ReturnOfJudah
Veteran
Big Boy's Boot Camp Click > These nikkas
Could Bootcamp have even been bigger than The Wu ?
- Thread starter WIA20XX
- Start date
Not really - that was the little nikkas catchin a bad one. Tek was hooked in with BIG and I doubt that beef was ever going to go too far.
When Enta da Stage dropped, in real time the discussion was maybe that was better than Enter the Wu-Tang 36 Chambers. At the very least the albums were different but equal to most of the people I knew. Da Shinin dropped before OB4CL and Liquid Swords, and Smif n Wessun had undeniable NYC hood anthems (Sound Bwoy Burreill is a record to this day I'll put up against any NYC record as defining the mood and feel of the city back then). But then the Wu dropped classic after bonafide classic on everyone's heads and there was no debate anymore. I think all the reasons were laid out in the thread, though there are some things I personally disagree with.
I thought the second Wu album was disappointing, but their stanbase had grown to incorporate so many non-nikkas that their momentum was unstoppable. Add in their mythological status with that goofy TV show, and you have people who weren't there in real time who believe all their albums are sacrosanct. But it wasn't Wu's double that cemented their rep, it was the raw solo albums. And yeah, the production was a big part of the distinction between Wu and BCC as the years went on. But I think that's unfair to Beatminerz, because their brief run was incredible. And you can't say the BCC lacked the talent, because they had so many elements: Sean P was the credible cool street dude who could rap his ass off; Rock had the amazing voice; Smif & Wessun had the back and forth chemistry; Starang had the it factor; Buck was already a semi-star. But longevity takes timing and luck in addition to talent, and everything just broke the wrong way for them. @Awesome Wells laid out the Smif & Wessun situation. Rock had the voice but seemed directionless for a while and was going through weird label shyt. Buck was very much of his moment and his sound was so tied to Beatminerz he sounded weird going forward. Sean Price was always nice but it took BCC falling apart for him to find that extra something that made him the super ill underground Lord. The stars just didn't align for the crew as a whole.
But just to be clear, they were never going to be what the Wu became because how the fukk can you make sense of the Wu? All those nikkas from Staten Island, which most New Yorkers consider some other off brand city entirely, with an all time producer, dope rhymers who almost all evolved into elite rhymers, and two crossover super hero stars (ODB and Meth). BCC had no chance to be that. My homie was talking to me last year about the different rappers who briefly had the aura of "coolest nikka in New York" from Rakim to Kane to Puba to Q-Tip to Jay-Z... The Wu had two of those in one group in Meth and Ghost. And then they had a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle of a supernova in ODB, who I always thought has a similar spirit to Pac. Wu Tang is incomprehensible, a one-of-one.
BmoreGorilla
Veteran
Nah BCC coulda never blew up anywhere close to the Wu. They just didn’t have the star power or charisma. Even with the label and internal issues they just didn’t have IT
That being said the decision to go away from the Beatminerz fukked up their momentum more than any label issue
That being said the decision to go away from the Beatminerz fukked up their momentum more than any label issue
BmoreGorilla
Veteran
Worst decision they ever made. I remember in the Source when they said they didn’t wanna be pigeonholed. I can’t believe Buckshot co-signed that bullshyt
get these nets
Veteran
Some good responses here. Especially about Method Man being the wild card. THE most in demand rapper for a good stretch for freestyles on the radio, features and hooks for other artists, great live performer, and ladies dug him.
Rare combination of bars, and star quality.
Buckshot had the airwaves, mix tape circuit on SMASH, Smiff & Wessun were a great duo and the Fab Five were a decent group.
The first wave of Wu solo projects were super great and separated them from other teams of that era, including Boot Camp
Rare combination of bars, and star quality.
Buckshot had the airwaves, mix tape circuit on SMASH, Smiff & Wessun were a great duo and the Fab Five were a decent group.
The first wave of Wu solo projects were super great and separated them from other teams of that era, including Boot Camp
I love boot camp but I don’t think they had the star power of WU.
Plus while WU never sold out or made hits just for the radio I don’t know if anyone in bootcamp had the ability to make an ice cream or All I need type record
As others have said if pushed correctly they defintely could have been bigger but not as popular as WU imo
There music also kinda fell off after they lost the Beatminerz and I say that as someone who really liked the 2nd albums from the boot camp artists but it didn’t quite have the same feel of their first albums
Plus while WU never sold out or made hits just for the radio I don’t know if anyone in bootcamp had the ability to make an ice cream or All I need type record
As others have said if pushed correctly they defintely could have been bigger but not as popular as WU imo
There music also kinda fell off after they lost the Beatminerz and I say that as someone who really liked the 2nd albums from the boot camp artists but it didn’t quite have the same feel of their first albums
Yeah I don’t think people under a certain age realize how big a star Meth was during the 36 chambers era and when the All I need remix dropped
Mega star
TheDarceKnight
Veteran
Yeah, Sean Price as a solo artisr had crazy charisma and Rock had a lot of charisma during the early BCC runs, but those were their main 2 charisma artists. There was so much eccentricity and charisma among the Wu. And even the members with less charisma still had some mystique
Mega Star? 31 years ago?
Relative to who? Mic Geronimo? King Just?
Mega Star in 94 was Snoop, Biggie. Meth still isn't on that level.
Can you play any Wu Tang at the summer cookout like you can with Snoop and Biggie? Not really. They never made radio records.
In 94, Method wasn't on Masta Killa status, but you had to be heavily into East Coast hip hop in 1994 to know Meth, when the West Coast was arguably at its heights.
Maybe in the Tri- State. Out of the squad, ODB was probably the most recognizable because of his antics on MTV.
BmoreGorilla
Veteran
Meth was a huge star and the main reason the Wu blew up in the first place. He had a song named after him on 36 and a highly anticipated debut. Nobody was as big as Snoop but Meth was prolly more of a star than Big in 94. Tbh they really blew up in 95 when All I Need remix and One More Chance remix were released as singles
Comparing him to Mic Geronimo and King Just is disrespectful
All I need remix was a huge hit everywhere
The video was all over including MTV it wasn’t regional
Piff Perkins
Veteran
Wu has such a unique, iconic mythology and mystique I don't think any normal rap group could match them in terms of global success. They're more than just a rap or even music group: they became cultural imprints that spread across the globe. The logo, the classic albums, the clothing, the imagery, "Wu Tang is for the children," etc etc. It's like Kiss. There are people who can't name a single Kiss song yet instantly recognize them.
I'm well aware. It dropped in April of 1995. (way after Tical, which apparently was a disappointment to a lot of people)
MTV spins...MTV and BET played a lot of videos.
But Video was always about reaching folks that didn't listen to Black Radio.
You know what was actually popular on Black Radio in April of 1995?
Maybe, just maybe, somebody in Detroit or Chicago or Phoenix heard the All I Need Remix during a mix show - but Wu never really dominated the airwaves. It was only some elite East Coast cats that did (Like Biggie, but not Nas), because even in 95, The South and The West were at least 50% of Black Music at that point.
In NYC, yes. But even outside of NYC their r&b features still get burn everywhere I’ve been (Anything remix, Fantasy, Freek’n You). They had such star power they were associated with universal bangers few other street oriented dudes could pull off.
Those two were just as good as the other two. SCC never really got the push they deserved because their prime coincided with Death Row’s prime. And at that time DR overshadowed most west coast acts that weren’t from the Bay.