The first trailer forWu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Menhas dropped ahead of the Sundance premiere this weekend. The four-part docuseries was just picked up by Showtime last week and it promises to tell the whole history of the legendary hip hop group. Lucky Sundance attendees will be able to catch the first half of the series this weekend and then Showtime will premiere all four parts in the spring. No official release date has been announced as of this writing.
Wu-Tang Clan memberRZAannounced thatWu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Menwas picked up by Showtime last week and fans have been impatiently waiting for a sneak peek at the docuseries ever since. The two-minute trailer proves that this isn’t going to be an ordinary music documentary. The description for the doc says that it’s “a new lane that merges music, socio-cultural commentary, and intimate family portrait,” which is evident right from the first 15 seconds.Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Mencould very well elevate the documentary game, much like the group did with hip hop.
The group’s first album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), just celebrated its 25th anniversary andWu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Menwill take viewers to where the group members were before that and what happened in its aftermath.RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Inspectah Deck, Raekwon the Chef, U-God, Ghostface Killah, Method Man, Masta Killa, and Cappadonnaare all shown in the trailer. The docuseries will also go into what it was like growing up in the 70s and 80s era Brooklyn and Staten Island.
Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Menis directed by Sacha Jenkins, who has been around the group since the early 1990s and had them on the cover of his iconic hip hop zine Beat Down, which was their first-ever cover. Back in the day before the internet was in every house, Beat Down was the place to learn about underground hip hop, just like the punk zines from the 80s and 90s. It’s hard to imagine a time when Wu-Tang Clan wasn’t on top of the world, but the docuseries is going to take us back to that time.
In addition to being one of the most successful hip hop groups of all time,Wu-Tang Clanhas proven to be very influential over the years. First, they were one of the first to have a massive crew and second, they paved the way for major record labels and solo albums spinning off of the main group. That’s not even getting into the production techniques or rhyming styles. Wu created an empire that can still be heard in hip hop today, though nobody has ever really come close to the dark and dusty production techniques that they mastered. While we wait forWu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Mento premiere on Showtime, you may check out the very first trailer below, thanks to the Showtime YouTube channel.
