C.R.E.A.M.
The piano loop under Wu-Tang Clan's biggest chart hit came from a 1967 Charmels record, and according to Raekwon the famous phrase came not from Method Man or RZA but from a friend named Raider Ruckus.
By Song Reviews · September 24, 2026
Greatest of All Time!The piano loop under Wu-Tang Clan's biggest chart hit came from a 1967 Charmels record, and according to Raekwon the famous phrase came not from Method Man or RZA but from a friend named Raider Ruckus.
RZA built “C.R.E.A.M.” – the acronym is Cash Rules Everything Around Me – on a loop of the opening piano riff and the drums from the Charmels’ 1967 soul record “As Long as I’ve Got You,” and the song carries a Wu-Tang Clan songwriting credit. Released as a single on January 31, 1994, from Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), it also interpolates Jimmy Spicer’s 1983 record “Money (Dollar Bill Y’all)” for the “dollar, dollar bill y’all” line.
The credits come with a footnote. Method Man sings the hook, but according to Raekwon it was his friend Raider Ruckus who came up with the phrase “cash rules everything around me.” Raekwon and Inspectah Deck take the two verses – Raekwon on his life and his move to Staten Island, Deck on his path from delinquent teenager to juvenile offender – so a song that plays as a group anthem is mostly two autobiographies over a sampled 1967 piano line.
The chart figures are the surprise. “C.R.E.A.M.” reached No. 60 on the Billboard Hot 100 on April 23, 1994, which Wikipedia notes makes it the highest-charting Wu-Tang Clan track ever; it also reached No. 8 on Hot Rap Songs and No. 32 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. That is a small pop footprint for a record this canonical, and a fair index of how rarely the group’s influence ran through the pop charts.
Greatest of All Time. Two verses, one borrowed piano loop and a hook whose best phrase came from a friend.
Hero image: “Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)” album cover art, Loud Records. Used under fair use for editorial commentary.