*By Jeffrey Marcus*
The Wu-Tang Clan didn't release its debut album a quarter-century ago for fans to explore only two or three of the 36 chambers. The celebrated rap collective's "Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)" presented a fully formed universe of kung fu-inspired hip hop to be experienced uncut.
“When we create a body of work, I like that everyone, they heard the body of work," said Ghostface Killah, one of the group's nine MCs. But that may not be how most people listen to music now, with the rise of streaming services.
Ghostface Killah was rueful: "I’m going to paint this picture for you, but yet you’re going to dissect it and take just one?”
Four members of the Wu-Tang Clan shared with Cheddar's Hope King how the expansive ethos of their 1993 debut album ー complete with imagined Shaolin culture and deeply textured lyrics and soulful samples ー remains their signature, even if the music business has fractured.
“Streaming definitely started off with bad economics but those economics are starting to balance themselves out,” said RZA, a founding member of the group.
Though the Wu-Tang Clan maintains its attachment to the album format, Cappadonna, another of the group's MCs (remember, there are a lot of them) said streaming services offer an important route for up-and-coming artists.
“It’s just putting it all out there, the streaming, the music, and creating more avenues for a lot of MCs and artists that don’t have a real chance to get their music heard,” he said.
RZA, however, questioned whether these young artists have the substance to add to the hip-hop canon, one song at a time.
“Hip hop is something that makes people entertained, provides avenues of economics for a lot of families, it expresses the culture of America, black culture, and also the diverse culture that America stand for and that's now the world culture," said RZA. “Hip hop is doing its job, but it could use some more substance.”
“Words should also contain wisdom,” he added.
The Wu-Tang Clan had that wisdom, real and invented, from the start, on albums that borrowed mystique from the legends that inspired kung-fu movies and soul music samples overlaid with intricate, often funny and boastful rhymes.
"Wisdom is an accumulation of experience, and some of these hip-hop artists haven't experienced what we've experienced," RZA said. "By the time we were 19, we experienced about 40 years of life."
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/the-wu-tang-clan-on-snapchat-streaming-and-shkreli).
It was 'game on' for sports bettors in the state of New York, as mobile betting kicked off on four major betting operating platforms Saturday. This comes at an exciting time for sports fans with some of the biggest NFL games of the season right around the corner. Cam Rogers - Host of Lock It In with Cam Rogers, Betting Analyst at the Bleav Podcast Network joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
The United States purchased over 600,000 doses of a monoclonal antibody treatment from Glaxosmithkline and Vir Biotechnology, bringing the total worldwide doses purchased to 1.7 million. This comes as the country attempts to ramp up treatment options as cases of the omicron variant continue to surge. Dr. Asha Shah, Director of Infectious Diseases at Stamford Health joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
Former wide receiver for the New York Giants, Victor Cruz has partnered with Krystal Restaurants, a popular burger chain in the South, to bring the franchise to his home state of New Jersey. Cruz and Alice Crowder, CMO of Krystal Restaurants, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss the venture. The five new locations will be known as "Victor Cruz's Krystal," decked out with memorabilia from his football career, with the former player explaining how "hands-on" he plans on being. "You never know, OK? You might walk in and Victor Cruz will be flipping a burger back there, and you might be getting it directly from the source," he said.
Max Bichsel, vice president at Gambling.com Group joins Cheddar News to talk about the growing sports betting industry, New York legalizing mobile betting, and 2022 predictions for the sector.
Cody Roark, NFL analyst at Pro Football Network joins Cheddar News to talk about NFL playoff predictions and which teams have a shot at the Super Bowl.
Mario Stefanidis, Vice President of Research at Roundhill Investments, joined Wake Up With Cheddar to break down the implications of the Take-Two deal to purchase Zynga, as the gaming giant looks to become a major player in mobile gaming.
Covid cases have started to spike again across the nation, and this time they seem to be hitting some of our youngest and most vulnerable - school-aged children. School districts across the nation - including the country's largest public school system in New York City- are all grappling with what to do as teachers and students alike continue to miss school in droves.
Katie Honan, reporter for the New York City-based non profit news organization, The City explains how educational leaders across the country are handling covid demands from both teachers and parents alike.
For the first time since September, Bitcoin fell below $40,000 early Monday. The currency's average short-term price has now dipped below its average long-term price, which is known by a rather dramatic term, a death cross. According to analysts, the indicator appears to be a result of mounting concerns of faster liquidity withdrawal by the US Federal Reserve. The crypto slump also follows a week of rough trading for equities overall. CEO Snickerdoodle Labs and Co-Founder of the Stanford Future of Digital Currency Initiative, Jonathan Padilla, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Throughout this pandemic, we witnessed a mass exodus of women in particular, from the workforce. A number of women say an increase in home and child care responsibilities forced them to make a decision they never thought they would; to simply quit their jobs. Many others had the decision made for them and were laid off. In fact, we did a LinkedIn poll today where 29 percent of women said their careers took a back seat. Reporting Fellow at Type Media Center and Author of "Work Won't Love You Back" Sarah Jaffe, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
David Bowie's entire catalog of songs has officially been sold to Warner Music Group by his estate for an estimated $250 million. This means the group now has the full rights to almost all of David Bowie's recordings. But Bowie, just the latest music mega deal. Just last month, Bruce Springsteen sold his entire catalog to Sony Music Entertainment at what in fact maybe be the biggest transaction ever for a single artist's body of work. In addition, John Legend also cashed in by selling rights to his songs from 2004 to early last year. Culture Correspondent at NPR, Anastasia Tsioulcas, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
