From the Streets of Shaolin

The Wu-Tang Saga

By: S. H. Fernando Jr.

Narrated by: Clarke Peters, S. H. Fernando Jr.

This definitive biography of rap supergroup, Wu-Tang Clan, features decades of unpublished interviews and unparalleled access to members of the group and their associates.

This is the definitive biography of rap supergroup and cultural icons, Wu-Tang Clan (WTC). Heralded as one of the most influential groups in modern music—hip hop or otherwise—WTC created a rap dynasty on the strength of seven gold and platinum albums that launched the careers of such famous rappers as RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Method Man, and more. During the ‘90s, they ushered in a hip-hop renaissance, rescuing rap from the corporate suites and bringing it back to the gritty streets where it started. In the process they changed the way business was conducted in an industry known for exploiting artists. Creatively, Wu-Tang pushed the boundaries of the artform dedicating themselves to lyrical mastery and sonic innovation, and one would be hard pressed to find a group who's had a bigger impact on the evolution of hip hop.

S.H. Fernando Jr., a veteran music journalist who spent a significant amount of time with The Clan during their heyday of the ‘90s, has written extensively about the group for such publications as Rolling Stone, Vibe, and The Source. Over the years he has built up a formidable Wu-Tang archive that includes pages of unpublished interviews, videos of the group in action in the studio, and several notepads of accumulated memories and observations. Using such exclusive access as well as the wealth of open-source material, Fernando reconstructs the genesis and evolution of the group, delving into their unique ideology and range of influences, and detailing exactly how they changed the game and established a legacy that continues to this day. The book provides a startling portrait of overcoming adversity through self-empowerment and brotherhood, giving us unparalleled insights into what makes these nine young men from the ghetto tick. While celebrating the myriad accomplishments of The Clan, the book doesn't shy away from controversy—we're also privy to stories from their childhoods in the crack-infested hallways of Staten Island housing projects, stints in Rikers for gun possession, and million-dollar contracts that led to recklessness and drug overdoses (including Ol' Dirty Bastard's untimely death). More than simply a history of a single group, this book tells the story of a musical and cultural shift that started on the streets of Shaolin (Staten Island) and quickly spread around the world.

Biographies on such an influential outfit are surprisingly few, mostly focused on a single member of the group's story. This book weaves together interviews from all the Clan members, as well as their friends, family and collaborators to create a compelling narrative and the most three-dimensional portrait of Wu-Tang to date. It also puts The Clan within a social, cultural, and historical perspective to fully appreciate their impact and understand how they have become the cultural icons they are today. Unique in its breadth, scope, and access, From The Streets of Shaolin is a must-have for fans of WTC and music bios in general.

Critic reviews

Publishers' Weekly Spring 2021 Preview - "Memoirs & Biographies"

"Wu-Tang Clan led a revolution, and S.H. Fernando Jr. was on the front lines—at the shows, in the studio, and on set for the video shoots where these nine hip-hop warriors changed the world. With vivid reporting and sharp critical analysis, From the Streets of Shao-Lin offers a chronicle of the Wu in real time, and truly allows the reader to enter the 36 Chambers."—Alan Light, former Editor-in-Chief of Vibe and Spin magazines, author of What Happened, Miss Simone?: A Biography and Let’s Go. Crazy: Prince and the Making of Purple Rain

“Playing chess, not checkers, author S. H. Fernando Jr. has written a blunted history of the Wu-Tang Clan that reads like a textual tapestry weaving together New York history, old school hip-hop, gritty futurism, crack corners, Five-Percent Nation knowledge, kung-fu flicks, Time Square tricks, Blaxploitation aesthetics, vintage soul, Asian philosophy, Black power, and streetwise poetics. Like the Wu crew, Fernando was driven by passion, knowledge and the desire to drop science. Master-mixing journalistic discipline and research with gonzo enthusiasm, From the Streets of Shaolin: The Wu-Tang Saga is a masterful contribution to the culture and beyond.”—Michael A. Gonzales, Senior Writer, Wax Poetics

“S.H. Fernando Jr. is the original Wu-Tang chronicler. His early work is foundational and his latest tome delivers the titillating travels of these original men with more flavor than Flav.”—Sacha Jenkins, Director, Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men

“To truly tell the story of a group like Wu-Tang, a writer needs to see so much more than just the music, and look deeper into the culture, sociohistorical context and sheer rawness of the streets that these young gods emerged from. It’s rare that a writer so poignantly unravels the riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma that is the Wu. S.H. Fernando Jr.’s unprecedented early access and immersion into the golden era of hip-hop lends to a deeper story of Wu-Tang’s brotherhood, visual inspirations and the gritty ecosystem that informs Wu-Tang’s come up story. From the Nation of Gods and Earths to The Zulu Nation to Raekwon’s immortal Snow Beach Polo parka, Fernando lyrically illustrates why the life and times of the Wu stands as a great American story. Beautifully nuanced and lushly written, Fernando’s telling of the Wu-Tang story shows (and proves) that it can, indeed, all be so simple.”—Vikki Tobak, author and curator of Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop

Worst Narrator Possible

So the book itself is super interesting if somewhat oddly organized but dude…the narrator they chose is DREADFUL and his deadpan delivery is especially distracting during the many block quotes he reads as though hearing many of the words for the first time. It truthfully feels like listening to someone’s grandpa read liner notes aloud at the dinner table. The frequent mispronounced names of both hip hop legends (Tupac for example is read as TWO-PAK) and places (the reader uses the more correct to the original SHOW-Lin instead of the more correct to the content SHAO-Lin) is extremely distracting. I can’t believe the author approved this, the book deserved better.

Great book, the narration could be much better

The book is great. Love the history to it, i have the physical copy and wanted to listen to the audio version. Only bad thing about this is the narration , they should have used a younger reader that was actually familiar to Wu-Tang and the music. The amount of mispronounced names and slang words was pretty aggravating. 10 star book, 3 star narration .


Now that i finished , i lowered the performance down from 3 to 2 . The pronunciations of some of these names were crazy . Some times when he was reading some of the quotes from the artists it almost sounds like he is mocking them. Have somebody else update this narration. Great book tho.

the voice is pretty far out of his league!

this guy can't pronounce half the stuff he is reading. shoulda used a real Wu Fan to read it.

Narrative

The book was great but the narrator was horrible and amateurish who could not even pronounce a simple words and Lingle that even my grandfather could get right. Don't know why he was used he sucked worse than anyone.

Great Story, Horrible Narration

The Wu-Tang Clan’s story is an awesome story of unity and incredible artistic skill. I was looking forward to this book and possibly learning new details about the Clan, which it provided. I’m thankful. Unfortunately, An added bonus for was the author narrating, which I assumed would add a layer of authenticity, and a reason why I haven’t purchased Raekwon’s book, it is not narrated by the chef. I don’t want to negatively take away any attention this book my receive because the Wu deserves to be understood and appreciated. But, the constant mispronunciation of common HipHop artist names such as Nas, Rakim, Jeru, Angie Martinez became so irritable. I began to question his HipHop experience and motive. His reading is not helpful when reading lyrics that flow. If you’re not a HipHop enthusiasts this may not bother you, but if you are just temper your expectations. Despite the poor narration, it is still a worthy purchase.