Protect Ya Neck – Wu-Tang Clan

Wu-Tang Clan has a special place at Bboysounds, being one of the most consistently creative and unpredictable forces in Hip-hop. “Protect Ya Neck” was one of the early tracks that heralded the coming of the Wu-Tang Clan (@WuTangClan), along with “C.R.E.A.M.“, “Method Man“, and “Da Mystery of Chessboxin“, all of which had #dope videos of their own.

This track is a fast-moving round in the early Wu-Tang cipher, over RZA’s handiwork:

“Protect Ya Neck” features original members Inspectah Deck, Raekwon, Method Man, U-God, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Ghostface Killah, RZA, GZA. Along with Masta Killa, these were the nine MCs (as well as producer) that were the foundation of the Wu-Tang Clan phenomenon.

Wu-Tang Clan still reigns over it’s own realm of Hip-hop, 20 years after “Protect Ya Neck” dropped on the world. Countless solo and affiliate projects, mix tapes, rare vinyls and cassettes later, something like Ghostface Killah, Adrian Younge, and RZA’s “20 Reasons to Die”, which is about to change the route of Hip-hop history this coming week, in this DJ’s opinion.

Wu-Tang in their own words from the Wu-Tang Clan website:

The vision of the Wu-Tang Clan is undoubtedly due to the musical skills of RZA. Under his direction, the group – through its own efforts and the solo projects, all of which he produced or co-produced – created a hazy, surreal, and menacing soundscape out of hardcore beats, eerie piano riffs, and minimal samples. Over these surrealistic backing tracks, the MCs rapped hard, updating the old-school attack with vicious violence, martial arts imagery, and a welcome warped humor. By 1995, the sound was one of the most instantly recognizable in hip-hop.

Join the Forum discussion on this post