

The festivities kicked off at approximately 2 p.

'When you got an estate, it's so much paperwork and red tape and legal stuff you gotta deal with,' Wu-Tang mastermind says of late friend's music.

By Rob Markman, with reporting by Adam Murphy

RZA

Photo: MTV News

Wu-Tang Clan ain't nothin' ta eff wit, and neither are the RZA's beats. While in Berlin promoting his new headphone line, Chambers by RZA, the Wu producer told MTV News that he has given beats to a number of hip-hop artists, including Nas, Busta Rhymes and Ludacris, as well as his cousin and Wu-partner Gza for his Liquid Swords 2 album.

"Me and Gza talked about doing Liquid Swords part 2, a sequel. We talked about it for a while," RZA said about the follow-up to Gza's 1995 album. "We actually started a little bit and then we pulled back based on scheduling, based on my movie."

RZA's love affair with Hollywood is no secret.

RZA of the pioneering hip-hop collective discusses his directorial debut, playing Glastonbury and the next generation of Wu talent

In 1993, way before most members of current gonzo rap collective Odd Future could even walk, New York City's Wu-Tang Clan were busy reinventing hip-hop. At the time, the genre was dominated by west-coast rappers and G-funk, with Dr Dre and Warren G creating hypnotic, synth-heavy summer anthems that usually involved someone driving a convertible that "bounced" in the video. By November of that year, Wu-Tang Clan's classic debut album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), had cast a long shadow with its lyrical wordplay referencing everything from martial arts movies to darkly humorous threats of violence. They were in complete contrast to what was popular, with classic soul samples eerily interwoven with aggressive, gritty beats and early press shots featuring all nine members hidden behind makeshift masks. If Odd Future have recently...

Wu-Tang have some "Legendary Weapons" up their sleeves. The new collaborative project from the equally legendary rap troupe is scheduled to drop July 26, and has the promise of executive production from RZA, the band backing of Brooklyn's The Revelations and a high number of contributions from Ghostface Killah. A released describes the 14-track "throw-back sound" set as being "inspired by classic soul and kung fu imagery," neither of whcih are surprises coming from these guys. [More...] But not everybody from the clan is on board, with absences from Gza and Masta Killa. Ghostface, Raekwon, RZA, Method Man, U-God and Inspectah...

The 8th annual touring rap festival Rock The Bells announced it's lineup today, and it will be headlined by Lauryn Hill who coincidentally celebrates her 36th birthday today. Though Hill has been notoriously shy of the spotlight, she will not only be returning to the festival (she delivered one of last year's most applauded acts) but she will be performing her landmark album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill in its entirety.

Ms. Lauryn Hill will be joined by several other artists who will be performing classic albums in their entirety. The roster includes Nas performing Illmatic, Mos Def and Talib Kweli performing their Black Star album, Raekwon and Ghostface Killah doing Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, Mobb Deep performing The Infamous, Cypress Hill doing Black Sunday, and Gza doing Liquid Swords.

Lauryn Hill and crew will be joined by artists including Erykah Badu and Immortal Technique who will not be performing live albums in full,...

Whenever hip-hop fans talk about the greatest MCs from the Wu-Tang Clan, the conversation usually comes down to either Ghostface Killah or Raekwon (and sometimes the Gza, if you're feeling extra punchy). Both Wu members, who have often tag-teamed on classic tracks in the past (like "Criminology" from Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, "Daytona 500" from Ironman and "The M.G.M." from Wu-Tang Forever), have put out some of the greatest solo albums in Wu history, and Raekwon struck most recently when he dropped Only Built 4 Cuban Linx ... Pt. II in 2009. The man born Corey Woods just released his follow-up joint Shaolin Vs. Wu-Tang, so how has one of the world's greatest living rappers add to his legacy?

According to critics, it remains in tact. Raekwon's lyrical daggers and penchant for mind-bending beats (constructed by a number of Wu-Tang worker bees who learned at the foot of the RZA, who...

'They the gods and I'm the young god,' Boy Jones says in Mixtape Daily

By Shaheem Reid

Ol' Dirty Bastard

Photo: Chi Modu/ diverseimages/ Getty Images

Fire Starter: Boy Jones

Just looking at 21-year-old Boy Jones, it's clear he's his father's son. Jones wears a T-shirt with an image of his pop, the late great Ol' Dirty Bastard, taking up most of the real estate on the front.

It's late August, the day before the Rock the Bells tour kicked off its four-city run. Jones is in San Bernardino, California, at the Nos Events Center. Snoop Dogg is at one side of the park rehearsing and members of the Wu-Tang Clan are inside at another part. Gza is playing chess, and RZA is onstage, guiding his cousin the Young Dirty Bastard through a Wu classic, "Shame on a N---a." It's a signature song from the Shaolin Swordsmen's 1993 debut LP,...

Jim Jarmusch was casually chatting with Pitchfork about the All Tomorrow's Parties NY music shindig he is curating this year and gave them some delicious scoops of news about some upcoming projects of his. As Jarmusch notes, last year he curated the film section of Atp NY, so they invited him back to work on the music as well. It's an interesting crossover since many of the musicians he picked for Atp NY have been involved in his films, like RZA and Gza, who were in that amazing scene with Bill Murray in Coffee and Cigarettes.

Music and musicians are a huge part of his films; for instance, Down by Law stars Tom Waits and John Lurie, and Jarmusch's friend Iggy Pop shows up in Dead Man. As he explains, "When I started out making films, I was a musician. I knew more musical people, really, than film people. So in my early films,...

Check out the trailer that dropped today for the upcoming Wu-Tang documentary, Wu-Tang Revealed, directed by the Gza. There have been other documentaries, but it’s clear that they are all devastatingly sub-par based on this trailer alone. (Be sure to watch until the very end for an old Odb clip.) Never before have we been able to see such an intimate portrait of one of the greatest musical groups of all time. Of course there is going to be plenty of drama – several of the group’s members are notoriously fiery. Hot tempered U-God can be seen bickering with Raekwon in the trailer as Inspectah Deck eats pancakes in the background. It’s already a classic based on that clip alone! It looks like the documentary will also feature in-depth interviews with the RZA, Method Man, and hopefully the other members. The Gza has access to the Wu like no one has before,...

This is a great day for all Wu-Tang fans. Why? Because the long discussed kung-fu project he's been working on with Eli Roth is getting backed by Universal, and I am just drooling at the thought of the insane Afro Samurai world he's going to create filled with RZA-produced beats. Yeah boyeeee. Hopefully he gets Gza to do some line for line too.

RZA will direct from a script co-written with Eli Roth an will also star as the main character, "a blacksmith who forges weapons for the inhabitants of a village in feudal China. They are forced to defend themselves, and before you know it, everybody is kung fu fighting." No, that lame ass song references is not from me, it's a quote from the source.

Universal will finance and distribute the film which will shoot in September in Hong Kong for under $20 million. I can't wait!

More as it comes!

'If you're a ride-or-die Wu-Tang fan, and you know where we coming from, you're gonna enjoy this one,' Rae says.

By Shaheem Reid

<i>Wu Massacre</i> by Method Man, Ghostface Killah and Raekwon

Photo: Def Jam

Although Raekwon, Method Man and Ghostface Killah are putting out the Wu Massacre album together, you shouldn't consider the trio a group — their group will always be the Wu-Tang Clan.

"We're not doing this to win. We're not doing this to bring Wu-Tang to the forefront. We're not doing this to save the group. We're a part of the group," Method Man said recently in New York. "This album could have been done by Deck, U-God and Gza. Either/or, it's still Wu-Tang. The bottom line with this LP, it was something fans always requested. It's like, what else was we doing? It was a given. Hopefully, we can all get back in the...

Variety reports that Wu-Tang Clan rapper RZA will star with Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis in Due Date, the upcoming comedy from director Todd Phillips (The Hangover, Old School, Starsky & Hutch).

The story involves a soon-to-be father who is in danger of missing his child's birth. In order to make it on time, he has to enlist the help of an underachieving college student, who takes him on a road trip.

The RZA has already starred in and produced music for a number of features, perhaps most notably those of indie filmmaker Jim Jarmusch. If you haven't yet seen it, check out this hilarious clip from Jarmusch's Coffee and Cigarettes, in which RZA discusses the ills of caffeine addiction with fellow Wu-Tang member Gza and ... Bill Murray.

RZA is also starring in Paul Haggis's upcoming movie The Next Three Days and is scoring Robbie Brenner's Warriors Way.

Chef says he's contemplating Young Jeezy for part three, in Mixtape Daily.

By Shaheem Reid

Raekwon, Mobb Deep and Nas

Photo: Loud

Cornerstone Credentials We heard the album last night, son. Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II is a certified gem. That very last song on the LP, "Kiss the Ring," is amazing. He's has those mafia war stories, the sharp wordplay, Wu-Bangers and even some Dr. Dre G-Funk. What the Chef was unable to get was Nas. One of the main show-stealers from the original Only Built 4 Cuban Linx never gave Rae a verse for the new LP. So much for nostalgia.

"He committed to it," Rae told Mixtape Daily. "I knew dude be busy. However it goes down, it's cool with me. My thing is, I sacrificed to even ask because of the fans. But if dudes be too busy in their own minds, they don't have to do it.

Re-Living Thing, spearheaded by Mick Boogie, will also feature guest spots from Three 6 Mafia, Talib Kweli, others.

By Gil Kaufman

Peter Bjorn and John's <i>Re-Living Thing</i>

Photo: Emi

It's an unlikely love affair, but quite a few hip-hop heads have really been feeling Swedish indie-rock trio Peter, Bjorn and John lately. From Kanye West, who sampled the group's breakthrough hit "Young Folks" for his Can't Tell Me Nothing mixtape, to Drake, who worked with them on So Far Gone's "Let's Call It Off."

That sonic bromance is going major August 27, thanks to producer Mick Boogie, the man behind last year's lauded Jay-z/Coldplay mash-up mixtape, Viva la Hova. Boogie was recently handed the master to Pb&J's most recent album, Living Thing, and he's done it again, overseeing a full-album remix dubbed Re-Living Thing that the acclaimed mixtape kid said is one of his finest efforts to date. The best part?...

If you're a hip-hop fan, September is going to be a pretty great month for you. In addition to the new albums from Jay-z, 50 Cent and Gucci Mane, the month will also see the release of Raekwon's long-awaited Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II. The Wu-Tang member (also known as the Chef) has been hitting up social networking sites attempting to build buzz for the record, his first in six years. He's pretty active on Twitter, and his YouTube account has also built up a healthy back catalog. In the past two days, though, he has really kicked it up a notch.

First, he debuted some new album art from Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II. The original album cover was assumed to be a simple variation on the first Cuban Linx (with a purple background), but this really takes it further. The Chef casts himself as a "sleeping giant" surrounded...

In its five years of existence, the Rock The Bells tour has gone from a local concert in California to a nationwide tour featuring some of the biggest names in hip-hop.

This year's edition features a wide range of artists, from headliners like Nas and Ice Cube to underground acts like Eyedea & Abilities.

The show will be hosted by Krs-one, Pete Rock, Murs and Supernatural.

The full lineup includes: Nas & Damian Marley,Ice Cube, The Roots, Cypress Hill, Epmd, Busta Rhymes, Common, Big Boi, Krs-One, House of Pain & La Coka Nostra, Reflection Eternal, Tech N9ne, K'naan, RZA, Gza, Raekwon, Sage Francis, M.O.P., Slaughterhouse, The Knux, Eyedea & Abilities, Necro, Slum Village, Evidence & The Alchemist, Chali 2na, Psycho Realm, Mystic Journeymen, Buckshot, Mickey Factz, B. Dolan, and Tabi Bonney.

Having dispatched the Orlando Magic in five games, the Los Angeles Lakers are the 2009 NBA Champions. Kobe Bryant finally won without the help of Shaquille O’Neal (just like Jay-z hoped he would), and the team will be celebrating with a parade in Los Angeles this afternoon. All through the playoffs, it was a familiar-looking Lakers team, and not because they resembled any of the past championship clubs. Rather, they looked and played a lot like the Wu-Tang Clan. Don’t believe me? Check this out:

» Kobe Bryant is RZA: The most talented and controlling member of the team (and also the richest). Are they both a little bit crazy? Sure. Doesn’t it just make us love them more? Definitely. Plus, both Kobe and RZA are friendly with gritty New York City film directors (Kobe & Spike Lee, RZA & Jim Jarmusch).

» Phil Jackson is Gza: The wise sage...