Wu-Tang for the Children: Swarming Elsewhere for Aesthetic (Re)Imaginings of Community, Theory, & Praxis

ABSTRACT

The work in this article (re)traces the nuances embedded within the aesthetics of the Wu-Tang Clan to draw attention to two theoretical, Wu-based concepts: Shaolin and swarming. This article leans into fugivity and critical race theory (CRT) to demonstrate how hip-hop music can be a capacious avenue for theorizing alternate ways to disrupt hegemonic, oppressive, and racist educational structures and master narratives. In particular, we use two Wu-Tang tracks (e.g. “Can it be all so simple,” “Triumph”) to demonstrate how static approaches to hip-hop—specifically the Wu-Tang—reduce and flatten engagements with hip-hop music in educational contexts. Central to our argument is that the aesthetics of the Wu-Tang Clan are more than economically damaged narratives that tether various culture entities together: Wu-Tang is theory.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Taking a cue from Fraley (2009), we acknowledge the “importance of authenticity in hip-hop culture and how it shapes discussions of race” (p. 39). This concept can be used to reveal and conceal nuances relating to the intersections of culture and race, and we lean into Fraley’s (2009) suggestion that—conceptually—authenticity maintains a complex and contentious relationship between hip-hop and whiteness.

2. Considering our positionalities as authors, we have deliberately chosen to alter this word to draw attention to its problematic and dangerous usage by those without certain lived experiences.

3. While both housing projects served the economically disadvantaged, Stapleton Houses and Park Hill Apartments differ. Whereas Stapleton was publicly funded, Park Hill was built with private funding. The aesthetic of each complex is different, with the exterior of Stapleton featuring a “high lattice of twisted cables in the shape of diamonds [that] gives the place a prison atmosphere and prevents the inhabitants from falling (or jumping) into the void” (The New York neighborhoods where the Wu-Tang Clan was born, 2020, para 3). The exterior of Park Hill has “smoother surfaces than the Stapleton Houses, six stories of red brick with the bases painted in deep burgundy” (The New York neighborhoods where the Wu-Tang Clan was born, 2020, para 7). Regardless, due to the economical precarity of its residents, both developments succumbed to the crack epidemic of the 1980s and ensuing violence.

4. Recognizing individuality and communal nuance is important to our connection between Anzaldúa’s (2012) work and Shaolin. In our reading of Wu-Tang’s music as an aesthetic text, each member maintains a sense of personal identity while simultaneously hailing from a borderland (i.e., Shaolin).

5. Of note, swarms of bees are featured in the music video for the song Triumph.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Bretton A. Varga

Bretton A. Varga is an assistant professor of History-Social Science at California State University, Chico. His research and teaching/learning are shaped by a commitment to cultivate hope, imagination, speculation, care, love, respect, and justice across more-than-human contexts. In particular, his scholarship works with(in) critical posthuman theories of race, materiality, and temporality to unveil harmful structures, logics, and practices that perpetuate racial injustice and ecological precarity.

Tommy Ender

Tommy Ender is an associate P\professor of Educational Studies and History at Rhode Island College. He worked as a social studies teacher for nearly a decade. His current research examines the roles of music in understanding the past while preparing for the future.