Pitchfork

Photo by William Kirk

We knew RZA could be persuasive, but convincing the Harrison Estate and the Beatles to allow Wu-Tang Clan to be the very first group ever to legally sample the Beatles (!!?!) would be an impressive feat for a Supreme Court attorney. Nonetheless, the Clan accomplished this mission somehow (we imagine RZA and GZA bugging the Beatles in their Coffee & Cigarettes voices: "Hey Paul McCartney!" "Hey Ringo Starr!").

The sample comes from the George Harrison-penned "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and is featured on the Wu's "Gently Weeps", from their forthcoming new album, 8 Diagrams. The song was originally thought to be just a partial cover of the Beatles track, albeit one featuring both Harrison's son Dhani and the Red Hot Chili Peppers' John Frusciante playing guitar. Now, it's obviously something more.

Also, the group thanks Erykah Badu "for helping bring this song to life" in its website missive about the sample clearance. Might the wrap-wearing soul singer also appear on the track?

The Wu-Tang charm appears to have not worked as well on their record company, SRC, though, who will now release 8 Diagrams on December 4 instead of the original November 13 release date.

The Wu have announced the states and most of the cities of their upcoming fall tour, though the venues remain unrevealed. Their first show is in Miami on October 20. Exactly one week earlier, RZA and GZA will appear at that previously reported San Francisco chess festival/tournament, and in December, GZA will make up for his canceled Liquid Swords performance in Brooklyn with two rescheduled dates in NYC.

Wu! Tang!:

10-20 Miami, FL - TBA
10-21 Atlanta, GA - TBA
10-22 North Carolina - TBA
10-23 Vermont - TBA
10-24 Connecticut - TBA
10-25 Baltimore, MD - TBA
10-26 Boston, MA - TBA
10-27 New York, NY - TBA
10-28 New Jersey - TBA
10-30 Cincinnati, OH - TBA
10-31 Madison, WI - TBA
11-01 Detroit, MI - TBA
11-03 Chicago, IL - TBA
11-04 Milwaukee, WI - TBA
11-05 Memphis, TN - TBA
11-07 Oklahoma City, OK - TBA
11-08 Dallas, TX - TBA
11-10 Austin, TX - TBA
11-11 Denver, CO - TBA
11-14 Phoenix, AZ - TBA
11-15 Utah - TBA
11-16 Las Vegas, NV - TBA
11-17 Los Angeles, CA - TBA
11-18 San Francisco, CA - TBA
11-20 Portland, OR - TBA
11-23 Hawaii - TBA