Just as important to the hip-hop industry, the Wu-Tang Clan introduced what, at the time, was a revolutionary bargaining tactic. By taking less up-front money from their record company, Loud Records, each member earned the freedom to pursue solo recording contracts with any label. Subsequent solo albums from members Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon and the GZA/Genius made the Wu-Tang Clan arguably rap's most formidable supergroup when the group released its second album, 1997's "Wu-Tang Forever."