Dave East and Julian Elijah Martinez are set to be series regulars on the upcoming 10-part Hulu drama, ‘Wu-Tang: An American Saga.’
The show is being produced by Wu-Tang Clan frontman The RZA, Alex Tse, and Imagine Television.
The drama was co-created and written by The RZA and Tse and is based on the Wu-Tang Clan’s origination and subsequent influence on hip-hop culture.
The 10-part series is set in the early ’90s in New York City at the height of the crack cocaine epidemic. It follows the formation of Wu-Tang Clan by The RZA as a way to unite black men. The group eventually became icons of success for the community, thanks to their success on the hip-hop stage.
Brand Grazer and Francie Calfo will represent Imagine on the production side. Fellow Wu-Tang Clan members Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, Masta Killa, GZA, and Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s estate will serve as consulting producers.
Rapper Dave East celebrated the news of his involvement on Instagram, sharing a screenshot of an article announcing his involvement.
Fans immediately congratulated the MC on the role. He’ll be portraying Shotgun, who is based on Method Man in the upcoming series.
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East is well-known for his 2014 mixtape Black Rose and his collaboration mix NYCHA, which featured Nas. That collaboration is now part of the soundtrack for the Netflix documentary, Rapture.
Julian Elijah Martinez is cast as Divine, RZA’s older brother who lands himself in jail. He tries to keep the family’s operation going while incarcerated.
Wu-Tang Clan has released four gold and platinum studio albums. Their 1993 debut album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) is often listed as one of the greatest hip-hop albums in the genre’s history. That sparked a veritable hip-hop movement, with several Wu-Tang members launching successful solo careers.
To this day, the distinctive Wu-Tang Clan sound and martial arts motif remains legendarily unique.