*Bonus* Wu Tang: An American Saga

How I even got the job was crazy. So I was coming from a job interview at Columbia Records, and I was like, let me stop by the office and say hi to the people I used to intern with. Well, when I got there, it was the same day that they were doing a huge concert in New York City and things went left on the concert. The guys got on stage and they started cursing out the host of the radio station, and they actually ended up getting banned from the station after that, And that band was on

for years. But it just told you how Woutang really didn't give an f about anybody. They were just going to do what they were doing. His risen in mathematics, describing how the legendary logo came about mathematics. You created the wootang logo. Yeah, yeah, that's a dope shot too. Yeah, I got a lot of wood tank. Thank you for the wilet. Rizzen came in here with gifts. How do you come up with the logo? What was? How do you think of that? One? Actual logo actually came just

one night. God called me, was like, yo, getting these joints punting up, punting it up tomorrow. I need I need a logo tomorrow. So I was like, worried tomorrow. So I came home from work. I was like all right, I sat on the floor on the living room floor, just started came up, came up with what I came up with. So I just remember, you know, we discussed a few things, you know what I mean, that's editing and all that. But yeah, and then who was the

first person you showed the rizzo? Yeah, okay, they came up to the job. Him goes power and divine. I remember all of them looking at it like bad because I this is it and it was this right here this w yeah, wow, all of the wootang merchant. As we see, I can targeting everywhere. Like who gets the money for that? That goes to the company. I mean law man did joy. But how much I paid you for that back then? M bucks something like that. Jesus, Jesus ya at the time that was happening at the time.

That was half my rent money. And so I mean he enjoyed it, but you know it was you know it was it was a paid for a service, you know what I mean. So it's owned by the company. I owned the company, so the majority of it goes to the company, all the licenses and everything. So y'all reach forever off a logo. Yeah, mathematics, you want to renegotiate. So the Nike guy did the Nike logo for two hundred and fifty dollars. Here's you guy talking about how

the Woo was formed? How did the WU ting form? Well, that was that's a crazy situation because we always was together some form of fashion. You know, when when when Jesus with Genius and Rizzard comes to the hill, it comes to the OO building. They come with six Steven went in front of the OO building. Me me math uh, you know dak Kappa used to live in the building, so that was our little building and raised the right the building the course right right right next to it.

But he had his gate, you know, him and Power had the gate in the unto twenty five. So Ray had to go when he was hustling, he had to go all around, drop his little bombs off, and come allay back whatever he was doing. I'm saying so, but when they used to come to the hill, we used to drop everything going back, drink ballence time with me, Dirty Genius and Wristle. We're just going back and just start versing and just chilling in. You know. It was

it was that was our brothers back there. You and Math really had a very special relationship, and you focused on that a lot. What I did like was you talk about being a team player in the book, and that's important for a lot of people, I think in life in general. Because you knew, Okay, Math is not going to be doing this street stuff. He has all this talent and he's working really hard for it. So I'm gonna make sure he's good. But I'm gonna keep doing what I'm doing because you felt like I have

to take care of my brother. Him and Dirty were like out of here mentally when it comes to right and rhymes and raps and on, and so I had to had to protect him because he was stuf. He was just that dude. And I always tell him like, yo dog, you got something, especially when he had an old lady. They used to scream out the window to him, this is a note. This is a straight up story. He'll tell you the same thing. It's old as you know.

She was an alcoholic whatever whatever, but she was a good woman and she used to be out there within him like sing for me, singer, to sing for me. And she used to be telling that the Meth. She said, you're gonna be a star. I used to be laughing at him, like yo dog. She used to because but every time we used to be on the block, she was old, but I'm wanted to sing for me, singer.

And then Meth start beating on his test, you know, doing his little routine and stuff like that, and they used to make her day, you know, and she was and she was right. But even just hearing how Cream took off for you guys, basically the performance and the money falling from the ceiling and then you said, the song went gold within hours of you guys performing cream Yeah yeah, and pride of that we was going to be worried about he was gonna make it or not,

you know, man. And then we already had all the videos in the can. So when you know, we draw cream offs into your hall. Next day we got the the record reports. He was like, what just went because he was already like a hundred twenty thousand sales with his head spots and all this stuff he put out. He was already twentyth thousand sales. And soon as we dropped that just jumped the fire hunting and just kept going. That's amazing how an appearance on our send of your

hall affected. That was the platform back then to this day. If you ever need, if he ever need, ain't anything. So he just hit me, DM me getting contact with me. Bro. You get anything, man, you get you know, from from any brother man, anyone. Wou Tang, an American saga, is inspired by the Wou Tang Manual and based on the

true story of the Wou Tang clan. Set in the early nineties New York at the height of the crack cocaine epidemic, The show tracks the Clan's formation, a vision of Bobby Digg's aka The Rizzer, who unites the men torn between music and crime, but eventually rise to become the unlikeliest of American success stories. The show stars Ashton Sanders as The Rizzer, as well as rappers Dave East Player Met the Man, and Joey bad as Player and Inspect the Deck. Woutang Klan and American Saga is now

streaming with new episodes every Wednesday only on Hulu. What's Up as angela Ye from the Breakfast Club and if you know me, you know I'm excited about this Boutang series coming to Hulu. Now, let me give you some of my favorite Woutang memories. I remember not knowing how huge Boutang were as stars, just because I knew them like my brothers. And one day metha Man asked me to come at him to the bank when I was

in the office. Now he said we had to take a cab, but the bank was only three blocks away, so I said, why are we taking a cab? Why don't we just walk there? So I remember walking down the street with meThe Man, and it took us like two hours just to get to the bank because everybody was stopping him on the street because those guys were

already huge superstars and I didn't even realize it. Here's another great moment from our conversation with the cast of the Wu Tang and American Saga now screaming only on Hulu Erica. Is this Doctor series you think nostalgia for the older generation or lessons for the younger generation both. That's a really good question. I think that narrative and storytelling has always been hijacked by white men in studios and told us our narrative in their history. And now

we have these street poets. We've grown up, and now they are the heroes of our you know, older so called you know, going into their forties and fifties and sixties. And then they're also um real sort of badasses for the young people because we placed them up and they'll go, wow, it's like telling the story of Star Wars. You know, you had to be there, except you didn't have to because it just keeps going on and on and on. So I think it's actually beautiful. It's like a full circle.

But I the best thing about is that shows that the narrative at least of this century will be told by people of color. And um, I'm glad that Riza is so good in communicating his story. We talked last time we were here about our writing. You know, the people who can write there there, they'll be eternal, you know. And and to me to write the stories of so called American saga and be the new Waltons, that's power.

What do you think Aston, what's the lesson of the younger generation can learn from this story of of passionate story of we kind of see the cultivation of you know, if you have a dream, you know, sticking with that, you know, like no matter what your circumstances are, you know, like living through them or not letting your circumstances like kind of define what the outcome is going to be. And so I think you just cut through this character of Bobby. We watch all of that within the character.

It's so specific to his life and his story. But at the same time, I feel like it's something that everybody's going to be able to be inspired by outside of like the music. So I think that's going to be though. Erica said something that made me think earlier talking about like how they're making the movies of all of our heroes that grew up in the nineties. Like you think that's a good thing a bad thing, because

it's usually all celebrities are, it's all artists. You know, we grew up on autobiography of malcaelm X and like things that have like a real socially redeemed value. Not saying that the Raptors didn't. But you think that's a good thing a bad thing, that these are heroes. But I think we valorize the things that that make us feel. And frankly, especially in that time, music became a source of not only you know, of empowerment, but also how

we expressed our rage and our frustration. So if you don't and if everybody shooting at each other, the thing that you you might talk about um or remember, or want to at least historically place your life in is are these people who you may not know, but they are telling the story of your real life. And frankly, I mean, if we look at what reporting and journally you talk about journalism today, they weren't. I mean it

was it was bizarre. They were sort of telling us who who they thought we were, and who they thought we were were evil and drugged out and all this stuff. But then you look back and you see, I love the character Sadiq Thoughtersho plays and he does it so well. He plays Dennis there he was taking care of two of his brothers who where I had multiple corrosive yeahs a child. He's reframing the narrative, and so that's why I think it's really good to sort of come back.

Sure it would be great to talk about other people who are there, but you know, that's how it is. The media stole everything, and one thing it stole was the fact that it stopped talking about people like James Baldwin and it sort of gave us a narrative that was only focused on people who were in the streets, because that's how it happens, even with all gangsters, the gangster movies, the mafia. So that's what we're talking about. That's what you like this flick so well because you

see all sides. You know, I'm a huge utang fan, so I only see the side of the MPVs and the things in the streets. That's what I agree with you. But nah, it's like I gravitated to the five percent, right, So you know, there's so many different things that people gravitate to, you know. But you see the other side. You see ghosts taking care of his brothers, you know what I mean, and wipe and his brother's lip. So you see that sensitive side again that was so and so.

But then you see ray on this side. So you get to see all those sides. That's what I love about it. Well, and also you think like you said about you know, you know, you know Malcolm X and the great heroes that inspired us right at the end of the day though then you know that was the sixties generation that inspired us who become the nineties generations? Right, We grew up in the seventy eighties and then our

voice comes out in the nineties. So it's it's actually, I think proper that the nineties is now the the with the lenses at because no, there's there are a lot of heroes that brought that message forward, you know what I mean, that bought the audiology for that bought

the movement. You know, you think about, umlet's just talk about you know, you look at Sonny Carson, right, remember, and then then he has his son, uh, the overseer right right, and then you know we come into the then we get the public enemy coming, you know what I mean. It's like these people become the voices that started from there. So I think it's really positive and all reality that the that the that the lens is

being turned onto the nineties. Now we of course we can find more than just the hip hop source of it, right, um. And and the beauty of it is that these heroes or these people are not just linear. They're multi facet you know what I mean. When University had did the movie American Gangster, I was proud for the fact of this.

I just want to say this out loud. And I remember thinking one of the executives, he's like, I was like, yo, you came to New York City spent over one hundred million dollars, you know what I mean in about three months. All the Harlem silvias was full, was being sold out, all the food sold out, Brooklyn everything, everybody making money,

ice cream trucks. Coun't keep ice scream on the trucks, right, because all this money has come to the city and they were telling the story of a black man, even though he was a drug dealer, it still was this money is being spent on the story of the black Man and now here we are on the ever where

it'll be spent on maybe a hip hop artist. I mean, you know, something to that nature that's that's a different look at it, you know, and even the story that I know, I'm here to promote our show, but when I watched the Ava show, Um, yeah, it's like, yo, that's a lot of money being spent on exposing a truth that really equipped with our city, you know what

I mean? So I think I think you know these writers and what we act right now, as they say in Hollywood, I think that our lens is pointed at the right direction and hopefully a lot more these stories to get out. Now, what's the relationship with what? I know?

It was rocky at times, but it seemed like this could have got everybody together because it was so many different stories and reliving the nineties and reliving when y'all were younger on that ground, what's the relationship now with everybody? I mean, the relationship is is peace. You know, we know, you know, it's a brotherhood. So it's always you know,

like you said, the up and down. Um, I think more so than ever though, I think you know, at this such mature age now, everybody is just letting everybody live there, live there, Lane, you know what I mean. So I'm a i'men. I've been making I'm been in Hollywood for about thirteen years now. I mean, I right movies, yo, direct movies. That's what I do. It's like that's my craft and so and so that's my job to tell that part of the story, you know what I mean.

Where where other brothers could be into, you know, whether they're making songs or still. You know, Jill did this this whole science show, but he loves science and mathematics, and he goes to the schools and he older colleges and do speeches. And you go up there and you see Jill there telling us about they're trying to turn light into liquid. Right, you're seeing this liquid science. Think

he does yo yo yo. It's it's like twelve episodes on science hosted about the JUSTI on that Flix and my son watched it and he was picking up wisdom because he because he vold with it. So anyway, but

let me pass the mic. Woutang and American Saga is inspired by the Woutang manual, set in early nineties New York and the height of the crack cocaine epidemic to show tracks to clans Formation, a vision of Bobby digs Ak eight to Rizzo, who unice the men tone between music and crime, but eventually rods to become the unlikeliest

of American success stories. The Wu Tang Clan has sold forty million albums worldwide, and the group is often held as one of the most influential groups in the history of hip hop, with a unique sound and distinct image. Its producers include members of the Wu Tang Clan, Rizzle and Mefi Man. Wou Tang and American Saga is now Screaming with new episodes every Wednesday only on Hulu. What's Up is angela Ye from the Breakfast Club And if you know me, you know I'm excited about this Woutang

series coming to Hulu. Now, let me give you some of my favorite Wou Tang memories. What I learned the most from working for Wu Tang was just how important it is to have your business together. I remember on the back of my business card they were like ten different businesses listed. So it wasn't just Woutang the group. It was Raised Sharp Records, Liquid Sort into Tayman thirty six, Chambers Studio, method Man Entertainment, Inspected Deck Entertainment, just a

whole lot of different companies. They definitely spread out, And what I really like about it was it's not having all your eggs in one basket. Wu Tang had their artists signed to all the different labels, so it was a great opportunity for them to spread out and get that money. There's another great moment from our conversation with the cast of the Wu Tang and American Saga now screaming only on Hulu. There was no social media back then,

no no internet service like that. Back then, we didn't have access to that, very little access to cell phones. So when you see it, I lived it, but I didn't live that part of it. So like when I'm watching it, because we got to see the first episode, I'm sitting in and I thought ray Kuon and ghost Face with breast friends from That's how I looked at them. But then when you watch and you'd be like, it

really almost killed each other, I'm like, that's crazy. How did you I didn'tee the rest of the second second season, but second episode, how did you get them cool? Well? And this and this is real yeah, well in all reality, right, it's like, you know, Stapleton and park Kill just had this. I mean, the beef was was was from God's older than me and and and yet you know, Staten Island

is still uh isolated island. One thing that Staton Alan did, I would say is that when we left Staten Island, right and we go to Brooklyn or we go to Sensations in Jersey, we did fight together. If you go to the Square and you got some staton Alans in there, even though we're from all different hoods, we always fought together regardless. But then back on the Rock, it's like, yeah,

it's all any enemies, you know what I mean. So, but more importantly, you know, there was a common denominator, you know what I mean between me and the Woo brothers and that common denominator. Um, it's something that helped

meilt that energy, you know what I mean. Um, And you know, you know, just you know, not to give spoilers, but as you go through the show, you'll see some of that common denominator evolved and answer some of the questions like you know, because that's one of the challenges that you know that Aston has to face his Bobby. You know, my favorite you know, one of my favorite scenes is in the episode two which comes up next

when the when these confronted by shot. The SHOT's not really fine, yeah right hey, and then he's he's just like, yo, Bobby, where's my gun? Son? Like yo, you let that stapid tis nigga eat my food like you know, And and and that kind of energy of of of of friendship and then being pulled between you know, what's going on with your friends and what's going on with your brother

or what's going on in the streets. That dynamic, I mean, that dynamic was strong then, but even that dynamic finds itself and the equation these days, yeah, because it could be business or personal. Yeah, and you never know, I like, you know sometimes you know, you know how that you may come with the one thing about you know about coming from the hood or come from I may have a guy with me that's tight with me, but he

ain't tight with you, you know what I mean? Now you see him, it's like, yo, but man, you tight. You know what I'm saying. I might not even know that y'all signed two years ago my man's pockets, you know what I mean? So all that kind of energy exists, and you know the show with the show that though the show took a lot of time and how to squeeze an egg, you know, like Ever was explaining. You know when you go to my uh from outside of the family and talking, you know, you only see him

four of the children. You can't put on laming children in the TV show that the Waltons, I know, right, but you know so so so we so you got to condense, condense it and you gotta dramatize it the way to make it all fit within a construct. How did the other seven siblings feel about that? Though I ain't no, this is this is yo. Everybody knows that this is you know, this is art yo, and so

nobody well nobody didn't openly say nothing. They didn't see the show yet either, but but they'll give you an example. My brother Chamber is my oldest brother, right, his government name is Randy um and so um. But I gave that name to my younger brother and the show, you know what I mean, So, my my four younger brothers um, I didn't use their names. I just used my older brother and then my and then Sophie, who's my older sister.

But in the show, my sister is Shari, my younger sister, and so when I explained everything to my writer's room, we was able to take both of their personalities emerged right Solda, so that so the energy of that household remains the same, you know, Sophie being the one who has to take care of the kids and then Shari being a younger one trying to find ourselves. And then we emerged those two into one person and gave our

actress a lot to play with. It's a hard doing period pieces now because listen, man, nineties hip hop eighties was a totally different ball game. You know what I'm saying. There's a lot of things us as many didn't know. You unlearned a lot of the BS behavior. So do you do you leave certain things out to avoid backlash now or do you have to tell how it really was? No?

I think, I think. I think. You know, when you watch the actors portrayed in nineties and they get a chance to know, to remind us of whether we were stupid or whether we were smart, you know. No, I love the scene with Ashton he goes um and many look, many producers and hip hoppers in New York City, right,

wanted those drum machines, one of those turntables. Right. And episode one starsh off with our character wanting to get that SP twelve hundred For those who don't know what ESP twelve hundred is, the was the sampler that Easymo b had um famire. Everybody used this to make hip hop. And and how many people growing up in New York wanting to get that when that came out, right, and then we watch him trying to get it now and all it does is sample twelve seconds, right, you know

for two thousan dollars. Now you can sample ten years on your computer. Yo. Basically you know what I mean? And so you know and so and so you know the show like the ambition and the struggle of what that was the show that uh you know, it's he going to the parks and Manhattan. Remember the chess players used to be down by the World Trade Center. We see that in the show. But at the same time, the World Trade Center, the Twin Towers and still standing.

You got kids who they can't even fantom with the Twin Towers, right, they couldn't fantom that, Yo. That's an area that people were sitting there playing chessing and and and and the Israelites and the guards is out building, you know what I mean. So there's a scene where he's sitting there listening and the guards are talking about, Yo, you got knowledge yourself and all that. I mean, that's real, that's what that's real. It's real. Where did you learn? Like?

Where did you learn that? Because when I seen that, I know that you were chests, But I'm like, but where did you learn that? Coming out of stating anal that's something that that you would taught or just going to the to the city all the time I was taught. I was blessed with a girl that took my virginity and taught me chess man. She hit me with a

two for one. Based on the formation of the most influential group in hip hop history, Wu Tang and American Saga is now streaming with new episodes every Wednesday only on Hulu.