Rihanna says that her children, RZA and Riot, are teaching her as much as she’s teaching them. She discussed the kids as well as her experiences with motherhood during an interview with Access Hollywood‘s Scott Evans on Thursday at the launch of a new line for her Savage X Fenty brand.
“It’s fun, I literally, I enjoy it so much,” Rihanna said. “I am just looking at them and living through them and I’m amazed by every new discovery of theirs, even their boundaries. They’re teaching me how to be their mom as much as I’m teaching them how to be in this world and guide them as best as I can.”
Rihanna Attends Savage X Fenty Celebration Of Lavish Lace Debut
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 10: Rihanna attends the Savage X Fenty Celebration of Lavish Lace Debut at Nordstrom Century City on October 10, 2024, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Savage X Fenty)
From there, Rihanna discussed how her eldest child, RZA, has handled becoming a big brother. “The second that his baby brother cries, he’s there,” she said. “He’s running down, he’s actually crying too. He’s worried. He loves him! It’s just hard to share toys and pacifiers.” She and ASAP Rocky welcomed RZA back in May 2022 as their first child. The two had first confirmed they were dating during an interview in 2021.
Rihanna Reflects On Motherhood
Check out Rihanna’s full comments from this week’s Savage X Fenty event below. The interview comes as she continues to prepare for her long-awaited ninth studio album. Additionally, Rocky is gearing up for the release of his new album, Don’t Be Dumb, which was originally slated for release in August. He cited sample clearances and leaks as the reason for the delay. Savage X Fenty is now available at Nordstrom stores and the company’s website. Be on the lookout for further updates on Rihanna on HotNewHipHop.
Rihanna jokingly compared being the mother of a boy to an Olympic sport in an adorable post featuring her son, RZA, on social media, on Friday. In the video, the 2-year-old acrobatically makes his way out of his playpen. Rihanna played the theme song for Mission Impossible in the background of the video. “Being a boy mom is an Olympic sport,” she wrote in the caption.
The comments section was flooded with laughing emojis from fans. “The way he walked by like nothing happened,” one user wrote. Another posted: “Rza meant he was getting that cup! Determined! Love it!”
PARIS, FRANCE – JUNE 21: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY – For Non-Editorial use please seek approval from Fashion House) Rihanna and Asap Rocky attend the A$AP Rocky X American Sabotage by AWGE Menswear Spring/Summer 2025 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on June 21, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)
Speaking with Interview magazine, earlier this year, Rihanna confirmed that she’d be open to having more kids with ASAP Rocky. “I don’t know what god wants, but I would go for more than two. I would try for my girl. But of course, if it’s another boy, it’s another boy,” she told the outlet. Regardless, Rihanna has also spoken about how much she enjoys being a boy mom. “It makes me feel really cool to be a boy mom,” she told E! News’ Francesca Amiker at a Fenty Beauty event in April. “Like I get to be as casual and busted as I want to, but it also forces me to embrace the epic things about being a woman, and a female and all my femininity. I embrace it so much more now, like I wear pink. I go between wearing jerseys and like, ‘I’m wearing a dress today! I’m the only one in this house who can do that right now.’”
In other news, Rocky is currently gearing up to drop his fourth studio album, Don’t Be Dumb, which he delayed from an August release, last month. Check out the cute clip Rihanna shared of her and Rocky’s son, RZA, below. Be on the lookout for further updates on the couple on HotNewHipHop.
Azealia Banks is verbally attacking SZAonce more, and this may be her most scathing set of comments yet. According to HipHopDX, the New York singer and rapper appears to be going after the R&B phenom for no reason whatsoever over a past RZA team-up. As per usual, she took to X (Twitter) and kicked things off by saying, “Sza is really such an ugly person for having rza on her album after asking me to be on it, Me politely and honestly declining, after news of him trying to pimp me out to Russell Crowe broke. That was really a huge slap in the face and truest sign of a b**** who will always be ugly”.
Then, after attacking her character, Banks insulted SZA’s looks. “Sis can get all the procedures in the world. She’ll always be that insecure fat Muslim girl from New Jersey with the big chin and the gay husband”. Then, she kicked dirt in the SOS creator’s face by placing a crude “curse” on her. “Cursed with a lifetime supply of fresh out the bootyhole d**k in her mouth for eternity… Lmfao b**** ya p**sy HARAM FOH”. This all appears to be in relation to Ctrl, as SZA did have the Wu-Tang affiliate assist her in rolling out the 2017 project.
Sza is really such an ugly person for having rza on her album after asking me to be on it, Me politely and honestly declining, after news of him trying to pimp me out to Russell Crowe broke. That was really a huge slap in the face and truest sign of a bitch who will always be…
But this appears to have cut even deeper for Banks, as she references the Russell Crowe incident in her first tweet. If you remember back in 2016, Azealia was on pace to sign a record deal with RZA. However, that all came to a crashing end after the two MC’s attended a party at the actor’s home. Banks claimed to be physically removed and that she was also verbally and physically attacked by Crowe. RZA defended his friend, saying that Banks was “erratic” and “obnoxious” and that she was instigating things first. Since then, she has had beef with both males and SZA seems to be collateral in a sense with this rant.
More Tweets From Banks
Cursed with a lifetime supply of fresh out the bootyhole dick in her mouth for eternity. pic.twitter.com/qarX1EvAq7
What are your thoughts on Azealia Banks unleashing on SZA for her past work with RZA? Do you think this is all stemming from the rapper’s past issues with the R&B star? Could you see the latter responding, or even RZA? Whose side are you taking? We would like to hear what you have to say, so leave your thoughts in the comments. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest news surrounding Azealia Banks, SZA, and RZA. Finally, stay with us for everything else going on in the music world.
However, even after the body of work was purchased by digital art company PleasrDAO, Shkreli seemed to still have access to the recording as heard in his past livestreams.
Now, a judge has supposedly ruled in PleasrDAO’s favor. In order to retain its one-of-one nature and enforce punishment over Shkreli’s violation of the original purchase agreement terms and forfeiture order, he has been prohibited from “possessing, using, disseminating, or selling any interest in the album.”
In court documents, this also applied to “its data and files or the contents of the Album, or in any way causing further damage to Plaintiff respecting the album.”
Shkreli has until Friday, August 30 to “sequester and turn over all of his copies, in any form.” The court has also required Shkreli to file an affidavit disclosing the “information regarding alleged copies of ‘Once Upon a Time In Shaolin,’ people he might’ve given them to, and any money he might’ve made from distributing or playing the album.” But he has until September 30 to submit that filing with the courts.
Wu-Tang is for the children and now apparently law-abiding citizens.
“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).
Legendary artist and Wu-Tang Clan visionary RZA has announced the release of the title track of his highly anticipated classical composition, A Ballet Through Mud. This original orchestration, produced in collaboration with Platoon and 36 Chambers, is set to become available on all streaming platforms on August 30th, marking a significant departure from RZA’s storied hip-hop roots into the realm of classical music.
“A Ballet Through Mud” is not just an album; it’s a deeply personal coming-of-age story that traverses the complexities of love, friendship, and personal growth. Originally performed by the Colorado Symphony, the composition weaves an emotional tapestry that resonates with both the highs and lows of life’s journey.
RZA found inspiration for this project during the global pandemic. While in lockdown, he stumbled upon old lyrical notebooks he had filled as a teenager. These early musings, brimming with raw emotion and youthful insight, sparked the creation of what would become his first classical album. The project grew into a ballet, which was brought to life on stage in 2023.
The album features characters named after Greek musical scales, echoing RZA’s own journey from the project housing of Staten Island to the refined concert halls where this work now resides. The narrative, filled with themes of love, loss, and exploration, is also infused with RZA’s deep philosophical reflections, drawing heavily from his journey into Chan Buddhism. The result is a piece that oscillates between idealism and orchestration while remaining grounded in its universal appeal.
“I have been composing my whole life, although I didn’t know initially that was what I was doing,” RZA shared. “The inspiration for ‘A Ballet Through Mud’ comes from my earliest creative output as a teenager, but its themes are universal—love, exploration, and adventure. I hope people use it to score their own lives, to transform a drive to the grocery store or sharing a meal with loved ones into something magical, to be inspired and let their imaginations take them into a different chamber, if only for a moment.”
The album’s tracklist is a journey in itself:
Aeolian Beauty
Clear Sky After Storm
A Ballet Through Mud
Winds From The West
Divine Intervention
Freedom of Movement
Soft Footsteps
Good Night 1st Movement
The Night Dances When You Least Expect It
Moving Meditation
The Lotus Arrives
Each track invites the listener to explore different emotional landscapes, while the title track, “A Ballet Through Mud,”encapsulates the essence of the album’s narrative—finding beauty and growth even in the most challenging of circumstances.
The composition, produced and composed by RZA, was performed by the Colorado Symphony under the baton of conductor Christopher Dragon. The album was mixed and mastered by Pietro Rossi, with additional orchestration provided by Ming-Hsueh Lin, Scott O’Neil, Tan Onwimon, and Joseph Colmenero. The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus contributed the Dolby Atmos Mix, ensuring a rich, immersive listening experience. The original performance was choreographed by Yusha-Marie Sorzano, with intimacy direction by Sarah Lozoff.
This project marks RZA’s first collaboration with Platoon, and it is a testament to his versatility as an artist. The full album, A Ballet Through Mud, will be officially available to stream on August 30th via Platoon.
As RZA continues to break boundaries and redefine genres, A Ballet Through Mud stands as a powerful testament to his creative evolution—a piece that invites listeners to embark on their own journey through life’s trials and triumphs, guided by the transformative power of music.
Once Upon a Time In Shaolin is a rare piece of hip-hop history. The album was recorded over the course of six years, and features every living member of the Wu-Tang Clan. Crucially, only one copy of the album exists. It was sold for a staggering $2 million in 2015, with the caveat that the album cannot be played in public until 2103. Cool in concept, but the Once Upon a Time In Shaolin story has been marred by issues with legal loop holes and the guy who bought it. The album is now considered a polarizing release by Wu-Tang, instead of a seminal one. Method Man shed light on this transformation during a recent interview with Vanity Fair.
Method Man admitted the album is a sore point for the group. He also revealed that he was never fully onboard with the concept. “I thought it was some circus spectacle,” he explained to the outlet. “I never really spoke to RZA about it. It’s an uncomfortable subject to most of the guys, so we don’t really discuss it too much.” The reason for the discomfort stems from the way in which is was made. According Method Man, the group, besides RZA, was not let in on the rollout plan. As far as they were concerned, they were making a standard Wu-Tang album for release. “The process of the thing being made was never told to us,” he said. “We were never told what it was. We were recording and being paid to do a certain amount of records.”
Method Man Felt Like He Was Lied To During Recording
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – APRIL 28: Method Man (C) of Wu-Tang Clan performs on Day One of 2023 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival at Fair Grounds Race Course on April 28, 2023 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Erika Goldring/Getty Images)
The disconnect between the plan, and the recording process, is what has stayed with Method Man. He doesn’t look fondly upon Once Upon a Time In Shaolin as a result. “[Cilvaringz] put them altogether into a compilation of Wu-Tang songs and marketed it as a Wu-Tang album,” he stated. “A single copy of a Wu-Tang album. We all had a problem with it because that’s not how it was described to us.” This isn’t the first time Method Man has spoken out against the single copy rollout. He called out Cilvaringz and RZA during a June interview with XXL. He went as far as to call the 88-year commercial ban against the album “stupid.”
“F*ck that album,” Method Man asserted. “When music can’t be music and y’all turning it into something else, f*ck that. Give it to the people.” The veteran rapper urged RZA to give Once Upon a Time In Shaolin for free, so Wu-Tang fans can enjoy it in their lifetime. RZA did not take the bait. The Wu-Tang leader told Method Man that the commercial ban was necessary to maintain the “integrity” of the album. He wanted to ensure it wasn’t seem as a gimmick. Ironically, it has become just that.
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.
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.
This past weekend, the first day of Black Music Month was celebrated by the San Francisco Giants by honoring the legendary Wu Tang Clan with “Wu Tang Night”. The Giants were joined by Bay Area artist Larry June and Wu Tang co-founder and producer the RZA, who participated in a ceremonial jersey swap before the game.
The San Fran artist and the Abbott displayed a moment of unity and respect from the West Coast to the East Coast, with June putting on RZA’s yankees jersey while the founding member of the Clan donned June’s Giants jersey.
Below, you can check out the sit down the RZA had with YES Networks’ own Meredith Marakovits, where he discusses his history as a Yankees fan, his Mets vs. Yankees household growing up and his favorite Yankee, “Mr. October”, Reggie Jackson.
The Yanks beat the Giants Saturday night 7-3, maintaining their top spot in the AL East while San Fran is still fighting to keep their third slot in the NationaL League West standings
