RZA was on his way to Comic-Con 2018 in San Diego when he picked up the phone. The Wu-Tang Clan mastermind and production guru was scheduled to appear on a panel to discuss his upcoming film, Cut Throat City, which he directed.
Starring Wesley Snipes, T.I., Shameik Moore, Demetrius Shipp Jr. and Terrence Howard, the movie takes place in New Orleans right as Hurricane Katrina hits. In the storm’s aftermath, four childhood friends discover they’ve lost everything and decide to pull an unconventional heist in the heart of the city.
It wasn’t difficult for RZA to imagine himself in their shoes. He drew comparisons to his life growing up in Staten Island, New York.
“I felt like what these four guys was going through was similar to what we go through in my neighborhood,” he tells HipHopDX. “Just being men who, based on environment and unfortunate conditions, sometimes is pushed to do acts of desperation.
“There’s so many young men in the penal system or in a pine box underneath the ground that could’ve been great artists, or great musicians, or professors, doctors or anything they wanted to be, but situations and conditions and environments forces them to take the wrong path. This story was touching on that, and I wanted to help bring it to the screen and I had the ability to do it and the writer trusted me to play with the draft and turn it into my own thing, and here we are. ”
It’s been a long journey for RZA. Wu-Tang rose to prominence in the early ’90s and has since become one of the most recognizable names in Hip Hop. Nearly 30 years later, the various members of the group — RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa and Cappadonna — are still spitting out albums and touring the world.
As a collective, they just dropped their Wu Tang: The Saga Continues compilation last October. Most groups, especially those as large as Wu-Tang, don’t stick around so long, but RZA believes it’s the universal themes in their music that keep reeling in new fans.
“I think that our life, especially in our youth and the way we expressed it in our music, I think that it still resonates with youth of today and will continue to resonate,” he explains. “It’s a part of life that people go through and some of the things we rap about and some of the images we put in our lyrics, and some of the sounds that’s in our music, it captured that youth of growing up.”
RZA continues, “It also solidly resonates as an adult because some of the themes still work. You know you think, ‘Can it all be so simple?’ You know you get older, you look back when things were simpler, you realize that after the laughter’s dead, tears do come, you know?
“You know you gotta protect your neck, but you also wanna party on some Method Man you know? You wanna bring the ruckus, you know what I mean? All those ideas — I think, cash rules everything’s around me — that may never run out [laughs].”
While reflecting on Wu-Tang’s longevity, something GZA pointed out during a show in London stuck with RZA and left him with an overwhelming sense of gratitude. As they were looking out at the audience, The Genius mentioned that Wu-Tang’s seminal album — 1993’s Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) — was released before some of their fans were even born.
“I’m finding as we’re doing these shows, like GZA pointed out, he was like, ‘There’s 19-year-olds in the crowd and our album is older than some of them,” he says. “Our music is older than some of these kids and they were sitting there yelling the lyrics, bringing the ruckus, making mosh pits and feeling that energy. It’s a blessing.” [apple_news_ad type=”any”]
WU-TANG CLAN is one of the greatest groups of all time in any genre. I put them up there with EWF, Nirvana, PE, GangStarr…you see where I’m coming from.
Wu Tang drops knowledge and never strayed away from being lyrical. Intelligence is always relevant which is why they have this longevity. I think their lyrics got better as they got older. Hope they keep dropping albums.
There will never be another clan. Probably the last time east coast had an identity was the original Wu era. Before RZA moved to west coast and kinda lost that grimey production sound.
True, biggie, jayz, DMX, 50 cent… None of them were NY style, rightttt? I disagree lol
Wu Tang is forever but RZA has tarnished the legacy
How is that? You gotta understand that as a leader you have a certain sense of obligation to keep it moving for your crew, there are alot of lines of pressure coming from all directions and all you can do (with the best intentions despite tough decisions and sacrifice) is keep it movin. Especially when your the one everybody looks to when they get that itch for “the next chamber” to open up. I know that there has been a little bit of financial friction amongst the group over the years but that comes with the territory of success. Name one group that hasnt had conflict with success and still rides under one flag.
Greatest group ever. Fell in love with them as soon as I heard protect ya neck in 92′ on the radio with my brother. I think alot of their sons are going to affiliate themselves in the genre as they talked about in their earlier days. They just weren’t in it to make a few dollars, they wanted to make a career out of it and keep it going thru their own kids. Already Ol’ Dirty’s son is putting in work with them for their next album. Wu Tang 4 Eva!
I loved wutang. Bat as far as a quality catalogue goes, they aren’t very good. Sooo many crap albums. Only one stellar, and one dope one. The rest were plastic rap….
To be fair tho, most rap groups only have a door album or two, and most of the others do suck.
My point exactly my nigga day mad overrated son?????????????????? yeah they had a lot of hits but shit day got like 1000 niggas rapping no homosexual
I don’t know what Hip Hop would be like today minus the Wu Tang ever hitting the scene. GOATS
Wu Tang is for the children, you’re not gonna hear the migos rapping about atilla the hun.
Man fuck those weird ass niggas the music in the time in which we’re living in makes these old bastard’s music irrelevant ? they wouldn’t be shit if they wasn’t from hoe ass dick riding NYC area those guys had some shit I liked but really they’re all dweebs with exception of the incredible Ol Dirty Bastard he was the only ONE I liked in the whole group and it’s over 1 million of those roaches bitch