Short answers, pulled from the story.
Wu-Tang Clan formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. RZA served as the group's de facto leader and producer from the start, and the collective assembled with members including GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa.
Wu-Tang Clan negotiated an unprecedented arrangement with Loud Records that allowed each member to simultaneously sign solo deals with competing labels. Method Man signed with Def Jam, Ghostface Killah with Sony, GZA with Geffen Records, and Raekwon stayed with Loud, while all releases still credited RZA's Razor Sharp Records imprint.
The album sold through the Paddle8 online auction house for $2 million to former hedge fund manager Martin Shkreli, making it the most expensive work of music ever sold. After Shkreli was convicted of fraud and handed the album to the FBI, the US government resold it for $4 million to the PleasrDAO group, a sale confirmed in July 2021.
Ol' Dirty Bastard collapsed at Wu-Tang Clan's recording studio in New York City on the 13th of November 2004 and was pronounced dead that night. Before his death, he had served time in prison after being sentenced to two to four years in April 2001, and upon release signed a million-dollar contract with Roc-A-Fella Records.
Kanye West publicly credited RZA's production technique, specifically the chopping, speeding, and slowing of soul samples, as a direct influence on his own style. West's variation became known as "chipmunk soul" for its use of pitch-bent vocal samples, and West stated that Wu-Tang had one of the biggest impacts as a movement, covering slang, style of dress, skits, and sampling approach.
The group announced "Wu-Tang Forever: The Final Chamber" on the 24th of February 2025, a farewell tour with dates across North America running from June through July 2025. The final concert was held in Philadelphia on the 18th of July 2025.