Protect Ya Neck

Wu-Tang Clan released Protect Ya Neck in December 1992, as their first single. The song was first released by Wu-Tang Records and later reissued in 1993 with Loud Records. It is part of the album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), where it was recorded with eight of the nine original members.

The song is a battle rap, full of bravado and free associations. It was the first to bring together the four founders with another four, without including Masta Killa, who was not yet in the group. Initially, it was recorded with a different beat and in a different order, but RZA decided to change it. The radio intro is a call from a fan who had participated in an interview on a radio station in Washington, D.C. The album version cuts all the profane words, except "nigga". The song was key to the group gaining attention in the underground scene and then signing with Loud Records.