They just don’t make rap groups like the Wu-Tang Clan anymore. The massive super crew of rappers from Brooklyn and Staten Island upended established hip-hop conventions when they appeared in the ’90s with their own insular slang and dirty, scratched record beats. But even in terms of size, it’s very rare to see any group with so many people — and the Wu themselves best illustrate why. However, one modern group is making the attempt and fittingly, they hail from Brooklyn as well — Beast Coast is probably the closest thing we’ll have to a modern day Wu-Tang. They just released their group debut, Escape From New York.
Which is why it’s so appropriate that Wu-Tang: An American Saga, the RZA-produced, 10-part Hulu mini-series dramatizing their early rise, has cast Beast Coast’s most recognizable member, Joey Badass, as one of its nine Wu members. According to an interview he gave to radio’s Angie Martinez (per Stereogum), Joey will be playing critical group member Inspectah Deck. While he may not be one of the group’s all-stars like Ghostface, Method Man, or RZA, Deck is one of the better regarded role players of the team, legendarily leading off their iconic posse cut “Triumph”: “I bomb atomically, Socrates’ philosophies
And hypotheses can’t define how I be droppin’ these…”
Joey’s previous acting experience includes roles on Mr. Robot and BET’s Boomerang, so he’s got a leg up on castmate Dave East, who will portray Method Man after playing a bit role in The Breaks and says he’ll appear in Netflix’s Beats, which stars Anthony Anderson and Chicago rapper Dreezy. Wu-Tang: An American Saga now has around half of its Wu-Tang members cast — we’ll see if any more rappers end up playing their predecessors.
