rza..

When I posted that piece about my favorite producers in Hip Hop, I got some feedback saying that I forgot someone. RZA. No I didn't. He's indeed in my top ten of favorite producers of all time - and that's going for all types of music, but isn't one of my top five. However, I did decide to give you a special post about RZA himself along with my favorite beats from the beat making wizard.

From the good ol' Wik.

Robert F. Diggs (born July 5, 1969[1]), better known as RZA (pronounced [ˈɹɪzʌ]), is an American music producer, rapper, and occasional actor. A prominent figure in hip hop music, he is the de facto leader of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan. He has produced almost all of Wu-Tang Clan's albums as well as many Wu-Tang solo and affiliate projects. He subsequently gained attention for his work scoring and acting in films.

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....Born in Brownsville, Brooklyn, New York, RZA spent time in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as a child, where his father had a convenience store in the Hill District.[4] RZA began his hip hop career in the late 1980s and early 1990s as a member of the trio Force of the Imperial Master (which subsequently became known as the All in Together Now Crew after they had a successful underground single of that name). The group consisted of future Wu-Tang members and his cousins GZA (then known as the Genius) and Ol' Dirty Bastard (then known, respectively, as Ason Unique, the Specialist, and the Professor).

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Early on, Ol’ Dirty Bastard and I used to watch kung fu movies, leave the theater, do some kung fu fighting, get on the train, keep fighting, and then run into MCs and musically battle them like it was a kung fu fight. That was my weekend habit.

When we could afford VCRs, we got all the kung fu movies we could get our hands on and watched three or four a day. We were smoking blunts, drinking beer, watching movies, making demo tapes. To this day, at least four times a week, a kung fu flick is in my DVD player. And I’m still DJing, making beats, making songs, and fucking with kung fu movies. I’m still the same kid when it comes to those things.
”

As said in a Film Comment interview.. (May/June 2008)

Check out his Wik page to learn more.


Now, here's my top 5 favorite tracks from the man named RZA.


1. Tragedy - RZA
2. B.O.B.B.Y. - RZA
3. We Love You Prince Rakeem - RZA
4. Brooklyn Babies - RZA feat Masta Killa
5. Grits - RZA