Saad Moosajee’s tour visuals for Wu-Tang Clan pay tribute to multiple generations of hip-hop majesty

It’s been known that Wu-Tang Clan ain’t nothing to fuck with. The legendary hip-hop group’s aesthetic is mythical, directly inspired by kung-fu movies and Shaolin history as well as sharing DNA with comic books and video games. An amalgamation of generally badass stuff, the 9-man group has embedded itself so deeply into hip-hop culture that they’ve become the high bar of rap collectives. This rich visual history has now fed into the visuals for the collective last ever tour, currently taking place, as masterminded by the New York City-based art director and designer Saad Moosajee.

With a practice rooted in the synthesis of design and storytelling, Saad collapses photography and illustration into imagery that has a narrative punch. As a supplement to the story of Wu-Tang’s breakneck, spunky on-stage lyricism, Saad’s visuals are built on the Wu-Tang mythology: film samples, early mixtapes and the collision of 90s New York and Buddhist culture – an encapsulation of their musical brand. “I wanted to reverse engineer RZA’s sonic process in images and shape it through a spectrum of tools that represented an arc of time,” says Saad. “This is reflected in the visuals, which at times adopt a more classic film look before progressing into more modern executions such as 3D simulation. Each song was approached symbolically – as a moving collage realised through digital animation.” Not only do the visuals move with the attitude of the Wu-Tang Clan, but they also bake in the group’s lived experiences and appreciation for outside influences.

The initial visual explorations began with reliefs, working with a static approach which allowed Saad to focus on how visuals could layer and live together later down the line. After they were sculpted and assembled in 3D animation, Saad began pulling out individual vignettes to explore motion, a key goal “was to keep things both sculptural and kinetic – balancing crafted moments of stillness against bursts of movement”. Even real Shaolin performers were choreographed into sequences of martial arts and ceremonial performances, which were then applied to Saad’s characters through motion capture. “I adopted a research and iconographic approach, creating a library of assets from the stories and poignant lyrical moments that shaped Wu–Tang. This spanned everything from the Verrazano Bridge to Raymond Lui’s Fatal Flying Guillotine, The 36 Chambers to the Killa Bees,” says Saad. The Wu-Tang visuals are a type of visual echolocation, a collage of everything Wu-Tang, physical and inspirational.

Given this is Wu-Tang’s final tour, it was important to build the visuals with DNA that represented where they began and where they are now, playing to multiple generations of fans without relying on pure nostalgia. Each visual anchor was timecoded to a precise moment, which could reflect and articulate the story of that track – in metallic monochromes to golden hues. The iconic Wu-Tang logo itself is a collection of motion captured dancers, a testament to the community at the core of the music. Saad’s work is no easy feat, but through mood-based, atmospheric loops, choreography and musical formations, the balance of structure and improvisation that is the backbone of hip-hop music is deeply felt. Just like RZA raps on 7th Chamber, these tour visuals are “quick to stick the Wu-Tang sword right through your navel.”