This back and forth conflict between Raekwon and RZA will come to an end here soon, regardless of outcome. Sitting down with SI Now, RZA gave Raekwon approximately 30 days to resolve his issues and get in his verses, OR risk not being on the upcoming Wu-Tang Clan album, A Better Tomorrow, altogether.
RZA tells SI host Maggie Gray,
“Let me say this to you. I haven’t said this publicly but I’m gonna say this. The album is slated to come out in July. If we don’t come to terms I think within the next 30 days, then this will either be an album without Raekwon or an album that never sees the light of day. That’s a very strong potential. I would not want to put out a Wu-Tang album without every live member available. We can’t put Ol’ Dirty on it ‘cause he’s not here physical. At the same time, I don’t want the fans not to have this incredible music that we’ve been working on for the last year. So that’s gonna be a tough decision but we got about thirty days I think to make that decision and to come to that conclusion. Either way it goes. The sad part would be if it goes the way that it doesn’t come out. I would be very disappointed. But I know that the Wu-Tang legacy has already made a great mark on the world.”
When asked about his gut feeling on the album’s fate, Rza said, “My gut says yes". “I’ve been pretty good. I got a 90% batting average.”
So while RZA seems optimistic about the July release, it's ultimately Raekwon who's going to make the decision here. We'll keep you posted on further updates with this story, as time is the real only factor.
Check out the clip from the interview below, and look for the full interview to air later today (April 24th).