RZA has announced a new album with Interpol’s Paul Banks, set to be released via Warner Bros.
“Me and Paul Banks from Interpol, we’re doing an album together,” RZA said in an interview with Rolling Stone. “I love Paul. We’re been working on it for six months now. He just left my house. He came and spent two weeks at my house. I have a guesthouse in my studio. Warner Bros., they gave us a deal. Musically that’s what I’m doing.”
RZA also explained how the collaborative project came about.
“My manager came to me and said, ‘Who do you want to do an album with?’ I said, ‘Well, Paul just has an energy about him. I think if we put our sandwich together it will be great.’ Me and Paul, we play chess together and just hang out. We went to the studio and we started writing songs and they sound very, very different than what I do, but very unique and very peculiar. But it won’t be out for a while. It may take us a year to finish this album. That’s where my heart is at musically.”
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Interpol has released several albums, including 2002’s Turn On The Bright Lights, 2004’s Antics, 2007’s Our Love to Admire and 2010’s self-titled project.
RZA Says Wu-Tang Is Forever, But Doesn’t Speak On Plans
In the interview, RZA is also asked if Wu-Tang Clan has plans beyond reunion shows.
“I can’t really speak on it,” RZA said. “[The booking agency] will let me know. They know my schedule. Anything for Wu-Tang I’m always happy to do. Wu-Tang is forever.”
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Wu-Tang Clan was recently on tour with Rock the Bells, before the festival cancelled its final two of four shows. The group experienced criticism due to technical difficulties in Rock the Bells’ opening show and due to missing members (Ghostface Killah and Raekwon) in both of the festival dates. The group has discussed recording and releasing a Wu-Tang Clan album, though no official release date has been provided. 2013 marks the 20-year anniversary of the group’s debut album, 1993’s Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers.
RZA To Play Police Officer In Fox Television Series “Gang Related”
Beyond music, RZA is also focusing on television. RZA spoke about this during his Rolling Stone interview, announcing his new program set to be on FOX.
“The best thing I can say about it is that usually a show like this would be on cable,” RZA said. “Fox has been very edgy and very bold by putting this material on national TV. It’s set right here in California between Northern California and Southern California. It’s based around a lot of gang culture that’s here. It really taps into that, whether it’s the black gangs, the Korean gangs, the Mexican gangs, the Russian gangs…It’s midseason, so I think we’ll finish filming by January. We’re filming 13 [episodes] right now.”
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RZA is set to star in the series as a police officer.
“I’m playing a cop,” RZA says. “My deejay spent 18 years as a cop in Red Hook. We grew up in high school together. He’s my deejay now. I asked him so many questions about being a cop. He don’t know he’s my reference. Some days I copy this motherfucker. I was a criminal and he was a cop – he was a good cop and I was a good criminal – and he would come to my house and tell me these stories. And I’d have my stories and I’d pull out some weird-ass fucking gun and he’d look at my gun and go, ‘You know what kind of call I could get for this shit?’ But also the TV show has hired great police to help us with the real shit. I’m learning a lot.”
RZA has been on several television programs, including “Californication.” He’s also acted in several films, such as American Gangster, Funny People and Due Date.
RELATED: RZA Explains Ghostface Killah & Raekwon Rock The Bells Absensces
