Wu-Tang Clan royalty RZA recently chopped it up with Apple Music host Ebro Darden for a recent episode of The Ebro Show. During the roughly 15-minute video conversation, RZA touched on the passing of DMX and wound up comparing him to the late Ol’ Dirty Bastard.
“The first time I heard him was on the radio with ‘Where My Dawgs At?’” he says. “That was ripping through New York on Hot 97 just played back-to-back and I knew automatically that it was a real dude on the mic, a real energy. I don’t like to compare artist to artist, but if I was to compare energy as far as real and rawness, I’d have to compare him to ODB. It was real, it wasn’t fabricated. When I had the chance to meet the brother, his spirit, his purity, it’s just pure. I just caught a spine tingle right there just thinking about his purity, man. It’s real.
“You can feel his danger — he was a dangerous man, trust me. People know that he was nobody to play with — but then you feel his love. He had a big, beautiful heart, yo warmth. When you real, that’s what it is. A real person has that energy to as yeah, they’ll knock you out then pick you back up and go, ‘Nah go ahead [laughs].’ He exuded that.”
Elsewhere in the interview, RZA talked about the Ghostface Killah and Raekwon The Chef Verzuz battle that took place in March, saying, “It was beautiful because they exuberated joy. Not only through the screen, but through the music as well. We forget that they got big, strong, unique personalities. When Ghost came back with the fur on, you should’ve seen me, I was cheek to cheek in the back room in the green room like yo, Tony’s just zoning in, feeling good.”
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He also revealed New Jack City director Mario Van Peebles is helping out on Season 2 of Wu-Tang: An American Saga.
“We got some great directors,” he said. “We got Mario Van Peebles helping out directing, we brought in a few film directors as well. I think it’s going to be a really cool, unique season, and I think people are going to learn a lot about Wu-Tang and about the process of making music.”
Interview: YDB Pinpoints Biggest Misconception About His Father Ol' Dirty Bastard
Speaking of making music, RZA has been staying busy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only did he star in the new action film Nobody alongside Bob Odenkirk and Christopher Lloyd, but he’s also dropped a new DJ Scratch-produced single called “Pugilism.” Released under his Bobby Digital moniker, the track is expected to appear on his forthcoming solo album.
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But that’s not all — RZA has officially re-launched 36 Cinema, which will return in full force this summer with a brand new slate of programming he’s dubbed “Saturday Afternoon Kung Fu Theater.” Find more information here and check out “Pugilism” below.
