Women’s History Month: The Ladies Of Next Gen Wu-Tang
Being next up in a family of entertainers can come with its burdens — Blue Ivy Carter for example has some big shoes to fill regardless of which parent she follows after! However, like young Blue has already shown before even turning 13, many simply step up to their calling and continue the platinum-selling legacy their parents carved out before them.
You can say the same when it comes to the world-famous Wu-Tang Clan. While affiliates of the rap collective extend far beyond anyone dares to count, the core members are generally recognized as RZA, Raekwon, Method Man, GZA, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, Cappadonna, Masta Killa, U-God and the late Ol’ Dirty Bastard. With all the living OGs now in their mid-50s and representing an entirely different generation of rap, the baton now lies in the hands of their offspring to carry on the Wu torch in today’s music scene.
(@2ndgenerationwu)The self-proclaimed “Children of the Wu” are doing just that as a newly-formed collective including ODB’s son, Weather Park, Method Man’s two sons, 5th Pxwer and Nuke Lefleur, and U-God’s son, iNTeLL. However, this second generation Wu-Tang is extended things beyond an all-boy’s club by also including RZA’s niece, Marano Skyies, and putting the limelight on Method Man’s daughter, Chey. They all came together in NYC last week (3/27) to host a special “Wu-Wednesdays” social night at East Village speakeasy Hidden Tiger. We caught up with the lady at the forefront of defining what Wu-Forever really means, and Chey told us exclusively, “Carrying on the Wu legacy from a female perspective just feels empowering. I got my brothers behind me, my uncles behind me and it’s really like a family thing. It’s a legacy that’s going to continue and it just feels good having everyone in one accord — everybody does music, and we’re all talented, so it’s definitely one-of-a-kind.”
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Marano Skyies echoes the same sentiments on holding it down for the ladies, but never forgets to give props to the teachings of her uncle RZA as well as her dad, rapper 9th Prince of the Wu-affiliated rap group Killarmy. “Growing up, watching my uncle takeover on TV, it showed me a lot and taught me specifically as a female artist,” she told us just before jumping on the mic, further adding, “It’s very different from the males; not everybody looks forward to seeing a female get on stage and either rap or sing on the mic. I’m still learning, but I really thank my pops, 9th Prince, and uncle RZA for showing me a way through music.”
Both ladies plan on bring something new to Wu, with Chey describing her music as “feel-good” vibes, which she elaborated further by adding, “I’m always bringing my personality; what you see is what you get [with me], mainly because I don’t have to put on a façade. I like to feel good, so I’m going to make you feel good [with my music]; If I’m feeling a bit sad, I’ll write a sad song and we both gon’ feel that! [Laughs] It’s a woman thing, personal thing and overall human thing to feel, so I always bring the versatility and especially to my CHEY’S TIME EP coming soon.” Marano is doing more of a blend between hip-hop and R&B, telling us, “[I’m] going a different route in the music industry, but I’m making music for people who can compare to what I’m going through.”
As we close out Women’s History Month, it’s great to see the legacy of Wu-Tang Clan is not only in good hands but that women will be throwing up the W for a whole new reason.
