The Breakfast Club - *Bonus* Wu Tang: An American Saga

Episode Date: September 5, 2019

To celebrate Wu Tang American Saga on Hulu, Angela Yee gives her favorite moments when she was working with Wu Tang plus highlights of the interview with The Breakfast Club. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Had enough of this country? Ever dreamt about starting your own? I planted the flag. This is mine. I own this. It's surprisingly easy. 55 gallons of water, 500 pounds of concrete. Or maybe not. No country willingly gives up their territory. Oh my God.

What is that? Bullets. Listen to Escape from Zakistan. We need help! That's Escape from Z-A-Q-istan on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey guys, I'm Kate Max. You might know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show, where I run with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and more. After those runs, the conversations keep going. That's what my podcast

Post Run High is all about. It's a chance to sit down with my guests and dive even deeper into their stories, their journeys, and the thoughts that arise once we've hit the pavement together. Listen to Post Run High on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. As a kid, I really do remember having these dreams and visions, but you just don't know what is going to come for you. Alicia shares her wisdom on growth, gratitude, and the power of love. I forgive myself. It's okay.

Have grace with yourself. You're trying your best. And you're going to figure out the rhythm of this thing. Alicia Keys, like you've never heard her before. Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey, y'all. Niminy here. I'm the host of a brand new history podcast for kids and families called Historical Records. Executive produced by Questlove, The Story Pirates, and John Glickman, Historical Records brings history to life through hip-hop.

Flash, slam, another one gone. Bash, bam, another one gone. The crack of the bat and another one gone. The tip of the cap, there's another one gone. Each episode is about a different, inspiring figure from history. Like this one about Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old girl in Alabama who refused to give up her seat on the city bus nine whole months before Rosa Parks did the same thing. Check it.

And it began with me. Did you know, did you know? I wouldn't give up my seat. Nine months before Rosa, it was called a woman. Get the kids in your life excited about history by tuning in to Historical Records. Because in order to make history, you have to make some noise. Listen to Historical Records on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, everyone. Apple Podcasts, or wherever you

listen to podcasts. Based on the formation of the most influential group in hip-hop history, Wu-Tang Clan. An American saga is now streaming only on Hulu. What's up? It's Angela Yee from The Breakfast Club. And if you know me, you know I'm excited about this Wu-Tang series coming to Hulu. Now let me give you some of my favorite Wu-Tang memories. I got my start working in the music industry, interning for Wu-Tang management when I was in college. And then when I graduated, my first job was working for Wu-Tang Corporation. 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 ban was on for years. But it just showed you how Wu-Tang out the host of the radio station. And they actually ended up getting banned from the station after that.

And that ban was on for years. But it just showed you how Wu-Tang really didn't give a F about anybody. They were just going to do what they were doing. Here's RZA and Mathematics describing how the legendary Wu logo came about. Now, Mathematics, you created the Wu-Tang logo? Yeah. Yeah, that's a dope shirt, too. I got a lot of Wu-Tang fans familiar.

Thank you for the wallet. RZA came in here with gifts. I know. I'm excited. Now, how'd you come up with the logo? What was, how do you think of that one? The actual logo actually came just one night. A guy called me, was like, yo, I'm getting these joints printed up tomorrow. I need a logo tomorrow.

So I was like, word, 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 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 some editing and all that. Yeah. And then. Who was the first person you showed it to, RZA? Yeah. Okay. They came up to the job. Him, Ghost, Pow, and Devon.

I remember all of them looking at it. Like, this is it. And it was this right here. W yeah Wow all the Wu Tang merchandise we see like in Target and everywhere like who gets the money for that that goes to the company I mean a long math did joy but how much I paid Christ. Jesus Christ. At the time, that was half my rent money. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know what I mean? And so, I mean, he droid, but, you know, it was a pay for service.

You know what I mean? So it's owned by the company. I own the company. So the majority of it goes to the company. All the licenses and everything. Wow. So y'all rich forever off a logo. Yeah.

Mathematics, you want to renegotiate? I got a little percentage, so you know what I mean? The Nike guy did the Nike logo for $250. Wow. That's swishy. Here's you, God, talking about how the Wu was formed. How did the Wu-Tang form? Well, that's a crazy situation because we always was together in some form or fashion.

Right. You know, when Genius and RZA come to the hill, they come to the OO building. They come and see Steve. In front of the OO building be me, Mef, you know, Dack, Capper used to live in the building. So that was our little building. And Ray used to live right, the building across, right next to it. But he had his gate, you know, him and Power had their gate in the 225. So Ray had to go.

When he was hustling, he had to go all the way around, drop his little bombs off and come all the way back, whatever he was doing, you know what I'm saying? But when they used to come to the Hill, we used to drop everything and go in the back, drink Balanced Home Ale with me, Dirty, Genius, and RZA. We'd just go in the back and just start versing and just chilling.

And, you know, that was our brothers back then. You and Meth 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, Meth 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 going to make sure he's good.

But I'm going to 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 writing rhymes and raps and all that. So I had to protect him because he was just that dude. And I always tell him like, yo dog, you got something.

Especially when he had an old lady that used to scream out the window to him. This is a straight up story. He'll tell you the same thing. This old lady, she was an alcoholic, whatever, whatever. But she was a good woman. And she used to be out there with him like, sing for me, singer. Hey, just sing for me. And she used to be telling that to Mef.

She said, you're going to be a star. I used to be laughing at him like, yo, dog. She used to be kidding. But every time we used to be on the block, she would go, but I want to sing for me, sing. And then Mef started beating on his chest, you know, doing his little routine and stuff like that. And they used to make her day, you know, 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, and prior to that, we was on the beach worried about if we was going to make it or not. You know what I mean? And then we already had all the videos in the can. So when we dropped Cream on City Hall, the next day we got the record reports.

We was like, what? Because we was already like 200,000 sales with the test box and all the stuff we put out. We was already at 200,000 sales. And as soon as we dropped stuff he put out. He was already at 200,000 sales and as soon as we dropped that it just jumped to 500 and it just kept going.

That's amazing how an appearance on Arsenio Hall affected. That was the platform back then though. That's why to this day if he ever need

anything anything so he just hit me DM me get in contact with me bro you get anything man you get you know

from any brother, man. Anyone, our brother. Wu-Tang, an American saga, is inspired by the Wu-Tang manual and based on the true story of the Wu-Tang Clan. Set in early 90s New York at the height of the crack cocaine epidemic, the show tracks the clan's formation, a vision of Bobby Diggs, a.k.a. The RZA, 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 RZA, as well as rappers Dave East playing Method Man and Joey Badass playing Inspector Deck. Wu-Tang Clan, an American saga, is now streaming with new episodes every Wednesday, only on Hulu. What's up? It's Angela Yee from The Breakfast Club, and if you know me, you know I'm excited about this Wu-Tang series only on Hulu. What's up? It's Angela Yee from The Breakfast Club, and if you know me, you know I'm excited about this Wu-Tang series coming to Hulu.

Now let me give you some of my favorite Wu-Tang memories. I remember not knowing how huge Wu-Tang were as stars just because I knew them like my brothers, and one day Method Man asked me to come with 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 Method 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, an

American saga now screaming only on Hulu. Erica, is this docuseries, 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 that told us their narrative and their history. And now we have these street poets who have grown up and now they are the heroes of our, you know, older, so-called, you know, going into their 40s and 50s and 60s.

And then they're also real sort of badasses for the young people because we place them up and they 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 the best thing about it is it shows that

the narrative, at least of this century, will be told by people of color. And I'm glad that RZA is so good in communicating his story. We talked last time we were here about power of writing. You know, the people who can write, they'll be eternal.

And to me, to write the stories of the so-called American saga and be the new Waltons, that's power. What do you think, Ashton? What's the lesson that the younger generation can learn from this? A story of passion, a 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 and not letting your circumstances like kind of define what the outcome is going to be. And so I think 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 gonna be able to, like, be inspired by outside of, like, the music.

So I think that's gonna be dope. Erica said something that made me think earlier. You're talking about, like, how they're making the movies of all of our heroes that grew up in the 90s. Like, you think that's a good thing or a bad thing because it's usually all celebrities. It's all artists, you know? We grew up on autobiography of Malcolm X

and things that had real socially redeeming value. You're not saying that the rappers didn't, but you think that's a good thing or a bad thing that these are our heroes? I think we valorize the things that make us feel. And frankly, especially in that time, music became a source of not only, you know, empowerment, but also how we expressed our rage and our frustration.

So if you don't, and if everybody's shooting at each other, the thing that you might talk about 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 journalism, you talk about journalism today, they weren't. I mean, it was bizarre. They were sort of telling us who they thought we were.

And who they thought we were were evil and drugged out and all the stuff but then you look back and you see I love the character Sadiq Saunders plays and he does it so well he plays Dennis there he was taking care of two of his brothers who were had multiple sclerosis yeah 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'd be great to talk about the other people

who were 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 how it happens even with all gangsters. The gangster movies, the mafia. So, that's what we're talking about. But that's why I like this flick so well because you see all sides. You know, I'm a huge Wu-Tang fan, so I only seen the side of the MPVs and the fangs in the street. That's all I see.

I agree with you, but nah, it's like I gravitated to the 5% teachers because of Wu-Tang. Right, so there's so many different things that people gravitate to, you know? But then you see the other side. You see Ghost taking care of his brothers, you know what I mean? And wiping his brother's lip. So you see that sensitive side, like, damn, 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, Malcolm X and the great heroes that inspired us, right? At the end of the day, though, you know, that was the 60s generation that inspired us who become the 90s generation, right? We grow up in the 70s, 80s, then our voice comes out in the 90s.

So it's actually, I think, proper that the 90s is now where the lens is at because there are a lot of heroes that brought that message forward that brought that ideology forward, that brought the movement you think about

you look at Sonny Carson and then he has his son the overseer and then we come into And then he has his son, the Overseer, right? And 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 in all reality that the lens is being turned on to the 90s.

Now, of course, we could find more than just the hip-hop source of it right and and the beauty of it is that these heroes or these people are not just linear they're multi-faceted you know I mean when Universal had did the movie, American Gangster, I was proud for the fact of this, I just wanna say this out loud, and I remember thinking, one of the executives, he was like, I was like, yo, you came to New York City, spent over $100 million,

you know what I mean, in about three months. All the, yo, Harlem, Sylvia's was full, was being sold out, all the food sold out, Brooklyn, everything, everybody making money. Ice cream trucks couldn't keep ice cream on the Harlem, Sylvia's was being sold out. All the food sold out. Brooklyn, everything. Everybody making money. Ice cream trucks couldn't keep ice cream 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 a black man. And now here we are in an era where it'll be spent on maybe a hip-hop artist. You know what I mean? You know, something to that nature. 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 watch the Ava show.

When they see us. When they see us, yeah. Yeah, it's like, yo, that's a lot of money being spent on exposing a truth that really crippled our city, you know what I mean? So I think, you know, these writers and where we at right now, as they say in Hollywood, I think that our lens is pointed at the right direction and hopefully a lot more of these stories will get out there. Now, what's the relationship with Woo?

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 90s and reliving when y'all were young on that grind. What's the relationship now with everybody? I mean, the relationship is peace, you know. You know, it's a brotherhood, so it's always, you know, like you said, the up and down.

I think more so than ever, though, I think, you know, at such a mature age now, everybody is just letting everybody live their lane, you know what I mean? So I've been in Hollywood for about 13 years now. I mean, I write movies, yo. I direct movies. That's what I do. It's like that's my craft.

And so that's my job is to tell that part of the story, you know what I mean? Where other brothers could be into, you know, whether they're making songs or still. You know, Gilda did this whole science show. But he loves science and mathematics, and he goes to the schools, and he goes to colleges and do speeches. And you go up there and you see Gilda telling us about they're trying to turn light into liquid, right? You seen this liquid science thing he does? Yo, you check this out, yo.

Yo, yo, it's deep. It's like 12 episodes on science hosted by the jizzle on Netflix. And my son watched it, and he was picking up wisdom. I did not see that. Because he could roll with it, so. Anyway, let me pass the mic. Wu-Tang, an American saga is inspired by the Wu-Tang

manual. Set in early 90s New York at the height of the crack cocaine epidemic, the show tracks the Klan's formation. A vision of Bobby Diggs, a.k.a. the RZA, who unites the men torn between music and crime, but eventually rise to become the unlikeliest of American success stories. The Wu-Tang Clan has sold 40 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 the history of hip-hop, with a unique sound and distinct image. Its producers include members of the Wu-Tang Clan, RZA, and Method Man. Wu-Tang, an American saga, is now screaming, with new episodes every Wednesday, only on Hulu. What's up? It's Angela Yee from The Breakfast Club, and if you know me, you know I'm excited about this Wu-Tang series coming to Hulu.

Now let me give you some of my favorite Wu-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, there were like 10 different businesses listed. So it wasn't just Wu-Tang the group. It was Razor Sharp Records, Liquid Sword Entertainment, 36 Chambers Studio, Method Man Entertainment, Inspector 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. Here's another great moment from our conversation with the cast of the Wu-Tang. An American saga now screaming only on Hulu. There was no social

media back then. 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 rayquan and ghostface were best friends from the start like that's how i looked at them but then when you watch and you be like they really almost killed each other i'm like that they were brothers. I'm like, they didn't use it. Like, that's how I looked at them. But then when you watch it, you be like, they really almost killed each other. I'm like, that's crazy.

How did you – I didn't see the rest of the second season, but second episode. How did you get them cool? Well – And this is real. Yeah, well, in all reality, right, it's like, you know, Stapleton and Park Hill just had this – I mean, the beef was from guys older than me. And these are projects in Staten Island for people that's listening.

And yet, you know, Staten Island is still an isolated island. One thing that Staten Island did, though, 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 Staten Islanders in there, even though we from all different hoods, we always fought together regardless. But then back on the rock, it's like, yo, it's all 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 Rule Brothers. And that common denominator is something that helped meld that energy, you know what I mean? And, you know, not to give spoilers, but as you go through the show, you'll see some of that common denominator evolve

and answer some of the questions like you know because that's one of the challenges that you know that aston has to face as bobby you know my favorite you know one of my favorite scenes is in episode two which comes up next when he uh when he's confronted by um shah shah's not really calling yet right and he's just like yo bobby where's my gun son like yo you let that stapleton that eat my food like you know and and that kind of energy 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 in the equation these days.

Yeah, because it could be business or personal. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And you never know. Like, you know, sometimes, you know, you know how it is. You may come with one thing about, you know, about coming from the hood. 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 me and you tight. You know what I'm saying? I might not even know that, yo, son, two years ago, that nigga dug in my man's pocket or something, you know what I mean? So all that kind of energy exists.

And, you know, the show did, though. The show took a lot of time and had to squeeze it in. Like Erica was you know you go to my on my side of the family and talking you know you only see him for can't put all 11 children in the TV show the Waltons I know right but you know so so so we so you got to condense condense it and you got to dramatize it the it to make it all fit within a construct. How do the other seven siblings feel about that, though? No, everybody knows that this is art, yo.

And so nobody openly say nothing. They didn't see the show yet either. But to give you an example, brother uh king is my oldest brother right his government name is randy um and so um but i gave that name to my younger brother in 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 Cherie, my younger sister. And so when I explained everything to my writers room,

we was able to take both of their personalities and merge them. 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 Cherie being the young one trying to find herself And then we merged those two into one person And gave our actress a lot to play with Is it hard doing period pieces now? Because, listen man, 90s hip-hop, 80s was a totally different ball game you know what i'm saying there's a lot of things us as men 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 portray the 90s and they get a chance to uh know to remind us of whether we were stupid or whether we were smart. I love the scene with Ashton. Look, many producers and hip-hoppers in New York City wanted those drum machines, wanted those turntables, right? And our episode one starts off with our character wanting to get that SP-1200. For those who don't know that SP-1200.

For those who don't know, SP-1200 was the sampler that Easy Mo B had. Premier, everybody used this to make hip-hop. SP-12, yep. And how many people growing up in New York wanted to get that when that came out, right? And then we watch him trying to get it. And all it does is sample 12 seconds. Right. You know what I mean does is sample 12 seconds. Right. You know what I mean? $2,000.

Right, for $2,000. Now you can sample 10 years on your computer, yo. On your computer. Basically, you know what I mean? And so, you know, the show, like the ambition and the struggle of what that was, the show that, you know, as he going to the parks in manhattan remember the chess players used to be down by the world trade center we see that in the show by the same time the world trade center the twin towers are still standing you got kids who they can't even phantom

with the twin towers right they couldn't phantom that yo that's the area that people were sitting there playing chess and and and and the is 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 real. It's real. Where did you learn chess? Like, where did you learn that? Because when I seen that, I know that you were a chess player. I'm like, well, where did you learn that coming out of Staten Island?

Was that something that you were taught or just going to the city all the time? You know, I was taught, I was blessed with a girl that took my virginity and taught me chess, you know? She's a keeper.

That's how she took your virginity. Jeez. Yeah, man, she hit me with a two for one. Based on the formation of the most influential group in hip-hop history,

Wu-Tang, an American saga is now streaming with new episodes every Wednesday, only on Hulu. Had enough of this country? Ever dreamt about starting your own? I planted the flag. This is mine.

I own this. It's surprisingly easy. 55 gallons of water, 500 pounds of concrete. Or maybe not. No country willingly gives up their territory. Oh my God. What is that? Bullets. Listen to Escape from Zaka-stan.

That's Escape from Z-A-Q-a-stan. On the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey guys, I'm Kate Max. You might know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show, where I run with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and more. After those runs, the conversations keep going. That's what my podcast, Post High is all about. It's a chance to sit down with my guests and dive even deeper into their stories, their journeys, and the thoughts that arise once we've hit the pavement together. Listen to Post Run High on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. As a kid, I really do remember

having these dreams and visions, but you just don't know what is going to come for you. Alicia shares her wisdom on growth, gratitude and the power of love. I forgive myself. It's OK. Have grace with yourself.

You're trying your best and you're going to figure out the rhythm of this thing. Alicia Keys, like you've never heard her before. Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, y'all.

Niminy here. I'm the host of a brand new history podcast for kids and families called Historical Records. Executive produced by Questlove, The Story Pirates, and John Glickman, Historical Records brings history to life through hip-hop. Each episode is about a different inspiring figure from history, Like this one about Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old girl in Alabama who refused to give up her seat on the city bus nine whole months before Rosa Parks did the same thing.

Check it. And it began with me Did you know, did you know I wouldn't give up my seat Nine months before Rosa It was Claudette Colvin Get the kids in your life excited about history by tuning in to Historical Records.

Because in order to make history, you have to make some noise. Listen to Historical Records on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, everyone. This is Courtney Thorne-Smith, Laura Layton, and Daphne Zuniga. On July 8th, 1992, apartment buildings with pools were never quite the same as Melrose Place was introduced to the world.

We are going to be reliving every hookup, every scandal, and every single wig removal together. So listen to Still the Place on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.