Philosopher, actor, screenwriter, rapper, storyteller, author, director, student, teacher, pupil, and leader all can be used to describe The RZA. However, he’s best known to the mainstream audience as one of rap’s most prominent producers and the founder of the notorious Wu Tang Clan.
Born Robert Fitzgerald Diggs in Brownsville, Brooklyn, New York, the RZA continues to prove time and time again that his legacy reaches far beyond hip hop….and music for that matter.
I just got finished reading his latest book “The Tao of Wu,” and I’m once again mesmerized at how intellectual and thoughtful he really is, the book touches on many subjects, but mainly focuses on his personal views regarding religion, family, success, and of course, the failures we all encounter, all of which he speaks openly about, from the triumph to the tragedy.
Throughout the book, RZA analyzes the mistakes he made as a youth, tells the story of his idea to bring Wu Tang Clan’s members together to create arguably the most popular rap group ever, vividly describes his life on the streets of NY, including the night which later led him to face attempted murder charges, and gives insight to anybody who reads the book as to how to extract positive energy from negative situations.
In 2005, I had the pleasure of interviewing The RZA for a phone conference when I was a journalist at San Diego State writing for the Daily Aztec for the movie “Derailed.”
When my editor called me one morning and asked if I’d like to interview rap’s biggest superstar at the time, 50 Cent (who had recently shattered the billboard charts with his solo mainstream debut “Get Rich Or Die Trying”) or the RZA, I didn’t even hesitate with my answer, “bring on the man they call The Abbott” I told her.”
To this day I can’t describe the excitement I felt when I heard him jump on the line at the beginning of the conference call, his voice is very distinct and just the sound of it makes you feel like you’re talking to somebody who is years beyond others in maturity.
As Shaolin monk Shifu Shi Yan Ming says in the foreword of “The Tao of Wu.”
“You feel his wisdom in what he says, how he stands, how he moves….”
After reading RZA’s books, analyzing his music, listening to and reading his interviews, watching him perform on stage, and act in film over the years, I now completely understand what Shifu was saying. RZA is a special human being.
He’s a man who came from unbelievable poverty and instead of being angry at the situation he was dealt with, he has continued to educate himself.
Whether it be traveling, meditating, making music, studying kung fu, providing insight for up and coming musicians/producers, screenwriting, directing, or acting in movies, the RZA seems to finally be at peace with himself and has conquered a majority of his inner demons.
However, none of his accomplishments have come without heartache, disappointment, struggle, and the inner fire to continuously not give into life’s obstacles, no matter how monumental they become.
Personally, I think the most valuable lesson that can be derived from “The Tao of Wu” is when RZA is discussing the death of his cousin and Wu Tang Clansman Russell “Ol’ Dirty Bastard” Jones.
The night of ODB’s death, RZA was over visiting his cousin and witnessed him drowning deeper into drug addiction and failed to intervene, later blaming himself for not reaching out to his cousin and close friend.
“My cousin ODB died because we didn’t pay enough attention. We let him do what the f*&k he wanted. I tell my friends now, “Don’t ever stop me if I’m fucking up. If I’m being a dickhead, let me know, please.” You have to do that, especially if someone is family. Especially if you love them.”
Too many times we allow our loved ones to go down the wrong path right in front of our eyes and don’t do anything about it, one of many lessons RZA teaches in his book is to hold your loved ones close to you and to never ignore cries for help, even if it means intervening when others are scared to.
Life shouldn’t be taken for granted and neither should someone’s who is in need of help. In college, I had a close friend die in front of my eyes and to this day, I still kind of blame myself.
I knew there was something horribly wrong with him but couldn’t quite put my finger on it, obviously I didn’t know it was life threatening or I would’ve intervened, but that’s still no excuse for not reaching out to a friend who was in obvious need of help.
Unfortunately, before I had a chance to sit down man to man with him, he passed away due to a scenario similar to ODB’s, I had a chance to be a hero and save a life and instead sat back like a coward and let an amazing friend fall deeper into his addiction, which eventually led to his demise.
Granted there were people around him everyday who knew way more about his problems than I did, some of the stuff he was doing I hadn’t even seen in my life, nonetheless experimented with, but still I believe that whatever God is out there gave me an opportunity to be a savior and instead of seizing the moment, I failed my friend, myself, our friends, and his family.
We all make mistakes in our life, but I have to say that was the most crucial and idiotic one I’ve made and the only one I wish I could take back. But like Jay Z once said:
“In order to survive, gotta learn to live with regrets.”
RZA firmly believes that once you achieve knowledge in your life you can seek wisdom and once both “steps” come together, one may find “love” the strongest of all emotions that the human spirit can experience.
“At first love is like a vacuum that takes courage from your heart. You’re scared around a woman you love. You’re not the same tough dude, the same thug. At first, love weakens you. But soon it makes you strong in ways you couldn’t imagine.”
RZA explains that once you achieve true love, you’ll be stronger than you can possibly imagine and will be at the highest point of your existence, however he also warns that:
“When love doesn’t find its way into your heart, you die.”
He proposes the idea that no matter how much heart one has, no matter how much courage and compassion one exerts, in the end, it’s love that keeps us alive.
“The universe will show you whether your ego is at the steering wheel or you’re using your talent the way God wants you to. It’s going to come to light. No matter how much heart you got, it’s love you need to survive.”
These passages hit me hard and I realize now that I’ve attained much knowledge and wisdom during my 25 years, but not enough, so that’s why I’m still in search of love and when the time is right, it’ll come or I suppose I’ll die without it in my heart, as RZA believes.
“The Tao of Wu” shows a side of RZA that many may not know exist, given his hard looking demeanor and the fact that the guy is the leader of one of the most feared and respected rap groups of all time.
However, after reading this book I was presently surprised that this man is absolutely brilliant and thrives on learning something new everyday, he’s ambitious, righteous, and ambiguous, but one thing’s for sure, he’s one of a kind.
RZA gives solid advice throughout his book centering on dealing with the loss of loved ones, paying respects to those who came before you, acknowledging and trying to understand all cultures, questioning and learning from everything that is passed down to you, and of course he gives grade A advice on how to become a world renowned music producer, even unveiling some of his personal secrets on classic Wu Tang tracks such as “Can It All Be So Simple.”
The “Tao of Wu” is a must read for hip hop heads and I’d highly recommend it to anyone who’s in search of an enlightening read that’s under 250 pages.
A lot of interesting concepts and beliefs can be derived from the book and whether or not one agrees with RZA’s principles, they sure as hell are intriguing and fun to learn about.
All aboard! The Last Train To Paris has finally arrived and everyone that's taking this ride needs to get they ass to the floor immediately. Most people that know me, know I love to dance and don't need to drink to kick it off either.
