Wu-Tang Clan talk about 25th anniversary and their next album

You guys coming out with that first album and looking at it, it is the 25th anniversary which is beautiful and insane, and I was just thinking about the ways your music has grown and changed but mostly have been the same. How do you feel about all that? Man, it's like, it'svery humbling. You know what I'm saying? I can't believe it like 25 years is Ballin' and a finger snap, where'd the time go? But it's truly a blessing, to still have your fans and the whole new generation recognize your music and your history of what you've contributed to hip hop. You know what I mean? And that's a great thing man, it's a great thing. I mean, I think we have grown and evolve but I think at the same time we have stayed the same as far as humility, being humble, I mean, when you become and artist and you become mainstream and you grow and you grow and more people know about you, I mean certain things change but then Things stay the same as far as who you are when you just reach out to more people. But it's been a beautiful journey man. This was a childhood passion. Really. How did it start out when you were a child? Well, it started out for me with Mother Goose. And nursery rhymes, and a little bit of poetry. And then hip hop came, and I was really moved by it. And I was already reciting nursery rhymes, so when hip hop came in I already had that kind of flow. You know, that knack for Rhymes and delivering lyrics in a certain although they were nursery rhymes it was just something that I had interest in. I wonder as you guys had grown as a group, I'm sure it's not the same and to make generalize is such a difficult thing to do but on the flip side is it the beat that's leading the ryhmes when you guys are createing the music. Hey I have this great verse You gotta find the music for it. How is it? Well, as a artist, you're always writing, so a lot of times, I'm writing without music. I don't always have to write to a beat or to a song. I'm always writing. You're always thinking. You travel, you're around people, so you always get out Ideas and thoughts and they are in your head. So you are always, kind of like, writing in your head. Although you aren't writing things down you are taking mental notes of certain things. So it's usually always a thought and the idea before the music. But sometimes you get in the studio or someone gives you a beat and then, Your match, whatever you have to it or you try to flow. It's more of a flow thing when it comes to the beat, and not the idea to me. I don't listen to a beat and get an idea. I listen to a beat and get a feeling of what flow or what delivery I wanna You know, you was on this beat. Back in like, early '90s, I don't know all the intricacies, but you guys were mostly in control of your music, your publishing, and now when we think about, like, Spotify, and Apple Music, and Tidal, it's in a weird way, you guys were way before your time on some of that. But now I'm sure it's paying off, right Definitely, I mean, it's paying off just to even still be relevant. To still be here, you know what I mean? That's number one, you know what I'm saying? But, yes brother, everything is definitely a blessing in disguise. And it's like, now you've grown to see The tree bear fruit, and now it is time for a harvest. When you guys are putting all of the music together, we obviously, its come down to the beats and the rhymes. Is there one thing that you feel leads the music more than the other? Or is there like a special sauce to that Wu-Tang sound? Well, a lot of times, we get the beats first. You know we sit with them for a little while. Analyze them. The beats could come from various producers within the camp. We might get some from Mathematics, we might get some from Lizza, or we might even shop around. A lot of times, we let the [BLANK_AUDIO] higher rank brothers go ahead that got the best ear, to pick those beats. Sometimes it be Rizza, sometime it may be Ray. Right now, we got Ghost pick Again, all of the beats for the new upcoming Wu Tang album, and what I heard so far, is cracking the valve. Yeah? Straight like that. Now when is this album coming out? I can't give you that information, then I got put you back. Are we talking about sooner or later. I have to put you in the bag if I give you that information. All right. But it's coming, though, you know what I'm saying? We're working on it, though, We're sitting here 25 years after the first album and there is a big crowd of people, a lot of people want to talk to you after the show. What is keeping you guys going? The drive, the love, the passion. You know there is a passion that comes with this, especiallly when we were young. There's a, there's just driven, this passion that's just in you, it's this innate thing. You may see a person that's a guitarist, on a train or on a plane. And he doesn't even have the guitar with him, but he's just like- [LAUGH] Because he becomes one with the instrument that he plays. Because it's a passion for him. And it was a passion or hobby that we were able to make a career out of and make money from. Yeah I always told people all the time, listener. If there's no listener there is no me. You know what I'm saying? Somebody has to be listening. Somebody has to want it. And that's where the blessing comes, you know what I mean? And that's very humbling for me. You know what I mean? So If someone, I don't care if it's ten people, if they wanna hear it, I'm going to give it to them. So what's next for you guys. I mean, are you guys gonna be like the hip-hop Rolling Stones and be in your 70s and still dancing? Why not, you know what I mean? It's like I would love that, you know what I mean? But right now, the 25th anniversary is upon us. That's a beautiful thing. We have another Wu Tang Clan album coming for you. You know what I mean? So a lot of things in the works man, a lot of things in the works. So we have these cards and we do a game called App or Crap. And what we do is we have a bunch of apps that we actually ask you to put on your phone, and some that are not apps. And we want you guys to tell us, you have to figure out which is which. So [LAUGH], the first one's called Where's My Burrito? It finds the nearest place to buy a burrito. Do you think this is a real app, or do you think it's crap? Crap. Crap. It is indeed crap. Okay, so this is called Run Pee. [LAUGH] It lets you know when you can use the bathroom during a film without missing the important parts. Crap. That might be an app. You got it! It is definitely an app. This one is called Protect Ya Neck. Okay. It notifies you when you've been looking down at your phone too much. [LAUGH] I ain't ever heard of that. Never heard of that? Nope. Never heard of that? Yeah, that is crap. Good song, though. It was funny though. This is called YO!. It sends your friend a message, yo, as a text or audio message. [MUSIC] That's official. It's official? Official. It is indeed, yeah, man, app it is. It's called Places I've Pooped, not me, personally. But it did leave marks on a map, all the places you pooped. App or crap? Crap, stupid. It is an actual app. Someone's making money off of you documenting where you go to the bathroom. iNapkin, you wipe your face with your phone and your phone tells you what you ate. Pass. It tells you what you ate? You use the phone to wipe your face, and the phone, the app will tell you what you ate. No, not yet. Definitely not yet. That's definitely crap. This is called Carrrr Matey, it tells you where you parked your car in a pirate voice. I mean it could be. No, no. I could see that. You're right, man. That is an app. It's called Trump's Wall It's a game where ducks are ruining Donald Trump's yard and you got to stack blocks up high to keep them out. App or crap? Crap. Crap. The game where the Donald Trump's wall. [UNKNOWN] The game is real, actually a real game, yeah. That is a real game. And this last one's called I'm a man, it tracks This one tracks the menstrual cycle of multiple girlfriends. App or crap? Tracks the menstual cycles of multiple girlfriends? I want that to be real. Sounds like an app. That sounds ill. You want that to be real, yeah. It is indeed real, so you could download that on iOS or Android. Hey guys, thanks for sitting down with us at CNet, any last things you wanna tell us? Thanks for bringing us out here man. Absolutely. [UNKNOWN] You know what I'm saying? We just wanna say Wu Tang is forever, Wu Tang is for the kids Kids. We love you all, hold your head. Stay positive. You know what I am saying. And yo, say no to hate and yes to love. More honey. Wu-Tang forever baby. Wu-Tang forever, peace. Throw the double-u up, throw the double-u. Peace.