JA HERE WE COME!
A new generation of the famed Wu-Tang Clan rap outfit called Wu-Fam, which includes King Tiger and Ali Star, are heading to Jamaica to commemorate the Billboard success of the various artistes compilation series Tropical House Cruises to Jamaica: The Reggae Collector’s Edition.
The celebration party is scheduled to take place on August 3 at the Couples Tower Isle in St Mary. It is being hosted by the Wu-Fam members, who are the recipients of Billboard plaques for their involvement in the Tropical House project.
The Tropical House Cruises to Jamaica: The Reggae Collector’s Edition features the track I Made It which features King Tiger and Ali Star.
King Tiger, whose given name is Juan O Cayetano Jr, has been a Wu-Fam member for seven years. He is looking forward to visiting Jamaica.
“I’m looking forward to visiting the island for the first time and celebrating a project I have been blessed to be a part of which topped the charts during the coronavirus pandemic last year,” said King Tiger.
He spoke about the influence of reggae music on his career.
“The genre itself had a lot of influence on me like my childhood favourite such as Bob Marley and Luck Dube. My family would always play the iconic records from these great artistes. My family is originally from the Caribbean too, and that’s how much impact reggae had on me since a young youth,” he told the Jamaica Observer.
Ali Star — whose real name is Roger Lockhart and who is originally from Bronx, New York — has been a member of Wu-Fam for 10 years. He released a reggae-influenced track titled Bad Mom, which was distributed by VPAL Music.
“It was a great experience collaborating on the Tropical House project. It made me a Billboard artiste and I got the opportunity of performing in front of different audiences. I definitely have more collaborations lined up,” said Ali Star.
Full Moon, who manages both King Tiger and Ali Star, is an original member of the iconic Wu-Tang Clan.
“For me it’s a blessing to pass on great music influence from my Wu-Tang Clan family. This is an evolution at its best,” said Full Moon.
He continued, “I became an official affiliate member of Wu-Tang from the early 90s, way before they became famous. I was very close to GZA, one of the founding members, we grew up in the same neighbourhood in the 1980s.”
According to Full Moon, he chose Jamaica as the location for the celebration because of his family’s roots to the island.
“Jamaica is part of life my culture and first and foremost it’s my blood line. My family is from Jamaica and my mother still lives there,” said Full Moon.
Wu-Tang Clan, a highly influential hip hip group, emerged on the scene in 1992 and helped develop the East Coast hip hop and hardcore hip hop styles. Among its more prolific members were Raekwon, Method Man, RZA, GZA, the late Ol’ Dirty Bastard and Cappadonna.
The group has scored two gold, one platinum, one triple-platinum, and one 4x platinum-selling albums during its heyday.
Their hits included C.R.E.A.M., Gravel Pit, and Triumph.