A Provocative Account of the Rise of Hip Hop's Most Controversial Collective
DVD and Soundtrack CD to Debut November 18th, 2008
DVD Offers Revealing Never-Before-Seen Interviews and Rare Concert Footage; CD Includes Classic Wu-Tang Clan Tracks and Solo Material
Los Angeles, California — The definitive story of one of the most influential rap crews of all time, Wu: The Story of The Wu-Tang Clan comes to DVD on November 18th, 2008 from BET Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment. An authorized account of the spectacular rise of nine young men from obscurity to the pinnacle of recording industry success, Wu: The Story of The Wu-Tang Clan sheds new light on their story with exclusive archival footage, interviews with the surviving members of the group and a wealth of material not available anywhere else. A must-have DVD for every hip-hop and rap fan, Wu: The Story of The Wu-Tang Clan will be available for the suggested retail price of $22.99 US.
Simultaneously, Loud Records / Legacy Recordings, a division of Sony BMG Music Entertainment, is set to release the soundtrack companion CD, Wu: The Story of the Wu-Tang Clan. The disc will feature such key Wu-Tang classics as "C.R.E.A.M." and "Protect Your Neck" alongside solo material from Raekwon, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Ghostface Killah, and Cappadonna. The CD will be available at both physical and digital retail outlets on November 18, 2008.
In 1993, nine young men — Method Man, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Raekwon, RZA, GZA, Ghostface Killah, U-God, Inspectah Deck an Masta Killa -- emerged from the Staten Island projects to form one of the most successful rap groups of all time: The Wu-Tang Clan. For over a decade, they operated as a fluid alliance of exceptionally talented MCs, establishing themselves as one of the most significant musical collectives of the era, as well as individual artists who challenged convention with thought-provoking lyrics and beats. The Wu-Tang Clan went on to sell more than 20 million albums and become the original global hip hop franchise, lending their talent and name to music, comic books, clothes, online games and more.
The ambition, talent and innovative spirit that drove The Wu-Tang Clan's unique contributions to the hip hop scene also made its members multi-platinum-selling solo artists and record producers, Grammy winners, screenwriters, corporate spokespeople, entrepreneurs and motion picture composers. The group launched the acting careers of Method Man ("The Wire", Garden State, How High) and RZA (American Gangster) and brought attention to the controversial life and tragic death of Ol' Dirty Bastard. Directed by Gerald Barclay, this awe-inspiring documentary also features industry notables: Bonz Malone, Popa Wu, Bobito Garcia, Ralph McDaniels, Gano Grills and 3rd Rail.
Wu: The Story of The Wu-Tang Clan was named Best Documentary at the 2007 Hip Hop Odyssey Film Festival and was an Official Selection at the London Black Film Festival, the American Black Film Festival, the Pan African Film Festival and the Sao Paulo International Film Festival. Billboard magazine will host a special screening of Wu: The Story of The Wu-Tang Clan at this year's UrbanWorld Film Festival on September 12. Additionally, the documentary will have its broadcast premiere on BET on Thursday, November 13, 2008.
About BET Networks
BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom, Inc. (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B), is the nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel reaches more than 84 million households according to Nielsen media research, and can be seen in the United States , Canada and the Caribbean . BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of businesses extensions: BET.com, a leading internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news.; BET Digital Networks – BET J, BET Gospel and BET Hip Hop, attractive alternatives for cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET Event Productions, a full-scale event management and production company; BET Home Entertainment, a collection of BET-branded offerings for the home environment including DVDs and video-on-demand; BET Mobile, a service venture into the lucrative world of ring tones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, an extension of BET network programming for global distribution.
ABOUT PARAMOUNT HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Paramount Home Entertainment (PHE) is part of Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment. PPC is a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. PHE is responsible for the worldwide sales, marketing and distribution of home entertainment products on behalf of various parties including: Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks Studios, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, CBS, PBS and Hasbro and for providing home entertainment fulfillment services for DreamWorks Animation Home Entertainment.
ABOUT LEGACY RECORDINGS
The multiple Grammy-winning Legacy Recordings, Sony BMG Music Entertainment's catalog division, produces and maintains the world's foremost catalog of historic reissues, an unparalleled compendium of thousands of digitally remastered archival titles representing virtually every musical genre including popular, rock, jazz, blues, R&B, folk, country, gospel, Broadway musicals, movie soundtracks, ethnic, world music, classical, comedy and more.
A peerless resource encompassing the wealth, breadth, history and diversity of recorded music dating back to the birth of the medium, Legacy Recordings is home to the works of hundreds of musical artists of the 19th, 20th and 21st.
Press:
Evelyn Santana
BazanPR
(212) 643-4664 x22
