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Wu-Tang Clan ink deal with Warner Bros., will release album Dec. 2

Rappers Masta Killa (seated, left), U-God and, standing from left, Ghostface Killah, Method Man, GZA, RZA, Inspectah Deck, Cappadonna and Raekwon announce they have signed with Warner Bros. Records in Burbank.
(Kevin Winter / Getty Images)
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Wu-Tang Clan’s long-awaited comeback is finally arriving – for real this time.

Marking the group’s 20th anniversary, the long-gestating album “A Better Tomorrow” will arrive Dec. 2 courtesy of a new deal with Warner Bros. Records, the label announced Friday.

The lead-up to the new album, the Staten Island collective’s first since 2007’s “8 Diagrams,” has been an exhaustive one, with group turmoil stalling its release.

Quick primer: When Wu-Tang dropped the lead single from the album, “Keep Watch,” this spring, much of the attention was on Raekwon’s curious absence and his shady response to the song.

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Raekwon went on to reveal that he was on “strike” from the group and had some choice words for leader RZA, who then responded by giving him a 30-day deadline to record contributions to the album.

Well, that’s water under the bridge, and the two have settled their differences -- at least enough to complete the album and ink the new deal.

“Wu-Tang Clan is excited to join the Warner family of esteemed artists. After 20 years in the business with different label outlets, we are delighted to be amongst a team of industry professionals who understand our unique artistry and will help spread it to the masses unadulterated,” the group said in a statement. “In the words of Ghostface, when it comes to being signed to Warner Bros., ‘we’re getting Bugs Bunny money.’”

And on the subject of “getting Bugs Bunny money,” the group’s secret, single-edition album, “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin” – which they are auctioning off -- is still up for play.

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