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GENIUS

# C.R.E.A.M.

## Wu-Tang Clan

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Produced by RZA

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Album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

Beets is awesome!
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### About “C.R.E.A.M.”

Arguably one of the most iconic songs in hip-hop, the underlying idea of “C.R.E.A.M.” is found in its title—cash rules everything. The timeless piano riffs and background vocals come from a chopped up sample of The Charmels‘ 1967 record, “As Long As I’ve Got You,” that make up the entire track.

Although it was released as an official single in 1994, “C.R.E.A.M.” was first recorded in 1991, around the same time as RZA’s assault case, and featured himself and Ghostface Killah. The track went through several revisions and was later re-recorded by Raekwon and Inspectah Deck in 1993—an early title of the song was “Lifestyles of the Mega-Rich.”

In 2017, RZA explained to Power 106 how the final version of the track came together:

> Once we got to the studio, I decided that this track had to be on the Wu-Tang album. I reminded Rae and Deck of their verses—their verses were long. […] Method Man, the master of hooks at the time, came in with this hook right here: ‘cash rules everything around me, cream, get the money.’ Once he added that element, I knew it was going to be a smash.

Since its release, the song and chorus have been referenced countless times by several artists. It has also been featured in movies such as Eminem’s 8 Mile and the N.W.A biopic, Straight Outta Compton.

- ### What has RZA said about the song?

- ### What has Raekwon said about the song?

  > ‘C.R.E.A.M.’ did a lot for my career personally. It gave me an opportunity to revisit the times where that cream meant that much to us. So, yeah, when I think of this record it just automatically puts me back into ‘87/’88 where we were standing in front of the building. It’s cold outside. We didn’t care. We’re out there, all black on trying to make dollars. Just trying to make some money and trying to eat. Survive.

  > This song, I remember writing to the beat a long time ago before we actually came out. That beat is old. That was probably like a ‘89 beat. RZA had it that long because he had a bunch of breaks. He had all kind of things and he was making beats back then, but we was just picking and that beat happened to always sit around and I would be like, ‘I want that beat, so don’t give that beat to nobody.’ And he kept his word and let me have it.

  > Meth came up with the hook but our dude named Raider Ruckus, this was like Meth’s homeboy back then, like they was real close, he came up with the phrase ‘cash rules everything around me.’ So when he showed Meth what it was and was like, ‘Cash rules everything around me,’ Meth was like, ‘Word, you right!’ And turned it into a movie, and I came in later that day and heard it and co-signed it.

  via Complex

- ### What has U-God said about the song?

  > “C.R.E.A.M.” is a true song. Everything Inspectah Deck and Raekwon said is 100 percent true. Not one line in that entire song is a lie, or even a slight exaggeration. Deck did sell base, and he did go to jail at the age of fifteen. Rae was sticking up white boys on ball courts, rocking the same damn ’Lo sweater. And of “course, Meth on the hook was like butter on the popcorn. Meth knew the hard times, too, being out there smoking woolies and pumping crack, etc. That raspy shit he was kicking just echoed in everyone’s head long after the song was done playing.
  > The realism on “C.R.E.A.M.” is what resonates with so many people all over the world. People everywhere know that sentiment of being slaves to the dollar. Cash is king, and we are its lowly subjects. That’s pretty much the case in every nation around the world, the desperation to put your life and your freedom on the line to make a couple dollars. Whether you’re working, stripping, hustling, or slinging, whether you’re a business owner or homeless, cash rules everything around us.

  Source: Raw:My Journey into Wu-Tang

- ### What songs were sampled on the beat for “C.R.E.A.M.?”

  The vocals and background sample that can be heard on the song’s intro were taken taken from The Charmels’ 1967 song “As Long as I’ve Got You”:

  The classic keys sample that can be heard throughout the beat was also taken from the previously mentioned song:

- ### What has Method Man said about the song?

  Meth told Complex,

  > ‘C.R.E.A.M.’ was the one that really put us on the map if you wanna be technical. I wasn’t there when they recorded ‘C.R.E.A.M.’ I came in after the fact. RZA was like, ‘Put a hook on this song’ and I put a hook on it. That’s how it always went. I liked doing hooks.

  > The hook for that was done by my man Raider Ruckus. We used to work at the Statue of Liberty and when we were coming home we used to come up with all these made-up words that were acronyms.

  > We had words like ‘BIBWAM’ which meant, ‘Bitches Is Busted Without A Man’ and all this other crazy shit. Raider Ruckus was so ill with the way he put the words together. We would call money ‘cream’ so he took each letter and made a word out of it and killed it the way he did it.

  > Something like that had never been done before as far as a hook or even a way of speaking. This is just showing and proving that we paid attention in class when we was kids. You can’t do shit like that unless you got a brain in your fucking head! You got to have some level of intelligence to do something like that.

  > The best acronym for a word that I heard was ‘P.R.O.J.E.C.T.S.’ by Killah Priest. He said ‘People Relying On Just Enough Cash To Survive.’ And he’s the one that came up with ‘Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth,’ the acronym for B.I.B.L.E. This ain’t no fluke shit man.

  > There’s a reason you got millions upon millions of fucking kids running around with Wu-Tang tattoos. You don’t just put something on your body permanently unless it’s official. At that time, when you’re coming out brand new and representing where you come from, everybody from that area wants you to win because they win. That’s what it was like for us.

  > We were the only dudes from Staten Island doing it so everybody from Staten Island wanted us to win. Not just dudes from Staten Island, but dudes from Brooklyn too because they had peoples in the group too. Then it was just grimy niggas who loved to see real shit, saying, ‘We riding with them Wu-Tang niggas. Fuck all that shiny suit shit!’ That ain’t no take on Puff, a lot of niggas was wearing suits and shit man, but that ain’t us.

### "C.R.E.A.M." Track Info

Written By Method Man, Inspectah Deck & Raekwon
Programmer RZA
Mixing Engineer RZA
Label RCA Records, Loud Records & Bertlesmann Music Group
Mastering Engineer Chris Gehringer
Engineer Ethan Ryman
Recorded At Firehouse Studios (Brooklyn, New York City)
Release Date January 31, 1994
Samples
As Long As I've Got You by The Charmels
Sampled In
Inspector Deck by A-Wax (Ft. Bandana Tha Rag)
Cash Rules by ​iyla (Ft. Method Man)
C.R.E.A.M by Fler
Brain Cell by CunninLynguists
Watch Your Mouth by Ghostface Killah (Ft. GZA, Inspectah Deck, Masta Killa, Method Man, Raekwon, RZA, U-God & Wu-Tang Clan)
Misère by IAM
Petit Frère by IAM
Lift-Off by Luizão 911
It's Me Bitches (Remix) by Swizz Beatz (Ft. Jadakiss, Lil Wayne & R. Kelly)
Rules by Wu-Tang Clan
Cold World by Lupe Fiasco
The Rep Growz Bigga by Gang Starr
IAM - Petit Frère (English Translation) by Genius English Translations
I Grew Up on Wu-Tang by The Game (Ft. Lorine Chia)
Terrorist's Cell by 7L & Esoteric
Flaschenpost by Eins Zwo
Facts of Life by L.I.F.E. Long
Respect Mine by PMD
Heartbeat by Jon Murdock
Anything (Old Skool Radio Version) by SWV (Ft. Wu-Tang Clan)
Ghost Dog by Kyle Kallgren (Ft. Rap Critic)
Deathbed Doctrine by Jedi Mind Tricks
Mathematics by Yasiin Bey
Cash Rule$ by King Lil G
What It's All About by Girl Talk
Il Mondo Che Non C'è by Chief & Soci
Parasiet by Mertens
Freestyle #13 by Funkmaster Flex (Ft. The LOX & The Notorious B.I.G.)
T.O.N.Y. C.R.E.A.M. by DJ Unknown & DJ Mekalek (Ft. Percee P & Rok One)
The Polorican by Thirstin Howl III
8 Mile: Cheddar Bob Freestyle by Eminem
Ποτέ δε θα Φύγω (Wu-Tang Special) by Rappas
Welcome to Killmington by Triigga
Queens Get The Money by Oscar O'Neill
My Crew by Saigon
Ends by Everlast
K.R.E.A.M. by U-N-I (Rap Group)
C'est mort by Big Budha Cheez (Ft. Cenza)
Look Up / Save The Day by Michael Christmas
I Hustle Everyday by Deez Nuts
Leave It All Behind by Hex One
Papoose Freestyles on Flex | Freestyle #076 by Papoose
One Twenty by Eyedea & Abilities (Ft. Eyedea)
Fuego by Cypress Hill (Ft. La Bruja)
History of Rap 6 by Jimmy Fallon (Ft. Justin Timberlake)
Life as a Shorty by Shyheim
Brass Knuckles by Money Making Jam Boys (Ft. DJ Omega)
Põe na Balança by Rap Plus Size
Everywhere We Go by French Montana (Ft. Wale)
Still Strugglin' by Raekwon (Ft. The Notorious B.I.G.)
4 Tha OG'z by MC Eiht (Ft. Freddie Foxxx)
Yessaï (Sur la carte) by Caballero & JeanJass
Respect Mine by Pete Rock (Ft. O.C.)
Stop The Breaks by DJ Ron G (Ft. Killa Sin, KRS-One, The Notorious B.I.G., O.C. & Raekwon)
Half Man Half Amazin by Pete Rock (Ft. Method Man)
The Wake Up Call by Smiley the Ghetto Child
Tras este Escenario by Nach (Ft. Juaninacka)
Reality by Da Youngsta's
Pascal by Hocus Pocus
Good Mourning by Reflection Eternal
Cream by Lil Wayne (Ft. Euro)
Ride On by Snowgoons (Ft. Defari, Maylay Sparks & Sondro Castro)
Dollar Bill by Count Bass D
Elevate by Jigmastas
Carta Viola by Duke Montana (Ft. Club Dogo)
Birds by Killah Priest (Ft. Jay Notes & Redd Mudd)
Foul Child / City Soldier (performed by Tee Productions by Warlocks
Bomber by Oxon
Comin from the Lower Level by CHOPS (Ft. Phil Da Agony, Ras Kass & Talib Kweli)
Get the money by PANTyRAiD
Grown Ass Man by Outerspace
Escuchame by Braintax
Front Steps Pt II (Tough Love) by Akrobatik
Amor veneno by Dealema
Release Me by Datsik
Cash Rules by Snow Tha Product
Homage to Premier by Focus… (Ft. Phonte, Royce Da 5'9'’ & Stat Quo)
Survival Skills by KRS-ONE & Buckshot
The Truth by Smif N Wessun
Days Of My Youth by Rashad & Confidence
Je suis en vie by Akhenaton (Ft. Tyler Woods)
Cream Freestyle [Wu Tang Killa Deez] by Mista Deezy
Tricher by ATK
Lettre aux hirondelles by Akhenaton
Intro by The X-Ecutioners (Ft. DJ Apollo, DJ Shortkut & DJ Vinroc)
40 Years of Hip-Hop by The Hood Internet
Live From Shaolin by Jae Millz
Spare Change by Ea$y Money
Blutgrueneaugen by Die Beleidiger
Intro by Inoki
Supreme by Young Fla$h (Ft. Kwame Badu & Mike Holmes (Rapper))
Firing Squad by Heath McNease
Kream by Iggy Azalea (Ft. Tyga)
Dinheiro by Mãolee (Ft. BK' & Filipe Ret)
C.R.E.A.M. by Heath McNease (Ft. Krum)
Cream Remix by Djflipmobeatz
If You Don't Know, Now You Know by Rap Genius
Lucid by Internet Strangers
You by Nicole Bus
Zωή Mικρή by RNS (GR)
Dinheiro (Remix) by Mãolee (Ft. Akira Presidente)
Torcida by Big Fish (Ft. Chadia Rodriguez, Emis Killa, Fabri Fibra & Jake La Furia)
Livin' Proof by Group Home
Pound Cake Freestyle by JAG
Barrionalistas by Los Chikos del Maíz
No hay Empate by Cidtronyck (Ft. Freeman)
D.R.E.A.M. by Miley Cyrus (Ft. Ghostface Killah)
Wu by ​nafla
INTRO by Nolan The Ninja
Quake by BROCKBEATS
Gospel by Rodrigo Zin (Ft. Bruno Nix & Nanda Oliveira N/O)
DENTI D'ORO by Ketama126
(Unreleased) Intro by Grown Ass Child
C.R.E.A.M. by Martin Matys
Drei Tage wach by Plusmacher
C.R.E.A.M. Team by Alemán (Ft. Muelas De Gallo)
Ends [Woodstock 99] by Everlast
Full Immersion by DJ Fede (Ft. Ghali)
OASE by RAMO
C.R.E.A.M. (Remix) by Serious P
Verlaine by Rockin' Squat
​chain on / hold me by BROCKHAMPTON (Ft. JPEGMAFIA)
Coppola by Cartel MCs (Ft. Ajota)
Interpolates
Money (Dollar Bill, Y'all) by Jimmy Spicer
Interpolated By
Denaro by CHS (Ft. BK')
YOUTH* by GOTBARS
MONEY* by GOTBARS
Finesse (C.R.E.A.M.) by BMB Entertainment (Ft. K-$krilla & TrapKamo)
Notorious Thugs by The Notorious B.I.G. (Ft. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony)
Pound Cake / Paris Morton Music 2 by Drake (Ft. JAY-Z)
We Takin' Over by DJ Khaled (Ft. Akon, Birdman, Fat Joe, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross & T.I.)
Paper Trail$ by Joey Bada$$
Ballin' by Fat Joe (Ft. Teyana Taylor & Wiz Khalifa)
New World Water by Yasiin Bey
Game's Pain by The Game (Ft. Keyshia Cole)
Hip Hop by Yasiin Bey
Money Man by A$AP Mob (Ft. A$AP Bari, A$AP NAST & A$AP Rocky)
Pound Cake (Remix) by Chamillionaire
Childish Gambino Sway In The Morning Freestyle by Sway in the Morning (Ft. Childish Gambino)
Pound Cake Freestyle by Meek Mill (Ft. Spade)
Pound Cake (Freestyle) by King Los
Pound Cake (Freestyle) by Migos
Pound Cake by OTF Nunu
Pound Cake (Remix) by Chip
Pound Cake by Papoose
Runaway Love (Remix) by Justin Bieber (Ft. Kanye West & Raekwon)
Money Make the World Go Round by G-Unit
Wild Thots by A Boogie wit da Hoodie (Ft. Fabolous)
Ain't The Same by MIST
Rise by Lecrae
N64 by Denzel Curry
I Am The Narrator by Plan B
Return of the Hustle by Fabolous (Ft. Swizz Beatz)
R.R.E.A.M. by Kitty
D.R.E.A.M. by Transplants (Ft. Danny Diablo)
Why Why Why by RZA (Ft. Swnkah)
Life as a Shorty by Fashawn
Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill) by Wyclef Jean (Ft. Akon, Lil Wayne & Niia)
The Ass by Pharoahe Monch (Ft. Apani B Fly)
Pro Cakes 2 by Dirty Sanchez (Ft. Dyemond Lewis & Nyck Caution)
Ice Cream by Audrey Rose (Ft. Fetty Wap & Remy Ma)
The Sidewalks by J-Live
Krølla 50-lapp y'all by Karpe
The Last Huzzah (Remix) by Mr. Muthafuckin eXquire (Ft. Danny Brown, Das Racist, Despot & El-P)
Respect Mine by Fat Joe (Ft. Raekwon)
M.O.N.E.Y. by Lords of the Underground
Sausage by Lil' Mama
Sho Nuff by Juelz Santana
Show You by Lil Debbie
This Can't Be Real by Freeway (Ft. Marsha Ambrosius)
Perfect by Princess Superstar
Double Cross by Ghostface Killah (Ft. AZ)
Living My Dream by King Lil G (Ft. Carolyn Rodriguez, Isuppose & Self-Provoked)
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings (Part 2) by Binary Star
Loyalty by Ghostface Killah (Ft. Kool G Rap & Nems)
Scars & Memories by MF Grimm
D.R.E.A.M. by Pharoahe Monch (Ft. Talib Kweli)
Ay Yah by DeJ Loaf
I Hustle Everyday by Deez Nuts
High Society by Kottonmouth Kings
Live from the Underground by Big K.R.I.T.
Scorn by HS87 (Ft. Audio Push, Hit-Boy, Kent M$ney & Kid Cudi)
Get Money by Redlight (Ft. Raekwon)
Young Nigga by Young Dolph (Ft. Fiend)
Longevity by Inspectah Deck (Ft. U-God)
Life Is Hell by Apathy (Ft. Hayze)
DILIGENCE by Inga Copeland
La Petite Leçon by Oxmo Puccino
When I Flow (It’s Gospel) by The Cross Movement
Democracy by Killah Priest (Ft. Canibus)
How Big Is Your World by Median
Cash Rules by James Wade (US) (Ft. Kassidy Henderson)
Welcome To The Darkside by Fat Joe (Ft. French Montana)
Notes by Verbal Kent
Tash Rules by Tash (Alkaholiks) (Ft. L.V. (South Central Cartel))
Do It All Over Again by Danny Swain (Ft. Joi & ?uestlove)
Money, Power & Women by G-Spot-Geez
Camouflage by C-Rayz Walz
Catalina by Raekwon (Ft. Lyfe Jennings)
MILK by BROCKHAMPTON
Login by GIRIBOY (Ft. Swings & Young B (KR))
C.R.E.A.M. by Heath McNease (Ft. Krum)
I'll Make U Famous by Da Youngsta's
​infinity (888) by XXXTENTACION (Ft. Joey Bada$$)
FFM Freestyle: Big Baby Tape by Fast Food Music (Ft. Big Baby Tape)
Gottaknow by Royce Da 5'9'’
MOOO! by Doja Cat
Kream Get the Money by Maxo Kream
Ciao Ciao by Colle Der Fomento (Ft. Kaos One & Piotta)
Still by Loyle Carner
Energy by Trizzy Trae
Sorry by Future
Killa Killa Hill by Cappadonna (Ft. Raekwon)
Kream by KEZ
Make My by The Roots (Ft. Big K.R.I.T. & Dice Raw)
The Cave: Episode 12 by Kenny Beats (Ft. Denzel Curry)
Second Round Knockout by Shaquille O'Neal
Represent'96 by TVETH
7.O.D. by 2nd Generation Wu
R.E.M.E.D.Y. by Remedy (NY)
5 Bucks by KIL
Back In Time by E SENS
Hey, Listen! by Kaisson
EVIL TWIN by Denzel Curry (Ft. ZillaKami)
C.R.E.A.M by Hester Shawty & BabySlugga
Right Now by Malz Monday
CREAM by Loccie Shmula
Cream by VI Seconds
Onun Adı V by ViO (Ft. DJ Artz)
Coppola by Cartel MCs (Ft. Ajota)
Dans la ville by Darryl Zeuja
Cover By
C.R.E.A.M. by El Michels Affair
C.R.E.A.M. by Ramin Djawadi
Remixed By
C.R.E.A.M. by Remy Ma (Ft. Curren$y)
Sleep Rules Everything Around Me by Wugazi (Ft. Fugazi, Ian MacKaye, Inspectah Deck, Raekwon & Wu-Tang Clan)
D.R.E.A.M. by Reservoir Dogs
Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) Wu-Tang Clan
1. Bring Da Ruckus
2. Shame On A Nigga
3. Clan in Da Front
4. Wu-Tang: 7th Chamber
5. Can It Be All So Simple / Intermission
6. Da Mystery of Chessboxin’
7. Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing ta Fuck Wit
8. C.R.E.A.M.
9. Method Man
10. Protect Ya Neck
11. Tearz
12. Wu-Tang: 7th Chamber - Pt. II
13. Conclusion