C.R.E.A.M. (Cash Rules Everything Around Me) / Da Mystery of Chessboxin'

by Wu-Tang Clan

C.R.E.A.M. (Cash Rules Everything Around Me) / Da Mystery of Chessboxin' cover art
  • Type: Single
  • Released: 25 January 1994
  • Label: Loud
  • Country: United States
  • Length: 14:26
  • Community rating: 4.11/5 from 2 ratings

Artists on this release: Oli Grant, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Dennis Coles, Mitchell Diggs, RZA, Robert Diggs

Album Notes & Community Reviews

Anchored by an undeniably haunting piano loop sampled from The Charmels, this masterpiece of Staten Island hip-hop provides a gritty, philosophical examination of poverty and survival. Raekwon and Inspectah Deck deliver stark, unsentimental verses detailing the harsh realities of street economics and systemic struggle. The song's acronym-based chorus instantly entered the global cultural lexicon, fundamentally altering the thematic trajectory of East Coast rap.

Genres

Descriptors: crime, sampling, conscious, money

Tracklist

  1. C.R.E.A.M. (Cash Rules Everything Around Me) - Radio Edit (4:04)
  2. C.R.E.A.M. (Cash Rules Everything Around Me) - A Cappella (2:38)
  3. C.R.E.A.M. (Cash Rules Everything Around Me) - Instrumental (3:40)
  4. C.R.E.A.M. (Cash Rules Everything Around Me) - Radio Mix (4:03)

Credits

  • Wu-Tang Clan - primary artist, written-by
  • The Charmels - performer [as long as i've got you]
  • David Porter - written-by [as long as i've got you]
  • Isaac Hayes - written-by [as long as i've got you]

More from Wu-Tang Clan: full discography