In Pictures: Rare portraits from Wu-Tang Clan’s golden era
- Text by Alex King
- Photography by Eddie Otchere
For a group with nine members, the Wu-Tang Clan are really hard to pin down. You can spend months tapping up the army of friends, family, associated acts and affiliates trying to get a direct line to an elusive member of the Wu – and still come back with nothing.
But photographer Eddie Otchere managed to get the access and his portrait series Icons of Wu captures each member of the Staten Island Shaolins during their prime, including the late Old Dirty Bastard.
Otchere has form documenting some of the most iconic artists in hip hop, R&B and electronic music through the ’90s and early 2000s, with a portfolio that includes Biggie Smalls, Aaliyah, Jay Z, Andre 3000, J-Lo, Mos Def, Theo Parrish and Aphex Twin.
Shot over a period of five years, the series has never been exhibited before in its entirety and Otchere has promised to destroy all the digital files for the prints on March 9 – the day Biggie Smalls died – which will make the Icons of Wu edition finite.
Raised on a London council estate steeped in jazz, Otchere has documented emerging music scenes on both sides of the Atlantic from hip hop’s golden era on the America’s East Coast to the rise of drum & bass in the UK.
Blowing up for a one-night only extravaganza on March 5 at Brixton East 1871, Otchere will be presenting Icons of Wu alongside a sonic video installation by Daniel Oduntan and a Wu-Tang tribute set by Dj Rumz to close the night.
Find out more about Icons of Wu at Brixton East 1871, presented with 87s and Co.
Latest on Huck
In photos: a perilous portrait of America spiralling into fascism
Photographer Debi Cornwall’s ‘Model Citizens’ is an unnerving exposé of the banality of evil that hides in plain sight.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Exploring the antifascist history of Cape Verde’s Tarrafal concentration camp
A new photobook magnifies the stories of people who had spent time imprisoned in the camp and those who helped them.
Written by: Isaac Muk
Three decades behind the scenes of the music industry
Eddie Otchere’s ‘Spirit Behind the Lens’ is a story of music and culture that crosses and transcends borders.
Written by: Isaac Muk
Barry Keoghan, Franz Rogowski and Andrea Arnold on ‘Bird’
The new issue of Little White Lies brings Andrea Arnold’s sixth feature to life with a thematic voyage down the Thames estuary.
Written by: Maisy Hunter
“A party is a microcosm of a nation”: Caleb Femi on the decline of the house party
To celebrate the publication of his new collection of poems, ‘The Wickedest’, Isaac Muk caught up with Femi to talk more about the work, the future of the shoobs, and discuss why having it large on a Saturday night should be cherished.
Written by: Isaac Muk
Celebrating 20 years of The Mighty Boosh
A new exhibition takes a look behind the scenes of the iconic show two decades after its BBC3 premiere.
Written by: Isaac Muk