Wu-Tang Clan Star Alleges Diddy Kept Them Off the Radio: ‘He Had the Power’

The Wu-Tang Clan stands as one of hip-hop’s most influential and legendary collectives. They originated in Staten Island, New York, in the early 1990s. Known for their gritty, streetwise lyrics and cinematic beats, the group originally consisted of nine members. They were RZA, GZA, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Each member brought a distinct style and persona, creating a dynamic blend of lyrical mastery and raw energy that helped define the sound of East Coast rap. Now, Ghostface Killah is talking about how Sean “Diddy” Combs kept them off the air in the late ’90s.

Wu-Tang Clan member Ghostface Killah says Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is responsible for keeping them off the radio

Wu-Tang Clan member Ghostface Killah recently spoke about Sean “Diddy” Combs trying to keep them off the air. While speaking on the Bootleg Kev podcast, Ghostface recalled Wu-Tang’s setback when their music was blacklisted by New York’s influential radio station, Hot 97. The controversy began during the 1997 Summer Jam concert, where Ghostface Killah led the crowd in chanting “F**k Hot 97” after the group was reportedly pressured to perform without compensation. This public outburst led to a decade-long ban on their music by the station.

Then, Ghostface explained how RZA told him that Combs had something to do with the Hot 97 drama.

“RZA told me this like maybe a year ago, and said like, ‘Yo, Puff admitted to saying that he stopped our records up there,’” Ghostface said on the podcast. “… So it was all Bad Boy. We dropped ‘Triumph,’ no radio play with that s***. So, it came out that he told the truth, like, ‘Yo, I had to do it.’ He had the power. I don’t know what he paid ’em, but he had the power.”

Ghostface noted that Wu-Tang “was a threat,” which might’ve influenced Combs’ behavior. “We was coming,” he continued. “If ‘Triumph’ was promoted like it was supposed to be and we would have stayed on that radio right there, I think things to right now would have been a little bit different.”

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