
Wu-Tang v. Shaolin | From Revisionist History: The Staten Island Problem
From Broken Record with Rick Rubin, Malcolm Gladwell, Bruce Headlam and Justin Richmond by Pushkin Industries
August 4, 2026 · 34 min · Season 6
About this episode
The episode explores the secession movement in Staten Island during the 1990s and its connection to the formation of the Wu-Tang Clan.
In Revisionist History's new season The Staten Island Problem, senior producer Ben Naddaff-Hafrey investigates the story of what was, at the time, the biggest secession movement in the U.S. since the Civil War. The Staten Island Problem reconstructs the battle for New York City amidst the turbulent early 1990s—the rise of Rudy Giuliani, the peak of the homicide rate, young Donald Trump, and the first Black mayor of New York—all through the prism of the city’s Forgotten Borough. At the height of the secession movement, the Wu-Tang Clan formed on Staten Island. Here’s a tour of early 1990s hip-hop and the hidden history of the group. Find more episodes of Revisionist History: The Staten Island Problem wherever you get podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Topics covered
- secession movement
- hip-hop history
- Staten Island
- 1990s New York
- Wu-Tang Clan
- Rudy Giuliani
- Donald Trump
Keywords
- Staten Island
- Wu-Tang Clan
- Rudy Giuliani
- Donald Trump
- 1990s
- hip-hop
- secession movement
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Wu-Tang Clan
Places: Staten Island, New York City
More episodes of Broken Record with Rick Rubin, Malcolm Gladwell, Bruce Headlam and Justin Richmond
- Tom Morello · September 8, 2026 · 1h 0m
- David Porter · September 1, 2026 · 1h 3m
- Travis Barker · August 25, 2026 · 60 min
- Alabama Shakes' Brittany Howard · August 11, 2026 · 59 min
- Daveed Diggs on the Need for Artistic Expression | From Who's With Me? with W. Kamau Bell · July 21, 2026 · 1h 18m
- Melissa Auf der Maur · July 14, 2026 · 53 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Broken Record with Rick Rubin, Malcolm Gladwell, Bruce Headlam and Justin Richmond podcast page.