Hi everyone, I have just thought of a topic to discuss.
Who is the greatest rap group of all time and why ?
I believe it is unquestionably the Wu Tang Clan. The first reason why is because their seminal debut album that defined early 90's hardcore hip hop was unseen and unheard of at the time they came out, but was a heavily influential project that brought the group into prominence and folklore.
From emerging rappers in the New York scene such as Mobb Deep to overnight super stars like Biggie Smalls, members from the Clan easily found themselves standing their own against some of the East Coast's heavy hitters in 1994 and 1995. The period of the East Coast renaissance, which included the Mafioso Rap genre, was one that was heavily influenced by the classic OB4CL album by Raekwon, which showed the strong versatility of the group's members to capture the spotlight for themselves.
This was also the first album to feature a guest verse from one of New York's greats in Nas that formed a close-knit bond with Rae and Ghost over the years. Even on 2Pac's All Eyes on Me joint, a Method Man feature was present and an Inspector Deck feature was meant to be included to alas no luck for creative reasons (but you can still find versions making rounds on the internet on YouTube). They still both arguably out rapped PAC on Got My Mind Up.
Even in years that the Wu Tang weren't releasing albums, the Wu were still imprinting their mark on hip hop such as Raekwon's nimble feature on Aquemini, a first for the Southern hip hop duo that were seeing unprecedented levels of success as they released Classic after Classic with stylistic changes in-between. There was also the release of Wu Wear that had a massive culture impact on fashion in the genre and still holds tremendous value to this day.
Despite their failings from 97 to 2000 as a group to recapture the same magic on solo albums, that influence of Wu Tang still ran deep on classics such as Big Pun's Capital Punishment where Inspector Deck made a feature and Gangstarr's moment of truth, where the Rebel INS crafted a masterful verse and established his reputation as one of the most sought after feature's in rap.
To discuss their influence on newer generation rappers, they have also been cited as one of the primary influences for the styles of Westside Gunn, Action Bronson and many others that attempt to replicate their gritty, street style. One needs to look no further than My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy to see how influential Wu Tang were in the making of a classic. With RZA's production on the opening track and feature on So Appalled, to Raekwon's stellar verse on Gorgeous, this shows that Wu Tang's influence is still yet to wane in this current generation.
I won't even discuss the fact that their songs have been referenced and interpolated countless times such as Protect Ya Neck, CREAM and Shimmy Shimmy Ya by numerous dope rappers.
That is me done, but I want to hear from everyone else.