Wu-Tang Clan fans only just realising where their name comes from
The name Wu-Tang Clan is instantly recognisable to any hip-hop enthusiast. With hits like 'C.R. E.A.M.' and 'Protect Ya Neck', their music is as integral to the genre as iconic tracks by Biggie or Tupac.
However, despite their three-decade-long legacy, some newer fans may not know the origin of the Wu-Tang Clan moniker - or what the group was nearly named.
The story begins in Staten Island, New York, in the late '80s when three cousins - Robert Diggs, Gary Grice and Russell Jones - decided to form a rap trio, reports the Mirror US.
They initially called themselves Force of the Imperial Master, a name that seems more suited to a science fiction film marathon than the hip hop scene.
The trio also went by the All in Together Now Crew - another name that's hard to associate with the group.
At this point, Diggs was known as Prince Rakeem, Grice performed under The Genius, and Jones was The Specialist. They gained respect in the underground scene, and by 1991, both The Genius and Prince Rakeem had secured solo deals. Wu-Tang Clan's story began in the late 1980s (Image: PA)
The Genius released Words from the Genius on Cold Chillin' Records, and Rakeem put out Ooh I Love You Rakeem on Tommy Boy. Neither release made much impact, and the labels dropped them.
This led to a rebrand: Rakeem became RZA, The Genius transformed into GZA, The Specialist became Ol' Dirty Bastard. And in 1992, with the addition of Staten Island's Dennis Coles (soon to be known as Ghostface Killah), they laid the groundwork for something much bigger. Wu-Tang Clan.
The name was plucked straight from a cult classic - the 1983 martial arts flick Shaolin and Wu Tang, featuring Gordon Liu and showcasing the lethal rivalry between two kung fu schools. RZA and Ol' Dirty Bastard had a thing for kung fu movies, so the filmic nod was bang on.
But the crew didn't just settle on the moniker. In peak '90s hip-hop style, they began crafting backronyms to match it.
Some of the standout interpretations included: "We Usually Take All N****s' Garments", "Witty Unpredictable Talent And Natural Game" and "Wisdom of the Universe, and the Truth of Allah for the Nation of the Gods."
Come 1993, they dropped Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) - an album that turned the East Coast rap scene on its head. Fast forward to 1997, and Wu-Tang Forever was topping the Billboard 200 and snagging a Grammy nod for Best Rap Album.
"We reinvented the way hip hop was structured," RZA once said. "We still could negotiate with any label we wanted... Meth went with Def Jam, Rae stayed with Loud, Ghost went with Sony, GZA went with Geffen. And all these labels still put 'Razor Sharp Records' on the credits. Wu-Tang was a financial movement."
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