A Hip-Hop Love Letter in Video Game Form

The expansive universe of legendary rap group Wu-Tang Clan, who are currently on a historic final tour, is ripe for the type of rich mythology present in video games. Founded in 1992 in New York City and consisting of members RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Wu-Tang is an indelible piece of the architecture of modern hip-hop, a crew of distinct MCs capable of unifying under an eclectic sonic umbrella, not unlike superheroes. Now, the rap luminaries are getting the video game treatment they deserve with Wu-Tang: Rise of The Deceiver, an action-adventure game from Brass Lion Entertainment. In it, the members of the Wu-Tang Clan have to transfer their powers to the next generation in order to save Shaolin, the fictionalized homeland referenced in their most classic songs. 

That integration into the group’s pre-existing narrative is something Brass Lion co-founder and CEO Bryna Dabby Smith says is an essential piece of Rise of The Deceiver. “We look at it like they’re superheroes in real life,” she says during a recent visit to Rolling Stone’s offices. “They’ve created these personas and this lore that deserve to have a world created for them, not just to put their music into a game, but to actually make something that is worthy of that legacy. A fantastical additional reality that really builds on the world that they’ve created in the music.” The concept for the game originated from a movie treatment that Ghostface and RZA are developing with their partners, titled Angel Dust. The two spoke to Brass Lion’s team around 2020 with the idea to make a game based on the film treatment, and they got to work.

The story follows a young girl tasked with finding each member of the Wu-Tang clan, who’ve gone missing, harnessing each of their unique powers in her fight against a villainous and invasive enemy of “decievers.” Visually, the game strikes a distinct aesthetic that blends afro-surrealism with many of the animation styles of traditional anime, finding a balance that feels like a necessary articulation of a piece of hip-hop culture. “There’s a big Venn diagram between the culture in hip-hop and anime fans and stuff like that,” says Rashad Redic, co-founder and COO of Brass Lion. “We’re all students of the art form. But along the way, we’ve developed our own house style that works for us and gives us a little bit of a different look from being a traditionally anime-inspired thing.”

Hip-Hop icon Just Blaze was already involved with the music supervision on the film project and came on board to develop a dynamic gameplay soundtrack for Rise of The Deceiver. “If you had told me 30 years ago that I’d be doing this, I wouldn’t have believed you. But the cool thing about it is, I’ve actually gotten to reimagine the catalog in a space that is larger than life,” he says. “It’s literally a dream come true.”

With production credits on rap canon classics like Jay-Z’s The Blueprint, Just Blaze has had a storied career as a musician and has by now also worked on equally iconic video game soundtracks, including NBA Live, NBA Street, and the Madden franchise. “The cool thing about a project like this is, a lot of times when it comes to trying to make a record, you’re stuck within a certain format. With this, you can really stretch out. And just really let the music take you on a journey,” he says. 

“This project is very much a love letter to hip-hop culture and to Wu in general,” Blaze adds. “Obviously, everyone knows ‘C.R.E.A.M’ or ‘Protect Ya Neck’ or whatever, but I wanted to make sure that we featured some of the lesser-known songs for the hardcore fans, like ‘Bizarre’ by U-God or ‘Dexbeat’ or ‘Elevation.’”

Redic says that when people hear about this game, they’ll likely assume they’re just going to hear the classic catalog, which is true. “But what [Just Blaze] has done has really taken apart what people know and recombined it in a way that marries the mood of the new arrangements to the visuals, and what the player’s doing. And so, there is a magical combination that comes together in a way that’s wholly unique to the experience of this game.” 

That’s because the music in the game is interactive and changes — think accelerating the tempo on an orchestral arrangement of Wu-Tang classic “C.R.E.A.M.” during a high-intensity part of the game — based on what you’re doing minute-to-minute. “It’s almost too good because it’s so smooth and so seamless that at first you almost don’t realize that it’s happening,” Redic says. “You just think, ‘Oh, this is what’s playing for me.’ And then you realize it’s actually adjusting and adapting to your gameplay.”

Beyond adapting to players’ actions in the game, the music in Rise of The Deceiver is poised to offer a recontextualization of Wu-Tang’s music to a new, younger generation. Smith recalls the experience at Wu-Tang’s last tour in 2023. “One of the things that struck us was the huge age range of people who were there. You’ve literally got multiple generations of one family, and they’re all there, all knowing the words. So it’s not just us, it’s people’s kids now. And they’re just as in love with it.”