Inspectah Deck on 30 years of C.R.E.A.M., connnection and the Wu-Tang Clan

With cost of living out of control, the themes in Wu-Tang Clan’s most iconic song are more relevant than ever, legendary rapper Inpsectah Deck says.

Three decades on from the release of an album that rocked and shocked rap music to its core, Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) remains arguably the greatest hip-hop debut of all time.

In a time when rap was dominated by synth-heavy, funk-inspired beats and flamboyant Californian gangsters, the distinctive rough and rugged sound of the nine-member New York supergroup – spliced with 1970s kung fu movie samples and intelligent, esoteric lyricism – deliberately eschewed the popular sound of the day and in doing so, ushered in the period we now know as the golden era of hip-hop, paving the way for fellow Big Apple luminaries like Nas, The Notorious B.I.G., Mobb Deep and Jay-Z.

Jason Hunter aka Inspectah Deck.

A lot has happened in the thirty years since, with Wu-Tang now more akin to a conglomerate than a normal music group, a cultural tour de force that makes its presence felt in film, television, fashion, art, toys and video games alongside an impressive discography that spans hundreds of records from both the core members of the Clan and their many affiliates (and these days, even their children!).

Speaking on a short break from their current NY State Of Mind tour alongside Nas, which visited Australia for a string of dates last month, Jason Hunter, better known to most as Inspectah Deck or the Rebel INS, said he’s never felt the impact of Wu-Tang more as on his recent travels across the globe.

“We’re in the middle of maybe about 30 dates in Europe. I get to come home for a little bit, get a chance to hang out with the family, but then it’s right back out again,” he says.

“It’s definitely been work, a lot of work, but it’s been good, a good response.

“A lot of people are still loving that Wu-Tang hip-hop, so I can’t complain.

U-God, Young Dirty, Raekwon and Inspectah Deck.

“You know, I can go to Germany and meet a dude that knows no English, but he’s rhyming one of my hardcore lyrics, he’s kicking it back to me,” he says.

“(At the shows) there was kids, then there was grandfathers in there and they would all jump in, they had their hands flying … That’s all I could ask for man, you know, to be 30 years later in the game.

“It’s a dope feeling to know (just how far the influence has spread) … and you know, that’s the beauty of music, whether it’s soul, jazz, hip-hop or whatever it is. It connects people.

“When we say Wu Tang is for the children, I believe that’s just what it is. So many people have come to me saying, you know, I was nine when my dad used to play this all time.

“I think the way we’ve connected people is our biggest legacy.”

While every single bar of 36 Chambers is now considered iconic, there is one track that has transcended even Wu-Tang themselves and despite lukewarm commercial success upon its release in 1993, has gone on to become one of the most recongisable hip-hop tracks of all time.

Wu-Tang Clan perform at the Sydney Opera House in 2018 for the 25th anniversary of Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). Picture: AAP Image/Danny Casey

Featuring a sample of the Charmels’ 1967 song “As Long As I’ve Got You”, C.R.E.A.M. (an acronym for Cash Rules Everything Around Me) was the second single from 36 Chambers and holds a special place in Inspectah Deck’s heart.

With cost of living a very real and present issue in every country on earth – even wealthy nations like Australia – he said the meaning of the song has never been more true.

“C.R.E.A.M. was one of them songs, man, that just described what we were going through at the time,” he said.

“I was just coming home from jail, trying to figure out whether I should go out and get or a job or go back to the life I’d been living, you know what I mean?

“Jail, I’m not really about that and then I’m thinking OK, if you get back to info life, when you get into that street life, it’s something you have to 100 per cent, all the way in. It’s not something you can do part time.

“So it’s like, you can go all the way or you can walk away.

“That was the frame of mind I was in at that time, so I’m talking about you know, stick up kids, corrupt cops and crack rocks.

“That was every day in our neighbourhood. Waking up, every day you don’t know if you’re going to see tomorrow, so it’s like damn, you know, there’s gotta be a better way.

“Like you know, (the classic lyric) ‘Life as a shorty shouldn’t be so tough, it shouldn’t be right? There’s so many obstacles that one has to go through and C.R.E.A.M. is about that.”

Inspectah Deck. Picture: AAP Image/Danny Casey

While he remained coy about whether the Clan had anything special planned for the 30-year anniversary, Deck says he is keeping very busy with his own projects, including something special he’s been working on for a while.

“I do a lot of things, and right now, I’ve been working on my book,” he says.

“I’ve been reading a lot of books to get prepared on how to make my own book.

“I’ve had to take some time off from music and things like that you know, just to life.

“But I’ve been going down to the park, sitting around the animals and s*** like that, trying to get nature’s energy to help me gather a dope-ass book.

“I want to do an audio version as well. It’s my story, you know my journey through Wu Tang. So it’s not all about the Wu-Tang, it’s the Rebel and his journey.

“Other than that, I’ve been on a new journey, I’ve got a new diet and exercise routine.”

So does that mean he’s gone vegan, like the majority of the rest of the Clan who have followed in Rza’s plant-based footsteps? Almost.

“I thought about going completely vegan, but now I’m doing vegetarian,” he says.

Rapper Inspectah Deck from the Wu-Tang Clan for the group’s new partnership with Menulog.

So, then, with his new-found focus on healthy living and plant-based eating, does it feel to follow in the footsteps of fellow rap icon Snoop Dogg to become the face of one of Australia’s biggest fast food delivery services, Menulog?

It’s like the 2023 equivalent of having his face on the side of a cereal box, he says.

“I’m loving this s***,” he says.

“I’m excited and I can’t wait to do more.

“You know, hopefully people in Australia show your boys some love and you know, support the campaign.

“I appreciate (Menulog) for giving me the opportunity. I’m part of one of the greatest songs in hip-hop and they are using that to back their commercial.

“With the Dolla Dolla Deals, it feels right, and I think if the deal helps people save on meals right now, that’s a good thing, right? If you can get a discount, bring it on.

“Like the song says, life as a shorty shouldn’t be so rough.”

So what is Deck’s go-to takeaway food now he’s made the switch to the plant-based lifestyle? The prize goes to a Hawaiian favourite.

“Lately, I’ve been stuck on a nice salad poke bowl,” he says.