Wu-Tang: An American Saga could potentially be hip-hop's The Wire

Wu-Tang: An American Saga has the potential to be as hard-hitting, intelligent, thought-provoking and entertaining as HBO’s The Wire.

The Wu-Tang Clan’s collectively diverse life stories being told in series format by a reputable outlet is music to my ears. Wu-Tang: An American Saga is at least going to have 10 highly anticipated, mouth-watering episodes, according to a report from Deadline.

We will see the group formed under founding member and writer of the series RZA’s guidance. An intellectual with a perception for making beauty through producing beats and rhymes, often containing dark themes. Banding together, quite literally, in order to survive.

Excitement is building

Believe it or not, as a white suburbanite from England, I pondered attempting to write a screenplay for the small screen on Wu-Tang’s evolution. Funny isn’t it?! You see, anyone from anywhere is entitled to feel real passion for any subject or be incongruous.

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To my surprise, a while back I noticed that the idea was so good: the concept had been devised and someone was further placed than I in the media to realise the project. That’s alright, I’ll just enjoy it on television or online instead, I thought. A pipe dream from a true fantasist no less.

But now, fatefully, I’m in a position to critique the new show: Wu-Tang: An American Saga, so they better make a good – no, an amazing job of it over at Hulu. That’s because the Wu are up there with the best rap collectives of all time, along with Bone Thugs n Harmony and many others.

If the production is another under-budgeted, over-dramatised, mellow dramatic, sentimental piece of rubbish, it will have been a real wasted opportunity to cover greatness; as could some of the group have done if they continued following the wrong path in life. A possible masterpiece of a story has hopefully been developed at Hulu – if the bowels of depth are scraped by the occasional cold as ice character.

What Wu-Tang: An American Saga could be, is an archetypal American tale: of struggle, strain, success, pain, genius and iconic cultural standing. Unless it’s rushed. It must reflect the rappers’ surroundings, which they represent to the ‘fullest’ measure.

Therefore, this writer believes – as an enormous hip-hop/Wu-Tang/street culture fan – that the series could rival, be influenced by or continue the legacy of greatness in U.S. television focused on the illicit drug world, such as HBO’s The Wire.

Parallels between the music industry and the streets

The Wire’s onscreen time was split between the rougher parts of the streets and in and around police stations; with the relationship between the two forming the basis of the seminal show. In other seasons focus switched to all of the main social sectors.

In the new series Wu-Tang: An American Saga, the contrast and intrigue between the competitive and at times manipulating music industry can emulate The Wire’s dichotomy of cops and robbers style drug game and policing elements – if well-executed. The sharply opposed but often similar or strangely assimilated, in other words.

How Wu-Tang came up similarly to West Baltimore

Obviously there are beautiful parts of Baltimore and Staten Island, before we begin. However, Staten’s Stapleton projects, where Ghostface Killah is from and grew up, is reminiscent of the environment and area depicted on The Wire. He first went to jail at 15, and from what other members from ‘Shoalin’ say, it pretty much reminds me of the B-More stories.

Like how legend tells of collaborators and close members Ghostface and Raekwon originating acquaintance through being enemies. According to affiliate and “father of the group” Popa Wu, their crews even allegedly shot up the others’ houses. This was before the Wu days.

Indeed Brooklyn, where Ol’ Dirty Bastard came of age, could be the basis of the same theory; or more specifically, the terrifying Brownsville, where U-God started out. Poverty, violence and crime elements are abundant; but in this example were reimagined on ‘wax’.

Comparisons can be drawn from the above YouTube video of Ghostface’s moving, perplexing, yet brilliant song All That I Got Is You from his solo album Ironman.

Music, a place in society and love heals all

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Obviously music isn’t the only outlet or way out, I am not ignorant enough to suggest that. But I will opine that having a passion, skill as well as devotion, means anyone can realize their aspirations.

Wu-Tang: An American Saga may be able to do what The Wire could not: provide a possible alternative, solution or inspiration to some people stuck in the game – aka street life.

"“You listening to beats — you ain’t listening to the whispers out in the streets.”– RZA from Rolling Stone’s coverage of Wu-Tang: An American Saga’s trailer"

Could there ever possibly be a better readily available soundtrack for a gritty production than that of Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) ?!

Make us laugh

Humour is a much-needed relief for shows with controversial or difficult subject matters. Comedic moments provided by policemen like Jimmy McNulty and Kima Greggs or the array of finely created supporting folks in The Wire should be replicated by the Clan’s charisma. In this instance, most likely, from Method Man. But no rapper has the persona or engagingly hilarious character that was exhibited by ODB, rest in peace.

Though this new show will be compared to more existing features by others as well as myself, An American Saga can obviously stand alone in individuality and still attain critical and commercial success. Casting the right and accurate actors for significant roles is of course vital. The show may also launch careers of many almost unknowns, too.

In fact, the trailer above contains some ingenious material, for example: the cassette tape being passed over hand-to-hand in a metaphor for a drug deal. A keen artistic street culture aspect, as referred to earlier.

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The Wire actor John Doman, who played the slimy Bill Rawls, once told The Guardian, “I think The Wire really tore the cover off an American city and showed that, for so many people, the American dream was dead.” Maybe Wu-Tang: An American Saga can show it’s still alive.

Are you excited for this new show’s arrival on Sept. 4, which features all nine members: GZA, Bobby Digital, Ghost, Rae, Cappadonna, Meth, ODB, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa? Let us know in the comments!

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Wu-Tang: An American Saga could potentially be hip-hop’s The Wire

By Thomas Bradley Alderman | Aug 1, 2019