I will say, for Wu-Tang, money wasn't the motivation, it was artistic domination.
— Rza
My mom gave me the children stories of the Bible. I memorized that book at the age of nine.
While a lot of hip-hop was inspired by jazz or James Brown samples and was made to be played live in the clubs, I made hip-hop that was made for MCs to eat the mic up. It was an aggressive form of hip-hop. It was made just for hip-hop. It's not made to sing or dance to, though you can if you want.
I actually have eyes that irritate easily, so I wear the glasses to keep stuff out of my eyes. If you see me in shades indoors, you might be like, 'RZA is wearing shades inside. What the hell is going on?' I'm protecting my eyes, and I'm looking cool.
The history of black America was from slavery, oppression, civil rights, and you felt kind of isolated as an entity in our country.
Being black in America - especially as I was growing up - the feeling of oppression, the feeling of being outcast, the feeling of not having a voice was part of my life.
I wrote a big animation scene for 'Iron Fists,' but we couldn't afford all that.
When we was making a song called 'Bring Da Ruckus,' we took the snare, and we put it in an elevator shaft and recorded it.
A servant sometimes need to be served.
The influence of the Shaw Brothers films on my work has been profound. In addition to the richness of Asian culture, we at Wu-Tang were fascinated with the struggles between the oppressed Chinese villagers and the repressive Manchu authority and how it mirrored our own experiences growing up as black kids in America's inner cities.
I could never be a control freak. If Wu-Tang is a dictatorship, how does every Wu-Tang member have their own contract, their own career, and have put out more albums without me than they've done with me?
Art - the beautiful thing about art, from my standpoint, is that it has no discrimination.
A lot of people don't know this about Wu-Tang, it started from a focused mind. I was given total autonomy to do whatever I want with them... They agreed, to me, to be a dictator for five years. And in those five years, it's considered some of our best work.
I always argue with a lot of people. They ask me for my top rappers, and he's always on my list. I mean, the GZA inspired me.
The way you have to think in chess is good for everyday thinking, really, especially for brothers in the urban community who never take that second look, never take that second thought.
When you defeat somebody, you're not really defeating them: they're defeating themselves.
I thought that Wu-Tang was the best sword style - the best sword-style of martial arts. And the tongue is like a sword. And so I say that we have the best lyrics, so, therefore, we are the Wu-Tang Clan.
An artist is made to entertain. That's their primary goal, to entertain you. But some artists record the moments of time. You wouldn't know what was happening in the '20s and '30s; you got to check the song or art.
If you take 'Nothin' But a G Thang' by Dr Dre, that could also be an R&B record. 'Bonita Applebum' by A Tribe Called Quest could even be a jazz record. 'Bring Da Ruckus,' you gotta call it hip-hop.
I will keep a Bible or Koran on me at all times - the Bible I can actually carry on my phone, and any hotel you go to has a Bible, but the Koran is harder. I keep a physical Koran in my guitar case and put it on the table in hotel rooms so after a day's work, I can read a few verses.
I keep all my work and files and kung-fu movies on my laptop because sometimes you travel, and the Internet is slow.
The black community has for a long time been a part of the Hollywood community, and of course we would love to have a more proportionate ratio of films that tell our stories.
I would not have one turntable if my brother didn't buy the turntable. I was the dreamer; he was the doer.
I didn't discover how music and film could work together until Jim Jarmusch had me do 'Ghost Dog.'
Twenty percent of my records, you'll find a loop, like two or three loops per album out of 13 or 15 songs. I'd rather keep it like that.
Parenting is something that I got early, because when you grow up without a father being there, and you see a single mother struggle to feed the kids, you do not want to put your own blood through that.
Growing up, all of my friends would set their schedules to the showing of kung fu movies on TV.
If I'm a cop, and every time I see a young black youth - whether I watch them on TV, movies, or just see them hanging out - and they're not looking properly dressed, properly refined, you know, carrying himself, conducting himself proper hours of the day - things that a man does - you're going to have a certain fear and stereotype of them.
I'd love to make 10 to 12 films in my life. That's a lot of films, but it's doable.
I thought about doing '36 Chambers' on Broadway.
I was writing lyrics since I was nine years old, so by age 15, I was feeling pretty confident about my talent.
With '8 Diagrams,' I just skimmed the surface of musical exploration.
When Def Jam wanted to sign Method Man, they wanted to sign Method Man and Old Dirty. And Old Dirty wanted to be on Def Jam - everybody, that was like the dream label. But if I had Old Dirty and Method Man on Def Jam, that's two key pieces going in the same direction, whereas there's other labels that needed to be infiltrated.
If you keep eating McDonald's, you gonna get sick. You need a real home-cooked meal. And I knew that that would be healthier. And that's what Wu-Tang was: It was a home-cooked meal of hip-hop. Of the real people.
'The Good Earth' is a great book.
I'm glad Wu-Tang was able to inspire other producers and artists, but I would never want to be erased or removed.
Wisdom is important in every man's life.
Beyond Greek mythology, history just didn't have a strong resonation with me.
I didn't learn black history in school. I had to go find Malcolm X books.
Wu-Tang Clan's first album, '36 Chambers,' there wasn't a lot of money given to make that album.
I actually heard hip-hop before I saw a movie in a movie theater. I heard hip-hop first, at the tender age of seven, so that came first. I didn't see a movie until I was eight.
I got a chance to act in a film, 'Derailed.' I was having a recurring nightmare, and after doing that film, the nightmares stopped.
I live a very satisfying life. Not because I've made a few dollars, but because I have a wife who loves me and children who wait for me to come home. And that is beautiful. I think that's the American dream: to be at peace at home.
I don't have the same respect for time as most people. I take that extra day to think about it.
I tell my sons, I say, if you're going somewhere, you don't have to wear a hoodie - we live in New York, so a hoodie and all that is all good. But sometimes, you know, button up your shirt. Clean up.
I got a bad habit of creating.
'Rainy Dayz' and 'Glaciers of Ice,' those two songs - I mean, I just love those songs.
I was definitely a big Run-DMC fan.
I'm a director! I don't work with no amateurs!
Method Man is a rough, rugged street dude, but all the girls love him.
