''The Wu-Tang Manual'' is a guide to the

Wu-Tang Clan Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Close affili ...

written by prominent member and

producer Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

RZA Robert Fitzgerald Diggs (born July 5, 1969), better known by his stage name the RZA ( ), is an American rapper, actor, filmmaker, and record producer. He is the ''de facto'' leader of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, having produced most albums ...

and Chris Norris. The manual explains Wu-Tang terms, Wu-Tang members, merchandise, movies and inspirations.

Content

It is divided into four books each containing nine chambers totaling

36 chambers ''Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)'' is the debut studio album by American hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, released on November 9, 1993, by Loud Records. Recording sessions took place during late 1992 to early 1993 at Firehouse Studio in New York Cit ...

. Included are biographies of each member, an explanation of various slang used by the group, a history on the Wu-Tang Clan logo, and explanations of influences, which include

the Nation of Gods and Earths The Five-Percent Nation, sometimes referred to as the Nation of Gods and Earths (NGE/NOGE) or the Five Percenters, is a Black nationalist movement influenced by Islam that was founded in 1964 in the Harlem section of the borough of Manhattan, N ...

chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to disti ...

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

drug A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via insuffla ...

s, and

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...

. RZA's views on music, spirituality, philosophy, and producing, and a guide to the meanings of several songs are also included. The back cover page features a colorful photo that resembles the one used on the album cover of Wu-Tang's 2001 album ''

Iron Flag ''Iron Flag'' is the fourth studio album by American East Coast hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan, released on December 18, 2001 on Loud Records. It was certified gold in sales by the RIAA. ''Iron Flag'' served as the group's second lowest-selling ...

''. The book is followed by a sequel titled ''

The Tao of Wu ''The Tao of Wu'' is the second philosophical book written by Wu-Tang Clan member and producer, RZA. It is a sequel to '' The Wu-Tang Manual''. Content The book details RZA's personal path towards enlightenment. In the book he uses hip-hop ...

''.

References

Wu-Tang Clan Self-help books 2004 non-fiction books {{hip-hop-stub