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Questionnaire: The RZA |
Posted by ZAk on Thursday, February 15, 2007 - 01:01 AM
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What are you up to?
Right now Im recording a Bobby Digital album, but also the most important
thing this year Wu-Tang Clan. We got [Raekwon's] Cuban Linx 2 in the bag, we
just have to wait for them to take the gag off. That shit right there is fire.
It's what I was working on the whole last year, so my part for that is done now
so I get to move on and do other things. If things go the way they should go, I
think it should go like this: Wu-Tang in June and Raekwon in September, and it's
a fuckin' great year for hip-hop. Afro Samurai is out right now, and that's
something like a fusion I would say. You've got Japanese animation combining
with hip-hop. That's something like a collector's item, know what I mean? I made
the soundtrack in a way that it's also like a collector's item because here
you've got Big Daddy Kane. When was the last time you heard a Big Daddy Kane
verse? How about a new verse from Q-Tip? How about Big Daddy Kane with the GZA?
So this is a soundtrack I made for the animation five series on Spike TV. A
lot of kids are goin' crazy for it and there was a big cult following ahead of
time. It went to Comic Con and there were 3,000 kids, like it was a damn
concert, for the trailer.
What are your current fixations?
I'm studying to be a chess master. I played chess all my life but I never
studied it. So far I have a year of studying they say it takes about five
years to become a master. I've been studying guitar, and I have a year in on
that. I'm being taught by Shavo of System of a Down. So in my leisure
time I like to study and play chess and play on my guitar, which sounds kind of
fucking funny and shit, I know. I'm still also into studying martial arts
philosophy though. I watch kung-fu films every night that's my fix, yo. Ten
Tigers from Kuangtung, digitally remastered, you know what I mean? I got a
100-inch screen in my crib it sure feels good watching that shit.
Name something you consider a mind-altering work of art:
Music. There's days when I'm playin' that guitar for two hours, man. Three hours
if no one fuckin' bothers me. Or I might sit at my piano for two hours. I get
lost in that world to a point where I felt like it was wrong. That's a lot of
time for a man to be sitting doing some shit that's just a bunch of notes. The
world needs me! Sometimes I feel like I need to be out there helping the world
and teaching, but these last two years I've just had time to be with myself.
That might be a little selfish or whatever, but I think I needed that, yo. Gets
me ready for this next war we got to fight.
What has been your most memorable or inspirational gig and why?
Even though I could go through a whole list of them, but the first thing that
popped into my head was Wu-Tang at San Bernadino with ODB (July 17, 2004). It
actually ended up being the final performance he did with us. Nobody knew it was
going to be that. I'm never going to forget that night in a positive and
negative way. The whole crew on stage, yo, with kids that have never seen that
before. I'm so glad there's a DVD. I've watched it many times and I've got a box
that I keep to myself and give it to good friends only.
What have been your career highs and lows?
Wu-Tang Forever. That was a career high. The year that album came out and the
vibe that I was feeling? Personally I was fucked up with domestic problems, but
on a business and celebrity side? I was the fuckin' man! I felt it, you know
what I mean? Also the Hip-Hop Honours last year I never smiled so much in my
life! Most of those [honoured] were around for 20 and I had about 12, 13 years
on them! I kind of got honoured as a young man, yo. That means I did that amount
of work in that time, so that's a blessing too. The low point was actually the
same year when we decided to chill on the Rage Against the Machine tour. I
didn't understand what the crew wanted that we didn't have and we were getting.
So that kind of confused me and pushed me to the Bobby Digital world and I
started being crazier, and you can sort of follow my path from there. But I had
a second wind on Kill Bill, you know what I mean? I had a chance to express a
whole new talent with a whole new chamber of good people and good friends, and
actually have a whole new career start.
Whats the meanest thing ever said to you before, during or after a gig?
The meanest thing happened during a show, on stage. U-God said, Yo, get the
fuck out of here if you're doin' that bullshit. Let me tell you why he said it:
he has an illusion that no matter what it is, I got something to do with it. It
was one of those shows where we were running overtime and someone had to get
cut. Now I don't know what's going on I actually missed the first two days of
the tour so this is my first day. So I don't even know the plan or nothing, I'm
just jumping in and shit. So then the DJ starts to play his song that he
usually does I guess. And U-God thought I went up and told the DJ not to play
his song. I don't know where he got that from, but in the middle of the show
sometimes we give each other this look to make the energy go up or vibe in, and
he was like, "Get the fuck outta' here. You're on some fuckin' bullshit." I
almost wanted to fight and shit, nah mean? But then I was like, "This nigga's
crazy." (laughs) Then after the show I found out why he said it and I was like,
"Your imagination is crazy sometimes, son. Why the fuck do I give a fuck what
you do?" I'm the Abbott, so being the Abbott makes you responsible for
everything even if you're responsible for it or not. It was one of meanest
things said to me because I only get love and respect at shows, even if that
sounds corny.
What should everyone shut up about?
That's a good one, yo. Insignificant things of the past. If it's the good things
then you should never shut up because it's your culture and thread, but the shit
that don't mean nothing? Shut the fuck up about that shit. All the problems? I
don't want to hear that. What's a nigga doing today, you know?
What are your feelings on piracy, internet or otherwise?
When they first started talking about it I didn't really care, but I didn't know
it was going to have such a major effect on the entire industry to a point where
million dollar deals are now worth $300,000. That's kind of deep in a sense
because the price of everything went up, like to live in New York used to cost
$2,000 now costs $4,000. But you're not making that million dollars, you're now
making half-a-million. The companies are losing so much money that the artists
are losing so much money. So at first [piracy] wasn't a problem I was actually
one of the people saying, "Yo, let them download it, man! Music is made to be
heard!" And I agree, music is made to be heard but at the same time it does cost
money to make this shit. Studio's are $2,000 a fuckin' day sometimes. And I try
to get a hook up and they won't give me one. They cost a lot of money for me to
make music, so when someone just downloads it for free without giving any kind
of compensation back to my cause it does create a problem. It's a touchy
situation because I was kind of advocating downloads but I didn't know it was
going to cripple the business, yo.
By Noel Dix | January 31, 2007 | Read the full interview right
HERE.
The RZA is involved in new project band called ACHOZEN with Shavo Odadjian,
you can download some bootlegs videos for the two of them (and others) jam'in
live on key Club last December in this
location.
Check Achozen on myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/achozen
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Comments
onlysolution89
15.02.07, 03:15
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well, he didnt really say much about Shavo
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ZAk
15.02.07, 04:40
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yeah apart from the Chess and Guitar thing, but it was fun!
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tiffanyevett
15.02.07, 04:40
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i agee with u , all he side about shavo was the chess thing that was it , weird
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AK
15.02.07, 06:06
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yeah, its really interesting b/c theres a whole section on chess in the wu-tang manual. its really realllly interesting. my brother actually just got the afro samurai cd too! he works at a music label so they gave it to him before it was even distributed! rza is sick!!!
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alma
15.02.07, 08:39
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Cool interview actually although he did not say too much about Shavo.
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antihippy
15.02.07, 10:20
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i agree with what he said about downloading, though i download myself :P. though it is because i want to hear how a band sounds like before buying them.
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Fumo
15.02.07, 22:04
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hmm RZA doesn't seem to be a teenager and he is learning to play guitar so maybe there is a chance for me? I must only find a decent teacher ;-)
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~Washu
16.02.07, 01:36
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He sounds cool... Poor guy gets blamed for everything like I do. ;)
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Karanime
17.02.07, 19:17
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Hey, on the piracy thing: Should they just make the singles available for download? Then people can download that 'awesome song I heard on MTV!' It's like STA!
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