RZA Talks To CNN, Discusses New Book “The Tao of Wu”

The RZA’s book The Tao of Wu comes out Thursday. The description on Amazon.com states, ” The RZA, the Abbot of the Wu-Tang Clan and hip-hop culture’s most dynamic genius, imparts the lessons he’s learned on the journey that’s taken him from the Staten Island projects to international superstar, all along the way a devout student of knowledge in every form he’s found it-on the streets, in religion, in martial arts, in chess, in popular culture. Part chronicle of an extraordinary life and part spiritual and philosophical discourse, The Tao of Wu is a nonfiction Siddhartha for the hip-hop generation -an engaging, seeking book that will enlighten, entertain, and inspire.”

RZA was interviewed by CNN, and discusses fateful events that led to the creation of the Wu-Tang Clan, including some (Method Man’s brush with death, RZA’s legal troubles) that nearly prevented the formation of what became arguably the most prolific group in hip-hop history.

Below is an excerpt from the CNN interview. Read the entire interview here.

CNN: Could your imprisonment or Method Man’s death have derailed Wu-Tang’s formation?

RZA: Either one of those incidents could definitely have derailed it. Of course, myself being the abbot, the one who came with the idea, if I wouldn’t have made it out of that tumultuous time — it seemed like I wasn’t going to make it out of it; there was a lot of odds against me — but we stood strong, and self-defense made sense to the jury. We beat that …

It was the victory over that incident that made me change my whole direction. In a way, it’s double-edged in that incident. One, if I would’ve lost that, yeah, Wu-Tang wouldn’t have happened, but also it’s the victory of it that inspired me and gave me the drive also to go and really get serious about Wu-Tang and the things I was dealing with.

Same thing with Meth, he always brings it up … that that day saved his life. He actually said, if it was anybody else calling him, he wouldn’t have came.