FEATURE
Interview with The RZA
|
Boldtype Editor Toby Warner talks with the RZA about his favorite books, practicing kung fu, and what spirituality means to him. Take a look inside his new Wu-Tang Manual.
BT: What made you decide to write The Wu-Tang Manual?
RZA: I know it goes against that line on the first album — "Never teach the Wu-Tang" — but I really did write it to teach. You see, the Shaolin temple, the real Shaolin temple in China, kept itself sealed away from the outside. The monks isolated themselves and then the temple was burned down. But in the end, a monk who was kicked out of the order was the one who rebuilt the temple and first taught kung fu to the laymen. They only had 35 chambers then and this man wanted to create the next one. That's the lesson: you got to share your experience with the people — the 36th chamber is the world, son. I had a lot of things I wanted to say in this book, sometimes too many. So I used this as an introduction. There'll be more to follow.
BT: How do you remain such a spiritual person?
RZA: At the age of 11, I was taught that there was no such thing as a spirit. I guess that must have had a kind of reverse psychology effect on me. In America, people hear "spirit" and they think ghost, but I believe that the spirit is born of the mind. A spirit is just action and thought that remains constant, you know? The spirit of a tiger is just the instinct that all tigers were born with, and it's possible for a human to learn that. Thoughts are available to anybody, and our brains are the antennae. I always believed that to understand spirituality, you have to understand what's producing it, and that is the mind.
BT: When did you start practicing kung fu?
RZA: I was interested in martial arts all my life, but I first started getting into it when I met Sifu Shi Yan-Ming in 1995 after he came to America to set up USA Shaolin temple. He taught me the basic principles, and I got into the animal forms. But you don't want to be stuck in one form, or you'll never be able to move. You gotta be like water. You have to keep your mind always moving. If you put the mind in the tip of your spear and swing it, it's not as effective. If you let the sword and the hand become one, then you really possess the sword. Naturally, I don't have a favorite form, but I do have a preference for Hung Gar. It's five forms in one. You get tiger, crane, leopard, snake, and dragon. It's kind of the foundation — a great form, very beautiful.
BT: In your introduction to this Spirituality Issue, you talk about the importance of an obscure book of tactics called The Thirty-Six Stratagems: Secret Art of War. Do you apply those strategies in business, the rap game, or your daily life?
RZA: I use the stratagems in my business as well as my daily life. You know, it depends on your situation.
BT: Which one do you use for interviews?
RZA: Ha ha, I don't have a strategy for interviews. But if it was competitive somehow, I might use "Kill with a borrowed knife." That means I'd use another artist as an example of something that was wrong.
BT: You could say that Wu-Tang has built its own mythology. What kind of legacy would you like those teachings to leave?
RZA: It's hard for a man to answer that about himself. Others will eventually speak on that. But above all, truth. Many cultures have their mythologies, but the truth of any mythology is universal. Take the legend about Hercules, in which he has to go to hell. That's just a story, but on a metaphysical level you could say that this world is hell, that poverty is hell.
BT: How do you stay focused with your music?
RZA: I have to keep my mind moving. I mean, I love sugar and sex, but they don't control me. I can fast. I'm not addicted. Hip-hop is like that. It's a part of me, but unlike some of these guys, I can't really say I live for it. It's just something I radiate. My thoughts work for me, you know, I don't work for them. But I gotta say, practice makes perfect. From DJing I learned how to produce, from producing I learned how to compose and score. People sometimes ask me: Have you mastered anything? I tell them no, I haven't mastered anything. Not piano, not kung fu, nothing. I haven't mastered anything but myself.
BT: What do you see yourself focusing on in the future?
RZA: Well, I'm starting to direct movies. But you know, I have all kinds of creativity. I have to say, though, most of these things are just entertainment, but my book is not in the same category. In the book, I take it to a level where I can speak unfiltered. It's from my heart.
BT: As someone who many people see mainly as an entertainer, is it hard to speak from the heart and have people hear? Can your fans separate you from the entertainment?
RZA: You know, you got to give a man baby food before you give him meat. The book is the first real meat. But I definitely want people to enjoy my music. If I make you laugh, laugh. That's one of the best things about Wu-Tang: we were always about entertaining and enlightening. I still get guys coming up to me saying, "You helped me get out of some shit," or, "You saved my life." Sometimes they just never knew anyone else felt that way.
BT: You mention so many books in the Manual, but if you had to tell someone to read just one book on spirituality, which one would you recommend?
RZA: One? I can give you two: the Bible and the Qu'ran. But if you can't get down with those because of the religion, then I'd recommend two others: the Tao Te Ching — it's short and it'll open your head — and also the Bhagavad-Gita. Don't let nobody tell you about that one. Forget about the editions with commentaries and get yourself the little one. It's a great well of wisdom. I passed it off to Masta Killa. He's a real tough guy, straight Brooklyn. He was going through some rough shit and that book really adapted his mind for the better. I don't think he's passed it on since, he just kept it. I recommend you read it about ten times. It's not that long.
BT: What was the last great book you read?
RZA: Actually, I'm reading Alfred Hitchcock's book. I'm in the film world now, directing my first movie. Hitchcock's got a total view of film, so much knowledge it's almost esoteric.
BT: What's your library like? Do you keep a lot of books around?
RZA: I actually collect a lot of books so I can have some common ground with everybody. I get that from coming up in New York where you get all types of people walking around. Books are a common denominator with everyone.
|
|