Classic Wu-Tang Clan and A Tribe Called Quest albums archived in U.S. Library of Congress

Classic albums by Wu-Tang Clan and A Tribe Called Quest have been archived in the U.S. Library of Congress. 

The institution is the oldest and largest federal cultural asset in America, and the country’s national library, with research materials, resources, and publications from across the globe, in 450 languages. Albeit much of the original collection was lost after the British set fire to the first location during the War of 1812. Three years later efforts began to restore, re-collect and re-establish the facility began. 

Now, ‘Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)’, by Wu-Tang Clan, and ‘Low End Theory’, by A Tribe Called Quest, have been added to the National Recording Registry, alongside work from Alicia Keys (‘Songs in A Minor’), Shirelle (‘Tonight’s The Night’), and Duke Ellington (‘Ellington At Newport’), among others. Each year, 25 sound recordings are given a place in the collection, with hip hop artists like Nas, Lauryn Hill, and Tupac Shakur already included. However, critics still point to the under-representation of rap and Latin music overall. 

In 2021, ‘Low End Theory’, A Tribe Called Quest’s benchmark-setting 1991 album, received a reissue, while the posthumous LP by founding member Phife Dawg landed in March this year. The same month also saw the release of a new record by Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA, ‘Saturday Afternoon Kung Fu Theatre’, produced by the legendary DJ Scratch.