Hulu's "Wu-Tang: An American Saga" Expands the Black TV Universe

WuTang follows Bobby Diggs aka The RZA played by Ashton Sanders Moonlight on his journey from the unforgiving streets of 1990amp8217s Staten Island to the annals of hiphop legend amp160As the visionary for the unquestionably influential crew that the Wu would one day become this story is more or less Bobbyamp8217s but still also revolves around the groupamp8217s original members GZA Old Dirty Bastard Raekwon Ghostface Killah and Method Man amp160Inspectah Deck UGod and Masta Killa are also original members of the group though they havenamp8217t appeared in the series first three episodes which dropped on Sept 4Is this show emotionally gripping and accurate as far as amp821690s Staten IslandNYstyle physical and verbal swag go amp160Absolutely amp160Is its integration and use of the scratching and sampling style pervasive throughout that specific era of hardcore hip hop as an auditory and occasionally visual method of storytelling surprisingly fresh and impressive amp160Obviously amp160Is this series perfect amp160No but thatamp8217s okayWhatamp8217s not okay are one or two of its other sinsLetamp8217s say youamp8217ve heard of the WuTang Clan but arenamp8217t a diehard fan amp160Yes you recognize the logo and know a song or two but thatamp8217s more or less the extent of your knowledge amp160If that sounds like you then this series may be a bit more confusing than necessary amp160That might not sound like the biggest deal but it might be assuming you care about knowing who youamp8217re looking at amp160See in this series the characters arenamp8217t credited as or referred to by the aliases their reallife counterparts are known for amp160Maybe it doesnamp8217t take a rocket scientist to figure out that Bobby Diggs is meant to be reallife Robert Diggs or that Ason the energetic grillmouthed dude is supposed to be a young Old Dirty Bastard but the rest of the group may be a little harder for the layman to decipherFor example GZA real name Gary E Grice is played by Johnell Young and has only been referred to as amp8220Garyamp8221 so far amp160Raekwonamp8217s character played by Shameik Moore Spiderman Into the Spiderverse only goes by the name amp8220Shaamp8221 and rapper Dave Eastamp8217s character Method Man is called amp8220Shotgunamp8221 amp160Then thereamp8217s Siddiq Saundersonamp8217s character amp8220Dennis amp8216DLoveamp8217 Jonesamp8221 who plays a prominent role as a young Ghostface Killah amp160The thing is besides a single advertisement as far Iamp8217ve seen who each person is supposed to be is never made explicitly clear amp160I imagine itamp8217s a legal issue as in it would be a bad idea legally to depict a living person in a semihistorical reenactment of a crime amp160Think Sha aka Raekwon shooting up D aka Ghostfaceamp8217s apartment in the first episode amp160Both Raekwon and Ghostface are alive right now so you canamp8217t just outright say that they were involved in something like that right amp160But you can say that Sha and D wereIt could also just be that none of them have yet taken up their famed monikers at this point in the series which would make sense if ODBamp8217s real name was Ason amp160Itamp8217s not though amp160His name was Russell Tyrone JonesAll that aside the series is an enjoyable experience so far amp160It very closely follows Bobby and while the nuanced struggle between his familial responsibilities and his creative ambitions is a motivating aspect of the overall narrative at this point episode three the showamp8217s focus shouldnamp8217t feel as though itamp8217s only Bobby Dennis and Sha with Ason just kind of in tow for the most part amp160TJ Atoms delivers a spot on ODB but I didnamp8217t really learn anything about him amp160This is different from Shameik Mooreamp8217s depiction of Raekwon which was more powerful and also more informed amp160He shows us who this man is whereas with ODB weamp8217re given more of an impression amp160I definitely understand why this happened but I donamp8217t think it had to be this wayMy favorite part of WuTang An American Saga is probably the leastconsidered implication of its existence amp160Its place in the universe of semihistorical blackfocused crime dramas thatamp8217s emerged over the past couple of years amp160Technically there is no official connection between any of the properties Iamp8217m about to mention but hear me out amp160BETamp8217s American Soul starts in the amp821670s and focuses on Don Corneliusamp8217s crimeadjacent life as a black entertainment pioneer amp160FXamp8217s Snowfall then takes over in the amp821680s with a crackcrisisdriven plot set in a superaccurate Los Angeles amp160Next up is VH1amp8217s The Breaks which began in the 1990amp8217s and followed the emergence of hip hop from the underground to the mainstream amp160This of course also involved a healthy amount of the seediness for which the entertainment business is generally known amp160Now we have WuTang overlapping The Breaks in amp821692I know that none of these shows are actually linked but for the first time that I can think of I can imagine this timeline of events that is directly related to aspects and influences of cultures to which I very closely relate amp160Even if that wasnamp8217t the case the thought of all these things happening around each other Don Cornelius prospering in the TV game while Franklin Saint is becoming a prominent drug lord followed by Nikki Jones forcing her way into the New York hiphop management business a mere two years before WuTang officially forms just a train ride away is something new and black for me to nerd out about amp160That might not be everybodyamp8217s cup of tea but itamp8217s mineSo could this series maybe have been a little more accessible for those who may not know exactly what theyamp8217re walking into but are still interested enough to give it a shot amp160Maybeamp160 Whatamp8217s more important though is that this is quality programming regardless of a misstep or two and this legendary rap group is now getting the treatment it deserves similar to acts like New Edition or NWA amp160The RZA himself created this series along with Watchmen writer Alex Tse and the group itself has been very handson during the creative processThis is how WuTang wants their story told itamp8217s being told well so far and honestly Iamp8217m just glad itamp8217s being told at allClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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Hulu's "Wu-Tang: An American Saga" Expands the Black TV Universe

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Ainsley Andrade

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Hulu's "Wu-Tang: An American Saga" Expands the Black TV Universe

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Ainsley Andrade

FEMA and the Ad Council Encourage AANHPI Communities to Enhance Disaster Preparedness in New PSAs - Ad Council InSites

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