"No, no weapon in hip-hop history can rival the chaotic cohesion of the Wu-Tang Clan. The Clan had so many characters, each with his own eccentricities. They were fearless in their approach. There's a good reason no group has been able to successfully recreate their sound. The crew spawned gazillions of loosely associated acts. Their classic albums spawned classic albums."
That quote from Henry Adaso pretty much sums it up. The Wu-Tang Clan, against all odds, made themselves into just the icons they'd aspired to be. Although we're not sure on exactly what authority, About.com listed them as the greatest rap group of all time (and we are sure that plenty of folks would agree). Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) is on dozens of best hip-hop album lists and is considered a classic, especially for its influence on production style but also for the Wu-Tang Clan's innovative approach to negotiating the record deal. That deal, the RZA bragged, "changed the way hip-hop artists negotiate, the way deals are structured; it changed the whole rap game" (The Wu Tang Manual, 76). The album came in at #386 on Rolling Stone's 2003 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. "C.R.E.A.M." went Gold in 2009, still selling after fifteen years. Despite some 2010 drama between Raekwon and the RZA, the Wu-Tang Clan are still doing their thing, and their thing will forever be associated with this classic track.