Wu-Tang: An American Saga (2019–…): Season 2, Episode 9 - C.R.E.A.M. - full transcript
RZA is torn between long money and quick cash as the clan struggles with financial issues.
‐ It's nobody else's job
to chase your dreams for you.
Checkmate.
‐ This is perfect.
It looks great.
Trust me.
‐ Prince Rakeem strikes again.
Hey, I left Prince Rakeem
in a cell in Ohio.
Nefertiti was a beautiful,
powerful African queen,
know what I mean?
You the modern version.
‐ Dennis, I told you
we need our own place.
And I told you
we can't rent another spot,
because we gonna blow
through our savings
in, like, two months.
‐ Take it.
‐ Ma.
‐ Please.
‐ A young buck selling drugs
and such
who never had much.
I'm down to commit
with this Wu‐Tang shit,
but that music shit
ain't putting
no food on the table right now.
‐ I'm just asking y'all niggas
to take the first step.
After that, I got y'all.
We produced a single
that's getting mad airplay.
‐ We feel like now it's time
for us to sign with a label
and, uh, you know,
take over this whole game.
‐ "Protect Ya Neck" got me wet.
‐ This could be our one shot,
know what I mean?
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‐ You might have gotten me
with that
if I didn't catch it,
but I did.
Now your ass
ain't going nowhere.
Yo, that move is short money.
You gotta think long money,
you dig, Prince Rakeem?
‐ You think you got it
all figured out, huh?
I used to be just like you...
Once upon a time.
‐ Just because you changed
your name, RZA,
don't mean
you on top of the game.
‐ You're one to talk,
motherfucker.
You fell for that
shitty single deal.
At least I know
I need a guaranteed album
and a release date.
‐ Oh, because you're so much
smarter after you got dropped?
Yo, how did Ohio
work out for you?
‐ Hey, I'm here now, ain't I?
‐ You're here talking shit,
nigga.
What does that‐‐
that long money‐‐
long money shit mean anyway?
‐ Freedom.
Creatively and business‐wise.
Checkmate.
‐ You know what?
Yeah.
I may have taken an L,
but that was just me.
You, on the other hand,
are responsible
for a lot more people, RZA.
I mean, you basically demanded
that your family,
your brothers,
put their fate in your hands.
You explain that long money‐
short money shit to them?
Hmm?
I have to say,
I fucking love the record.
I love that it doesn't have
a hook,
that it represents
what hip‐hop was,
and that it doesn't follow
any rules.
I love that.
I want us to ride
the momentum of the single.
‐ We're happy that you believe
in the single.
What are your thoughts
about an album?
I can't tell you
how excited I am
to discuss the possibilities.
RZA, you are
such a creative guy.
Putting out "Protect Ya Neck"
independently.
Doing all
the artwork yourselves.
And that sword?
That was dope.
But I think I can do you
one better in that department.
‐ Oh, shit.
‐ There's a message
on there for you.
‐ Ooh, that's a lot
of zeros, kid.
That's a nice little flip,
right?
‐ Mm‐hmm,
straight up and down, huh?
‐ Yeah.
I don't know, yo.
I feel like that suit didn't
really answer my questions.
‐ Aw, come on, Bobby.
He's a businessman.
Course he ain't gonna
guarantee you an album
if he doesn't have to.
‐ Right, right.
‐ Yeah, well,
if he wants Wu‐Tang,
he'll have to.
I did this shit
the label's way before.
Now this time,
they gotta agree to our terms.
‐ Ah, it's all good, little bro.
This is our first meeting.
You know,
we're just getting started,
know what I mean?
And Def Jam wants to meet last,
- know what I'm saying?
- Yeah.
‐ I've been paging Divine
all day.
He hasn't called me back.
‐ Yeah.
They were just at Mr. Chow's
with you‐know‐who.
‐ Fuck.
We need more money, Rich.
‐ Steve, we're
a brand‐new label.
Can't break the bank
before we start it.
We signed Mad Kap,
we paid 30 for Tha Alkaholiks,
and now you wanna blow
through the rest of our budget?
Once we spend that money,
that's it.
We're betting it all on Wu‐Tang.
‐ Yeah.
They're worth it.
I just need ten minutes
with them, okay?
Face‐to‐face.
‐ I'll keep asking around.
I think I know
where they're recording.
‐ Hey.
‐ Your favorite.
‐ My favorite?
I think you like those
more than me.
‐ Hey, yo, I wasn't the one
that finished
the whole box last time,
know what I mean?
‐ What's all that?
‐ A job application.
‐ Job application?
Nia says she can hook me up
with a job at Bay Video.
Mm‐hmm, every dollar counts.
‐ Hey, yo, we gonna be
signed soon, all right?
The money coming any day now.
‐ It's not just about money.
It's about purpose.
You and the guys have been
going town to town
and college to college,
pushing the record.
I wanna do something
like that for myself.
It's kind of like
when you got me this necklace.
You were saying how Nefertiti
is beautiful and powerful.
Real power is taking life
into your own hands.
‐ Yeah. I feel that.
‐ Yo, what up?
Hey, yo.
So Ray was thinking about
replacing that "Gigante" verse
with the 16 from
"Lifestyle of the Mega Rich."
How you feel?
‐ I don't know.
‐ What you mean‐‐
what you mean you don't know?
‐ How we gonna talk about
lifestyles of the mega rich
when we all broker
than a motherfucker?
‐ Well, shit, we still
taking meetings with labels.
You know, if we had the money
to break y'all off‐‐
‐ Yo, I wasn't saying like that.
I'm just saying...
‐ So what you thinking?
‐ I wrote this when I was
locked up, you know.
I ain't never really spit
nothing like this
before, though.
‐ All right.
Let's hear it.
‐ It's been 22 long, hard years.
I'm still struggling.
Survival got me bugging,
but I'm alive on arrival.
I peep at the shape
of the streets.
Stay awake
to the ways of the world,
'cause shit is deep.
That shit's fucking deep, yo.
‐ Word.
‐ Word up.
‐ Word, son.
‐ That's deep, dog. Word.
‐ Yeah.
‐ All right, let's see how
that shit sounds in the booth.
Word, word.
‐ Hey, what's up, fellas?
‐ Hey, what's up, son?
Y'all from Def Jam, right?
‐ No.
Uh...
‐ Shit.
Damn, when is that meeting
happening, son?
‐ Bobby, Steve Rifkind.
You remember me?
‐ Oh, shit, yo.
What's up, man?
Yo, long time, no see, man.
‐ I've been good, good.
You?
‐ Word, word. Yeah, yeah.
Been good. Been good.
Right.
Is there, uh,
somewhere
we can talk for a minute?
I've always dug your sound.
My whole office does.
I've been trying to track
you guys down for months.
‐ Yo, word.
‐ That's cool and all that,
you know what I'm saying,
but, no disrespect,
what other acts
have you put out on your label?
‐ Yeah, look, I've, uh‐‐
I've managed and marketed
some of the top acts
in the game,
before starting my own label,
Loud Records.
Right now, we got Tha Alkaholiks
from the West Coast,
Twista from the Midwest.
You guys can rep the East.
You know, we're young.
We're hungry.
We're gonna give you all
the fucking attention you need.
I want Loud to be the house
that Wu‐Tang built.
‐ He means it.
Really.
‐ We want freedom.
Creative freedom.
Business freedom.
‐ Yeah, well,
we're not A&Rs, okay,
so you do
what you do creatively.
Our job is, we just go out
and sell it.
‐ Okay, respectfully, uh,
we have some big meetings
with some bigwigs who have
made names for themselves,
who have made history
with their artists,
and who also have bigger budgets
to take bigger risks.
So why should we go
with a new label, hmm?
We need to get more money.
‐ We made it work this far,
but you and me made a deal
to get on top of the rap game.
To get on top,
I need a bigger budget.
‐ Boys, I thought we were
going over marketing here.
‐ Wu‐Tang already has
a six‐figure bid on the table,
and they're meeting
with other top labels soon.
‐ That means higher offers.
‐ Right.
Come on, Skip.
‐ Steve... I like your dad.
We both made our bones
in this industry.
I think you've forgotten
you don't have a track record.
Remember, I'm taking
a chance on Loud,
but risk has its limits.
I can't keep sticking
my neck out for Loud Records.
‐ I get it, Skip, okay,
but we both know that RCA's
in the shitter right now.
And I'm telling you
that Wu‐Tang
can pull the label out from it.
I don't expect you
to understand hip‐hop, okay,
so let me explain it
to you like this.
This company was built
on American grassroots music,
guys playing the banjo
and blowing into jugs.
Well, hip‐hop's
the modern version of that,
and Wu‐Tang can do
for this label
what Elvis did in 1956,
and don't you wanna be
on the right side of history?
‐ The answer's no.
What the fuck is this shit, man?
Yo, Ma.
No.
Come on, man.
Yo, man.
What's going on?
‐ Um,
I fell behind on the rent.
‐ Why wouldn't you tell me that?
‐ Because I‐‐I didn't want you
to go back into those streets.
I'm really sorry.
Just wish I had gotten my Bible.
Your grandmother gave it to me.
The neighbors offered for us
to stay with them
until we can figure out
where to go.
Come inside.
Where you going?
‐ To get our spot back.
Yo, yo.
What up, Sha?
‐ I'm tired of this shit, man.
‐ Yo, you good?
One second, you on
the straight and narrow.
You doing
what you supposed to do.
Next second, you getting kicked
out your fucking crib
for being poor, Black,
and in the fucking hood, man.
The fuck is we supposed
to do, man?
It's like no matter what you do,
no matter where you go,
shit's always gonna be fucking
stacked against you, man.
We gotta get our families
out this shit, son.
We gotta migrate.
Yup.
‐ Shit is fucking crazy, man.
‐ Yo, son, it's always
about the money, yo,
know what I mean?
But don't get stagnated
in that shit,
you know what I'm saying?
You gotta do what you do,
take the same energy
you got going on right now,
take that shit, and put
that shit in the booth, nigga,
you know I'm saying?
Yo, you heard Deck's verse?
Yo, put that shit on, son.
Yo, listen to this shit, nigga.
Babe, you made the lemonade?
‐ Doing it right now.
‐ Hey, um, I got that.
Come here.
‐ I'm just about done.
Oh, no, no, no, no.
I got it. I got it. You know.
You know Mama taught me
how to make some lemonade.
Well, thanks
for saving me the extra swirls.
I know
it hasn't been... ideal
living here with me and Nia,
but it's been nice having you.
You know, you and‐‐
you and the baby.
D, not so much.
Yeah.
It's been nice.
‐ Congratulations, Divine.
Passed your piss test.
‐ Come on in, Officer.
‐ Tell me what's going on
with the job search.
Your file shows
that your construction job
ended a while ago.
‐ Well, actually, sir,
I've, uh‐‐
‐ Thank you.
‐ I've been punching my clock
with a new venture.
There you go.
‐ Okay.
Where's your pay stub?
‐ Uh, with all due respect,
sir, what do you mean?
I've‐‐I've been working harder
than I ever had
in my entire life.
My‐‐my sister,
yeah, she will tell you.
Come on, Divine.
Every ex‐con tells me
they're in the rap game.
That's not a job.
You need a W‐4 to prove
you have a real job,
or I'll be forced
to violate you,
and then they'll send you back.
Mmm.
Uh, who made the lemonade?
It's great.
I did.
‐ You're lucky
he didn't fire us.
‐ How the fuck are we supposed
to do this
when our whole budget
is peanuts?
‐ Maybe I can start
going to temple again.
‐ Hey, guys,
nice work back there.
Thanks, Mojoe.
‐ Sorry it was a no‐go.
You going to the BMG retreat?
‐ For what?
‐ Whole company's going.
All of BMG's subsidiaries.
Even BMG's CEO,
Christoph Rainer, will be there.
Maybe he'll appreciate
your passion for Wu‐Tang.
It is what it is,
know what I mean?
‐ Come on, man.
‐ I came at it raw.
‐ Hey, yo.
‐ Hey, yo.
Sharpened my sword, man.
Oh, word?
‐ Wrote a new rhyme
for "Lifestyle."
‐ Me and Rae's verse together?
Whoo!
‐ Word.
Let's hear it.
‐ Hey, yo.
‐ Lay that down, God.
- Yo, what's up, man?
- Soo!
‐ Come on, son, I can't even
hear anything, man.
Turn up the fucking music, God.
‐ Yo. I told you.
No distractions, yo.
What's up?
‐ And I told you
stop coming at me like that.
Damn.
‐ Do you know Dennis
ain't even in there?
‐ That's why I came.
Money's been kind of tight,
and I'm just nervous
that he's gonna fall back
into his old ways.
I mean, I don't know,
but that's the vibe I'm getting.
‐ Oh.
Hey, 'Rie, uh, I'm sorry
that no one is making
any money right now, but‐‐
‐ I get it, Bobby.
‐ Hey.
We gonna get a deal soon.
I can honestly say
that there's just
no other group like Wu‐Tang
out there.
You guys are at the vanguard
of your own movement,
and we at Elektra, we want‐‐no,
we need to be
a part of that movement.
Wu‐Tang's album
has to be out on Elektra.
‐ Will you guarantee
an album release?
‐ Absolutely.
I'll put that in writing
if that puts you at ease.
‐ All right.
‐ Yeah.
We knew you'd be on board.
And listen, we‐‐
we don't mess with the music.
We don't do that to our artists.
That's what you do.
What we do is marketing,
and image is key.
So with you guys, we'll have
to discuss the presentation.
We want you to be street
but not too street.
And maybe give you
a more unifying look.
‐ Unifying look?
‐ Yeah.
Maybe some dancers.
‐ I mean, with us, what you see
is what you get.
‐ Mm‐hmm.
‐ You know?
‐ Yeah.
Fuck that.
‐ We just keep it real.
What do you mean
by "keep it real"?
Is this table not real?
Is this office not real?
Come on.
Look, guys.
Like I said, we're not trying
to change your music,
and we don't wanna change
who you are.
We wanna preserve
your authenticity.
And matter of fact,
we want you to be
the biggest rap group
in the game.
Is that not what you all want?
To show you how serious we are,
we're prepared to offer you
$200,000 to sign with us.
‐ How soon can we get that
to the rest of our crew?
‐ If you sign today,
you'll have a check
before you leave.
‐ That's a solid offer,
but we need to discuss
this whole image things
amongst ourselves.
‐ I understand.
Your shoes, they're nice.
Jordans.
The hood loves Jordans.
You know who else does?
Middle America.
If you think I'm asking you
to sell out, ask yourself,
is Michael Jordan a sellout?
The answer is hell no.
He makes more money
selling shoes
than he does playing basketball
because he presents
a certain image.
He's cool, he's authentic,
but he's not threatening.
‐ Nigga, yo, what the fuck?
Yo, we thought a hundred thou
was a lot, yo.
They just came out
with 200 thou, son.
- 200.
- Yeah, but okay, look.
Listen.
‐ Come on, son.
‐ He wants to change Bobby
and the team's image.
We can't do that.
‐ No, no, no,
that's not what he said.
What'd he say?
He doesn't want him to sell out.
He wants the albums to sell out.
‐ That's not what he‐‐
‐ Come on, son.
You heard him, right, RZA?
Yo, RZ.
$200,000?
Yo, just imagine
what you and your boys
could do with that shit.
‐ Yeah, till they start
telling you how to dress.
‐ Damn.
Yo, this would have
been way easier to put on
with $200,000 in the bank.
Shit.
Shit.
Well, sometimes
you gotta sacrifice
some pieces to get that meat.
‐ Oh, that's how you wanna
play, motherfucker?
You look like one of the pieces
on the board.
You gotta take care
of that back rank.
Checkmate, Prince Rakeem.
‐ Oh, fuck, man.
‐ You know, sacrificing
without thinking too far ahead,
you're gonna risk everything.
It all depends on what you
sacrifice and win.
Dovetail mate.
‐ Yeah. I don't know.
I mean, maybe you're just
too smart for your own good.
It's 200K for the whole team.
Shit.
Yo, think about what Dennis
and Shurrie can do with that.
‐ I have.
I've thought of it all.
‐ Yeah.
You sure?
‐ We don't want you
to just sell gold.
We want you to sell millions.
‐ So in terms of marketing
Wu‐Tang's image, we can‐‐
‐ Look, we love Wu‐Tang
just the way you are.
Gritty, grimy, real.
Def Jam stands for black
and white and shades of gray.
We don't want any
of that shiny shit here
if it isn't platinum.
All right.
All right.
I like how that sounds, so how
would you roll out the album?
‐ I'm glad you asked, Power.
So I've talked to my team,
and we plan on releasing
a Wu‐Tang album
in the fourth quarter.
‐ That's the biggest quarter.
‐ Shows you how much
we believe in you guys.
‐ Word.
‐ And we've already mapped out
plans for ODB and Meth,
two of my personal faves.
We see them as solo artists
and plan on putting albums out
on them as well.
‐ So when would Def Jam
want to put out Meth's album?
‐ The target would be
probably next summer.
We don't want Meth stepping
on Wu‐Tang, and vice‐versa.
‐ That's if Meth is on Def Jam.
‐ If Wu‐Tang is on Def Jam,
then Meth is on Def Jam.
If we're utilizing
our time and resources
to make each one
of the guys a star,
then Def Jam should also benefit
by putting out
their projects as well.
As businessmen,
it's to my understanding
that all of the guys are signed
to Wu‐Tang Productions.
So if all of the guys
are signed to you,
why wouldn't it be the same
for us?
It's just
a standard business practice.
- Right, fellas?
- Uh, yes, it is.
Obviously, we are very,
very interested in your offer.
Hold up.
We didn't come here
for no standard business
practices, all right?
Bottom line,
if you sign Wu‐Tang,
you get them as a group.
You don't get them
as solo artists.
Period.
‐ Yo, what the fuck happened
in there, yo? Huh?
You spring that shit
without talking to us first?
‐ Hey, hey.
‐ Come on, Bobby.
‐ Look, I'm not just working
on shit for Wu‐Tang, all right?
I'm working on shit
for all the guys,
on some
take‐over‐the‐world type shit.
The solo rights belong
to Wu‐Tang Productions.
We cannot give them to Def Jam.
Wu‐Tang Productions
has gotta call all the shots
and protect the solo artist.
‐ Yo, you thinking
about solo artists.
That's great, but how about you
try thinking about the group,
know what I mean?
Okay, and just try to let us
into that head of yours
so, you know, we're not in
there looking like dumbasses.
‐ Yeah. Come on, Bobby.
Talk to us. What's going on?
‐ If they wanna send us out,
out of the same spout,
we can only go one at a time.
Right?
Say Meth's album ain't no hit.
They're not gonna wanna
give us money
for any other solo deals.
Next thing we know, Dirty
ain't got no release date.
We cannot afford to put
all our shit in one spot.
‐ I hear what you saying,
my nigga,
but ain't you jumping the gun,
you know what I'm saying?
We gotta deal
with one thing at a time.
Yo, Sha and his mom
just got evicted, and‐‐
‐ Dude, the full crew is broke.
‐ Yo, ain't gotta
fucking talk to me
about that shit, all right?
Look, if we wanna win this game,
we gotta play
on multiple boards,
doubling down,
and knowing when to strike.
‐ That's your brother.
‐ Thanks for coming by.
Have a seat.
‐ I'm not staying long, yo.
I gotta get back to the studio.
‐ Okay, yeah. No. Sure.
I'll get right to it, then.
So look, the parent company
to Loud, BMG,
is having
their corporate retreat
in Connecticut this week,
and I want Wu‐Tang to perform.
‐ Why?
‐ RZA, what are you
looking for, man?
In terms of a deal.
You said you wanted freedom.
I said you'll have complete
creative freedom at Loud.
‐ Not just creative.
Business too.
‐ Meaning?
‐ Look, signing Wu‐Tang
is one thing,
but I want my brothers
to have the freedom to go out
and get their own solo deals,
you know, make their own money.
Now, I know that's not
industry standard.
‐ Yeah, but Wu‐Tang's
not industry standard
either, right?
So I'm not gonna give you
that same boilerplate shit.
I'll give you what you want,
freedom for your guys, all that.
‐ Word?
‐ But what I can't give you
is the kind of money
you'll get
from those other guys.
I mean, I want to.
I‐‐I just don't have it yet.
Not‐‐not right now.
‐ Yo.
Yo, my guys are‐‐yo,
we hurting right now, Steve.
Like, straight up.
I can't afford
to‐‐to hold out any longer.
‐ That's why I want you
to perform for my bosses.
I just want them to see
how special you guys are,
and then I can
get you everything.
You know what I'm saying?
No, son. No.
It's not about going back.
It's about staying afloat.
Niggas are still in the studio.
That don't mean I'm not
gonna take a nigga chain.
God...
‐ Hey, yo.
You seen Ghost?
‐ He was here a minute ago,
but then he said
he had some business
he had to take care of.
If the labels found out
about that‐‐
I ain't scared about no label.
‐ This shit ain't‐‐
‐ Yeah, but they the ones
giving the deal, nigga.
‐ Come on, know what I mean?
What about these bills?
‐ Yo, what the fuck?
What are you doing, man?
Don't come into the studio.
I told you to page me
if you needed me, nigga.
If.
Give me the fucking bag.
‐ Everybody, check this out,
all right?
Needs a hook or something,
you know what I'm saying?
‐ Well, "Protect Ya Neck"
ain't have no hook.
‐ But this shit's different.
I'm feeling like this shit
actually needs that shit.
- Yo, yo.
- Yo.
‐ Right on time, yo.
‐ What's up? What up?
‐ Peace.
‐ It's good.
‐ What up, man?
Damn.
‐ Need a chorus, yo.
You be having
all them one‐liners.
We need some, uh, ‐‐
some melodic shit for this,
you know what I'm saying?
‐ No doubt.
Shit right here.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Soo!
‐ All right.
‐ Cash rules...
Everything around me.
That's my man
Raider Ruckus right there,
know what I mean?
‐ Word. Word.
‐ Word.
C.R.E.A.M. get the money.
‐ Yo. Yo, where the fuck
you been at, nigga?
‐ Nowhere, nowhere.
‐ Yo, shit is‐‐
shit is going good, all right?
Yo, we‐‐we just gotta hold on,
you know what I'm saying?
‐ Hell, unless you paying
my bills and shit,
that's a lot easier said
than done,
know what I mean?
Yeah, what up
with the deal, son?
That shit came through yet
or‐‐or what?
‐ Man, we got a‐‐
we got another‐‐
another label meeting.
Just one more.
It's kind of like a showcase,
and all of us gotta be there.
‐ Wait, wait, wait.
Says who, huh?
Yo, you agreed to it already?
Hey, yo, we getting paid, son?
We better be getting paid.
‐ If we ain't getting paid,
it ain't making sense, guy.
Nigga, what's going on?
‐ Hey, yo.
Yo, yo, look.
All of y'all know
that each label has
their own process, a'ight?
Son, I'm not about to keep
going through this, son.
‐ I'm just asking y'all
for one night.
‐ What's up, fellas?
This is gonna be great.
Yo, the whole company's here.
They're excited to see you guys.
‐ Yo, this shit
better be worth it.
‐ Christoph.
Hey, this is
the, uh, Wu‐Tang Clan,
the group I was telling you
about.
They're gonna be huge stars.
Guys, this is Christoph Rainer.
He's the head of RCA.
‐ I'm very interested
in hearing you perform.
I'm a big fan of R&B.
‐ Oh, this ain't no...
‐ We'll let you get back
to business.
‐ R&B.
‐ 'Cause the guys need
to get ready.
Good to see you.
‐ Hey, hey, uh,
you sure these guys know
what we got going on here?
'Cause we ain't on
no R&B shit, yo.
‐ Yeah, exactly. Exactly.
It's gonna be great.
Come on.
It's gonna be great.
‐ I'm gonna need one more
cheers for the night, yo.
Put your pinkie out
when you drink.
‐ Yo, yo.
We're, uh,
the Wu‐Tang Clan, and‐‐
‐ Hey, yo.
Coming straight
from the Shaolin land
and the Brooklyn Zoo.
Introducing the Wu‐Tang Clan.
Soo!
‐ Yeah. All right, cousin.
Let's go, kid.
‐ Hey, yo, what's up?
German niggas
don't like hip‐hop?
‐ Man, these cats have no idea
what's about to go down.
I always wanted to do that.
Word.
‐ All right. All right.
All right. All right.
Yo, everybody
put your hands together.
Meth, yo.
Kick that shit, yo.
‐ Hey, yo, uh,
I've been meaning to ask, man.
How's everything been,
you know, uh, money‐wise?
‐ Oh, shit.
You know
the messenger job pays good.
I ain't tripping.
‐ I mean, it's just that,
you know, you haven't been
asking about any
of the label meetings or...
You know, just wanted to‐‐
‐ Bobby, we've been here before.
We know what it's like
to starve,
and we know what it's like
to eat steak,
know what I mean?
‐ Hey, it's gonna be different
this time.
It's gotta be.
Yo, yo.
Yo, how was that shit?
‐ They loved you guys.
‐ Word?
‐ Like, loved you guys.
Obviously.
‐ Yo.
‐ Yeah. Next level.
Never seen
anything like it before.
I'm gonna iron out the details
with Christoph,
but everything's great.
I gotta talk shop
with 'Vine and Power,
but there's one thing
I need you guys to do.
If you could have fun tonight
with the boys, okay?
‐ Whoo!
‐ Oh, word.
Word.
All right, let me see this.
What's this?
Yo, okay.
Hey, yo, where you going, son?
‐ I ate something foul. Shit.
‐ Oh, man.
How you gonna be sick
on a night like this, huh?
On a night like this, y'all.
‐ Ahh!
‐ Kill y'all son of...
‐ Yo, we just ate
that nigga, fool.
Where the party at, man?
‐ Hey, yo, God.
We need more Method.
Know I'm saying?
‐ I got you.
‐ Oh!
‐ Ladies, step aside.
Fuck is wrong with you?
Fucking with my sleep.
Waking me up.
Stupid.
‐ Fuck.
Damn, son.
‐ Yo.
Them motherfuckers
play too much.
‐ Yo, what the fuck, nigga?
Well, I've been meaning
to ask you, yo.
I thought you were stepping
away from that street shit.
‐ I'm just dabbling, yo.
Yo, it ain't shit, all right?
I still gotta get that cream.
‐ Yeah.
Yeah, I feel it.
But yo, the music...
it's a priority.
‐ I get what you saying,
but my priority is making sure
there's food on the table.
Yo, that music shit ain't doing
nothing for me right now.
‐ Remember, we have
that plan, yo.
‐ Yeah. A five‐year plan.
‐ Which you agreed to, yo.
‐ Well, I ain't agree
to starve, though.
Yo, I gotta eat, son.
Fuck that.
We all do.
‐ You need to choose.
Soo!
Police!
Get your hands up.
Get your fucking hands up.
Turn around slowly.
Steve, what are these charges?
Can you explain this to me?
What do you want me to say?
I have never seen
anything like this before.
It's a‐‐
My artists
don't do these things.
‐ I don't know
what you're saying.
‐ You're lucky the hotel isn't
pressing charges for vandalism.
Okay, I told you they're
not just rappers, right?
They're like the Beatles
or the Rolling Stones.
Yeah,
they're fucking rock stars.
You don't get it, right?
That's how they're
supposed to behave.
I signed you to a deal,
and you can do what you want,
but your budget is your budget,
and I'm not
giving you another dime,
especially after what I just
spent on their mess upstairs.
Mm‐hmm.
Hey.
Listen, I didn't mean
for you to hear that guy.
You know, he's just‐‐
‐ Yo, it's‐‐it's all good.
Yeah.
He's just an emotional‐‐
‐ I don't wanna interrupt,
but U‐God
just got arrested last night.
‐ You just missed him.
What's that?
‐ Buy yourself something nice.
Where'd you get that?
‐ Hey, yo, I got you
and Infinite, all right?
‐ Dennis...
‐ You don't never gotta worry.
Come here.
‐ Yo, come on, yo.
60 Gs?
Yo, son. I can make 60 Gs
in my sleep, nigga.
That don't even cover
what I spent so far.
We gave 'em what they wanted.
We did our part.
We gave them
the little horse‐and‐pony show.
Now they wanna lowball us?
That's fucking bullshit.
‐ Yo, cash rules everything
around me,
but that shit don't rule me, yo.
‐ I hear all of that.
I heard all of that shit, nigga.
I'm just saying the difference
between what Loud is offering
and the 200
that Elektra's giving?
Come on.
‐ Yeah, well, you know,
there's no more offer
from Elektra anymore.
‐ What you mean?
What happened?
‐ I don't know
how they found out
about the hotel room
getting trashed,
but they also know about U‐God
getting arrested too,
so they pulled the offer.
They already had an issue
with our image, so, you know...
they out.
‐ Come on, come on.
Why they tripping off of that?
‐ Elektra is owned
by Warner Brothers.
Warner Brothers is
a publicly traded company.
‐ All right, so look, boom.
We still got Def Jam
on the table, right?
‐ Yeah, but, you know, they can
also pull they offer too.
We have to make a decision.
‐ Hey.
Think carefully, RZA.
You don't wanna play yourself,
or maybe you already have.
‐ Damn.
200K down the gutter.
That ain't no short money,
player, not at all.
‐ You only saying that 'cause
you ain't got no strategy.
No vision.
You're too scared
to play the game.
Checkmate.
‐ All right.
Well, you may have beat me,
but did you really win?
‐ Fucking sellout, yo.
‐ Oh, shit.
Ah, yo.
‐ I don't really know
how to play.
Can you teach me?
‐ Hey.
All right,
so when you start a game,
you never wanna show fear, ever.
The way you start
determines how you finish.
You wanna step
into your bravery,
even if that means being scared.
We gotta think about the future.
We want Wu‐Tang to be forever.
You get it?
‐ I think so.
What do I do next?
‐ Know what I mean?
I was cozy and all that shit.
I was in my slippers
and all that.
You was there, know what I mean?
‐ Yo, RZA, what's up, man?
‐ Hey.
‐ We just signed at Loud.
Wait, you just fucking what?
‐ Where y'all going?
Get on the line.
Watch Movies, Series & LiveTV
www.flixify.app
to chase your dreams for you.
Checkmate.
‐ This is perfect.
It looks great.
Trust me.
‐ Prince Rakeem strikes again.
Hey, I left Prince Rakeem
in a cell in Ohio.
Nefertiti was a beautiful,
powerful African queen,
know what I mean?
You the modern version.
‐ Dennis, I told you
we need our own place.
And I told you
we can't rent another spot,
because we gonna blow
through our savings
in, like, two months.
‐ Take it.
‐ Ma.
‐ Please.
‐ A young buck selling drugs
and such
who never had much.
I'm down to commit
with this Wu‐Tang shit,
but that music shit
ain't putting
no food on the table right now.
‐ I'm just asking y'all niggas
to take the first step.
After that, I got y'all.
We produced a single
that's getting mad airplay.
‐ We feel like now it's time
for us to sign with a label
and, uh, you know,
take over this whole game.
‐ "Protect Ya Neck" got me wet.
‐ This could be our one shot,
know what I mean?
Watch Movies, Series & LiveTV
www.flixify.app
‐ You might have gotten me
with that
if I didn't catch it,
but I did.
Now your ass
ain't going nowhere.
Yo, that move is short money.
You gotta think long money,
you dig, Prince Rakeem?
‐ You think you got it
all figured out, huh?
I used to be just like you...
Once upon a time.
‐ Just because you changed
your name, RZA,
don't mean
you on top of the game.
‐ You're one to talk,
motherfucker.
You fell for that
shitty single deal.
At least I know
I need a guaranteed album
and a release date.
‐ Oh, because you're so much
smarter after you got dropped?
Yo, how did Ohio
work out for you?
‐ Hey, I'm here now, ain't I?
‐ You're here talking shit,
nigga.
What does that‐‐
that long money‐‐
long money shit mean anyway?
‐ Freedom.
Creatively and business‐wise.
Checkmate.
‐ You know what?
Yeah.
I may have taken an L,
but that was just me.
You, on the other hand,
are responsible
for a lot more people, RZA.
I mean, you basically demanded
that your family,
your brothers,
put their fate in your hands.
You explain that long money‐
short money shit to them?
Hmm?
I have to say,
I fucking love the record.
I love that it doesn't have
a hook,
that it represents
what hip‐hop was,
and that it doesn't follow
any rules.
I love that.
I want us to ride
the momentum of the single.
‐ We're happy that you believe
in the single.
What are your thoughts
about an album?
I can't tell you
how excited I am
to discuss the possibilities.
RZA, you are
such a creative guy.
Putting out "Protect Ya Neck"
independently.
Doing all
the artwork yourselves.
And that sword?
That was dope.
But I think I can do you
one better in that department.
‐ Oh, shit.
‐ There's a message
on there for you.
‐ Ooh, that's a lot
of zeros, kid.
That's a nice little flip,
right?
‐ Mm‐hmm,
straight up and down, huh?
‐ Yeah.
I don't know, yo.
I feel like that suit didn't
really answer my questions.
‐ Aw, come on, Bobby.
He's a businessman.
Course he ain't gonna
guarantee you an album
if he doesn't have to.
‐ Right, right.
‐ Yeah, well,
if he wants Wu‐Tang,
he'll have to.
I did this shit
the label's way before.
Now this time,
they gotta agree to our terms.
‐ Ah, it's all good, little bro.
This is our first meeting.
You know,
we're just getting started,
know what I mean?
And Def Jam wants to meet last,
- know what I'm saying?
- Yeah.
‐ I've been paging Divine
all day.
He hasn't called me back.
‐ Yeah.
They were just at Mr. Chow's
with you‐know‐who.
‐ Fuck.
We need more money, Rich.
‐ Steve, we're
a brand‐new label.
Can't break the bank
before we start it.
We signed Mad Kap,
we paid 30 for Tha Alkaholiks,
and now you wanna blow
through the rest of our budget?
Once we spend that money,
that's it.
We're betting it all on Wu‐Tang.
‐ Yeah.
They're worth it.
I just need ten minutes
with them, okay?
Face‐to‐face.
‐ I'll keep asking around.
I think I know
where they're recording.
‐ Hey.
‐ Your favorite.
‐ My favorite?
I think you like those
more than me.
‐ Hey, yo, I wasn't the one
that finished
the whole box last time,
know what I mean?
‐ What's all that?
‐ A job application.
‐ Job application?
Nia says she can hook me up
with a job at Bay Video.
Mm‐hmm, every dollar counts.
‐ Hey, yo, we gonna be
signed soon, all right?
The money coming any day now.
‐ It's not just about money.
It's about purpose.
You and the guys have been
going town to town
and college to college,
pushing the record.
I wanna do something
like that for myself.
It's kind of like
when you got me this necklace.
You were saying how Nefertiti
is beautiful and powerful.
Real power is taking life
into your own hands.
‐ Yeah. I feel that.
‐ Yo, what up?
Hey, yo.
So Ray was thinking about
replacing that "Gigante" verse
with the 16 from
"Lifestyle of the Mega Rich."
How you feel?
‐ I don't know.
‐ What you mean‐‐
what you mean you don't know?
‐ How we gonna talk about
lifestyles of the mega rich
when we all broker
than a motherfucker?
‐ Well, shit, we still
taking meetings with labels.
You know, if we had the money
to break y'all off‐‐
‐ Yo, I wasn't saying like that.
I'm just saying...
‐ So what you thinking?
‐ I wrote this when I was
locked up, you know.
I ain't never really spit
nothing like this
before, though.
‐ All right.
Let's hear it.
‐ It's been 22 long, hard years.
I'm still struggling.
Survival got me bugging,
but I'm alive on arrival.
I peep at the shape
of the streets.
Stay awake
to the ways of the world,
'cause shit is deep.
That shit's fucking deep, yo.
‐ Word.
‐ Word up.
‐ Word, son.
‐ That's deep, dog. Word.
‐ Yeah.
‐ All right, let's see how
that shit sounds in the booth.
Word, word.
‐ Hey, what's up, fellas?
‐ Hey, what's up, son?
Y'all from Def Jam, right?
‐ No.
Uh...
‐ Shit.
Damn, when is that meeting
happening, son?
‐ Bobby, Steve Rifkind.
You remember me?
‐ Oh, shit, yo.
What's up, man?
Yo, long time, no see, man.
‐ I've been good, good.
You?
‐ Word, word. Yeah, yeah.
Been good. Been good.
Right.
Is there, uh,
somewhere
we can talk for a minute?
I've always dug your sound.
My whole office does.
I've been trying to track
you guys down for months.
‐ Yo, word.
‐ That's cool and all that,
you know what I'm saying,
but, no disrespect,
what other acts
have you put out on your label?
‐ Yeah, look, I've, uh‐‐
I've managed and marketed
some of the top acts
in the game,
before starting my own label,
Loud Records.
Right now, we got Tha Alkaholiks
from the West Coast,
Twista from the Midwest.
You guys can rep the East.
You know, we're young.
We're hungry.
We're gonna give you all
the fucking attention you need.
I want Loud to be the house
that Wu‐Tang built.
‐ He means it.
Really.
‐ We want freedom.
Creative freedom.
Business freedom.
‐ Yeah, well,
we're not A&Rs, okay,
so you do
what you do creatively.
Our job is, we just go out
and sell it.
‐ Okay, respectfully, uh,
we have some big meetings
with some bigwigs who have
made names for themselves,
who have made history
with their artists,
and who also have bigger budgets
to take bigger risks.
So why should we go
with a new label, hmm?
We need to get more money.
‐ We made it work this far,
but you and me made a deal
to get on top of the rap game.
To get on top,
I need a bigger budget.
‐ Boys, I thought we were
going over marketing here.
‐ Wu‐Tang already has
a six‐figure bid on the table,
and they're meeting
with other top labels soon.
‐ That means higher offers.
‐ Right.
Come on, Skip.
‐ Steve... I like your dad.
We both made our bones
in this industry.
I think you've forgotten
you don't have a track record.
Remember, I'm taking
a chance on Loud,
but risk has its limits.
I can't keep sticking
my neck out for Loud Records.
‐ I get it, Skip, okay,
but we both know that RCA's
in the shitter right now.
And I'm telling you
that Wu‐Tang
can pull the label out from it.
I don't expect you
to understand hip‐hop, okay,
so let me explain it
to you like this.
This company was built
on American grassroots music,
guys playing the banjo
and blowing into jugs.
Well, hip‐hop's
the modern version of that,
and Wu‐Tang can do
for this label
what Elvis did in 1956,
and don't you wanna be
on the right side of history?
‐ The answer's no.
What the fuck is this shit, man?
Yo, Ma.
No.
Come on, man.
Yo, man.
What's going on?
‐ Um,
I fell behind on the rent.
‐ Why wouldn't you tell me that?
‐ Because I‐‐I didn't want you
to go back into those streets.
I'm really sorry.
Just wish I had gotten my Bible.
Your grandmother gave it to me.
The neighbors offered for us
to stay with them
until we can figure out
where to go.
Come inside.
Where you going?
‐ To get our spot back.
Yo, yo.
What up, Sha?
‐ I'm tired of this shit, man.
‐ Yo, you good?
One second, you on
the straight and narrow.
You doing
what you supposed to do.
Next second, you getting kicked
out your fucking crib
for being poor, Black,
and in the fucking hood, man.
The fuck is we supposed
to do, man?
It's like no matter what you do,
no matter where you go,
shit's always gonna be fucking
stacked against you, man.
We gotta get our families
out this shit, son.
We gotta migrate.
Yup.
‐ Shit is fucking crazy, man.
‐ Yo, son, it's always
about the money, yo,
know what I mean?
But don't get stagnated
in that shit,
you know what I'm saying?
You gotta do what you do,
take the same energy
you got going on right now,
take that shit, and put
that shit in the booth, nigga,
you know I'm saying?
Yo, you heard Deck's verse?
Yo, put that shit on, son.
Yo, listen to this shit, nigga.
Babe, you made the lemonade?
‐ Doing it right now.
‐ Hey, um, I got that.
Come here.
‐ I'm just about done.
Oh, no, no, no, no.
I got it. I got it. You know.
You know Mama taught me
how to make some lemonade.
Well, thanks
for saving me the extra swirls.
I know
it hasn't been... ideal
living here with me and Nia,
but it's been nice having you.
You know, you and‐‐
you and the baby.
D, not so much.
Yeah.
It's been nice.
‐ Congratulations, Divine.
Passed your piss test.
‐ Come on in, Officer.
‐ Tell me what's going on
with the job search.
Your file shows
that your construction job
ended a while ago.
‐ Well, actually, sir,
I've, uh‐‐
‐ Thank you.
‐ I've been punching my clock
with a new venture.
There you go.
‐ Okay.
Where's your pay stub?
‐ Uh, with all due respect,
sir, what do you mean?
I've‐‐I've been working harder
than I ever had
in my entire life.
My‐‐my sister,
yeah, she will tell you.
Come on, Divine.
Every ex‐con tells me
they're in the rap game.
That's not a job.
You need a W‐4 to prove
you have a real job,
or I'll be forced
to violate you,
and then they'll send you back.
Mmm.
Uh, who made the lemonade?
It's great.
I did.
‐ You're lucky
he didn't fire us.
‐ How the fuck are we supposed
to do this
when our whole budget
is peanuts?
‐ Maybe I can start
going to temple again.
‐ Hey, guys,
nice work back there.
Thanks, Mojoe.
‐ Sorry it was a no‐go.
You going to the BMG retreat?
‐ For what?
‐ Whole company's going.
All of BMG's subsidiaries.
Even BMG's CEO,
Christoph Rainer, will be there.
Maybe he'll appreciate
your passion for Wu‐Tang.
It is what it is,
know what I mean?
‐ Come on, man.
‐ I came at it raw.
‐ Hey, yo.
‐ Hey, yo.
Sharpened my sword, man.
Oh, word?
‐ Wrote a new rhyme
for "Lifestyle."
‐ Me and Rae's verse together?
Whoo!
‐ Word.
Let's hear it.
‐ Hey, yo.
‐ Lay that down, God.
- Yo, what's up, man?
- Soo!
‐ Come on, son, I can't even
hear anything, man.
Turn up the fucking music, God.
‐ Yo. I told you.
No distractions, yo.
What's up?
‐ And I told you
stop coming at me like that.
Damn.
‐ Do you know Dennis
ain't even in there?
‐ That's why I came.
Money's been kind of tight,
and I'm just nervous
that he's gonna fall back
into his old ways.
I mean, I don't know,
but that's the vibe I'm getting.
‐ Oh.
Hey, 'Rie, uh, I'm sorry
that no one is making
any money right now, but‐‐
‐ I get it, Bobby.
‐ Hey.
We gonna get a deal soon.
I can honestly say
that there's just
no other group like Wu‐Tang
out there.
You guys are at the vanguard
of your own movement,
and we at Elektra, we want‐‐no,
we need to be
a part of that movement.
Wu‐Tang's album
has to be out on Elektra.
‐ Will you guarantee
an album release?
‐ Absolutely.
I'll put that in writing
if that puts you at ease.
‐ All right.
‐ Yeah.
We knew you'd be on board.
And listen, we‐‐
we don't mess with the music.
We don't do that to our artists.
That's what you do.
What we do is marketing,
and image is key.
So with you guys, we'll have
to discuss the presentation.
We want you to be street
but not too street.
And maybe give you
a more unifying look.
‐ Unifying look?
‐ Yeah.
Maybe some dancers.
‐ I mean, with us, what you see
is what you get.
‐ Mm‐hmm.
‐ You know?
‐ Yeah.
Fuck that.
‐ We just keep it real.
What do you mean
by "keep it real"?
Is this table not real?
Is this office not real?
Come on.
Look, guys.
Like I said, we're not trying
to change your music,
and we don't wanna change
who you are.
We wanna preserve
your authenticity.
And matter of fact,
we want you to be
the biggest rap group
in the game.
Is that not what you all want?
To show you how serious we are,
we're prepared to offer you
$200,000 to sign with us.
‐ How soon can we get that
to the rest of our crew?
‐ If you sign today,
you'll have a check
before you leave.
‐ That's a solid offer,
but we need to discuss
this whole image things
amongst ourselves.
‐ I understand.
Your shoes, they're nice.
Jordans.
The hood loves Jordans.
You know who else does?
Middle America.
If you think I'm asking you
to sell out, ask yourself,
is Michael Jordan a sellout?
The answer is hell no.
He makes more money
selling shoes
than he does playing basketball
because he presents
a certain image.
He's cool, he's authentic,
but he's not threatening.
‐ Nigga, yo, what the fuck?
Yo, we thought a hundred thou
was a lot, yo.
They just came out
with 200 thou, son.
- 200.
- Yeah, but okay, look.
Listen.
‐ Come on, son.
‐ He wants to change Bobby
and the team's image.
We can't do that.
‐ No, no, no,
that's not what he said.
What'd he say?
He doesn't want him to sell out.
He wants the albums to sell out.
‐ That's not what he‐‐
‐ Come on, son.
You heard him, right, RZA?
Yo, RZ.
$200,000?
Yo, just imagine
what you and your boys
could do with that shit.
‐ Yeah, till they start
telling you how to dress.
‐ Damn.
Yo, this would have
been way easier to put on
with $200,000 in the bank.
Shit.
Shit.
Well, sometimes
you gotta sacrifice
some pieces to get that meat.
‐ Oh, that's how you wanna
play, motherfucker?
You look like one of the pieces
on the board.
You gotta take care
of that back rank.
Checkmate, Prince Rakeem.
‐ Oh, fuck, man.
‐ You know, sacrificing
without thinking too far ahead,
you're gonna risk everything.
It all depends on what you
sacrifice and win.
Dovetail mate.
‐ Yeah. I don't know.
I mean, maybe you're just
too smart for your own good.
It's 200K for the whole team.
Shit.
Yo, think about what Dennis
and Shurrie can do with that.
‐ I have.
I've thought of it all.
‐ Yeah.
You sure?
‐ We don't want you
to just sell gold.
We want you to sell millions.
‐ So in terms of marketing
Wu‐Tang's image, we can‐‐
‐ Look, we love Wu‐Tang
just the way you are.
Gritty, grimy, real.
Def Jam stands for black
and white and shades of gray.
We don't want any
of that shiny shit here
if it isn't platinum.
All right.
All right.
I like how that sounds, so how
would you roll out the album?
‐ I'm glad you asked, Power.
So I've talked to my team,
and we plan on releasing
a Wu‐Tang album
in the fourth quarter.
‐ That's the biggest quarter.
‐ Shows you how much
we believe in you guys.
‐ Word.
‐ And we've already mapped out
plans for ODB and Meth,
two of my personal faves.
We see them as solo artists
and plan on putting albums out
on them as well.
‐ So when would Def Jam
want to put out Meth's album?
‐ The target would be
probably next summer.
We don't want Meth stepping
on Wu‐Tang, and vice‐versa.
‐ That's if Meth is on Def Jam.
‐ If Wu‐Tang is on Def Jam,
then Meth is on Def Jam.
If we're utilizing
our time and resources
to make each one
of the guys a star,
then Def Jam should also benefit
by putting out
their projects as well.
As businessmen,
it's to my understanding
that all of the guys are signed
to Wu‐Tang Productions.
So if all of the guys
are signed to you,
why wouldn't it be the same
for us?
It's just
a standard business practice.
- Right, fellas?
- Uh, yes, it is.
Obviously, we are very,
very interested in your offer.
Hold up.
We didn't come here
for no standard business
practices, all right?
Bottom line,
if you sign Wu‐Tang,
you get them as a group.
You don't get them
as solo artists.
Period.
‐ Yo, what the fuck happened
in there, yo? Huh?
You spring that shit
without talking to us first?
‐ Hey, hey.
‐ Come on, Bobby.
‐ Look, I'm not just working
on shit for Wu‐Tang, all right?
I'm working on shit
for all the guys,
on some
take‐over‐the‐world type shit.
The solo rights belong
to Wu‐Tang Productions.
We cannot give them to Def Jam.
Wu‐Tang Productions
has gotta call all the shots
and protect the solo artist.
‐ Yo, you thinking
about solo artists.
That's great, but how about you
try thinking about the group,
know what I mean?
Okay, and just try to let us
into that head of yours
so, you know, we're not in
there looking like dumbasses.
‐ Yeah. Come on, Bobby.
Talk to us. What's going on?
‐ If they wanna send us out,
out of the same spout,
we can only go one at a time.
Right?
Say Meth's album ain't no hit.
They're not gonna wanna
give us money
for any other solo deals.
Next thing we know, Dirty
ain't got no release date.
We cannot afford to put
all our shit in one spot.
‐ I hear what you saying,
my nigga,
but ain't you jumping the gun,
you know what I'm saying?
We gotta deal
with one thing at a time.
Yo, Sha and his mom
just got evicted, and‐‐
‐ Dude, the full crew is broke.
‐ Yo, ain't gotta
fucking talk to me
about that shit, all right?
Look, if we wanna win this game,
we gotta play
on multiple boards,
doubling down,
and knowing when to strike.
‐ That's your brother.
‐ Thanks for coming by.
Have a seat.
‐ I'm not staying long, yo.
I gotta get back to the studio.
‐ Okay, yeah. No. Sure.
I'll get right to it, then.
So look, the parent company
to Loud, BMG,
is having
their corporate retreat
in Connecticut this week,
and I want Wu‐Tang to perform.
‐ Why?
‐ RZA, what are you
looking for, man?
In terms of a deal.
You said you wanted freedom.
I said you'll have complete
creative freedom at Loud.
‐ Not just creative.
Business too.
‐ Meaning?
‐ Look, signing Wu‐Tang
is one thing,
but I want my brothers
to have the freedom to go out
and get their own solo deals,
you know, make their own money.
Now, I know that's not
industry standard.
‐ Yeah, but Wu‐Tang's
not industry standard
either, right?
So I'm not gonna give you
that same boilerplate shit.
I'll give you what you want,
freedom for your guys, all that.
‐ Word?
‐ But what I can't give you
is the kind of money
you'll get
from those other guys.
I mean, I want to.
I‐‐I just don't have it yet.
Not‐‐not right now.
‐ Yo.
Yo, my guys are‐‐yo,
we hurting right now, Steve.
Like, straight up.
I can't afford
to‐‐to hold out any longer.
‐ That's why I want you
to perform for my bosses.
I just want them to see
how special you guys are,
and then I can
get you everything.
You know what I'm saying?
No, son. No.
It's not about going back.
It's about staying afloat.
Niggas are still in the studio.
That don't mean I'm not
gonna take a nigga chain.
God...
‐ Hey, yo.
You seen Ghost?
‐ He was here a minute ago,
but then he said
he had some business
he had to take care of.
If the labels found out
about that‐‐
I ain't scared about no label.
‐ This shit ain't‐‐
‐ Yeah, but they the ones
giving the deal, nigga.
‐ Come on, know what I mean?
What about these bills?
‐ Yo, what the fuck?
What are you doing, man?
Don't come into the studio.
I told you to page me
if you needed me, nigga.
If.
Give me the fucking bag.
‐ Everybody, check this out,
all right?
Needs a hook or something,
you know what I'm saying?
‐ Well, "Protect Ya Neck"
ain't have no hook.
‐ But this shit's different.
I'm feeling like this shit
actually needs that shit.
- Yo, yo.
- Yo.
‐ Right on time, yo.
‐ What's up? What up?
‐ Peace.
‐ It's good.
‐ What up, man?
Damn.
‐ Need a chorus, yo.
You be having
all them one‐liners.
We need some, uh, ‐‐
some melodic shit for this,
you know what I'm saying?
‐ No doubt.
Shit right here.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Soo!
‐ All right.
‐ Cash rules...
Everything around me.
That's my man
Raider Ruckus right there,
know what I mean?
‐ Word. Word.
‐ Word.
C.R.E.A.M. get the money.
‐ Yo. Yo, where the fuck
you been at, nigga?
‐ Nowhere, nowhere.
‐ Yo, shit is‐‐
shit is going good, all right?
Yo, we‐‐we just gotta hold on,
you know what I'm saying?
‐ Hell, unless you paying
my bills and shit,
that's a lot easier said
than done,
know what I mean?
Yeah, what up
with the deal, son?
That shit came through yet
or‐‐or what?
‐ Man, we got a‐‐
we got another‐‐
another label meeting.
Just one more.
It's kind of like a showcase,
and all of us gotta be there.
‐ Wait, wait, wait.
Says who, huh?
Yo, you agreed to it already?
Hey, yo, we getting paid, son?
We better be getting paid.
‐ If we ain't getting paid,
it ain't making sense, guy.
Nigga, what's going on?
‐ Hey, yo.
Yo, yo, look.
All of y'all know
that each label has
their own process, a'ight?
Son, I'm not about to keep
going through this, son.
‐ I'm just asking y'all
for one night.
‐ What's up, fellas?
This is gonna be great.
Yo, the whole company's here.
They're excited to see you guys.
‐ Yo, this shit
better be worth it.
‐ Christoph.
Hey, this is
the, uh, Wu‐Tang Clan,
the group I was telling you
about.
They're gonna be huge stars.
Guys, this is Christoph Rainer.
He's the head of RCA.
‐ I'm very interested
in hearing you perform.
I'm a big fan of R&B.
‐ Oh, this ain't no...
‐ We'll let you get back
to business.
‐ R&B.
‐ 'Cause the guys need
to get ready.
Good to see you.
‐ Hey, hey, uh,
you sure these guys know
what we got going on here?
'Cause we ain't on
no R&B shit, yo.
‐ Yeah, exactly. Exactly.
It's gonna be great.
Come on.
It's gonna be great.
‐ I'm gonna need one more
cheers for the night, yo.
Put your pinkie out
when you drink.
‐ Yo, yo.
We're, uh,
the Wu‐Tang Clan, and‐‐
‐ Hey, yo.
Coming straight
from the Shaolin land
and the Brooklyn Zoo.
Introducing the Wu‐Tang Clan.
Soo!
‐ Yeah. All right, cousin.
Let's go, kid.
‐ Hey, yo, what's up?
German niggas
don't like hip‐hop?
‐ Man, these cats have no idea
what's about to go down.
I always wanted to do that.
Word.
‐ All right. All right.
All right. All right.
Yo, everybody
put your hands together.
Meth, yo.
Kick that shit, yo.
‐ Hey, yo, uh,
I've been meaning to ask, man.
How's everything been,
you know, uh, money‐wise?
‐ Oh, shit.
You know
the messenger job pays good.
I ain't tripping.
‐ I mean, it's just that,
you know, you haven't been
asking about any
of the label meetings or...
You know, just wanted to‐‐
‐ Bobby, we've been here before.
We know what it's like
to starve,
and we know what it's like
to eat steak,
know what I mean?
‐ Hey, it's gonna be different
this time.
It's gotta be.
Yo, yo.
Yo, how was that shit?
‐ They loved you guys.
‐ Word?
‐ Like, loved you guys.
Obviously.
‐ Yo.
‐ Yeah. Next level.
Never seen
anything like it before.
I'm gonna iron out the details
with Christoph,
but everything's great.
I gotta talk shop
with 'Vine and Power,
but there's one thing
I need you guys to do.
If you could have fun tonight
with the boys, okay?
‐ Whoo!
‐ Oh, word.
Word.
All right, let me see this.
What's this?
Yo, okay.
Hey, yo, where you going, son?
‐ I ate something foul. Shit.
‐ Oh, man.
How you gonna be sick
on a night like this, huh?
On a night like this, y'all.
‐ Ahh!
‐ Kill y'all son of...
‐ Yo, we just ate
that nigga, fool.
Where the party at, man?
‐ Hey, yo, God.
We need more Method.
Know I'm saying?
‐ I got you.
‐ Oh!
‐ Ladies, step aside.
Fuck is wrong with you?
Fucking with my sleep.
Waking me up.
Stupid.
‐ Fuck.
Damn, son.
‐ Yo.
Them motherfuckers
play too much.
‐ Yo, what the fuck, nigga?
Well, I've been meaning
to ask you, yo.
I thought you were stepping
away from that street shit.
‐ I'm just dabbling, yo.
Yo, it ain't shit, all right?
I still gotta get that cream.
‐ Yeah.
Yeah, I feel it.
But yo, the music...
it's a priority.
‐ I get what you saying,
but my priority is making sure
there's food on the table.
Yo, that music shit ain't doing
nothing for me right now.
‐ Remember, we have
that plan, yo.
‐ Yeah. A five‐year plan.
‐ Which you agreed to, yo.
‐ Well, I ain't agree
to starve, though.
Yo, I gotta eat, son.
Fuck that.
We all do.
‐ You need to choose.
Soo!
Police!
Get your hands up.
Get your fucking hands up.
Turn around slowly.
Steve, what are these charges?
Can you explain this to me?
What do you want me to say?
I have never seen
anything like this before.
It's a‐‐
My artists
don't do these things.
‐ I don't know
what you're saying.
‐ You're lucky the hotel isn't
pressing charges for vandalism.
Okay, I told you they're
not just rappers, right?
They're like the Beatles
or the Rolling Stones.
Yeah,
they're fucking rock stars.
You don't get it, right?
That's how they're
supposed to behave.
I signed you to a deal,
and you can do what you want,
but your budget is your budget,
and I'm not
giving you another dime,
especially after what I just
spent on their mess upstairs.
Mm‐hmm.
Hey.
Listen, I didn't mean
for you to hear that guy.
You know, he's just‐‐
‐ Yo, it's‐‐it's all good.
Yeah.
He's just an emotional‐‐
‐ I don't wanna interrupt,
but U‐God
just got arrested last night.
‐ You just missed him.
What's that?
‐ Buy yourself something nice.
Where'd you get that?
‐ Hey, yo, I got you
and Infinite, all right?
‐ Dennis...
‐ You don't never gotta worry.
Come here.
‐ Yo, come on, yo.
60 Gs?
Yo, son. I can make 60 Gs
in my sleep, nigga.
That don't even cover
what I spent so far.
We gave 'em what they wanted.
We did our part.
We gave them
the little horse‐and‐pony show.
Now they wanna lowball us?
That's fucking bullshit.
‐ Yo, cash rules everything
around me,
but that shit don't rule me, yo.
‐ I hear all of that.
I heard all of that shit, nigga.
I'm just saying the difference
between what Loud is offering
and the 200
that Elektra's giving?
Come on.
‐ Yeah, well, you know,
there's no more offer
from Elektra anymore.
‐ What you mean?
What happened?
‐ I don't know
how they found out
about the hotel room
getting trashed,
but they also know about U‐God
getting arrested too,
so they pulled the offer.
They already had an issue
with our image, so, you know...
they out.
‐ Come on, come on.
Why they tripping off of that?
‐ Elektra is owned
by Warner Brothers.
Warner Brothers is
a publicly traded company.
‐ All right, so look, boom.
We still got Def Jam
on the table, right?
‐ Yeah, but, you know, they can
also pull they offer too.
We have to make a decision.
‐ Hey.
Think carefully, RZA.
You don't wanna play yourself,
or maybe you already have.
‐ Damn.
200K down the gutter.
That ain't no short money,
player, not at all.
‐ You only saying that 'cause
you ain't got no strategy.
No vision.
You're too scared
to play the game.
Checkmate.
‐ All right.
Well, you may have beat me,
but did you really win?
‐ Fucking sellout, yo.
‐ Oh, shit.
Ah, yo.
‐ I don't really know
how to play.
Can you teach me?
‐ Hey.
All right,
so when you start a game,
you never wanna show fear, ever.
The way you start
determines how you finish.
You wanna step
into your bravery,
even if that means being scared.
We gotta think about the future.
We want Wu‐Tang to be forever.
You get it?
‐ I think so.
What do I do next?
‐ Know what I mean?
I was cozy and all that shit.
I was in my slippers
and all that.
You was there, know what I mean?
‐ Yo, RZA, what's up, man?
‐ Hey.
‐ We just signed at Loud.
Wait, you just fucking what?
‐ Where y'all going?
Get on the line.
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