By almost every account, Wu-Tang Clan — the legendary, scene-changing Staten Island hip-hop collective — has yet to equal the genius of its flawless first full-length, 1993's Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). Still, the group's shadow continues to loom large, particularly in underground rap, pop culture and hipster realms. It's partially because individual members (most notably RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ol' Dirty Bastard and Masta Killa) have put out excellent albums of their own. But mostly, it's because the group succeeded in creating a larger-than-the-music entity, a virtual world of horror movies, kung fu, incredibly skewed humor and undeniable personalities. And while the most visible and visibly fucked-up of those personalities, ODB, has departed this earth, there's no doubt the rest of the Clan will bring down the house, like he would've wanted, at Jannus.
This article appears in Feb 15-21, 2006.