Lil Duval’s recent tweet about Afrobeats has grabbed RZA’s attention. The genre has gained mainstream steam within the last few years, and it’s only reaching new heights as award shows filter in unique categories. Artists like Burna Boy and Tems are amassing global success, but Duval says, “Afrobeats might be the death of hip hop as we know it.” The tweet caused a firestorm of reactions, and TMZ wanted to know RZA’s thoughts.
“I don’t understand that. What you mean by that?” the Wu-Tang icon asked. After receiving clarification, he issued a more flushed-out response. “Afrobeats is Hip Hop. They basically doing their form of Hip Hop. Just like Trap was Hip Hop, just like G-Funk was Hip Hop. It’s just their rendition. And you know what? They deserve a chance, just like the rest of us deserve a chance, for our music to be heard around the world, inspire, and feed families.”
RZA Weighs In On Podcasting In Hip Hop
The cameraperson didn’t want RZA to run off just yet. The photog also wanted to know his thoughts on Lil Duval saying that podcasting has become more important in Hip Hop than the actual music. “I think those people are on a different planet than us,” he replied. The paparazzo mentioned The Joe Budden Podcast. “Joe is being successful, N.O.R.E he’s being successful. They deserve that success. But at the same time, right, we just did the New York State of Mind Tour. No algorithms, no streaming. Sold out Hollywood Bowl and so many places.”
“Hip Hop is embedded within its culture, and nothing’s gonna stop that,” RZA continued. “So, we’re going to continue to grow and find other outlets and avenues.” Conversations surrounding the surge of Hip Hop podcasters were recently reignited during Noreaga’s appearance on Budden’s platform. The two joked about their peer launching podcasts but failing miserably. Budden went on to say that he likes to see those failures.
Joe Budden’s Explained His Thoughts On Hip Hop Podcasters Bowing Out
“Statistics show that most of you are failing. From 2018 up until now, podcast creation is down over half – more than half,” he said. “Y’all n***as is failing. I like it. As somebody who dedicated his life to podcasting, and I’m not leaving no time soon, I like when all of y’all jump in the race and bump ya head a few times and run away ‘cause there ain’t no money in it.”
Trugoy, one of the founding members of the hip-hop trio De La Soul died at 54 on Feb. 12 after a five-year bout with congestive heart failure. Tributes from Pharrell, Chuck D, and more have poured in. RIP To The Dove David Jude Jolicoeur, known to the hip-hop world as Trugoy the Dove of the […]
Funk Flex and Wu-Tang Clan have squashed their beef, showing solidarity in an Instagram post. The two sides had beef for over two decades. Flex issued an apology for holding a long grudge. Hip-hop veteran DJ Funk Flex hopped on Instagram and apologized to RZA and the Wu-Tang Clan for holding a grudge that lasted […]
Several reports have confirmed that Funk Flex has issued a public apology to the RZA on behalf of Hot 97 for their longstanding beef with the Wu Tang Clan.
Flex took to IG not long after being named the station Creative Program Director, posting a pic of him and The Abbott, captioning,
“I WANNA TAKE THIS TIME TO APOLOGIZE TO THE @RZA AND THE ENTIRE @WUTANGCLAN !!! ALMOST 25YRS AGO THE GROUP, ME AND HOT97 HAD A DISAGREEMENT THAT TO ME NEVER GOT PUT TO BED AND I APOLOGIZE!” Flex wrote.
“LOOKING BACK AT THIS 20 SUMTHIN YEARS LATER.. WE GONNA MAKE UP FOR THE TIME WE MISSED…”, he continued. “THE WORLDS GREATEST RAP GROUP AND THE WORLDS GREATEST RADIO STATIONS ARE GOING TO COME TOGETHER BRING U SOMETHING AMAZING!”
Flex hinted at a collabo between him and the Wu in the future, with every member of the Clan tagged in the photo. RZA responded with the Wu hand signal while Raekwon replied, “Nothing but love Blackman ! And that’s Reciprical !!!!!”
The rift came in 1997 when the Wu felt they were forced to fly back to NYC to perform for Summer Jam for free after they were booked to headline the event at the Meadowlands Arena in New Jersey.
Inspectah Deck recalled the beginning of the beef on the 2019 Wu Tang Clan: Of Mice And Men, where he explained, “The deal was, as far as I remember, you gotta come back and do this Hot 97 Summer Jam or we’re not gonna play any more of your records on your station.”
“They didn’t play our records for like the next 10 years,” said Deck, noting that other radio stations followed suit. “Us not being involved while they playing the Biggie shit, they playing Nas shit, everybody that was rocking with us at the time. That affected our sales, that affected our touring, that affected everything. That affected our presence.”
Hot 97 and the Wu eventually made peace, with the Clan performing at Summer Jam in 2013.
Logic is taking a cue from Rick Ross for his latest single, “Maybach Music.” The Maryland rapper blessed fans with his latest single earlier today.
This morning, the rapper unveiled his latest single, which was recorded in the backseat of a brand new Maybach that he purchased for $325K.” While it would’ve been a great opportunity for him to flaunt his wealth, Logic details the day-to-day struggle of common folk. Logic takes on soulful sample-based production while also showing love to some of hip-hop’s greats, such as J. Dilla and Cypress Hill.
FAIRFAX, VIRGINIA – NOVEMBER 02: Logic performs live onstage during Logic: The Confessions of a Dangerous Mind Tour at EagleBank Arena on November 02, 2019 in Fairfax, Virginia. (Photo by Brian Stukes/Getty Images)
Logic started to apply pressure at the beginning of the year. Just last week, he announced that he’s releasing a new album titled, College Park in February. The new project includes major collaborations beyond some of hip-hop’s favorites.
However, he does have a few heavy-hitters attached to the project like RZA, Bun B, Joey Bada$$, Fat Trel, Statik Selektah, and Redman. However, it’ll also include appearances from Norah Jones and Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane, who Logic confirmed would be singing.
Prior to releasing “Maybach Music,” he dropped off “Wake Up” ft. Lucy Rose and “Insipio.” College Park will mark his follow-up to Vinyl Days, and his beat tape, Peanuts.
Logic’s new album, College Park drops on February 24th. Check out his latest single below and sound off with your thoughts in the comments.
Quotable Lyrics I never passed tenth grade, but I still get the rent paid You fake, I B-Real like Cypress Hill, word to Muggs You fake motherfucker, I can see through you My game’s strong, you weak like five plus two
Rappers continue to be really bad at retiring. Logic, who announced his own retirement in 2020 with No Pressure, has since released two albums and two mixtapes, and recently announced his third is on the way. College Park follows 2022’s Vinyl Days and looks to continue the Maryland rapper’s tradition of packing his projects the brim with appearances from famous supporters. In this case, he dropped an Boondocks-style animated teaser to reveal the album’s title and guestlist, which includes RZA, Redman, Joey Badass, Norah Jones, and even Seth MacFarlane, creator of the long-running animated sitcom Family Guy.
When Logic first announced his retirement, he explained in a video interview, “I just wanted to retire because I’m over it man. Not even in a negative way, I’m just over it. I love music and I’m gonna continue to make music on my own. I can’t not just make music. It’s a journal for me. It’s how I express myself. It’s how I heal, but with Logic, I’m stepping away.” Of course, that retirement only lasted a few months; he quickly broke his silence in January 2021 — albeit in a roundabout way — with the mixtape Planetory Destruction, released under an alter ego, Doctor Destruction. He followed up with the YS Collection Vol. 1 compilation showcasing the roster he’d put together for his label, Visionary, then dropped the mixtape Bobby Tarantino III a few months later. Just ahead of the new year, he returned with a freestyle, asserting that for him, rap is “not a contest.” Whether that’s true or not, it seems he just can’t leave the game alone.
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.
