Wu-Syndicate

Originally regarded as the South’s unofficial link to Wu-Tang Clan, the trio now known as Wu-Syndicate began its career far removed from that affiliation. Joe Mafia, Myalansky, and Napoleon first surfaced in the early 1990s as Crime Syndicate, a Mafia-themed act formed in Virginia Beach. Their introduction to the New York collective occurred after both groups signed with the independent Slot Time Records; when Wu-Tang members visited the label’s Virginia Beach offices, the two camps established an immediate rapport and pledged mutual support should either gain industry traction. At that point Wu-Tang had yet to anticipate its impending commercial ascent, but within a few years the crew’s raw, kung-fu-infused style had cultivated a massive following. Upon launching their own imprint in the late 1990s, they reached out early to their Virginia associates. The track “Where Was Heaven” appeared on the subsequent Swarm compilation, though only after the group adopted the Wu-Syndicate moniker. The rebranding posed no objection, since the added visibility served the artists while their hardened image proved advantageous to the label. Wu-Syndicate’s self-titled debut arrived in 1999; despite favorable responses from Wu-Tang’s core audience, the album was eclipsed by the steady flow of releases from the larger collective. When financial discrepancies surfaced, the trio withdrew from the Wu-Tang circle amicably before tensions escalated. Myalansky and Napoleon were incarcerated shortly afterward, leaving the members to serve their respective sentences with the shared intention of reuniting as a complete trio once all three were free.