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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.’”

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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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