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HIP HOP / 28 www.guestlist.net RNB Issue 54/ 2013 EW VI ER NT I Wu - Tang Returning to the UK to mark the 20th anniversary of their landmark debut album Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) we caught up with some of the founding and iconic members of the clan RZA, Raekwon and Cappadonna. Check the interview on YouTube or protect ya neck! Hip Hop loves these guy! MOSES | guestlist.net So how has the tour been so far guys? Cappadonna: The tour is off the chiizzzaiiinnss!...Crazy, we have been hitting states. We hit Germany twice already, London, Italy, Hungary and just been doing them crazy right now! Mosh pits on the regular, crazy lyrics. Some of the shows have been ending late at night so we be giving them that night time shine. Just crazy different songs, different strategies, we got a little choreography going on with Meth! It's pandemonium right now! Word up! Raekwon: This is the Chef right here he told you everything you needed to know. It's massive How has it been after all these years and do you still have the same hunger you had when you first came into the game? Cappadonna: Yeah we still got that same hunger from the time we came in to now. I mean to me, hip hop has evolved at least three or four times, and you know there has been a lot of new generation MCs coming up. We respect and honour them but for us, it's like yeah we kept in the ball game for all of this time, twenty years. That is what makes us legendary. We still manage to be relevant in the hip hop genre today. But we've been out here and we've been putting it on them, and it's like we still here right now after twenty years it's our twentieth year anniversary on full attack, all over Europe for two months. Put your dollars on us! RZA: Being here for twenty years of course it's a blessing but it's also a testament to our strength, our talent, what we mean to hip hop and hip hop around the world. Wu Tang could be measured as a landmark for hip hop. We entered with the first album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) and we kind of shifted and improved the direction of hip hop and attracted a new audience that was unfamiliar with it and that audience grew as we grew. Now twenty years later we are celebrating that movement but at the same time, potentially pushing it even further. A lot of people know that rock n roll or during the Motown soul era some bands and groups were able to make it through the 60s, 70s and 80s. You've got Rolling Stones and they still on tour! Mick Jagger 70 years old and he's still rocking. People didn't think that hip hop had that potential because they thought it was a passing phase but we changed the game. We had the will and I've got a feeling that the only way we would ever stop is when we feel like stopping because our talent level is ridiculous. You're not going to find a group with this much talent in the one circle, you're looking at Wu-Tang, platinum artists, gold artists, movie stars and writers. All this energy under one foundation and that is a testament to our talent, strength and we are really happy to be here twenty years yo! Now coinciding with the 20th Anniversary you've got the new Wu- Tang album 'Better Tomorrow'. We haven't heard too much about it, so do you want to just fill us in on what we 'A Better Tomorrow' is a working title. I chose that title personally because to me, if you have a good today, why not have a better tomorrow? If you have a bad today, you definitely want a better tomorrow! And at the same time for us, between our ups and downs, and hip hop ups and downs, we're gonna see a better tomorrow and we want the world to have a better tomorrow. We have got a lot of history in the past. Revolutions are going on all around the world, people struggling, uprisings, from Egypt all the way to America with Zimmerman and Trayvon, we want a better tomorrow. We don't want this same old crap going on and on and our W also represents wisdom! So that is the basic principle behind coming up with the title 'A Better Tomorrow' because that is what we want, for ourselves, our families, for the world and we are gonna keep pushing for it. If we carry on our talent, our ideas, our brotherhood we will have that record ready for y'all in October. But there is a lot of things going on. We're a group of busy men, platinum artists, you're looking at actually preparation (laughs) for me to be a director. Because to me making an album is like a micro-universe maybe you got 9, 12, maybe 20 musicians that come together to make this form of art. But making a movie, its like 400 people so I look at that now as being a testament of my mind power and the 'The Man with the Iron Fists' was accepted well. I think up to this date they said over 3 million people have viewed it at the movie theatre and another million more have viewed it on cable and on pay per-view and they are actually talking about making a part 2 so yeah I guess it is a bong bong! Now this question is for Raekwon. Like RZA said, Wu- Tang is filled with platinum and gold artists, you've released some classic albums, such as: 'Only Built 4 Cuban Linx', 'Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II' 'Shaolin vs Wu Tang.' You're in the process of creating a new album now, do you ever feel pressured like ok I've got to "I could say after being here for 20 years, it's been a blessing but it's also been a testament to our strength. " can expect from that album. Is it going to have that classic Wu sound that you are known for? Cappadonna: I mean you know what we do, but at the same time it's 36 chambers so you can't know all the secrets now! Ha, but yeah there's something brewing! I ain't really got a lot of knowledge on it personally but you know some things took place and we are still here, that's all I'm going to say! movie stars, movie writers and all these different things but there are a lot of different things going on and we are aiming to focus our energy on one focal point to give y'all our new album. So we'll see what time brings. RZA: We are thinking about a new Wu album which has the working title 'A Better Tomorrow', its a work in progress! We here right now on our tour celebrating 20 years and it would be only right to commemorate that with a new LP that could inspire and keep our name inside your playlist for another 20 years. There have been many ideas for the album and me as a producer, I have some ideas. This is a question for RZA you stay busy, we know you've got the new headphones out and you're also a movie director, you released 'The Man with the Iron Fists.' Tell me what it was like directing that and the response you got? RZA: Well this is a Wu- Tang interview so I won't take much time, but the most important thing I can say is that I never expected it, I never expected that all the producing I did with Wu Tang and all the trials and tribulations, good and bad that I went through over the years was But what we're doing though on this particular round is striving to make sure that each and every one of us has the input creatively and also in the direction of where we should be going. That's why Cappadonna: Speaking on that with good and better, I have a slogan that goes "It's good in the hood but it's better with cheddar." make sure this is a classic to live up to some of your past work? Raekwon: Umm I'll just say that I'm just doing my job you what I mean? I'm a real hip hop dude first and foremost; like this is something that I live, you know I made babies in this business from listening to this music. When I get out there and I drop a project, not only am I representing myself, but I'm representing that flag which is that W. And all I try to do is just give the people what they are missing or what they want. I'm used to doing work with my crew all the time so I never even pictured myself really being a solo artist, even though that was always the plan, you know my guys have seen that more in me than I've seen it in myself. I just wanted to be a part of the movement but you know a classic is something that I feel you put your heart into when you really want to win. I want to win all the time, I'm like Jordan, I hate to lose, so I just take my time and try to make the best product I can make and represent because that's all to do with the longevity of my career. You're only as good as the last thing you've done. It feels good to know that people look at 'Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II' which wasn't easy, it took a lot of time for me to really want to do it and for us to get that classic, that classic respect on it. It wasn't just me alone, it was my team and my heart, I wanted to do it and I tell anybody; when you put your heart into something, you make it what you want to make it. I was just fortunate to get that kind of medal and people say "You did it again, you're keeping the flag alive" and that's what it's all about for me. It's just to do my job and never give up. I've never been a person that gives up, I always feel that if I want to win it's all about the will so that's what I've been doing on them records. How has it been before performing in England? Cappadonna: Our previous work has been received very well. We've been having crowd capacities up to 80,000 and 100,000 maybe, and like I said it's pandemonium. We've got interviews with magazines coming through. This tour right here we didn't even bring any extras out, we have merchandise that we haven't even sold. This is basically just us getting in tune with Europe and us getting in tune with each other, and the reception is overwhelming. RZA: For those who see this and want to know why they should come out to the Wu- Tang show? Well first of all, every Wu- Tang member is here, no absentees on this one. Second of all, it is the pure style of hip hop. The pure hip hop energy is existing on that stage and you may not witness that again. Those who love hip hop and those who love Wu- Tang, they've got to take this tour seriously. You may have been hearing about WuTang, maybe you're big brother told you about it, maybe you came across us on the internet but now you get to see us in real life, all 9 of us! And of course our old unique group can't be here physically, the energy is going to be here because we translate that. So come on and have a good time with us and be prepared to get wet, sweaty and be jumping. Wu Tang forever baby! More information: www.wutang-corp.com