If you haven’t tapped into Hulu series Wu-Tang: An American Saga, then you are missing out on one of the best Hip Hop shows to grace the TV screen.
The series gives us an in-depth education on the background and rise of legendary Hip Hop group Wu-Tang. But, there are also life lessons throughout each episode and The MouthSoap is here to break them down.
On episode 9 “I Declare War” that aired on Oct. 16, we see what looks like the demise of a promising career when Bobby aka RZA (Ashton Sanders) is told that his Hip Hop dreams are over, leading him to a depressive state.
Meanwhile, Sha (Shameik Moore), Dennis ‘D-Love’ Coles (Siddiq Saunderson) and Divine (Julian Elijah Martinez) are all experiencing their trials with work. Yet, despite the adversity, each one of them also encounters a revelation that leads them to their fate, music.
Let’s get into the lessons from “I Declare War”.
6. Never practice, always act as if it’s for real
There’s a scene when D-Love (Ghostface Killah) is watching a Kung-Fu flick with his brothers and one of the characters spurs the wise words “Never practice, always act as if it’s for real.” Ghostface has an aha moment, but he still doesn’t have the courage to make amends with his friend RZA to get the ball rolling on their music careers.
The Lesson: Sometimes that one shot can be the only shot. It’s important that when you aim for a goal, you tackle it with haste and treat it as the final audition, your last chance. If you come ready, you don’t have to get ready. So, utilize the times of preparation and practice as if it’s the real deal. Besides, life is short.
P.S. – You might not think anyone is watching and maybe they aren’t. But, move in ways as if you knew they were.
5. Pros look for what’s wrong with the system while amateurs assume that it’s right and go along with it
Have you ever been in a job position, relationship or situation where you knew there had to be something better or greater beyond what you’ve settled for? In Wu-Tang, Divine finds himself in this very situation, stuck at a dead-end janitor job. During his shift, he overhears a financial executive talking on the phone in the office. The executive is bragging about a $25 million deal he’s just finalized when he says, “Pros look for what’s wrong with the system, while amateurs assume that it’s right and go along with it.”
Let’s break it down. The realization that you’re involved in something that doesn’t serve your higher self can be hurtful and downright depressing. So many people tend to ignore it. They don’t even question it. They go to that job they hate or stay in the dying relationship and think “hey this is how it’s meant to be”.
But, Wu-Tang teaches us that just because someone tells you one way is the right way, doesn’t mean you don’t have the right to question it. Those who do question the status-quo, who inspire to aspire, are the ones who find knowledge of self. They become the great ones who surpassed the limited beliefs of their doubters. It takes courage, a little instinct and an eagerness to learn. But, most of all, you can’t be afraid to be wrong or to fail. It’s part of the process.
4. Stay humble about your gains
In a scene of Wu-Tang, Bobby aka RZA runs into his buddy Ason aka Ol’ Dirty Bastard (T.J. Atoms) in the streets. Now a hood star with one popular single under his belt, fans of Bobby run up to him to get his autograph. Ason blurts out that RZA made a lot of money with his one song. But, in reality, RZA was cheated out of his first deal and didn’t make a single dime.
Instead of accepting his truth, he goes along with the narrative and brags to the fans that he’s made $20k. Out of excitement, the fans repeat what RZA said and a hater overhears. To make a long story short, the end result was that RZA got robbed of his music by the hater.
What’s the lesson? In the age of social media and the popularity of narcissistic personalities, it’s easy to believe the hype. However, it won’t be hard to look in the mirror at the end of the day if you accept your truth. It’s nothing wrong with self-confidence and assurance. But, you can’t fix a problem if you don’t acknowledge it exists.
Lastly, being too braggadocious can alert the haters to attack. We’ve seen it time and time again where someone will accomplish a great feat, announce it to the world and here come the haters to rain on your parade. Just like a fart can be silent but deadly, so can your next moves.
3. Never take your eye off the ball
Raekwon who goes by Sha is getting a taste of his rap dreams. Drug kingpin Cressy invites him to record in his studio with the added bonus of women being present to stroke his ego. Right in the middle of recording, Sha is swept away by his drug-dealing friend, Power, just before a police raid. Apparently, one of the women who was baiting Sha with words of flattery ended up being an undercover cop. Sha barely escaped.
The lesson to be learned is that you should always be weary of a flattering tongue. As Master P would say, “Think about it”. Unless they’re a programmed robot, there’s no way that people have positive things to say about you 100 percent of the time. There’s going to be opinions, critiques and negative feedback. But, if the person really cares about you they will tell you the truth. At the end of the day, Wu-Tang was trying to teach us to not get distracted by beautiful things with only beautiful words to say. It just might be the snake that bites you.
2. Turn idle time to a learning event
Downtime is actually an opportunity for you to learn. When Divine finds out that he has to finish a full shift at work despite completing his work early, he goes into one of the executive’s offices and picks up a book to read. Instead of wasting all your time on social media or picking your nose, use those moments at work or just before you go to bed to put in some extra work to edify your mind. Read a book that will increase your knowledge, watch a YouTube tutorial on how to code a website, or write a plan for your next move. Just because the world stops for a moment doesn’t mean you have to.
1. Combined forces lead to greater gains
You ever heard of the saying that two heads are better than one? Ghostface Killah finally realized this by the end of the episode when in a Kung-Fu show he saw two fighters combine both Shaolin and Wu-Tang fighting styles. Ghostface Killah let bygones be bygones and teamed up with RZA, the one he knew was wholeheartedly trying to make his dreams come true. Individually, the two couldn’t get anywhere, but as a team they would be unstoppable.
There’s plenty of examples of people who appear to have built their empires on their own. In reality, in order to get to the next level it takes a team effort. Bottomline, more can be accomplished as a unit. So, instead of warring and competing with your circle, utilize the circle so that everyone can win.
The MouthSoap can’t wait for the next episode to see what gems are dropped. Wu-Tang: An American Saga is a school for hard knocks kids, pay attention! Wu-Tang ain’t nothing to f*** with!
