Throwback: Muggs Claims Rza Stole His Style .

[iniquity]

Thaformula.Com - Now I could be wrong about this but I always felt that before Rza did his thing, you were really the one who set off that dirty, grimy, hardcore sound that Wu did.

DJ Muggs - Oh, I did do it before RZA did it.

Thaformula.Com - Yeah, I would get into arguments with kids about that. I always felt that you set it off first and basically others followed.

DJ Muggs - Yeah, he just had different MC's. Oh for sure you can look at somebody like that. You could even look at Mobb Deep's style of production and you can even take it a step further. Look how they took the whole "Black Sunday" album. "Black Sunday" gave birth to horror core Hip-Hop. It gave birth to the Gravediggaz. We invented a whole style of rap. Who came out at that time? The Flatlinerz too. That's all off of the "Black Sunday" imagery. Coming out with that dark, gothic, Black Sabbath imagery and these groups were like, "oh lets do that shit." So, boom, boom, boom. If you want to get blatant, on the last Wualbum, the single RZA put out.

Thaformula.Com - "The Jump Off" beat right?

DJ Muggs - It was just, uh, It was my beat. Straight the fuck up. You know on the first album Cypress brought the weed into the Hip-Hop game. Cypress brought the darkness back into the game. The put your hoodie on, the put your Timb boots on Hip-Hop, and you know we brought the East Coast ghetto vibe back into the game and then B-Real brought the afro back into the game. We just brought all these things. We brought making hardcore records cool again. Second album, boom we brought touring with rock groups. We opened that door a lot more. The Beastie Boys were doing it a little, but we opened it up to where it was like everybody go tour with a rock group now, its good and we brought that imagery that just set off that whole horror-core shit. The next record we come out and I brought a whole 'nother side into the game. I brought the whole samplin' Indian records and sitars that muthafuckers are barely doing now. This is about 8 to 9 years before muthafuckas start doing it. I was already into the sitars and shit like that. Then we stepped back and moved my way into the Soul Assassin record. Right around that time I was kind of done with Cypress at that time. Ifelt Cypress reached its peek with "Temples of Boom" and I felt that it was done. After "Temple," I figured it was done. It becomes too easy so you go and you don't even try as much. It's like playing a little kids baseball team. Grown men playing little kids. Its just like youbeat 'em and then its like why even go to the park and play again, its too easy. This is just with Cypress I'm talkin' about. It just became easy for us, but it's a group and I told them I'd roll until the wheels fall off. So what you all want to rap on, boom, I'll do this shit, dadadada. You can't do the same thing over cause people get tired of that. 'Cause you know what happens, "oh he's doing the same shit." I can go back and do that though. See what I needed to do is go reinvent new sounds and new styles for myself. I can always tap into thatstyle forever. I'll bring it back when its time. When its time and when the game is open for it and I find the right MC and they wanna come out like that then cool. But MC's don't wanna come out like that no more.

[Jammin]

the cypress hill song sounds like the winter warz beat

[Ghost In The 'Lac]

To me Muggs and RZA's production were nothing like each others.

First of all, all of RZA's early works were 100% based in soul sampling. That wasnt really what Muggs was doing. Old Wu tracks sounded dirty and raw because of a mix of lack of good sampling equipment, and RZA deciding to use that lack of pro-equipment to his advantage in making his tracks ultra-rugged, which was creeping in the NY scene at that point anyway.

If Muggs really thought RZA was specifically making his production sound dirty to be like Muggs, hes lost.

[hectis]

Rza>muggs

[cap]

i would love to hear rza's response. not many can fuck with dj muggs on the production tip. rza being one of those few!

[FasterBlade]

the last part is kind of funny, seeing that Cypress hasnt released a good album since this interview. guess it wasnt kids play after all, they played themselves time and time again after 2000

as far as influence, im sure RZA was inspired a bit by Muggs, no doubt about it. but jacking his style? nah fam, go fish

[Ghost In The 'Lac]

wait Muggs is a herb for this one

so what wouldve been the CH album RZA couldve heard before he started making PYN and 36 (in 1992)....the only CH album came out before then was in 91.. He really thinks RZA took his style of that album? pffffft

"Black Sunday" gave birth to horror core Hip-Hop. It gave birth to the Gravediggaz.

LOL hes fucking up here, Gravediggaz album was recorded before 36 chambers even, Muggs dont know what the fuck hes talking about, too much weed

[Dr. Simon Hurt]

this interview is old as fuck, at least 8-10 years old.

rza produced 'killa hill niggas' on temples of boom anyway.

besides, he is kind of right about 'black sunday'...i don't know that influenced 'horror core', but it definitely set a precedent that allowed gravediggaz and flatlinerz to be seen on MTV.

[Luz]

Rza style comes from Prince Paul way more than it does from Muggs.

[THE W]

yeah and raekwon wasnt the first rapper to make mafioso themed album but every rapper and their mama didnt want to be a rap mob boss because of kool g rap.

[Assassinss Wu]

Na.. RZA & Muggs Diferent Style, Love Muggs, But RZA is Da Master!!

[angry!]

muggs was just buggin... obviously high as fuck...

spilled milk in a barn!!!!!!!!!!!!!

rza got the first outside production credit on a cypress album on III... the respect always been there...

and GOAT producers always backhand the fuck out of eachother when givin props...it must be painful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

like when rza will name check an alchemist, a just blaze,a kanye, then call them his babies!!!!!!!!!

i was thinkin...

MUGGS SHOULD DO AN ALBUM WITH KILLAH PRIEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

dj wool can empty the ash tray and get lunch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[patriquino]

One thing is sure, Muggs knows how to imitate RZA very well, just listen to Third World off Soul Assassins. I guess it was meant to sound like RZA, and it does. Its a great beat. Obe of the best he ever made in my opinion.
It's been said before Rza>Muggs, and i co-sign.

[CEITEDMOFO]

MUGGS AND RZA USED TO BE ILL BUT NOW SUCK ASS AND THERE STUDENTS HAVE SURpASSED THEM. ALCHEMIST WAS MUGGS STUDENT AND 4TH WAS RZAs

YOU GUYS ON RZAS DICK TOO HARD NOT KNOWING MUGGS OLD BEATS WAS KILLAH

[spiggity_ace]

i always thought of dj muggs as an east coast rza,