Editing Wu-Tang Clan (section)

=== Founding ===
In the late 1980s, cousins Robert Diggs, Gary Grice, and Russell Jones formed a group named Force of the Imperial Master, also known as the All in Together Now Crew.<ref name="Exclaim">{{cite web | last = Cowie | first = Del F. | url = http://www.exclaim.ca/index.asp?layid=22&csid=1&csid1=914 | title = Days of the Wu at Exclaim.ca | access-date = November 6, 2006 | url-status=dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20050428102026/http://www.exclaim.ca/index.asp?layid=22&csid=1&csid1=914 | archive-date = April 28, 2005 }}</ref> Each member recorded under an alias: Diggs as Prince Rakeem or The Scientist, Grice as The Genius, and Jones as The Specialist.{{citation needed|date=September 2020}} The group never signed to a major label, but caught the attention of the New York City rap scene and was recognized by rapper [[Biz Markie]].<ref name="RZAInterview">{{cite web | url = http://www.hiphopcore.net/interviews/rza_english.php3 | title = RZA Interview at HipHopCore.net | access-date = December 26, 2006 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060515072710/http://www.hiphopcore.net/interviews/rza_english.php3| archive-date = May 15, 2006}}</ref> By 1991, The Genius and Prince Rakeem were signed to separate record labels.<ref name="LarkinDM">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Virgin Encyclopedia of Dance Music]]|editor=[[Colin Larkin (writer)|Colin Larkin]]|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|date=1998|edition=First|isbn=0-7535-0252-6|page=369}}</ref> The Genius released ''[[Words from the Genius]]'' (1991) on [[Cold Chillin' Records]] and Prince Rakeem released ''[[Ooh I Love You Rakeem]]'' (1991) on [[Tommy Boy Records]].<ref name="LarkinDM"/> Both were soon dropped by their labels. They then adopted new monikers; The Genius became GZA (pronounced "jizza"), and Prince Rakeem became RZA (pronounced "rizza").<ref name="FirstSingle">{{cite web | last = Pfeifle | first = Sam | url = http://www.bostonphoenix.com/boston/arts/books/documents/04646062.asp | title = Days of the Wu&nbsp;— The RZA looks inside the Clan | work = [[The Phoenix (newspaper)|The Boston Phoenix]] | publisher = Stephen M. Mindich | access-date = November 12, 2015 | url-status=dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151017180411/http://www.bostonphoenix.com/boston/arts/books/documents/04646062.asp | archive-date = October 17, 2015 }}</ref> The Specialist also took on a new name and became known as Ol' Dirty Bastard.

RZA began collaborating with Dennis Coles, later known as Ghostface Killah, another rapper from the [[Stapleton Houses]] in [[Staten Island]]. The duo decided to create a hip hop group whose ethos would be a blend of "[[Eastern philosophy]] picked up from [[Kung fu film|kung fu movies]], [[Five-Percent Nation]] teachings picked up on the New York streets, and comic books".<ref name="FirstSingle" /> Wu-Tang Clan assembled in late 1992, with RZA as the ''de facto'' leader and the group's producer.<ref name="all music" /> RZA and Ol' Dirty Bastard adopted the name for the group after the film ''[[Shaolin and Wu Tang]]''.<ref name="galaxy">{{cite web|title=The Wu-Tang Clan |url=http://www.hiphopgalaxy.com/Wu-Tang-Clan-hip-hop-2065.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061128095208/http://www.hiphopgalaxy.com/Wu-Tang-Clan-hip-hop-2065.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 28, 2006 |work=Hip Hop Galaxy |date=July 26, 2004 |access-date=March 14, 2008 }}</ref> The group developed [[backronym]]s for the name (as hip hop pioneers such as [[KRS-One]] and [[Big Daddy Kane]] did with their names), including "We Usually Take All Niggas' Garments", "Witty Unpredictable Talent And Natural Game", and "Wisdom of the Universe, and the Truth of Allah for the [[The Nation of Gods and Earths|Nation of the Gods]]".<ref name="galaxy" />