Mathematics

A member of the Wu-Tang family, DJ and producer Mathematics, aka Allah Mathematics, is the man to whom his brethren turn for that classic grimy sound, and he's an artist in his own right. An accomplished beatmaker before he started putting together projects of his own, he established himself by producing tracks such as Ghostface Killah's "Wu Banga 101," Wu-Tang Clan's "Rules," and RZA's "Must Be Bobby." Love Hell or Right (Da Come Up), his 2003 debut solo album, arrived shortly thereafter, and with its appearances from a mix of Wu affiliates and emergent MCs, it set the tone for what was to come. Mathematics followed up with the anti-violence concept album The Problem in 2005 and issued The Answer eight years later. In partnership with Wu-Tang, he produced the entirety of 2017's The Saga Continues and either produced or co-produced every track on 2025's Black Samson, The Bastard Swordsman. Also a graphic artist, Mathematics designed the Wu-Tang Clan logo and GZA's "G" logo. Born and raised in Jamaica, Queens, Mathematics was exposed to hip-hop culture at an early age. His older brother brought home mixtapes of Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, Treacherous Three, Cold Crush Brothers, and others jamming at area block parties. There were no dual tape decks at the time, so Mathematics and his brother made copies by pushing two boom boxes together, one playing and one recording. The future producer originally thought of himself as an MC and imitated Spoonie Gee, Melle Mel, Kool Moe Dee, and other favorites, but a realization that it was the DJ who controlled the tempo and flow changed everything. Influenced by early greats like Grandmaster Flash, Grand Wizard Theodore, and DJ Charlie Chase, Mathematics started DJing block parties in the 1980s while his brother hooked him up with future Wu-Tang member GZA. GZA was working with the Cold Chillin' label and needed a DJ, but this was only the beginning of Mathematics' Wu-Tang association. GZA's family lived around the corner from Mathematics, and one day GZA called the young DJ to go to Queens and watch his cousin shoot a video. The video was for "Ooh I Love You Rakeem" by Prince Rakeem, and Mathematics was shocked to find out that Rakeem was actually an old friend, Robert Diggs, aka the RZA. Over time, RZA taught Mathematics all he knew about production, like how to use samplers and how important it is to have your own voice. At the time, the copyright rules for sampling stated that if you kept a sample under three seconds you didn't have to get label clearance. To avoid the need for clearance, Mathematics sped up old soul records and created a sound that has since become widely imitated. He picked up his earliest credits with tracks such as D Vine's 1994 single "Fit In 2 My Structure" and Ghostface Killah's "Fast Life" (recorded with football star Andre Rison for the NFL Jams compilation). During this period, Mathematics additionally contributed to the Wu universe by designing the "G" logo for GZA's Liquid Swords. "Wu Banga 101" from Ghost's Supreme Clientele, "Rules" from the Wu's Iron Flag, and uncredited work on "Must Be Bobby" from RZA's Digital Bullet account for some of Mathematics' major subsequent contributions as a producer. In 2003, Mathematics released his first full-length, Love Hell or Right (Da Come Up) on his own Quewisha Records label in conjunction with High Times Records. The whole of the Wu-Tang Clan, along with the likes of Buddah Bless and Icarus da Don, made contributions. The same year, Mathematics wrote the theme and additional music for Wanda Sykes' television show Wanda at Large. Within only a couple more years, Mathematics returned with The Problem, a conceptual set highlighted by an energized turn from Method Man on "John 3:16" and the strong finale "Spotlite," on which Meth, Cappadonna, U-God, and Inspectah Deck shared the mike. (Both Love Hell or Right and The Problem were preceded by promotional mixtapes.) Mathematics then tended to his archive with Soul of a Man, a double-disc set combining vintage and previously unreleased tracks, and he presented Wu-Tang Clan & Friends: Unreleased and Return of the Wu & Friends. Meanwhile, Mathematics also produced material for another round of Wu-Tang projects such as Method Man's 4:21...The Day After, Wu-Tang's 8 Diagrams, Meth and Redman's Blackout! 2, and Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2. That activity continued well into the 2010s with productions on Meth, Ghost, and Rae's Wu Massacre, Hell Razah's Heaven Razah, and Masta Killa's Selling My Soul. He was also involved with Limp Bizkit's Gold Cobra. In 2013, he issued The Answer, which in addition to numerous upcoming MCs and Wu-Tang members also featured P-Funk's George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, and Gary "Mudbone" Cooper, along with Redman, on a track inspired by Bootsy's "I'd Rather Be with You." Next, Mathematics produced all of Wu-Tang's 2017 album The Saga Continues. Apart from occasional assistance from fellow producers such as RZA on a handful of cuts, he also produced all of Wu-Tang's Black Samson, The Bastard Swordsman, for which he was billed as the co-headliner.