Being "raised by Wu-Tang"

Sophia Chang is a longtime music business power player who has guided the careers of many of your favorite rappers and singers, including a healthy percentage of the Wu-Tang Clan. She started in the music business working for a Graceland-era Paul Simon, but quickly moved into top positions at labels like Atlantic and Jive.

But it was in artist management that she really found her stride. Sophia managed Q-Tip and A Tribe Called Quest, Blackalicious, Organized Noize, D’Angelo, and Raphael Saadiq. But the real heart of her career has been with the Wu-Tang Clan. She worked with RZA, GZA, and ODB, managed RZA’s label Razor Sharp Records, and even ran the USA Shaolin Temple.

Sophia’s fascinating new blog about her life and times is Raised By Wu-Tang.

[via The Cipher]

Ghostface Killah’s Ironman Showcased A Rap Superhero & The Man Behind The Mask (Video)

Twenty years (October 29, 1996), Ghostface Killah released a seminal solo debut album in the form of Ironman. To that point, four Wu-Tang Clansmen (GZA, Method Man, O.D.B., and Raekwon) had all stepped to the front with solo efforts, spreading their creative darts across Rap’s board. As the flagship act signed to RZA’s Razor Sharp imprint through Epic/Sony, Killah waited patiently for his turn to strike. For much of 1996, the “W” was in the lab mapping Wu-Tang Forever, plotting the expansion of their enterprise. G.F.K. would be the only Wu member to drop during that calendar. He had a rare clear runway for landing during one of Rap’s most pivotal years. It was a transitional period for the Clan too, a time when Ghost’ could still get an entire plate of RZA beats from his mentor and brother-in-law, and go for broke in the booth—seemingly free from label pressures or commercial expectations. Whether that feat was achieved because of Starks signing to Razor Sharp, or it was a testament to the visionary bond between the band-mates, it yielded cohesive product that played like uncut dope on a 14 karat gold plated spoon.

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[via Ambrosia For Heads]