RZA Talks

[Jammin]

http://www.list.co.uk/article/7615-triptych-rza/


What a Trip

After eight years of blowing minds with wild weekends of brave new sounds, Triptych will soon be no more. To celebrate the final instalment of the music festival, we talk to some of the most exciting acts on this year’s bill including soul brother Jamie Lidell, indie gods Sebadoh and a true innovator, Wu-Tang Clan head honcho the RZA. First up, David Pollock talks to him about growing up in the rap game, hip hop philosophy and his mentor, Quentin Tarantino
RZA

‘I got knowledge at a young age, but I didn’t properly accept it in my word and my heart and my actions until I was about 23.’ RZA is sermonising here, but that’s something he’s famed for. When he exploded into the global music consciousness in 1993, as leader of the ferocious nine-headed beast that is Staten Island’s Wu-Tang Clan, hip hop music changed for ever. The group showed up with a sound, lyrical attitude and RZA provided a cerebral and musical centre as producer and de facto spokesman, keen to espouse his ideas through analogies about chess or obscure marshal arts. A refreshing antidote to the booty and bling vacuity of the era.

On top of this he has earned plaudits as the scorer of cunning film soundtracks for the likes of Jim Jarmusch’s Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai and both instalments of Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill. He is, you should know, a man worth listening to.

‘It’s like kung-fu,’ he continues. ‘You could have a black belt at the age of 15, but you won’t be fully powerful for ten more years. That’s like life to me; I’ve been doing this since I was 18, but I’m still learning. It wasn’t till I was 23 that I decided I was going to live my life uphill, to chase that dream everyone has for economical freedom, for freedom to be myself. That’s when I started living righteous’.

Here, Robert Diggs – former ‘bad boy’ and now a father and successful businessman – is defining the difference between his RZA and Bobby Digital personas, the latter of which he’ll be appearing under at these dates.

‘My music’s intended to chronicle my life,’ he says. ‘You talk to me today as RZA, I speak about makin’ and scorin’ movies, and sittin’ out here in Malibu. But that part of me took years to get here, and when I go back to my past, I go back to Bobby’s world. The RZA is what I’m elevated to, while Bobby’s like a flashback in the movies, the bit when you see the guy when he was young and he was a fuckin’ maniac.’

An excuse to speak about gangsters and guns and all the vices the older RZA has left behind, ‘Bobby’ first appeared on 1998’s RZA as Bobby Digital in Stereo album, and will be back on his currently-in-production new solo album. RZA doesn’t say much about the record, while he plays his cards close to his chest on whether or not last year’s 8 Diagrams will be the last Wu-Tang Clan record (the first since 2001’s Iron Flag, the making of which was plagued by rumours of internal strife). It’s a non-musical project, in fact, which seems to have him most excited at the moment.

‘I start directing my first feature film in November,’ he says. ‘It’s called The Man With the Iron Fist, it’s gonna be a classic. For the last six years I’ve been mentored by Mr Tarantino, the best film school you can go to. We became buddies and watched films together, I sat in on his last three movies, and I got the green light only a few months ago, I graduated class and I’m ready to go to work!’

The truth is, RZA has never really stopped, and this is just the next phase in one of the most seminal careers in hip hop history.

The RZA plays the Liquid Room, Edinburgh, Fri 25 Apr; Arches, Glasgow, Sat 26 Apr. He presents special screenings of Ghost Dog at Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Fri 25 Apr; GFT, Glasgow, Sat 26 Apr.

[claaa7]

thanks for the post but damn it seems RZA is getting way to caught up with all this movie and Hollywood shit. That's all he wanna talk about in these interviews these days.. We don't need another powerful hip-hop act going Hollywood and not being able to get back to where they once were..

[LuckyTheWonderDog]

And RZA doesn't need you or any of us. He made his music we enjoyed it. If he wants to go to Hollywood and do that now then good luck to him. He's not our slave. He has to do what he wants to do, it's his life.

Can you imagine if you got bored with your job and were given an exciting new opportunity elsewhere, only for your boss or customers to inform you that you have to forget about your goals and dreams cos what they want you to do is more important.

Thanks Jammin.

[HarlemDiplomat]

Originally Posted by claaa7

thanks for the post but damn it seems RZA is getting way to caught up with all this movie and Hollywood shit. That's all he wanna talk about in these interviews these days.. We don't need another powerful hip-hop act going Hollywood and not being able to get back to where they once were..

I mean, but lets be serious... you have a groundbreaking legendary producer from NY doing scores for films. Its unreal, and I think RZA is just broadening his horizons and tryna take on a new genre of music.

Cause after 8 Diagrams I don't think I really wanna hear him on the G-Seres anymore unless its on the big screen.

[THE W]

he said in another interview posted here that he's gonna do this last digi album than MAYBE the cure(fat chance) and then he's retiring from making hiphop music and gonna focus on his career in the film world.




its been real....

[Tyler Durden]

Let him do his film thing.
Hell, I love his music, I would love it if his films were as good as that, I don't expect them to be but if they were, it would be fucking brilliant.

Shit, if I knew the people he knew, I'd go for it in directing and writing.

[JehovAllah]

Originally Posted by Jammin

http://www.list.co.uk/article/7615-triptych-rza/


What a Trip

After eight years of blowing minds with wild weekends of brave new sounds, Triptych will soon be no more. To celebrate the final instalment of the music festival, we talk to some of the most exciting acts on this year’s bill including soul brother Jamie Lidell, indie gods Sebadoh and a true innovator, Wu-Tang Clan head honcho the RZA. First up, David Pollock talks to him about growing up in the rap game, hip hop philosophy and his mentor, Quentin Tarantino
RZA

‘I got knowledge at a young age, but I didn’t properly accept it in my word and my heart and my actions until I was about 23.’ RZA is sermonising here, but that’s something he’s famed for. When he exploded into the global music consciousness in 1993, as leader of the ferocious nine-headed beast that is Staten Island’s Wu-Tang Clan, hip hop music changed for ever. The group showed up with a sound, lyrical attitude and RZA provided a cerebral and musical centre as producer and de facto spokesman, keen to espouse his ideas through analogies about chess or obscure marshal arts. A refreshing antidote to the booty and bling vacuity of the era.

On top of this he has earned plaudits as the scorer of cunning film soundtracks for the likes of Jim Jarmusch’s Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai and both instalments of Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill. He is, you should know, a man worth listening to.

‘It’s like kung-fu,’ he continues. ‘You could have a black belt at the age of 15, but you won’t be fully powerful for ten more years. That’s like life to me; I’ve been doing this since I was 18, but I’m still learning. It wasn’t till I was 23 that I decided I was going to live my life uphill, to chase that dream everyone has for economical freedom, for freedom to be myself. That’s when I started living righteous’.

Here, Robert Diggs – former ‘bad boy’ and now a father and successful businessman – is defining the difference between his RZA and Bobby Digital personas, the latter of which he’ll be appearing under at these dates.

‘My music’s intended to chronicle my life,’ he says. ‘You talk to me today as RZA, I speak about makin’ and scorin’ movies, and sittin’ out here in Malibu. But that part of me took years to get here, and when I go back to my past, I go back to Bobby’s world. The RZA is what I’m elevated to, while Bobby’s like a flashback in the movies, the bit when you see the guy when he was young and he was a fuckin’ maniac.’

An excuse to speak about gangsters and guns and all the vices the older RZA has left behind, ‘Bobby’ first appeared on 1998’s RZA as Bobby Digital in Stereo album, and will be back on his currently-in-production new solo album. RZA doesn’t say much about the record, while he plays his cards close to his chest on whether or not last year’s 8 Diagrams will be the last Wu-Tang Clan record (the first since 2001’s Iron Flag, the making of which was plagued by rumours of internal strife). It’s a non-musical project, in fact, which seems to have him most excited at the moment.

‘I start directing my first feature film in November,’ he says. ‘It’s called The Man With the Iron Fist, it’s gonna be a classic. For the last six years I’ve been mentored by Mr Tarantino, the best film school you can go to. We became buddies and watched films together, I sat in on his last three movies, and I got the green light only a few months ago, I graduated class and I’m ready to go to work!’

The truth is, RZA has never really stopped, and this is just the next phase in one of the most seminal careers in hip hop history.

The RZA plays the Liquid Room, Edinburgh, Fri 25 Apr; Arches, Glasgow, Sat 26 Apr. He presents special screenings of Ghost Dog at Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Fri 25 Apr; GFT, Glasgow, Sat 26 Apr.

good stuff, thanx!

Originally Posted by claaa7

thanks for the post but damn it seems RZA is getting way to caught up with all this movie and Hollywood shit. That's all he wanna talk about in these interviews these days.. We don't need another powerful hip-hop act going Hollywood and not being able to get back to where they once were..

he knows hip hop is dead, so y not venture in his other talents! i mean as long as he doesnt start a band where hes playing lead guitar lol

Originally Posted by Spinx

And RZA doesn't need you or any of us. He made his music we enjoyed it. If he wants to go to Hollywood and do that now then good luck to him. He's not our slave. He has to do what he wants to do, it's his life.

Can you imagine if you got bored with your job and were given an exciting new opportunity elsewhere, only for your boss or customers to inform you that you have to forget about your goals and dreams cos what they want you to do is more important.

Thanks Jammin.

word word. plus i cee his albums as movies already so it would be like a 2 hour intermission hhahahaha nameen

Originally Posted by HarlemDiplomat

I mean, but lets be serious... you have a groundbreaking legendary producer from NY doing scores for films. Its unreal, and I think RZA is just broadening his horizons and tryna take on a new genre of music.

Cause after 8 Diagrams I don't think I really wanna hear him on the G-Seres anymore unless its on the big screen.

like i said as long as he doesnt start a band n shit!

Originally Posted by wadedigital36

he said in another interview posted here that he's gonna do this last digi album than MAYBE the cure(fat chance) and then he's retiring from making hiphop music and gonna focus on his career in the film world.




its been real....

its good for him imo given da state of hiphop right now!

Originally Posted by PowerWisdom

Let him do his film thing.
Hell, I love his music, I would love it if his films were as good as that, I don't expect them to be but if they were, it would be fucking brilliant.

Shit, if I knew the people he knew, I'd go for it in directing and writing.

co sign!

[biblebullet]

just let the dude be

[rich gannon]

at his age i'm sure he realizes that he aint gonna be able to put out too many more albums, i dont know his exact age i'm sure most of you do but i'm thinkin 40. i dont think hes gonna be rappin at 45 years old, maybe he'll still produce. doin movies is a way for him to do somethin he loves and stay in the lime light and if successful make way more money then he would as a 45 year old rapper, he could make more money off 1 or 2 big ass movie hits then hes ever made doin music, especially if he does the whole thing...producer, writer, director and the soundtrack. with tarantino behind him you know hes bein taught the right way so his shit is probly gonna come out right.

i'm lookin forward to seein his movie or movies.

[THE W]

what im saying is he wants to move on to something else so let him. he's given hiphop more than enough.

[TSA]

^true, the man has put in his dues and a good think going on forever starts to suck.

if he wants to expand into movies, do that shit, do that shit, do it.
he's too talented to confine to hip hop alone