[FIRST LOOK] Hulu’s ‘Wu-Tang: An American Saga’ Details & Cast Revealed

The legendary Wu-Tang Clan is an American Hip-Hop group originating from Staten Island, New York. The group originated in 1991 and consisted of members RZA, GZA, Ol’ Dirty Bastard (R.I.P), Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killah. In 2007, Cappadonna who is a longtime collaborator became an official member of the group.  Decades later the Wu-Tang Clan Hulu series will take you back to the beginning of the Wu.

By 1993 the group had become well known. After releasing their independent project “Protect Ya Neck” they gained a noticeable underground following. Despite the growing fan base, the group faced difficulty finding record labels to sign them. They wanted the opportunity to record as a group while releasing solo albums with different record labels. Loud/RCA finally agreed to sign them and release their first debut album.

Enter the Wu-Tang Clan (36 Chambers) was the group’s debut album released in November of 1993. The album turned out to be critically acclaimed and noted to date as one of the greatest Hip-Hop/Rap albums of all time. After the release of the group’s album, each member of the group took time to establish their solo career and release solo albums before putting out their second album.

 

Wu-Tang Forever was their second album released in June of 1997. In 2000 the group released another album The W, without Ol’ Dirty Bastard who at the time was locked up for violating probation. The album was followed by The Iron Flag in 2001.

On November 13, 2004 Ol’ Dirty Bastard collapsed at Wu-Tang Clan’s recording studio on West 34th Street in New York. He was pronounced dead later that night. The group continued releasing music as solo artists and as a group while paying their long lost member homage. In 2014 the group released a secret double album Once Upon a Time in Shaolin. It was limited to a single copy that sold in 2015 and noted as the most expensive album selling for 2 million at an auction.

Since then the group has continued to work on ventures separately and as a group with their most recent album The Saga Continues being released in 2017.

Most recently the group made an announcement of their latest venture, which is a series about the group, which will be featured on Hulu. RZA will co-wrote and executive produced the series, titled, Wu-Tang: An American Saga. The 10-episode series will focus on the group’s origin story and RZA’s books ‘The Wu-Tang Manual‘ and ‘Tao of Wu‘.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w37TQZwnjXY

In a press release the series was described as, “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 aka The RZA, who strives to unite a dozen young, black men that are torn between music and crime, but eventually rise to become the unlikeliest of American success stories.”

Full Cast for Wu-Tang: An American Saga:

Ashton Sanders as Bobby Diggs/Rza
Shameik Moore as Sha/Raekwon
Siddiq Saunderson as Dennis ‘D-Love’ Coles/Ghostface
Julian Elijah Martinez as Divine Diggs
Marcus Callender as Power Grant
Erika Alexander as Linda Diggs
Zolee Griggs as Shurrie Diggs
David “Dave East” Brewster as Shotgun/Method Man
TJ Atoms as Ason Unique/Ol’ Dirty Bastard
Johnell Xavier Young as Allah Justice
Joey Badass as Rebel/Inspectah Deck
Caleb Castille as Darryl “Chino” Hill

The list includes Ashton Sanders (Moonlight), Shameik Moore (Spiderman: Into The Spiderverse), Siddiq Saunderson (Messiah), Erika Alexander (Get Out), Zolee Griggs (Ballers), Dave East as Method Man, and Marcus Callender (Power).

The series premiered on Hulu on September 4th.

Method Man will also be an executive producer alongside Tse, Brian Grazer, and Francie Calfo.

Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, Masta Killah, GZA, and Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s estate serve as consulting producers for the Wu-Tang Clan Hulu series.

 

Photo Credit:  Dimitrios Kambouris / Staff, Getty Images North America