Wu-Tang Clan’s legacy goes without saying, but when RZA talks the hip hop world does well when they stop to listen. It was just last summer when RZA helped bring the popular film, The Man With The Iron Fists to life. Since then, RZA has worked with such names as newcomer, Earl Sweatshirt, along with many more.
Drake released Nothing Was The Same two weeks ago and he caused quite the stir when he released “Wu-Tang Forever.” Inspectah Deck heard about the song and gave Drake a co-sign for putting it together, but after hearing the song, he took it back. Several members of the Wu-Tang Clan said they will get together and remix the song.
RZA talked to LA Weekly and he talked about Earl Sweatshirt and their collaboration. He also talked about the topic of Drake because of “Wu-Tang Forever.” The Wu-Tang Clan is confirmed to come in and do their own remix of the record that Drake will be involved in.
Read an excerpt of the interview below:
How did you end up appearing on the Earl Sweatshirt record?
I was just with [producer Christian Rich] in the studio zoning out…dropping rhymes. It wasn’t like a focused attempt to make a song. That’s real hip-hop, when you’d go to someone’s house to make a tape and just rhyme. I wasn’t even aware they were going to release it. We was just twisting ’em, sipping, making music, and eating chicken wings. That’s how hip-hop started, just MC’s coming up rapping over beats.What did you think of Drake’s “Wu Tang Forever” song?
He’s a great artist and like any soul singer or groove singer they always respect where the craft comes. I haven’t spent time with him, but I imagine that we gave him ideas on how to make his lyrics sharp enough to where he feels good at his craft.I like the vibe that he’s bringing. I was talking to Masta killa the other day about how many Wu Babies there are. You can hear it in A$AP Rocky or Big Sean. Wu-Tang is a great reference and we left a large footprint within the 23-35 year olds coming through the world.
So you disagree with Inspectah Deck saying that the song shouldn’t carry the title, “Wu-Tang forever?”
The thing is, Deck is a straight up staircase MC. He lived it and when you lived something you feel differently. What would Bruce Lee say to all the fighters now? Deck is a grandmaster and is only gonna’ see it from a grandmasters point of view.I see it as: he heard us and let the world know where his inspiration came from. Other things inspired us too. We saw kung fu movies and now I’m directing them. What would the old Chinese directors say about Man With the Iron Fists? I’m paying homage.
I look at it as a blessing. Something always comes along and puts a twist. I mean, who fucking thought of Grape Kool-Aid? Wu-Tang is the foundation that sparked a lot of energy to the musical world. It’s also an American product. The American product is always changing. You’re probably talking to me on your cell phone. Before that, you had to be locked into a phone plugged into a wall. Before that, we would have had to speak in person.
