Beats has officially launched the highly anticipated Powerbeats Pro 2, now available globally at Apple.com. To celebrate the release of its ultimate fitness earphones, the brand has assembled a powerhouse…
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On this day in 1996, Ghostface Killah’s released highly anticipated debut album Ironman was released on the Loud/RCA imprint. With exclusive in-house Wu production from True Master and the RZA coupled with Raekwon The Chef appearing on almost every song on the album, making this album one of the best concept albums completed by the nine-man conglomerate to date.
The 16-track album featured several hits that bolstered the Wu-Tang Clan’s status as the best rap collective in the game, including the haunting street saga “Motherless Child”, “All That I Got Is You” featuring Mary J. Blige and the late Popa Wu and “Winter Warz”, which appeared on the Don’t Be A Menace To South Central While Drinking Your Juice In The Hood soundtrack.
This album proceeded Ghost’s abstract lyrical content as witnessed on 2000’s Supreme Clientele LP, but its storytelling premise keeps listeners glued to the cadence and rhyme style of Mr. Coles equally as much as they are attracted to RZA’s production.
Ironman finally reached platinum status in 2004, which still proves to be Ghost’s most successful album of his career. The WTC would follow up with albums that attempt to mirror the conceptual preciseness of Ironman, however, none of the Clan’s solo projects can be compared in its totality to that of Tony Starks.
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“The Abbott” of the Wu Tang Clan held back tears during the premiere the new Ol’ Dirty Bastard documentary A Tale of Two Dirtys.
RZA was slated to participate in a Q&A panel with the documentary’s producers and members of Dirty’s family in L.A. last week, but declined to sit on the panel at the last minute after becoming overwhelmed with emotion following the screening.
Video footage shows the moment that RZA was called to the stage, but took a second to tell the people on stage that he would not be on the panel because he has “too many emotions running through my head.”
“I’m not gonna stay for the event; I got too many emotions running through my head,” he said. “I just want to thank you guys for a great — it’s my first time seeing the documentary for the first time completed so I got a lot in my head. But good job.”
See the emotional moment on stage when RZA declines sitting on the panel HERE
The documentary was directed by Sam and Jason Pollard and premiered on A&E yesterday (August 25).
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ASAP Rocky and baby RZA are the stars of the latest Savage X Fenty campaign.
In a series of orange-lit shots against a still backdrop, A$AP Rocky showcases Savage X Fenty’s signature boxers, briefs, and tees. In one photo, he carries his son RZA, who wears the brand’s child-sized items, on his shoulders. In another, Rocky faces away from the camera while holding RZA, revealing the word “DAD” braided into his hair. The campaign highlights Savage X Fenty Men’s Packs, featuring sets of boxers, briefs, and tees in three or six units. The label’s jersey tees boast a ribbed crew neck with a regular fit, while the boxers and briefs are made from cotton with ribbed fabric and elastic waistbands.
The Savage X Fenty Classics collection is now available on the brand’s website. Prices start at USD 14.95, and sizes range from XS to 4X.
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On this day in Hip Hop history, one of the culture’s most influential musical masterminds was born. Wu-Tang Clan frontman Robert Fitzgerald Diggs a.k.a. RZA was born today (July 5) in Brooklyn, New York, 49 years ago. Since stepping on the scene in 1989, RZA has done more than just create an outrageously successful career for himself and his affiliates but has also forever shaped and changed the way a lot of things are handled in the music industry. From branding to merchandising to mastery of one’s craft, RZA stands as a pillar example of how someone given nothing but their own mind can rise to be a titan in the entertainment industry.
In honor of his birthday, we’ve compiled a list of five of RZA’s most important power moves that helped to build and strengthen his empire. Spanning from music to video games, RZA’s influence can be felt across culture, color lines and international borders.
-Signing With Tommy Boy Records
RZA signed with the famous Tommy Boy Records in 1991 under the moniker Prince Rakeem and released one EP, Ooh I Love You Rakeem. Although this may not have been the most eventful or productive period of RZA’s career, his tumultuous relationship with Tommy Boy is what helped RZA to formulate his own plan to monopolize Hip Hop. His time at Tommy Boy allowed him to build vital connections with artists and executives that can been seen lasting throughout the remainder of his career. Tommy Boy gave RZA a necessary first glimpse of how the music industry works as a whole, which helped him to finesse it into something that worked for him.
-The Five-Year-Plan
In his autobiography The Tao of Wu, RZA detailed a majority of the events surrounding the ridiculous success of Wu-Tang Clan, the most prominent of these being his “Five Year Plan.” This plan, enacted in 1992 following the success of the RZA-produced Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers, was RZA’s scheme for his group to become the most powerful figures in Hip Hop as a whole and individually. In an analogy, RZA explains, “I want all of y’all [Wu-Tang] to get on this bus. And be passengers. And I’m the driver. And nobody can ask me where we going. I’m taking us to No. 1. Give me five years, and I promise that I’ll get us there.”
At the end of the five year period, Wu-Tang Clan had released the Grammy Award-winning, number one Wu-Tang Forever LP (which sold four million copies in its first six months on shelves), GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, ODB and Ghostface Killah all had Top 10 albums on the Billboard 200 chart, and Wu-Tang Clan had a successful comic book, clothing line and video game under their belt.
-Wu-Tang Clan Record Deals
As Wu-Tang’s popularity continued to grow exponentially, major labels were breaking down the door to get a piece of the action. For a short while there was a question of where the group and its members would sign. In an attempt to divide and conquer the corporate music world, RZA came up with the idea to have the majority of the members sign with competing record labels. Although from the outside this plan may seem risky and convoluted, RZA was again right on the money with this decision. Having Method Man sign with Def Jam, Raekwon sign with Loud, Ghostface Killah sign with Sony, ODB sign with Elektra and GZA sign with Geffen/MCA allowed for maximum promotion of each artist. No one company had to divvy out the funds to try and support the promo of each of these rap icon’s solo work. This also allowed record labels to work together like never before when pushing Wu-Tang Clan (who remained under Razor Sharp Records) albums because of the number of companies involved with its production. Never before or since has there been a group to sign a deal of this nature.
-Wu-Wear
In 1995 Wu-Tang released their clothing line Wu Wear, which quickly became one of Hip Hop’s most coveted streetwear brands. The brand’s importance, however, doesn’t come from its popularity but its pioneering. With Wu Wear, Wu-Tang became the first rap group to be laced from head to toe in their own gear. This again gave the group another step ahead of their competition. Even today, Wu Wear is international worn and recognized as a prominent Hip Hop streetwear brand and can be found in stores across the globe and online on various outlets.
-Hollywood Takeover
RZA’s most recent and ambitious endeavor to date is his dabbling in acting and filmmaking. As an actor, RZA has appeared in 21 films and has written and directed three. His popular The Man With The Iron Fists Kung-Fu series has proven he can successfully take his love for traditional Asian martial arts films and put his own spin on them to create something of his own. His partnership with famed director Quentin Tarantino only further validates his abilities and potential as a filmmaker and opens the door to the possibility of future projects.
RZA has yet to stop shaping Hip Hop’s culture and sound over the years, although he may not be as visibly active as he once was. His prominence in this culture is known and felt by anyone with knowledge of Hip Hop, its origins and its success as a genre. From everyone here at The Source, happy born day RZA, thank you for building such a godly culture.
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RZA recently appeared on SiriusXM’s The Tor Guide hosted by Toraeon SiriusXM’s Hip-Hop Nation. During the interview, RZA discussed recording new music with Wu-Tang Clan and announced the upcoming Wu Tang Clan Las Vegas Resdency, which is slated for February.
The show’s host Torae asked, “As we talk about new music, how often are you recording with the guys? Obviously, just coming off tour and being back together, we’ll talk about that camaraderie and that energy, but how often are you actually creating music with the guys?” RZA swiftly responded, “It’s rare. It’s getting rarer because of schedules, because of life, because of being fathers and movie stars and businessmen, but it happens. You know what I mean?” The Abbott added, “The good thing is that whether it happens with me, it still happens. Mathematics, his production skill is razor sharp, so we could just pop up and he’ll hit us with a joint. DJ Scratch has dropped a couple of joints off, Swizz Beats a couple of joint off. You know, in the old days, I was very, you know, just dominant like, “This all my beats,” and that’s because in the old days, I didn’t feel that other producers were giving the hip-hop type of beat that I thought was dope for Wu. If you pay attention to hip-hop and you listen to Wu, one thing you may recognize is that a Wu joint will come on and nobody won’t dance. Everybody listens and because of that is because I don’t want you to dance. I want you to listen, you know what I mean? That means that while a lot of producers was producing for the club and trying to make people dance and produce a radio hit, I was producing for hip-hop.”
See the entire interview below:
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RZA, the visionary leader of the Wu-Tang Clan, has announced the digital release of the Bobby Digital track “Fashionable,” featuring The Reverend Willy Burke and Earth. The single executive produced by RZA was initially part of the physical-only release of Digital Potions in November 2022. Now, fans can enjoy the track on all major digital service providers for the first time.
RZA introduced the Bobby Digital persona with his debut solo album, Bobby Digital In Stereo, which earned RIAA Gold certification in 1998.
The release of “Fashionable” aligns with the 30th anniversary of Wu-Tang Clan’s groundbreaking debut album, Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), released on November 9, 1993. Recognized as one of the most acclaimed albums in hip-hop history, it achieved platinum status within a year of its release and has since reached triple-platinum status.
To celebrate this milestone, RZA recently performed three shows with a live orchestra at NYC’s Gramercy Theater. The Wu-Tang Clan also completed the NY State of Mind Tour, alongside Nas and De La Soul, spanning multiple continents.
On November 9th, New York City honored RZA and the Wu-Tang Clan by illuminating the Empire State Building in the group’s iconic black and yellow colors. Mayor Eric Adams declared November 9th “Wu-Tang Day” in New York City, marking the enduring legacy of the influential hip-hop collective.
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RZA introduced his iconic alter ego, Bobby Digital, with his first solo album, the RIAA-Gold certified Bobby Digital In Stereo, in 1998. Today he announces the digital release of the Bobby Digital track “Fashionable,” featuring The Reverend Willy Burke and Earth via 36 Chambers ALC/MNRK Music Group. Executive produced by RZA, the track was featured on the physical-only release of Digital Potions in November 2022.
Source: UndergroundHipHopBlog.com
The 2023 UrbanWorld Film Festival, a celebration of Black talent in the film industry, recently convened in New York City. During a post-event discussion, RZA unveiled a captivating story linking Ol Dirty Bastard (ODB) and Kanye West’s memorable stage interruption at the 2009 Video Music Awards, illuminating intriguing connections between two iconic moments in music […]
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The 27th Annual Urbanworld Film Festival is proud to announce its official ambassador for this year’s event, none other than the Grammy and Emmy-nominated producer, actor, musician, and filmmaker, The RZA. As a founding member of the iconic hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan, The RZA co-directed the documentary “A Wu-Tang Experience: Live at Red Rocks Amphitheatre” with Gerald Barclay. The film, premiered at Urbanworld on November 3, delves into the Wu-Tang Clan’s legendary 2021 performance with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra.
Urbanworld is also excited to reveal that the festival’s Opening Night Film will be “American Fiction,” a Toronto International Film Festival award-winner directed by Cord Jefferson.
“I’m completely honored to be a part of a platform like Urbanworld which supports storytellers from all walks of life,” says RZA.”As a filmmaker, I understand the work that goes into not only getting a film made, but getting it seen. There aren’t a lot of film festivals that intentionally shine light on the works of Black Men and Women in our industry. Our growing number of directors and producers need more outlets. Urbanworld gets it and this opportunity to serve as ambassador to this year’s festival is an honor and a privilege.”
Set to run from Nov. 1-5, 2023, at AMC 34th Street and the SVA Theatre, the festival enjoys the continued support of HBO, returning as the Founding Partner for the 27th year, with Warner Bros. Discovery as the Prestige Partner. Tickets and passes are available for purchase at urbanworld.org.
Highlights of Urbanworld 2023 include a post-screening discussion of Misty Copeland’s short film “Flower,” the showcase of NBCUniversal’s new television series “Found,” National Geographic Documentary Films sponsoring students to attend a screening of “The Space Race,” and a special Friday night tribute to music videos titled “Lights, Cameras, Rhymes: 50 Years of Hip Hop on Screen.”
The Urbanworld Innovation Conference & Panel, scheduled for Friday, November 3 at the SVA SOC DOC Theater, returns to foster networking and community building among diverse creatives, featuring discussions on AI, culture, sports, and content distribution.
Visit urbanworld.org for the full festival slate.
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