C.R.E.A.M. (1994)

"C.R.E.A.M." (a backronym of "Cash Rules Everything Around Me") is a song by the American hardcore hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, released on January 31, 1994 by Loud Records, as the second single from their debut studio album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (1993). The song was produced by the group's de facto leader RZA, and contains a sample of the Charmels' 1967 song "As Long As I've Got You" throughout. It features two verses from members Raekwon and Inspectah Deck, who discuss their upbringings while living in New York City, and Method Man, who sings its hook. Its music video, featuring all Wu-Tang Clan members in New York City, was released in 1994.

"C.R.E.A.M." achieved lukewarm commercial success, peaking at number 60 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1994. The song received universal praise from music critics, many of whom described it as one of the best songs on Enter the Wu-Tang. Since its release, the song has been called one of the greatest hip-hop songs of all time, with some who even described it as one of the greatest songs of all time. It has since been sampled by numerous artists and was certified 4× Platinum in the United States in 2025.

Background and composition

The song was originally titled "Lifestyles of the Mega-Rich".

Unlike most tracks on Enter the Wu-Tang, "C.R.E.A.M." contains a somber and more relaxed style, with lyrics that focus on storytelling, along with "Can It Be All So Simple" and "Tearz". Wilson McBee of PopMatters describes the song as "a hard dose of reality," compared to the rest of the album, a "kung-fu–fueled fantasy."

Although credited to the entire group, "C.R.E.A.M." only features three of the nine Wu-Tang Clan members: Raekwon, who provides the first verse, Inspectah Deck, who provides the second, longer verse, and Method Man, who provides the song's hook: Cash rules everything around me, C.R.E.A.M./Get the money; dollar, dollar bill, y'all. According to Raekwon, Method Man wrote the hook but it was his friend Raider Ruckus who came up with the phrase 'cash rules everything around me.' In his verse, Raekwon chronicles his life, showcasing his move to Staten Island and his time living in New York City. Inspectah Deck, in his verse, paints a picture of his life, going from a "delinquent teen to juvenile offender to would-be mentor."

The "dollar, dollar bill y'all" part is the interpolation of Jimmy Spicer's 1983 track "Money (Dollar Bill Y'all)". The track contains a sample of the Charmels' 1967 song "As Long As I've Got You", specifically the song's opening piano riff and its drums, which are looped continuously throughout.

Release and reception

"C.R.E.A.M." was released on November 9, 1993, as the eighth track on Wu-Tang Clan's debut studio album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). The song was subsequently released as the third single from the album on January 31, 1994, through Loud Records on vinyl and CD formats, under the title "C.R.E.A.M. (Cash Rules Everything Around Me)"; the cassette single was released on March 15, 1994. Its release came at a time when West Coast hip hop was dominating the hip hop charts, originating with releases such as N.W.A's Straight Outta Compton (1989) and solidified by Dr. Dre's The Chronic (1992). While East coast hip hop had begun to rise once again with contemporary releases by Puff Daddy and Bad Boy Records, Black Moon, De La Soul, and Digable Planets, the release of Enter the Wu-Tang laid the groundwork for the hardcore hip hop genre and rebirth of the New York hip hop scene. While the album wasn't immediately commercially successful, the release of "C.R.E.A.M." solidified the group's status as a force to be reckoned with and earned the group a devoted following. The success of "C.R.E.A.M." led to five of the group's members – GZA, RZA, Raekwon, Method Man, and Ol' Dirty Bastard – earning solo contracts from Loud Records; these five went on to release solo albums over the next three years, with RZA being the primary producer for all of them.

The song has received universal acclaim from music critics, calling it one of the best songs on Enter the Wu-Tang. Brody Kenny of Consequence of Sound called it "iconic and somber" and praised Inspectah Deck's verse, describing him as the most underrated member of the group (having never had a RZA-produced classic solo album). The song was described as a "classic" by Classic Hip Hop Magazine in their review of the album in 2018. When reviewing Enter the Wu-Tang in 2013 for its 20th anniversary, Jason Lipshultz of Billboard praised the production, calling it "still devastatingly layered." Lipshultz found it to be an odd choice to place the track between two less serious tracks ("Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nothin' Ta Fuck Wit" and "Method Man") but found it to be "the beauty of the Wu: after entertaining listeners with braggadocio and jokes, they can flip the switch and deliver poignant realism."