The mad genius behind one of the most important and influential crews in the history of hip-hop, the RZA's innovative production skills have rewritten the rules for making beats. Following a brief and unsuccessful stint as Prince Rakeem in 1991, he came back with a vengeance, masterminding the Wu's classic debut Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) in 1993. The rest, as they say, is history. The Clan blew up larger than anyone could have imagined, spawning clothing lines, movies, comic books, video games, and seemingly unlimited solo albums; but it was the Rzarector's trademark sound that made it all possible. His defiantly dirty beats and cinematic overtones rubbed off on nearly everyone listening, with his moody pianos and symphonic strings influencing countless other beatmakers. Although known more for his track construction, the Abbot is no slouch on the mic either. Often flexing unusual subject matter, his unique, disjointed flow is amongst the most original in existence. In addition to his work on Wu records, both group and solo, he manages to stay quite busy with other assorted projects. He is a founding member of Gravediggaz and he has begun working in film, both as a director and score composer. In 1998 he recorded his futuristic concept album RZA as Bobby Digital in Stereo. The sophisticated pseudo-soundtrack went over the heads of many Clan fans, but displayed his need for experimentation and growth as an artist. In 1999 he released The RZA Hits a collection of his most well-known classics. Into the new millennium, RZA continues his reign as one of hip-hop's leading trailblazers.
icon to see a biography and popular works.
