The RZA, born Robert Fitzgerald Diggs, is best known as the de facto leader of the Wu-Tang Clan. Nearly all of his credits as a producer come from the work he does for Wu-Tang and its members, be it solo projects, spin-off groups, or official Wu-Tang Clan releases. Other credits include movies like Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill movies.
The RZA is one of the most influential sample-based hip-hop producers today. From an early age, he collected records that he would later sample. His most commonly sampled type of music is Soul music from and around the early 70s.
In addition to his obsession with records, The RZA also watched and collected old Kung Fu movies, which would influence his not only his music, but also his basic way of thinking.
Most recently, The RZA released a book entitled, The Tao of Wu, in which he shares his philosophy on life, much of which comes from Shaolin monks, who practiced Kung Fu.Gear
"The first 100 Wu-Tang songs were done on the ASR 10." - The RZAReleased around 1992, Ensoniq's ASR 10 was the device that enabled The RZA to be creative and create some of hip-hops most revered beats. This "advanced sampling recorder" could store 16MB, or 127 different samples, at 16-bit 44.1KHz depth and sample rate.
To expand his horizons, The RZA next hooked an MPC 3000 up to the ASR 10. The MPC would become the main sequencer of choice for The RZA and in turn, he would become known for its use.
"I started buy all kinds of machines. I bought everything; I fiend(ed) out." - The RZATo list every piece of gear used by The RZA would be superfluous. A few other note-worthy mentions though are the Nord Lead and the Yamaha VL7.
By running the Yamaha VL7 through an MPC, The RZA stumbled upon a studdering sound, which reminded him of an Isaac Hayes type delay, which he would use repeatedly.
Other Production Techniques
In order to define the distinct sound of each member of the Wu-Tang Clan, after finding an EQ setting and Compression setting that worked for each individual member, they were left untouched; each member had dedicated channel strips and outboard gear just for them. This way, every time they would record, they'd sound the same.
The RZA will try anything. On the Wu-Tang Clans latest album, "Eight Diagrams", he recorded vocals with three mics: one in the traditional location, another right near the throat, and a third mic at the chest. Did it produce a new sound? I can't notice anything different when I listen to that record, but the thing to take away is, he tried something different. That's how The RZA came to be the producer he is today: trying new things.
Sources
- Wikipedia
- the-breaks.net
- Remix Magazine Interview Part 1
- Remix Magazine Interview Part 2
- Wired Magazine Article
- Amazon.com - Tao of The Wu
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