Wu-Tang Clan announce new album ‘Black Samson, The Bastard Swordsman’ for Record Store Day 2025

Wu-Tang Clan have announced a new album ‘Black Samson, The Bastard Swordsman’, to be released for Record Store Day 2025.

• READ MORE: Record Store Day 2025: Here’s the full list of releases

The legendary hip-hop crew have not released a full-length album since 2017’s The Saga Continues, but that will change on April 12 when a limited edition run of 5000 copies of the new record will be available in participating Record Store Day retailers.

It sees Wu-Tang reunite with producer Mathematics, who has been associated with the group since their earliest days, and includes contributions from all nine surviving Wu-Tang members, as well as Kool G Rap, Kurupt and Benny The Butcher.

The album will be officially credited to ‘Wu-Tang and Mathematics’, and the producer has said: “Wu-Tang has always been about pushing boundaries – musically, artistically, and culturally. With ‘Black Samson, The Bastard Swordsman’, I’m giving fans not just an album, but a piece of history – something truly one of a kind.”

“This is more than music; it’s innovation, storytelling, and legacy all in one. I am excited for everyone to hear the music and see the artwork around this album.”

‘Black Samson, The Bastard Swordsman’ tracklist:

1. ‘Sucker Free City’ (feat. Kurupt and Ralph McDaniels)
2. ‘Mandingo’ (feat. Raekwon, Inspectah Deck, Method Man, and Cappadonna)
3. ‘Lions Roar (The Lion’s Pit)’ (feat. U-God, Kool G Rap, and The RZA)
4. ‘Claudine’ (feat. Method Man, Ghostface Killah, and Nicole Bus)
5. ‘Shaolin Vs. Lama’ (feat. Raekwon and Inspectah Deck)
6. ‘Executioners From Shaolin’ (feat. Inspectah Deck, The GZA, and Cappadonna)
7. ‘Cleopatra Jones’ (feat. Raekwon and Masta Killa)
8. ‘Warriors Two, Cooley High’ (feat. Benny the Butcher and Method Man)
9. ‘Let’s Do It Again’ (feat. R.J. Payne, 38 Spesh, Willie the Kid, and The RZA)
10. ‘⁠Dolemite’ (feat. Cappadonna, U-God, and Masta Killa)
11. ‘Trouble Man (Outro)’ (feat. Kameron Corvet)
12. ‘Charleston Blue, Legend of a Fighter’ (feat. Crooked I, Cappadonna, and Nicole Bus)

Earlier today (February 6), the full list of releases for Record Store Day 2025 was revealed, with exclusive vinyl from the likes of Oasis, Charli XCX, Fred.. Again, The Cure, Gorillaz, Taylor Swift and many more. See the full list here.

It is the 18th edition of the event, with hundreds of exclusive releases made available on a first-come-first-served basis at over 270 independent record shops across the UK and as well as thousands more globally. Sam Fender is serving as an RSD ambassador in the UK while Post Malone is taking up the role Stateside.

Wu-Tang, meanwhile, famously released one single copy of their 2015 album ‘Once Upon A Time In Shaolin’. It was bought by former hedge fund manager and ‘pharma-bro’ Martin Shkreli for $2million (£1.4million), who was later sued for illegally livestreaming the album.

He bought the album under a legal agreement stipulating that the album could not be commercially exploited until 2103, though it could be played at listening parties.

Shkreli played clips of the album during a livestream in 2017 despite the restrictions, then tried to sell the album on eBay – and received an offer for $1.2million (£940,000), but the sale was never completed. He was then forced to hand over the album following his conviction for securities fraud, when $7.4million (£5.8m) worth of assets were seized by a federal court.

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