RZA (rapper)

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Robert Diggs (2009)

Robert Fitzgerald Diggs (* 5 July 1969 in Brownsville , Brooklyn , New York City ) is an American rap - musician , director , actor , screenwriter and member of the Wu-Tang Clan . He is mainly known under the pseudonym RZA , but he has numerous other stage names, including Prince Rakeem, Bobby Steels, the Abbott, the Rzarector, Bobby Digital . The name RZA has two meanings. First, "RZA" refers to the sound that is made when the name Robert is scratched on a record. It is also an acronym for "Ruler Zig Zag Zig Allah" and is derived from the Supreme Alphabet .

Life

At the age of three, he and his uncle moved from Brooklyn , where he was born in Brownsville , to North Carolina . When he was four years old, his uncle died and he returned to New York City , where he spent time with cousins GZA and Ol 'Dirty Bastard . In interviews, RZA repeatedly refers to its hip-hop activities with the two clan colleagues in the youth. The three later founded the group All In Together Now . Method One speaks of them as the Original Wu-Tang Clan. After his first EP , RZA (then Prince Rakeem) left the publisher Tommy Boy and brought his cousins ​​into the studio. For $ 36,000 they recorded the Wu-Tang clan's debut Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) . Her first promo single Protect Ya Neck was a success. RZA was charged with attempted murder shortly thereafter, but was acquitted for self-defense . One of his mentors is RNS, who produced G. P. Wu and Shyheim between 1991 and 1993, and who taught him his first drum computer skills.

In 2012, Diggs made his film director debut, directing The Man with the Iron Fists, starring Russell Crowe . He also wrote a script for the first time together with Eli Roth .

As an actor, Diggs has appeared regularly since the late 1990s. He also works from time to time as a composer for film music.

RZA lives vegan for ethical reasons and sees a "better tomorrow" in the vegan lifestyle. He is committed to the vegan lifestyle with the animal welfare organization PETA.

meaning

RZA is not only a musician, but is also one of the most famous figures in the hip-hop business world. He is the brain behind the entire Wu-Tang idea, founder of the two record companies Wu-Tang Records and Razor Sharp Records, and he decides when someone from the Wu empire can release his album.

music

His music has been one of the most innovative in hip-hop music since the early 1990s. He's already sold over 20 million records. His specialty is making complex arrangements sound simple and direct. In addition, RZA raps itself and is also known as a DJ . For the single I know nothing (which is as beautiful as you) featuring Xavier Naidoo, he received a gold record in Germany and Switzerland and a platinum record in Austria.

Wu-Tang Clan

RZA is the main producer of the Wu-Tang clan. Almost all of the songs are by him and he also appears as an executive producer. RZA creates a unique, unmistakable soundscape for each of its rappers.

For example, the debut of Ol 'Dirty Bastard was dominated by crazy sounds, while GZA got a rather gloomy substructure in the title Liquid Swords . The other debuts by Method Man , Raekwon and Ghostface Killah also had their own style. Ghostface, for example, works best with very soulful sounds. RZA reached its creative peak with the second Wu-Tang Clan album Forever from 1997. The third record The W from 2000 sounded rougher and livelier than the sterile Forever double LP.

The entire Wu group comprises around 500 people, but the core is made up of the RZA family. RZA's brother Mitchell Diggs is a manager and executive producer, his sister Sophia Diggs owns the Staten Island manicure store Wu-Nails, and 9th Prince of Killarmy is his younger brother.

Gravediggaz

After the debut of the Wu-Tang Clan, RZA formed the first "All-Star Group" together with Too Poetic , Prince Paul and Frukwan . After two CDs (1994 and 1998) Prince Paul and RZA left Gravediggaz. Too Poetic and Frukwan worked as a duo on the third long-playing record. However, Poetic lost the long battle with cancer and died in the spring of 2001.

Solo albums

In the compilations The Swarm , The Hits and the Big Cap Mix , RZA only put the songs together and vouched for his name in the title. The Swarm and The Hits are "best of" albums, and Big Cap-Mix is a variation by various Wu Tang clan artists.

Ooh We Love Rakeem , the three Bobby Digital albums and the score for Ghost Dog , on the other hand, were almost exclusively produced by him, and he also appeared increasingly there as an MC.

It took him seven years to find the time for his solo concept. Under the pseudonym Bobby Digital he worked on his own youth, his own development in the digital rap age. For the first time he used his 21 keyboards, the Digi-Electronics. In contrast to this, the legendary 2000 film music for the film Ghost Dog is based entirely on old attempts at soul. There is also the soundtrack for the film Bulworth , of which the songs Tragedy and The Chase in particular received attention.

collaboration

RZA also performs in the United States with other artists outside of the Wu-Tang clan. He produced the sounds for Big Pun ( Three Trenches ), The Notorious BIG ( Long Kiss Goodnight ) and Ed O. G., worked as a rapper for Tragedy Khadafi ( Enemy Of State ) and DJ Muggs ( Third World ) or as a producing MC for Cypress Hill ( Killa Hill Niggaz2 ), Ras Kass ( The End ) and AZ ( Whatever Happenend ) with. But RZA knows no genre boundaries either. He works with pop rockers Texas , with Björk , Dog Eat Dog ( Step Right In ), James Last ( The Lonely Shepherd from the album “They call me Hansi” ) and with the Jamaican raggamuffin legend Bounty Killer .

RZA is one of the few American successful rappers alongside Guru and LL Cool J who are also interested in hip-hop culture in other countries. With the French around the Marseilles group IAM , he and the Wu-Tang Clan have something like kinship and with arsenic he took up Shaolin (6ème Chaudron) . The Dutch Emcee Cilvaringz belongs to Wu-International just like Dreddy Kruger from England. On his project The World According To RZA , European MCs like Curse , Kool Savas , Afrob , Bektas , Sékou , Fuat , Pedder, Blade and the Saïan Supa Crew , as well as the soul singers Xavier Naidoo , Dido and Lauryn Hill rap .

RZA's worldview is shaped by Islamic Buddhism and is a central element of his art. In addition, he is inspired by various Far Eastern martial arts and their philosophies. For example, he has already been to China as a Shaolin monk. RZA's sounds are also influenced by various Kung Fu films; he incorporates appropriate sayings and sword fighting effects into his music.

A tour around the world and working with Quentin Tarantino on his martial arts film Kill Bill cemented his position in hip-hop. At the end of February 2005, RZA published his book The Wu-Tang Manual ("The Wu-Tang Instructions"), in which he a. a. reports on the philosophical background of the Wu-Tang clan.

In 2007 he worked with the underground hip-hop band Styles of Beyond by producing some of the tracks on their new album Rocket Surgery.

In 2013 he can be heard for the second time (after the collaboration with Xavier Naidoo) on a German-language album on the album DNA by the German rap duo Genetikk with the track Packets in den Boots.

Discography

Studio albums

year title Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements
(Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) 		Remarks
DE DE AT AT CH CH UK UK US US
1998 Bobby Digital in stereo DE69 (3 weeks)
DE 		- - UK70 (1 week)
UK 		US16
gold
gold

(12 weeks)US
First published: November 24, 1998
as Bobby Digital
2001 Digital bullet - - - - US24 (8 weeks)
US
First published: August 28, 2001
as Bobby Digital
2003 The World According to RZA DE46 (5 weeks)
DE 		AT72 (2 weeks)
AT 		CH59 (5 weeks)
CH 		- -
First published: April 28, 2003
compilation
Birth of a Prince - - - - US49 (4 weeks)
US
First published: October 7, 2003
2008 Digi snacks - - - - US111 (2 weeks)
US
First published: June 24, 2008
2016 Anything But Words - - - - US186 (1 week)
US
First published: August 26, 2016
with Paul Banks

More publishments:

Singles

year Title
album 		Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements
(Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) 		Remarks
DE DE AT AT CH CH UK UK US US
1996 Wu-Wear: The Garment Renaissance
High School High (OST) 		- - - - US60 (12 weeks)
US
First published: August 1996
with Method Man & Cappadonna
2003 I don't know anything (that's as beautiful as you)
Interlude - Everything for the Lord 		DE1
gold
gold

(45 weeks)DE 		AT2
platinum
platinum

(41 weeks)AT 		CH3
gold
gold

(33 weeks)CH 		- -
First published: May 19, 2003
with Xavier Naidoo

Filmography

literature

Web links

Commons : RZA  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41GnporY7gE
  2. ↑ Awards: DE AT CH
  3. ↑ a b Chart sources: DE AT CH UK US


personal data
SURNAME RZA
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Diggs, Robert (maiden name); Prince Rakeem (pseudonym); Steels, Bobby (pseudonym); the Abbot (pseudonym); the Rzarector (pseudonym); Digital Bobby (pseudonym)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American rap musician, actor and member of the Wu-Tang clan
DATE OF BIRTH 5th July 1969
PLACE OF BIRTH Brooklyn , New York City, USA