Were the members of the rap group Wu-Tang Clan gangsters? If you asked the FBI in the early '00s, that answer may have been a yes. In 2004, RZA, Raekwon, and the rest of the group were cleared following a five-year investigation into Wu-Tang's drug use and possible gang connections, but the FBI's habit of questioning Black artists has a much deeper history.
In 1989, the FBI's assistant director of public affairs sent a letter to Bryan Turner, the president of Priority Records, objecting to N.W.A' s infamous song "F*ck Tha Police." That famed incident was one of many inquiries made by the FBI regarding musical artists and their lyrical content. N.W.A and Wu-Tang Clan join a long list of FBI-investigated artists and musicians that includes John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Elvis, the Kingsmen, and Insane Clown Posse. Both Insane Clown Posse and Wu-Tang Clan have been labeled major crime organizations alongside infamous street gangs like the Bloods and the Crips.
So, why did the FBI investigate Wu-Tang Clan in the first place, and is there any truth to the bureau's claims? The story begins with the murder of two drug dealers and slowly fizzles out as justice is served.
The FBI Labeled The Wu-Tang Clan A 'Major Criminal Organization'
To some of us, they're a legendary rap collective. To others, they're literal gangers. In 1999, the FBI labeled the Wu Tang Clan a "major criminal organization" after opening an investigation on Russell Tyreese Jones (Ol' Dirty Bastard). The FBI investigation stemmed from a tip given by the NYPD, who were investigating the murders of two drug dealers.
The FBI's file on Wu-Tang Clan is long, and throughout, it alludes to the fact that the rap collective is a real-life gang capable of running major conspiracies, like money laundering and murder. The 94-page report was given a "281F" classification code, the code specifically reserved for "major criminal organizations."
The FBI Thought RZA Put A Hit On A Teenage Drug Dealer
The FBI's list of possible crimes tied to the Wu-Tang Clan is extensive, but murder was always at the forefront. The FBI first had their suspicions about Wu-Tang after Brian Humphreys was arrested for the murder of Jerome Estrella (AKA Boo Boo) on June 20, 1999. The killer, who confessed to his crime, testified against Staten Island drug kingpins Anthony and Harvey Christian in exchange for a deal. In his testimony, he suggested that RZA ordered a hit on Estrella after Estrella robbed his brother.
In 2015, further information not previously found in the heavily redacted FBI dossier was released to Anthony Christian's lawyer in a prosecutor's filing.
A couple of weeks before the Boo Boo shooting, Uncles (informant Paul Ford) told Humphreys about a Blood named Boo Boo who just came home from jail. He stated that Boo Boo had robbed RZA's little brother and had also gotten into something with the Christian brothers," read the filing. "Uncles was talking about Boo Boo and said that he had just come home and robbed RZA's brother and that they would likely come after him for that. Humphreys believes Uncles was referring to members of Wu-Tang.
Despite the FBI's suspicions, RZA was never charged with the murder of 17-year-old Jerome Estrella, and in October 2014, Anthony and Harvey Christian were found responsible.
The FBI Thought RZA And Raekwon Paid For An Additional Murder
Jerome Estrella's death wasn't the only murder the FBI linked to Wu-Tang Clan. According to the massive FBI file, an alleged Wu-Tang associate was involved in the death of drug dealer Corey Booker.
Though Corey Booker's name was redacted in the widely spread file, it resurfaced again in 2015 amidst a yearlong effort by Michael Gold, the attorney of Staten Island drug kingpin Anthony Christian, who hoped to get prosecutors to reopen Wu-Tang's investigation. The newly resurfaced dossier outlined conversations with an FBI informant that alleged RZA put a hit on Corey Booker after he robbed RZA's brother and Raekwon's cousin.
Corey Booker's murder was never solved and neither RZA nor Raekwon were ever charged.
The FBI Believed There Were Drug Ties Between Wu-Tang And The Bloods
According to the FBI's massive Wu-Tang dossier, the rap group was deeply affiliated with the Bloods. Testimony during Jerome Estella's murder trial showed that, in the very least, RZA and Raekwon were acquaintances of Staten Island drug kingpins Anthony and Harvey Christian. Brian Humphreys, the trigger-man in Jerome Estrella's murder, was also associated with the infamous gang. It was his testimony that led the FBI to believe the Bloods sometimes did Wu-Tang's dirty work. The massive dossier read:
It is believed that [redacted] sometimes carry out enforcement actions for the WTC, which include beatings, shootings, and murder.
Furthermore, Fife, the alleged Wu-Tang associate who was thought to have murdered Corey Booker on behalf of RZA, was also a member of the Bloods. The FBI requested permission to further investigate Wu-Tang's links with the Bloods. They wanted to swap and compare information "relating to the drug business of the Bloods street gang and the Wu-Tang Clan" with the FBI's field office in Allentown, PA.
The FBI Thought Wu-Tang Clan Was Laundering Money Through Their Music
It's not often that the New York FBI's FAST Unit is called into an investigation, but when they are, it's likely a serious criminal situation. This is why it's such a shock that the FBI brought the FAST team into Wu-Tang's investigation.
The FBI's Wu-Tang dossier asserts that an "RIS" agent (likely a typo for IRS) was tasked with "identifying the flow of monies through the assets and entities controlled by the WTC" while
"working in conjunction with the FAST Unit." It then lists all of Wu-Tang's associated businesses, including a production and management company, clothing line, and record label. If it's not obvious by now, the FBI seriously thought that Wu-Tang was laundering drug money through their various businesses.
The FAST unit (an acronym for Financial Analysis Strategic Targeting) was developed "as part of the New York region's anti-money laundering investigations and intelligence strategy... in coordination with the mission and objectives of [the US Treasury's] FinCen [Financial Crimes Enforcement Network]." Basically, the group works with a number of departments, including the IRS and DEA, to seriously investigate money laundering - particularly money laundering wrapped up in drug crime.
The FBI Thought Wu-Tang Offered Record Contracts To The Most Loyal Gang Members
According to the FBI's extensive file, not only did Wu-Tang Clan launder money through their various record labels and businesses, but they also used record contracts as a means to pay those who were inducted into the gang. The files allege that those who proved to be loyal to the Wu-Tang Clan were “offered record contracts to record rap type music." As a result, “numerous recording companies were incorporated, along with bank accounts established," which allegedly allowed legitimate money to flow along with the Tang's dirty cash.
The way the FBI frames it, Wu-Tang wasn't offering record contracts to their friends and trusted partners. They were offering it to fellow, loyal criminals who agreed to help them launder drug money.
