RZA has continued to remain relevant in Hip Hop despite being an elder statesman of the genre — and the Wu-Tang Clan founder has once again dropped some heat, but not in the form of music.
Billboard has revealed that RZA’s newest drop is a Crosley vinyl record player, which he revealed on Thursday (June 22). The record player, which was designed and signed by the rapper and film writer, was done in conjunction with Ballantine’s whiskey, with whom he has a partnership.
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The player will be available for purchase on June 30, and is the first of RZA’s many creative offerings with the company that will also include music, food, and fashion offerings.
“Whether it’s discovering new music, trying out new recipes or getting your hands on a limited-edition capsule collection, each drop “will see RZA explore his passions, showing there truly is no wrong way to express yourself,” read a company statement about the collaboration, per Billboard.
Check out the cool new gadget below.
Introducing @RZA presents: Ballantines x @CrosleyRadio C6 record player and Montero bluetooth speaker. Dropping June 30th.
This is just the beginning… https://t.co/0nv29qyiqx
#StayTruepic.twitter.com/78pVr7tdCu
— Ballantine's (@Ballantines) June 20, 2023
As one of the elder statesmen of Hip Hop, RZA has been contributing to the culture for more than 30 years. But more important than his impact on music — which cannot be overstated — is his impact on the next generation, as he did with the late ODB‘s son, Weather Park.
In a recent interview with AllHipHop, Weather Park discussed the role the Wu Tang Clan leader has played in his life and how his presence has helped him navigate life’s challenges since his father transitioned in 2004.
“I would call RZA and just ask him questions about anything like meditation, thinking, breathing skills, just things to keep the mental health in order,” Weather Park said. “As we both know, I lost my dad. So without my dad, I would say that I had to figure out a lot of things on my own. But having a great mind like RZA just available to speak to me is super helpful to my life. Just keeping my head on the swivel, even though I was maybe facing things that an average person from New York City is facing.”
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He continued: “I applaud him for even being in my life, even if it was at its littlest degree. I applaud him for it because the time that he took just to talk to me was enough to let me go back and read a book, you know what I mean? And not just because I’m around the Abbot. It’s more about I have to continuously be teaching myself something.
“So I don’t know, I guess that’s the perfect way to word it. Yeah, just very impactful. I would say his relationship in my life is very impactful.”
