“Wu-Tang Clan” founder and great spiritualist RZA about tyrants who were killed by mosquitoes, the long-term effects of slavery – and the dealer through whom he met Jim Jarmusch.
Interviewed by
Jacob Biazza
Was a rough night for RZA. He therefore leaves the camera out during the video call. Reason: “I still look like I fought a martial arts grandmaster yesterday.” In fact, he was drinking. His godchild’s birthday, he says. Went until six in the morning. But it’s “absolutely no problem,” according to Robert Fitzgerald Diggs, as RZA (pronounced “rissa”) is actually called. The producer, rapper and mastermind behind the Wu Tang Clan, the most important hip-hop formation of the 1990s and 2000s, has developed into a kind of spiritual Zen master of rap. He is also a chess player and martial artist respected even by professionals. At some point in the ’90s, he says, “a deep clarity” came over him. They don’t go away anymore when he drinks or smokes pot. That is not completly correct. Especially at the beginning he loses himself a bit in Bible verses and number mysticism, but quickly catches himself. His new album “Saturday Afternoon Kung Fu Theater” has just been released.