Despite the collaborative spirit that exists on Wu-Tang Clan's early work, on the production side of things, it was mostly a one-man job. RZA handled almost all of the production on the legendary group's debut album and many of the solo projects that various members released following it. When he did have help from others it was always other members of the group, meaning almost no outside production work was done for the group for its first few years of existence.
During a recent appearance on the SiriusXM show HipHopNation, RZA explained his decision. “In the old days, I was very dominant. Like, it’s 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," he says in the interview. He elaborated even further on his control of the group's early days as well. He explained the deliberate choice to make listeners actually listen to the song rather than dance along to it. Check out the interview clip below.
RZA On Producing Early Wu-Tang Clan Songs
In the decades since they debuted, Wu-Tang Clan's influence hasn't faded. The rap group have become legends whose influence as a group and as individuals is felt far and wide across hip-hop. There's still a demand to see them play together as well. They just announced a short residency in Las Vegas early next year. The group will bring four performances to the city in February and March with tickets already on sale.
Recently, RZA spoke out in favor of Andre 3000's recent artistic shift into ambient jazz music. TMZ caught up with him and he was quick to praise the former rapper's new direction. He was even inspired by Andre's new album New Blue Sun to try and release another instrumental album of his own. What do you think of the level of control RZA exercised over the Wu-Tang Clan in its early days? Let us know in the comment section below.
[Via]