RZA Talks Wu-Tang, Creation, New Film

Summary

The Adam Friedland Show: RZA Talks Wu-Tang, Creation, and New Film (May 6, 2026)

Episode Overview

In this highly engaging and wide-ranging episode of The Adam Friedland Show, Adam sits down with legendary rapper, producer, and filmmaker RZA (Robert Fitzgerald Diggs)—founder of the Wu-Tang Clan—to talk about everything from the origins of Wu-Tang, his new film One Spoon of Chocolate, the blurring of music and cinema, hip hop production, and the evolution of his creative ambitions. The conversation flows between playful banter and serious artistic insights, mixing stories of personal growth, creative process, and hip-hop lore. With humor, candor, and a shared appreciation for both Kung Fu and sophisticated music, Adam and RZA create an episode that's as entertaining as it is illuminating.

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Key Discussion Points

1. Wu-Tang Origins and RZA’s Journey

• Staten Island Roots: RZA discusses growing up in multiple places, especially the community of Staten Island, its diverse influences, and how it shaped the Wu-Tang sound (23:09).
  • RZA: “By the time I was 21, I lived in 20 locations. Not by choice...” ([23:09])
• Early Artistic Aspirations & Hard Lessons:
  • RZA’s transformation from a “negative” teenager to an artist focused on his true calling ([43:48]).
  • “From the time that I stopped being a negative motherfucker ... it wasn’t even a year later, bro, that I was able to be platinum.” – RZA ([43:48])
  • Importance of putting in years of work (“approaching mastery”) before success hits ([42:42]).

2. Wu-Tang’s Creative Vision: Music as Cinema

• RZA always intended for albums, especially Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), to feel like “audio movies” ([16:48]).
  • “My ambition was to make albums that was like audio movies. I’m making music—back when there’s no DVDs, bro." – RZA ([16:48])
  • Wu-Tang’s heavy use of samples from VHS collections, blaxploitation, and kung fu films ([17:10]).
• Discussion on “soul samples” as the foundation for hip-hop, influencing later producers like Kanye ([23:34], [59:47]).

3. On Sampling, Production, and Influence

• The art of sampling—RZA’s philosophy of never repeating himself and always evolving artistically ([57:06]).
• RZA’s direct influence on producers like Kanye West:
  • “He once said that ... they asked him who was your hero? And he said the rza.” ([59:49])
• Insight into hip-hop’s original, competitive battle scenes and how those values shaped Wu-Tang ([27:13]).
  • “As a DJ, bro, from Staten Island ... I got on the ferry to the fuckin’ train to go way to the Bronx ... to battle a motherfucker at a house party. That’s hip hop.” – RZA ([27:13])

4. Moving from Hip-Hop to Cinema

• RZA’s ambitions have shifted toward filmmaking, aiming to create movies with the same staying power as his music ([65:29]).
  • “I want to add to the catalog of cinema some great work ... even 20 years, 30 years, 50 years, 100 years from now, somebody could pick it up and look at it and go, yo, that’s some shit, yo.” – RZA ([65:31])
• Insights into the discipline of scoring films (e.g., Kill Bill), learning to serve the story rather than his own ego ([62:39]).
  • “At first I thought I was working for the service of the director. I realized, no ... you have to serve that film.” – RZA ([62:47])

5. One Spoon of Chocolate—RZA’s New Film

• The film is inspired by events from RZA’s own life but “inspired by a lot of shit,” promising an emotional journey ([15:30]).
  • “It’s definitely a film that will hit every emotion. You’re gonna feel comfortable, uncomfortable, happy, sad, fulfilled. And you still may walk away with some questions. And that’s what cinema should do.” – RZA ([15:58])

6. Comedy, Banter, and Podcast Vibes

• The episode is filled with comedic asides (bad engagement stories, jokes about hot showers, affiliate names, etc.), showing another side of both men.
• Playful talk about Wu-Tang affiliates and outrageous names: Shorty Shit Stain, Holocaust, Spanky Splash ([47:46]–[52:35]).
  • “Shorty Shit Stain. That’s your cousin? ... That’s just a funny name.” ([49:59]–[50:05])
• Candid debates about relationships, masculinity, and pop culture (“women always cold,” “hot showers”), all with RZA’s philosophical sense of humor.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

“My ambition was to make albums that was like audio movies.”
— RZA ([16:48])

“From the time that I stopped being a negative motherfucker ... it wasn’t even a year later, bro, that I was able to be platinum.”
— RZA ([43:48])

“I want to add to the catalog of cinema some great work ... even 20 years, 30 years, 50 years, 100 years from now, somebody could pick it up and look at it and go, yo, that’s some shit, yo.”
— RZA ([65:31])

“But hip hop is so big now ... you beat the guy, now guns come out, motherfuckers shooting, blow, blow, blow, blow.”
— RZA ([28:03])

“As a producer, you should be able to do that ... make sure you’re not doing the same thing over and over.”
— RZA ([57:06])

“You gotta work your ass off, but you don’t gotta fuck up ... I wouldn’t say anybody else gotta go through hell. ... When you have your son, you ain’t gonna want him to go through your hell. His hell gotta be different.”
— RZA ([44:47])

“At first, I thought I was working for the service of the director. I realized, no ... you have to serve that film.”
— RZA ([62:47])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Kung Fu Parody Story & Guest Intro: [02:13]
• Early Life, Roots & Wu-Tang Beginnings: [23:09]
• Emotional Core of Wu-Tang Sound / Use of Soul Samples: [23:34]
• The Drive Behind 36 Chambers & Artistic Mastery: [42:29]
• Artistic Transformation, Leaving Negativity Behind: [43:48]
• Sampling Philosophy & Producer Influence: [57:06]
• Kanye and The Wu-Tang Production Influence: [59:47]
• Transition to Filmmaking & New Ambitions: [65:29]
• Process of Film Scoring & Serving the Film: [62:39]
• Wu-Tang Affiliate Names Game: [47:46]–[52:35]
• Funny Anecdote: Holocaust and the Pet Duck: [52:38]
• Closing Thoughts on Legacy, Cinema, and Ambition: [65:29]–[70:00]

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Additional Highlights

• On Relationships & Middle Age: Adam and RZA share stories about engagements, relationship embarrassment, and growing up ([05:28]–[08:16]).
• RZA on Driving: RZA hasn’t driven since 2011—prefers to have a driver and avoid the hassle ([11:19]).
• On Nicknames: Adam jokes about RZA’s many monikers, compared to his own lack thereof ([12:03]).
• Comedy/Memorable Banter: Extended riff on Wu-Tang affiliate names and shared laughter over “Shorty Shit Stain” ([47:46]).
• Podcasting & New Media: RZA appreciates how podcasting democratizes creative voices and hopes to do the same for film with his company, 36 Cinema ([68:59]).
• Reflection on Rich Kids vs. Growing Up in Hardship: RZA insists you don’t have to go through hell to succeed ([44:38]).

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Tone & Atmosphere

• The conversation is full of warmth, mutual respect, and constant humor. Adam’s irreverence draws out playful, highly quotable stories from RZA, who balances self-deprecating humor with deep insights on art and life.

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For Listeners Who Haven’t Tuned In

This episode is equal parts hilarious, wise, and inspiring. Whether you’re a hip-hop fan, a creative, or just curious about the journey from struggle to stardom—and striving for continued relevance—don’t miss this episode. You’ll learn about Wu-Tang’s legacy, how RZA views the intersection of music and cinema, and hear untold stories about hip-hop history, film scoring, and the pursuit of artistic greatness—all delivered with honesty and plenty of laughter.

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Listen if you want:

• Rare insights into Wu-Tang’s origins and RZA’s influences
• Hilarious tales of music and mishaps
• RZA’s real take on creativity, adversity, and artistic legacy
• Smart and funny rapport between two creative minds

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End of summary

Transcript

[Adam Friedland]

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[The RZA]

just had some Jalapeno Lays potato chips.

[Adam Friedland]

You know what? I just tried that. The Jalapeno Cheddar checks mix.

[The RZA]

Whoa, Sam.

[Adam Friedland]

Hello and welcome to the Adam Friedland Show. I'm host Adam Friedland. You like it? I like that. Okay. My guest this week is the legendary rapper and producer, the rza. You may know him as a founding member of the Wu Tang Clan, but that's a side of him I only learned about quite recently. See, me and the RZA have a shared interest. An obsession, some might say. And that is Kung fu. My journey began at the Wudang Mountain Kung Fu Academy where I was dropped off as an 11 year old baby. I studied for years under Master Wang Ximing in the disciplines of sword, fist and acupuncture, honing what he called a tian fu or natural gift for the art form. I was the best. I was the best and I knew it. One day during training, Master Shen Ji Jing called me into his office. He told me that as his Most prodigious student. I would be sent to represent the Wudang in a battle against our natural rival, Shaolin. Of course, I accepted the opportunity to show my discipline superiority. So I hopped on a bus to Zhengzhou. And I entered the temple. And ready to display my mastery. I was soon introduced to my opponent from the Shaolin temple. An American man named Robert. He was strong, intimidating, with an eerie calm about him. We bowed, quickly began our Shanshu. I attempted a blow with my right hand. He perfectly blocked it. I tried for low leg kick. Robert jumped all over it, almost bored with my attempt. And after many more failed strikes, it was clear he had had enough. He was done playing with his food. So with one swift strike, he chopped my head off and I died. I later found out that Robert was a celebrity known as the RZA from a very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas. Now, is that story true? 100%. And let the moral be this. Don't try to steal the chicken just to end up losing the rice before they hatch. My guest's new film, One Spoon of Chocolate is in theaters everywhere. So go see it before it's gone. Please enjoy my conversation with the rza. Bobby Digital. Bobby Digital. The scientists. That was great. Best friend, Best episode. Best episode.

[The RZA]

I got one last question. Like, what is this for? There's nothing in it.

[Adam Friedland]

Go to the store.

[The RZA]

Pick Coca Cola, something in it. Water. There you go. It's vodka.

[Adam Friedland]

Suicide.

[The RZA]

Well, I think the. I don't really. I don't got to. I don't. I don't be around too many people. Well, I know I can't measure.

[Adam Friedland]

I'm at this stage in middle aged adulthood where I'm like. I really just. I want to go to work.

[The RZA]

Are you married or you engaged? Engaged. How many. I mean, you want to talk about that on camera or.

[Adam Friedland]

No, we don't have to.

[The RZA]

I don't know. I like to.

[Adam Friedland]

No, I like to create an illusion that I. I'm like bad bunny. I could be straight. Gay. I don't. No, no, no, no. Yeah, no, I've mentioned before. Before. Yeah, we're engaged. We've been together five years.

[The RZA]

Oh, nice. Wait.

[Adam Friedland]

She's awesome.

[The RZA]

I'm Hitchwoman Coleman. I'm interviewing this guy. How long for the engagement?

[Adam Friedland]

The engagement? Like a year.

[The RZA]

Oh, yeah. You were doing the right path, bro.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah.

[The RZA]

Cause after, first of all, after two years of dating.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, yeah.

[The RZA]

Three years of dating.

[Adam Friedland]

It's really just whenever they want, you know.

[The RZA]

Yeah. But then to say going to engagement, that means that you feeling shit is Good, bro.

[Adam Friedland]

I want to get married to her immediately. But I'm just one of those kind of guys. I was just waiting. It was embarrassing, so I didn't tell her. And I was waiting for her to be like, you have to get engaged to me. But, yeah, I bricked the engagement, though.

[The RZA]

You broke it?

[Adam Friedland]

I bricked it. It was like, how do you. Disaster. I, like, went. I went to Mexico City, and then we were visiting a friend of hers, and I was like, can you make sure we're at, like, a party? And when the countdown happens, I'll just give her the ring? And then just like, we literally just. Have you seen that movie After Hours? The Scorsese movie? No, it's the one where the guy goes out. He's just like, Everything's a disaster after disaster.

[The RZA]

Like, I didn't watch that one.

[Adam Friedland]

But, yeah, but, like, yeah, we, like. We left somewhere. We got to another place. It was complete. No one was there. I was like. And then I told her friend. I was like, can you find a party? We get to the party. There's, like, like, six people around a coffee table in the living room. I'm like, I'm not getting engaged in front of these freaks. And they're like, yo, dude, I loved the last episode. I'm like, I'm definitely not getting a

[The RZA]

gift from a guy who fucking watched my last episode.

[Adam Friedland]

We try to go, like, six different places. And, like, by 3am we finally found this place. It was, like, lit. It looked great. And she was cold. You know how, like, women. You know how they're always. I'm cold. Yeah. So she's wearing my jacket, and then I get patted down. I go in and I turn around, and I'm like, oh, shit. And then she's getting patted down there. Like, what's this box? Oh, yeah. Then they took it out. But I was, like, being such a bitch all night. It would have been a romantic thing if that happened. But I was like, all night. She was like, why do you have such a bad attitude to New Year's? I'm like, I'm fine. I'm having a great night.

[The RZA]

I just. Trying to find a fucking place to propose.

[Adam Friedland]

And then she was like, oh, well, it didn't work out tonight. Maybe another time. And it was like. It was so nice. But also, I was like, might. Blake felt so emasculate. I was like, yeah, I'll try again another time.

[The RZA]

Spamalema.

[Adam Friedland]

Then the next day, he says, hey,

[The RZA]

baby, let's do it. You said something about women always being cold. How many women do we have here? Zero.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah. Let's just say. Let's tell it like it is.

[The RZA]

That's not a lie. I'm sorry.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah,

[The RZA]

it's crazy.

[Adam Friedland]

They're always cold.

[The RZA]

The way the light was hitting this dude right here, I thought we had. No, because his hair is here. From this angle.

[Adam Friedland]

This is the alpha pack leader of the crew.

[The RZA]

This guy over here, James. No, but it's angry, bro.

[Adam Friedland]

Don't get it twisted.

[The RZA]

I was like, how many women we got? I was like, none. I was like, wait a minute. None. Oh, okay. Take these off. I don't need these.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, yeah.

[The RZA]

But anyway.

[Adam Friedland]

But in prison, you'd be the belle of the ball, James. Don't forget that.

[The RZA]

Well, the reason why I was asking is that can your girl, and anybody can answer this?

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah.

[The RZA]

Can they fucking stand a hotter shower than you?

[Adam Friedland]

They shower so hot.

[The RZA]

Exactly. What's the science of that? What is it?

[Adam Friedland]

Women love a hot shower.

[The RZA]

What the fuck is that?

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, and it's insane.

[The RZA]

You get in after them, burn your whole shit.

[Adam Friedland]

It is. It is.

[The RZA]

Like, so you down with that?

[Adam Friedland]

It's female.

[The RZA]

I get more witnesses. Okay. All right.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, that's right. Tell it like it is. And there's no one here that could stop us.

[The RZA]

All right.

[Adam Friedland]

We'll see how they like that.

[The RZA]

Just want to make sure I wasn't alone in that shit.

[Adam Friedland]

Oh, my God. Don't get me started, brother. And you know how they tell the most. The best stories that are really funny and interesting? You know how they tell their girls those stories that they just told you, and you're like, what the fuck is this? And then their girl is like, huh?

[The RZA]

What?

[Adam Friedland]

And you're like, what are you. What are you hearing?

[The RZA]

What's the punchline?

[Adam Friedland]

And then they tell a gay guy, and the gay guy's doing that, but I know the gay guy doesn't think it's a good story. The gay guy, he's a double agent. He should tell her. It's a bad story.

[The RZA]

But you know what, though? I gotta speak up for my wife a little bit.

[Adam Friedland]

She's a we.

[The RZA]

No, no, bro. I didn't realize how funny she was, bro.

[Adam Friedland]

They are funny, though, bro.

[The RZA]

She. She was hitting me. She been stabbing me with jokes for 10 years I didn't get. But she was hitting me with them. I. You know, like, what style, bro? Like, it want to come up. And if it comes up, I'd be like, ask my wife.

[Adam Friedland]

My friend has a list of just things that his wife says so he doesn't Snap.

[The RZA]

Yeah, she's good.

[Adam Friedland]

She asked him if a trillion is 3 million. How funny is that? And then she said, who? She asked who won the war when he was talking about World War II. She's like, who won? What are they doing?

[The RZA]

That's funny, though.

[Adam Friedland]

And don't get me started. They use Apple Maps. It's insane the way they.

[The RZA]

Apple Maps?

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, because it's on the phone. You're like, get Google. You're gonna fucking drive off a cliff. Apple Maps never works. It's psycho. I don't understand how they figured out the maps. You use Google Maps like a man. Or Waze like a Zionist Mossad.

[The RZA]

Would you believe? I don't drive, bro.

[Adam Friedland]

You don't drive at all, bro.

[The RZA]

I haven't drove since 2011, bro. Really?

[Adam Friedland]

Do you have a driver?

[The RZA]

Yeah.

[Adam Friedland]

Really?

[The RZA]

Somebody else. Stress. You know what I mean?

[Adam Friedland]

Do you have a window that you like.

[The RZA]

No, no, no, no.

[Adam Friedland]

I don't want to talk to you.

[The RZA]

I mean, depending on what kind of car. But I got an Escalade. He drives the Escalade or whatever. But I don't drive. I just gave up, bro.

[Adam Friedland]

You're done with it. I'm a terrible driver, too.

[The RZA]

You should give up.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah. Yeah. And also, my girlfriend is way better than me. And it's. It is emasculating, too. Yeah, I will. I know how I'm gonna die one day, actually, because I have this. I do the sneezing thing. I can't sneeze once. I sneeze, like, at least three times in a row.

[The RZA]

Okay.

[Adam Friedland]

And I'm gonna be on a freeway and then just.

[The RZA]

Yeah, well, you get a lot of blessings then.

[Adam Friedland]

No, no.

[The RZA]

How many of you sneeze? Bless you.

[Adam Friedland]

Bless you. Not once. I'm one of the least respected. So you have a lot of nicknames. I only have one. You're like. You have like, you know, the scientist Bobby Digital. Robert Fitzgerald Diggs.

[The RZA]

Yeah.

[Adam Friedland]

You're also. Yeah. You're named after rfk.

[The RZA]

Yeah. No, no, no. Wait. No. Fitzgerald.

[Adam Friedland]

John Fitzgerald.

[The RZA]

John and Robert together.

[Adam Friedland]

Your parents loved them. Yeah, they were those kind of baby boomers.

[The RZA]

Yeah, they were like.

[Adam Friedland]

It was Camelot. It was phenomenal.

[The RZA]

Yeah.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, it was.

[The RZA]

Well, somebody cared. Yeah, it felt like somebody cared. And those. In those days, because it was, you know, it's like nobody cared.

[Adam Friedland]

You ever meet the son?

[The RZA]

No, never. Junior. Nuh.

[Adam Friedland]

He's got some opinions.

[The RZA]

Yeah, well, some other guy with the. He got a deep voice. His voice is deep, bro. What the fuck happened to his voice?

[Adam Friedland]

No, he's got A voice like he's got like something stuck in it.

[The RZA]

Yeah. What happened? What's that? Oh,

[Adam Friedland]

just kidding. Well, he deserves it for all the, you know, you know, Mr. Trump. Yeah, that's what he gets. Yeah, he has cum stuck in his throat. That's what he says.

[The RZA]

No, I'm.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, there's a very funny video of him because he's like clearly on like roids trying to do push ups and he could like only do three.

[The RZA]

Get out of here.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, he has muscles, but he's weak. Yeah, it's hilarious.

[The RZA]

That's deep.

[Adam Friedland]

Not us.

[The RZA]

No, no. I could do more than three. I got a bad shoulder and I could do definitely more than three.

[Adam Friedland]

Okay, let's get to you. Let's get to the interview. Even though you're my best friend.

[The RZA]

I thought this was an interview.

[Adam Friedland]

No, no, I have. I actually have.

[The RZA]

You gotta make an intro.

[Adam Friedland]

I have topics.

[The RZA]

Okay, well, we were rolling on that.

[Adam Friedland]

We were rolling on all that. I just wanted to chill with you the rest of my life. And I knew that it would be this. When I've thought about this, this has gone exactly how I thought it would go. You're like, Adam, you are the second greatest producer of all time. You think you get your flowers actually

[The RZA]

in terms of like all that in the industry itself.

[Adam Friedland]

Producer, specifically, I don't know.

[The RZA]

I think this. I mean, I see it a lot. You know what I mean? I'm always in somebody's top five or whatever, Whatever. But it's like nobody validates me. You know what I mean?

[Adam Friedland]

I would say it's Phil Spector than you.

[The RZA]

Hey, yeah, Bill was good.

[Adam Friedland]

He was pretty good.

[The RZA]

That's it. But I think that. No, no, on the real world, nobody don't take me. Can't validate me or invalidate me, bro.

[Adam Friedland]

You don't. I don't really care what anyone thinks of this.

[The RZA]

That's no sin.

[Adam Friedland]

It's nice being middle aged. Yeah, right.

[The RZA]

You don't give a fuck.

[Adam Friedland]

I don't have to be cool anymore. I stink. I stink. And if you're watching this, shame on you. You're a loser.

[The RZA]

We're gonna upgrade you, though. We're gonna upgrade you.

[Adam Friedland]

Did you have like a. Like a lineage? Cause I feel like when, like we should get to the movie. Cause I know you're promoting it. I don't have like a million questions that I've had my entire life, but

[The RZA]

like, let me start this. Let me look, ladies and gentlemen, this is my first time here, May 1, 2017. But I will say hold on, hold on, I'm interrupting this guy. He's gonna get me back for this. But yo, bro, I'm just here to have fun with you and spend some time with you.

[Adam Friedland]

Me too. That's all I want to do. Also. I'm just trying to chill. Okay.

[The RZA]

That's it, bro.

[Adam Friedland]

I should do a proper introduction. Ladies and gentlemen, he doesn't need one. It's the rza. His new film. What's the name of Your new film?

[The RZA]

One Spoon of Chocolate.

[Adam Friedland]

It is in theaters May 1st. Everyone go see it. It is inspired by your own life. It's your story.

[The RZA]

It's inspired by a lot of shit, bro.

[Adam Friedland]

It's the inflection point kind of of everything for me.

[The RZA]

Yeah, there's a lot of things going on in there. It's inspired by true events. And I think now that we. Promoting my film, at first we was just chilling and shit, but now that we promote my film, I would say

[Adam Friedland]

that because the money men here, all they care about is the dollars. They're looking at me. They're like, promote the film.

[The RZA]

Why?

[Adam Friedland]

Paid good money for this. Well, all you care about is your brands and your commercials. Yeah.

[The RZA]

But I will say that it's definitely a film that will hit every emotion. You're gonna feel comfortable, uncomfortable, happy, sad, fulfilled. And you still may walk away with some questions. And that's what cinema should do. Cinema should make you be like, yo, woo, that was good. You know what I mean?

[Adam Friedland]

There's something about you that's like movies and music is kind of one thing. Like, I mean like the first time you listen to 36 chambers or like any of the, you know, the albums that you produce for, the solo albums that you produce for them, it's all like, just say some of the. I mean like we listen to Liquid Swords. That's about two minutes of a sample. That's a long one up top.

[The RZA]

It's a movie.

[Adam Friedland]

But like you are. Do you view music as cinema in a way? Like, are you like, are you experiencing an album? Like it's a kind of like a.

[The RZA]

Yeah, that was my ambition. My ambition was to make albums that was like audio movies. I'm making movie. Oh, I'm making music. Back when you. There's no DVDs, bro.

[Adam Friedland]

That was like one of the questions I had.

[The RZA]

Think about that.

[Adam Friedland]

How did you see so much like specifically blaxploitation and kung fu movies? Like how were you exposed?

[The RZA]

I guess growing up to, oh, VHS was everything. Yeah, I actually had a. I actually bought. I tried to start My own video store in Ohio. And so I bought all the fucking movies from this video store in Staten Island. So my collection is ridiculous on vhs. I'm talking about thousands of VHS movies. And I watched shit, you know what I mean? I was digging through movies like people who dig through crates of records, you know what I mean? And so. And my goal was so New Yorkers, we would leave New York and drive to Virginia, D.C. or Virginia. Yeah, this was when the street pharmaceutical business was part of the trade, right, The Viagra. Yeah, before that.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, yeah, before that.

[The RZA]

Okay, this should probably shrink your dick. All right. Oh, yeah.

[Adam Friedland]

That's the worst experience in the world, which is like.

[The RZA]

Yeah, this probably was shrinking people dicks.

[Adam Friedland]

Cut that, please. Please cut that.

[The RZA]

Wait, this is a Greek occurrence on this, bro.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah. Oh, fuck. Yeah.

[The RZA]

Okay, I'll make sure. But anyway, driving down to when you drive through, when you drive, I always wanted somebody, you know, with a big fucking Benz to put my cassette in and go on a journey while he's driving. That was like my ambition to, like, have an audio movie. And so my music was always made to be listened from beginning to end. I wasn't really thinking about singles and hit records. I was thinking about cinematic experiences without knowing the word was called cinematic. And then eventually, of course, I realized that all along I am a film director, but the toys I had was a sampler, a turntable, a four track machine, or a beat machine. Now, of course, I've been blessed and I got motherfucking. You know what I mean? The whole set.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah.

[The RZA]

You know what I mean?

[Adam Friedland]

I mean, you've scored films, of course.

[The RZA]

Yeah, the Tarantino films.

[Adam Friedland]

You also. Wait, did you see that clip of him that one time when he was on 106 in Park Tarantino.

[The RZA]

I see it. So

[Adam Friedland]

he's being very. He has a lot of stank on the way he's talking. He's putting a lot of stank. He's like.

[The RZA]

Yeah, what'd he do?

[Adam Friedland]

He's on BET where he's like. He's like. Yeah, but he's talking like 70s black guy, which matches, I guess, his movies. But the code switching is one of the funniest video.

[The RZA]

Yeah, I gotta see that.

[Adam Friedland]

See y'. All. What up, slick? Give me a little touch, slick. He's talking like a pimp.

[The RZA]

Well, that goes. You know what all your slang.

[Adam Friedland]

I know. He's a friend. He's a friend of.

[The RZA]

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Definitely, you know. Yeah. No, I call him the Godfather in my film. World, Right. But all. No, this goes to anybody. Everybody's slang depends on your fucking age, bro.

[Adam Friedland]

True.

[The RZA]

If you meet a dude in the 60s, from 1965-75, he gonna, what up, jive turkey? You're like, what the fuck is that?

[Adam Friedland]

It's like listening to a Lenny Bruce comedy album where he's like, this cat over here?

[The RZA]

Yeah, this cat? Yeah, yeah. You're like, what the fuck is that?

[Adam Friedland]

What the fuck is this? Is this funny to people?

[The RZA]

Yeah, but the funniest thing worse is that the shit come back around. Yo. Now everybody's like, yo, bro. Yo, bro. Dude. You hear that a lot now from these kids.

[Adam Friedland]

Were you from the bro generation?

[The RZA]

No, the bro was before me. Oh. Bro was seven, but he came before me.

[Adam Friedland]

When did bro first pop up?

[The RZA]

I'm from the sun. Yo, what up, son? Son, that's me. What up, Thun?

[Adam Friedland]

That's New York, though.

[The RZA]

But that's me.

[Adam Friedland]

It's so funny how I was just,

[The RZA]

like, listening to the whole son.

[Adam Friedland]

I was listening to the infamous and just copying the way they're talking.

[The RZA]

Yeah.

[Adam Friedland]

Well, as a Jewish boy, literally, when I moved to New York.

[The RZA]

Where'd you move from? I gotta know.

[Adam Friedland]

I lived in D.C. before that, and then I grew up in Vegas pretty much. Yeah.

[The RZA]

That's a weird place to grow up. I mean. I mean, the ping pong is definitely.

[Adam Friedland]

I went to college in dc, Then I started comedy. Then I went to New York. But, like, I was literally on the G train listening to the infamous. And I was like. I was like, Emily in Paris. But I was like. But I was like, they're rapping about the G train in this song.

[The RZA]

Right?

[Adam Friedland]

And if anyone knew what was going through my mind on the train, they'd be like, this is the lamest guy of all time.

[The RZA]

Yeah. But son and Thun is for me also, you know, from New York. Ever since we was 11, we was calling each other, yo, yo, what up, God. Peace, God. Yo, G. Yeah. You know what I mean?

[Adam Friedland]

That's respect. That's nice.

[The RZA]

Yeah. So it was always so all that bro jive turkey shit. None of that shit made it to me.

[Adam Friedland]

Was Staten island considered, like, you were like a country bumpkin at the time?

[The RZA]

Nah. Was that.

[Adam Friedland]

You guys were the first kind of act?

[The RZA]

Yeah. I mean, people now, New York did look at Staten island as a forgotten borough.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah. They're like, what the hell are these?

[The RZA]

Until they came over, these wops.

[Adam Friedland]

Oh, these fucking dagos over here.

[The RZA]

A lot of Italian brothers over there,

[Adam Friedland]

but sorry to their friends of the show the Italian.

[The RZA]

But until they came over there, because, yo, you could come to Staten island with all that other sucker shit. Yeah, yeah. And don't go home.

[Adam Friedland]

What was it like growing up around those guys?

[The RZA]

Which guys?

[Adam Friedland]

You know, the Itralians.

[The RZA]

Oh, those are my peoples y' all was in. I mean, that's. Yo, I'm in school. I'm in the eighth grade, and my classmate last name is Castellano.

[Adam Friedland]

Uh huh.

[The RZA]

Okay. So that says all good. I'm like, can I spend the night? You know what I mean? Cause he had Atari.

[Adam Friedland]

He had a castle. Oh, yeah, he had Atari.

[The RZA]

He had Atari back when. You know what I mean?

[Adam Friedland]

So you remember hanging out with a rich kid who sucked, but he had all the gaming systems. Yeah, yeah, that sucked.

[The RZA]

Yeah, yeah.

[Adam Friedland]

He just had all the games.

[The RZA]

And you have a bar with a cartridge and never take it back, of course.

[Adam Friedland]

Tell his dad to buy him another one. That's what you get for being fucking 1%. No, but wait, so you were born in Brooklyn, you grew up in Staten island, and in the south and Midwest and all over.

[The RZA]

By the time I was 21, I lived in 20 locations.

[Adam Friedland]

Uh huh.

[The RZA]

Yeah. Not by choice. It just happened to be that way for me.

[Adam Friedland]

I think what's clear, like, from the early records is like, you were using like soul, a lot of soul samples, which is kind of like. I think. Do you feel like you were one of the first producers kind of. Because that's defined hip hop production. I mean, Kanye's first three albums don't happen. I think.

[The RZA]

Yeah. If I don't do that.

[Adam Friedland]

If you don't put that, like.

[The RZA]

Yeah, yeah. I think I definitely helped bring that into it, the emotion of a soul record. I actually realized that that fucking A minor chord was everything breaks your heart. Yeah. And then you'll see, like, even though Lisa Keys first came out, it's an A minor.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah.

[The RZA]

That scale, those chords, I think it was something about them that really attracted me sonically. I didn't know what the fuck it was, but I didn't even know what a C chord was. When I made a platinum album and you go, hey, hit the C note. I'd be like, hold on, bro, let me. I might dig in my pocket, try to prank it. Think a C Note is a $100 bill, you know what I mean?

[Adam Friedland]

And just for the record, speaking of A minor, no one has ever come forward and said that they were molested by Drake. It's a very cruel. It was a cruel, anti Semitic. It was clearly a hit job. He was one of the first artists to sign the Palestine Letter. And DJ Khaled hasn't done it yet. Actually, despite being the most famous Palestine. Don't get me started. But how did. I just want to put that out there.

[The RZA]

This guy likes it. This guy likes it.

[Adam Friedland]

I just want to put that out there.

[The RZA]

The A minor is just a chord, right?

[Adam Friedland]

Well, it is just a chord. And at the Grammys, the Super bowl and the Oscars. At the Oscars. What does the fucking song have to do with movies?

[The RZA]

Sorry.

[Adam Friedland]

Don't get me started. It is one of the most anti Semitic things I've ever seen.

[The RZA]

Can you wait till May 15? Are you excited about May 15?

[Adam Friedland]

I'm so excited.

[The RZA]

Okay, make sure. Okay.

[Adam Friedland]

Do you know the product? Do you know my friend? I would assume he will be as good of friends as us, if we had. Do you know Aubrey Drake?

[The RZA]

Greg? You called him Aubrey. You stupid. Aubrey. You know what?

[Adam Friedland]

We know each other from the meetings.

[The RZA]

I've met him. I met him. I respect him. Yeah. Like, sometimes an artist. Yeah, I know you, right? And it's. And I can't say I know him, right?

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, but you have his phone number, maybe?

[The RZA]

No, I have his pop's phone number. You have. Whoa, you do? Nah, man.

[Adam Friedland]

Cause his dad's brother was in Sly on the Family Stone. Is that correct?

[The RZA]

Nah, I don't know. I don't know the history. I think his father was in music.

[Adam Friedland]

Dennis Graham. Yeah, they was from Memphis. Yeah. I think his uncle was in.

[The RZA]

Yeah, I think they've been in music their whole life and shit. But I know if you'd asked me this a few years ago, yo, you know, so and so I go, yeah, I know him. But then I'm saying to myself, like, yo, you don't really know. Like, I said, even we met today. Somebody said, oh, you know rza? Yeah, I know. Well, we hunt out my dude.

[Adam Friedland]

I wouldn't say that.

[The RZA]

But you can't say I know this motherfucker.

[Adam Friedland]

But I wouldn't say I'd be humble about it.

[The RZA]

I met this motherfucker I would say I met.

[Adam Friedland]

But in my head, I know we know each other well, so.

[The RZA]

But yeah, but I'm a fan of Drake's music. I met him. He's a cool motherfucker.

[Adam Friedland]

What did you make of when the kid seeing these knuckleheads?

[The RZA]

The Battles.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, knuckleheads.

[The RZA]

Listen, bro, that's part. I'm from New York. Yeah. That's how hip hop tapes started circulating. It was like, yo, you heard this tape of Busy B and Kumo, dude.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah.

[The RZA]

You like what? Put it in. And they fucking talking shit about each other or they battling, you know what I mean? So hip hop has been that. You know what I mean? But it's part of. Hip hop is a sport. Don't get it twisted.

[Adam Friedland]

Who did you guys have problems with early on?

[The RZA]

Nobody.

[Adam Friedland]

Nobody. Cause you do karate and beat them up. They were probably afraid of the karate.

[The RZA]

Well, we had our battles before we became famous. We used to get on the train and look for motherfuckers.

[Adam Friedland]

Really?

[The RZA]

Seriously? Really. Yo, bro, even as a dj, I'll give you one little egotistical one. Yo, as a dj, bro, from Staten Island, I got on the ferry to the fucking train to go way to the Bronx to a project building that I never been to, to battle a motherfucker at a house party. That's hip hop. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? Beat this motherfucker and go back. You just doing it just to beat him and head back home. You ain't getting no money. Yeah, you ain't getting nothing. All you know is that you beat that motherfucker.

[Adam Friedland]

Do you get his girlfriend or something or.

[The RZA]

You don't get nothing.

[Adam Friedland]

You don't get anything.

[The RZA]

Nothing. I did the same. I did it. Then two weeks later, they like, yo, they got this DJ in Lower east, said he could get you. It's always some guy that knows some guy.

[Adam Friedland]

What an idiot, right?

[The RZA]

He's like, yo, on the year I be there, Saturday, you go there. Turntables out, block party. You ain't. You don't even belong there, bro. I mean, you a fish out of water in all reality. But hip hop is so big now. You battling. You beat the guy. Now guns come out, motherfuckers shooting, blow, blow, blow, blow. You laughing.

[Adam Friedland]

You're laughing at the guns.

[The RZA]

Yeah, you're laughing.

[Adam Friedland]

Really.

[The RZA]

You know what I'm saying? Because it's just like, yo, I could burn all y' all motherfuckers. I'm the best.

[Adam Friedland]

And your hands are lethal weapons. Probably from all those movies you've been watching.

[The RZA]

But that's hip hop. Yeah. Like, that's the era of hip hop when it was, like, it was such a passion to be great. Such a passion to be number one. So when it started becoming music and making songs and all that, that sport did travel over. Now it dwindled and it led to damages in the 90s, of course. You know, we think about PAC and big, you know what I mean? I think it ended admirable with Jay and Nas you know what I mean? They actually ended up working together.

[Adam Friedland]

That one got mean. That one got very mean.

[The RZA]

Yeah. But they end up working. And then we get to Drake and Kendrick. It was like, well, it hasn't been nothing really in a while. And then this becomes not just fucking hip hop, bro. This became world news. Like you could be watching fucking the View and the girls and the ladies at the table talking about Drake and Kendrick. Like, hold on, boy. It became like a boxing shit. Yeah, I'll pass you the mic. Anyway.

[Adam Friedland]

Well, I thought in the third round, family man is he switched up the flow four times. The way that fat. The way fat 40 year old white guys with beards were taking.

[The RZA]

That's what I'm saying, brother. I hated that.

[Adam Friedland]

They were like, well, if you analyze, you know the cadence of the flow in the fourth round, I'm gonna give this one. Shut up, shut up.

[The RZA]

I gotta ask you the question, bro. Why is the MPC here on the floor? The MPC 1000.

[Adam Friedland]

All right. I was smoking Corona Dutch Master Blunt in college with Ari Stern over there. And we were. One time we were listening to Arthur's Scene by Christopher Cross and we're like, someone should chop this into. You know the song when you get lost between the moon and New York City, bro, You know, it's crazy.

[The RZA]

I just played Christopher Cross. I just did a yacht rock show. Really Serious xm. Really? Yeah. They say I'm gonna be the guest dj. No, he wasn't there.

[Adam Friedland]

You know what happened to him? They thought he was going to be next the up next and then one album, but it was before there was like. Then his face.

[The RZA]

They said what happened? He gained weight or some?

[Adam Friedland]

No, they said he wasn't. People saw that he wasn't handsome. No, I don't want to on the guy made him incredible.

[The RZA]

I've seen this documentary, bro. Yeah, you can't knock that kid, dude.

[Adam Friedland]

I love that. With the flamingo, the green, whatever, Sailing, I think.

[The RZA]

Yeah, yeah, right. Oh, on the way to Mexico, right? Yeah, he said he's on his way to Mexico. He was you. You made.

[Adam Friedland]

You.

[The RZA]

You propose in Mexico.

[Adam Friedland]

I propose, Yeah. I break.

[The RZA]

Makes sense. Yeah, I see the Christopher Kors connection now. It's all coming.

[Adam Friedland]

I didn't forget.

[The RZA]

It's all coming together.

[Adam Friedland]

I'm on the wren. Wait, so like.

[The RZA]

Okay,

[Adam Friedland]

so Ari put these samples on his npc. I don't know. I mean, we loaded it and I.

[The RZA]

What you wanted to do, I mean,

[Adam Friedland]

it's kind of offensive. I mean, it's like saying like, I'm gonna make George Martin make a new Beatles song for me.

[The RZA]

What's that?

[Adam Friedland]

He knew. He knew already. How did we. That's exact.

[The RZA]

Grabbing tits.

[Adam Friedland]

Wait, that. That was literally what we were saying. That just if you loop the best that you can do. I mean, it's kind of adjusting.

[The RZA]

Yo, somebody should do that. Yo, bro. Do it. Don't knew it.

[Adam Friedland]

Do it.

[The RZA]

No, no, not me, because.

[Adam Friedland]

Please.

[The RZA]

Because the samples cost more when I do it. We'll just do for.

[Adam Friedland]

As an exercise.

[The RZA]

I'm gonna get demonetized.

[Adam Friedland]

I don't give a fuck.

[The RZA]

Wait, listen. They gonna edit all this shit out your shit, bro.

[Adam Friedland]

No.

[The RZA]

Who's they?

[Adam Friedland]

The rabbis? No, they're not gonna take anything from me. I'm onto them. I'm onto them.

[The RZA]

It's just gonna be nice.

[Adam Friedland]

I saw what you did to Michael. You're not gonna do it to me.

[The RZA]

He gonna play his content. It's gonna be like. This content has no fucking audio. Just. Just.

[Adam Friedland]

But if you were just. Maybe we'll edit it out. But if you were.

[The RZA]

I'm do it another day.

[Adam Friedland]

What about just maybe?

[The RZA]

But yo, that's.

[Adam Friedland]

Yo, it is a great moment in talk show history right here.

[The RZA]

Yeah, listen, I will say this. It's a good shot, bro. I think you gotta. Oh, that's simple. Let me see. Hold on.

[Adam Friedland]

And then you maybe pitch it up like a little.

[The RZA]

Yeah, pitch it up. And you got to take off. You gotta pitch your velocities at full level on your mp.

[Adam Friedland]

Exactly.

[The RZA]

That's that button right there. There you go. It's just a button. You know what I mean?

[Adam Friedland]

And then you got.

[The RZA]

Then you. Cause, look, if it's off, it's this like, that button. You hit it here every time you hit it. You know what I mean? It's the best moment in your life if they take it off. If they put it on. One shot, you got it on. You got it on Pulse and shit, bro.

[Adam Friedland]

Oh, you can change it in the program window.

[The RZA]

I know what you can do. I'm telling you. I'm telling you that you supposed to have that shit if you wanted me to fuck around. You're supposed to have the shit ready to go.

[Adam Friedland]

Ahrii, I thought you would have the program window for him. I don't know why we wanted it. This is the best day of my life.

[The RZA]

All right, so he got it on Velocity. But anyway.

[Adam Friedland]

Wait, wait, wait, wait.

[The RZA]

No, back to another question, bro.

[Adam Friedland]

Just you caressing the pads of Mr. Ari Stern's MPC. What a moment. What a moment for us. What a moment for us as a team. When people talk about energy recovery performance, they usually jump straight into training, protein or supplements. But one of the most overlooked pieces is gut health. If your gut is not dialed, everything else struggles to work the way it should, and that is where momentous Fiber plus comes in. Most people think that fiber is just about staying regular, but fiber actually plays a major role in energy stability, recovery, focus and overall performance. Once you understand how gut health works, menses Fiber plus stops feeling like just another supplement and starts feeling foundational. When gut health is not dialed in, other supplements and training habits don't work as well, but you could be doing everything else right. Without the strong foundation, results fall short. Fiber is often the missing link. 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[The RZA]

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[Adam Friedland]

From Geico Subconscious News, I'm Tammy. Racing thoughts broadcasting from your brain. Tonight's top worry. If something happens to your apartment and you need to like stay in a hotel and pay for it, that would be crazy, right?

[The RZA]

Art Palpitations has more.

[Adam Friedland]

That would be crazy, Tammy. But you got surprisingly affordable renters insurance through Geico, so it could be covered in giving you peace of mind. Aw, I love a story that ends well. Next up, love stories. Are they all they're cracked up to be? It feels good to worry less. It feels good to Geico.

[The RZA]

So where you get those shoes from?

[Adam Friedland]

Yo, I got them.

[The RZA]

I like the ridges. I like the ridges, right?

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I got them in Texas.

[The RZA]

Austin.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, Austin.

[The RZA]

See, we was in. Yo, bro, I only own one pair of cowboy boots. Yeah, and I got him from fucking Austin, Texas.

[Adam Friedland]

Where'd you get em at? Lucchese.

[The RZA]

That's the motherfucker.

[Adam Friedland]

That's where I got these too. But I found out that that's where a Dallas businessman gets them and not the real cowboys.

[The RZA]

Well, you know, we don't got horses, you know.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, we don't got horses.

[The RZA]

We don't got horses. We got. We're just passing through.

[Adam Friedland]

We're just fucking passing through. Of course, dude. We're just two guys living life.

[The RZA]

Yeah, Passing through.

[Adam Friedland]

Not like the money guys over here. We're just living. We're the artists.

[The RZA]

Yeah, exactly.

[Adam Friedland]

Well, let's. One thing that was I said to you before the show, that was like, I had no idea. The inflection point that we were kind of referencing before was like, you, you caught a charge in 1993.

[The RZA]

Yep, the charge was in 91. For the charge, I got acquitted in 92.

[Adam Friedland]

92, yeah.

[The RZA]

And Wu Tang comes in 93.

[Adam Friedland]

How do you do? Like, how. How is 36 chambers the first? You know, Billy, how is it so perfect?

[The RZA]

Immediately, I think, thank you for saying that, for saying it's perfect. But I think that what happened is that it's years of us trying, right? So in my hood, there's tapes that's floating around. Even some of the lyrics on 36 Chambers is referencing songs you never heard but only people heard. It was the people in our projects.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah.

[The RZA]

So we had. So by the time you meet Wu Tang, right? This is used. I use myself as an example. You meet me, I'm 21, 22 years old. I've been writing lyrics since I was nine years old.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah.

[The RZA]

So now you done met a guy who's been doing this shit 10 to 12 years, right, that done ran through New York City and bowed. Yeah. But even though I'm a kid, you know what I'm saying? So then the juzza doing it even longer and stronger. So that's why I come to his verses on that first album. He probably got some of the best verses on the first album because he was the best of us. You know what I'm saying? And then you see, meth is a couple of years younger, Ghost a couple of years younger. But by the time you get the Cuban links, like, oh, shit, now they getting their 10, 12, 13 year mark. You know what I mean? So, so, so 36 Chambers is capturing these dudes, right? Approaching mastery level. Some of us were at mastery level. Some of us were advanced, regardless, you know what I mean? Like Nas, I call him an advanced MC.

[Adam Friedland]

He was 19, right, when he made.

[The RZA]

Yeah, but he was 16 when he was already considered. Like, yo, who the fuck is this motherfucker? Yeah, yeah. So it's that kind of energy. So. But going back to what you were saying, as far as the story and the point, and this is just. This is not funny. You can make a joke out of it, but I'm not going to. Yes, you is.

[Adam Friedland]

I refuse.

[The RZA]

Okay? So from the time that I stopped being a negative motherfucker.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah.

[The RZA]

You know what I mean? Which was April 22nd. It wasn't even a year later, bro, that I was able to be platinum.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah.

[The RZA]

And. But before that, every time I tried to do something, which was mostly negative, shit was failing.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah.

[The RZA]

And so I always tell young people that, yo, positive is not an easy road. Like you look at Method man with muscles that ain't come overnight, bro. You gotta go to the gym, bro. Go work out. You know what I mean? Work your material out, bro. And don't be deterred, because something that could easily tell you to turn left and fuck up all the shit that you. Your true calling. And for me, art was my true calling, even though I was trying to be everything else by the artist.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, it's just like, you have to catch. Ls probably to get better.

[The RZA]

Yeah. Or you got to catch. No, you. Well, let me see.

[Adam Friedland]

You gotta fuck up a bunch of times before. Like, you have to work your ass off.

[The RZA]

You gotta work your ass off, but you don't gotta fuck up. I tell people that, like, you don't gotta go through hell. I went through hell.

[Adam Friedland]

I've been through hell myself.

[The RZA]

Yeah, yeah, me too, bro. All right. We've been through hell. No, now, I wouldn't say anybody else who got to go through hell. I'm saying whatever hell it is. Yeah, yeah, right. When you have your son, you ain't gonna want him to go through your hell. His hell. Gotta be different. He going through your hell, then you ain't do your job.

[Adam Friedland]

God forbid.

[The RZA]

Yeah, yeah. You feel me, though?

[Adam Friedland]

I feel you 100%.

[The RZA]

Yeah. So. So I. So, so, so. My son didn't go through my hell. I know that for a fact.

[Adam Friedland]

Sure.

[The RZA]

So he's most laid back, nonchalant. He wakes up at one in the afternoon, he got a big.

[Adam Friedland]

Do you think they were like, rich kids?

[The RZA]

You know who?

[Adam Friedland]

Your kids.

[The RZA]

Right. You know what?

[Adam Friedland]

Cause, like, you're. You grew up in the projects, right? And you're like, you guys are pussies. No, I wouldn't say.

[The RZA]

Well, I wouldn't say. I wouldn't call them that. Right. Yeah. Because I didn't.

[Adam Friedland]

But it's just like, well, come on.

[The RZA]

You don't know. They're rich and hard.

[Adam Friedland]

They're rich and hard. They got you in them.

[The RZA]

They got rich and hard, but they didn't have to be. Yo, I met a dude, bro. And I talk about this dude a lot, but, hey. And I know he expects me to talk about him. He's a serious dude. You know what I mean? Did his time. Did his crime. Did his time. Mike Tyson. Nah, this dude is deep. Well, I'm gonna say his name, but he told me that while he was in jail, he read one of my articles that came out, whatever, in one of these magazines where I was like, yo, at the end of the day, I'm a fucking nerd, bro. Right? You give me some electronic shit. As soon as I saw this shit, I was like, yo, ready to pick it up? Give me A comic book, right? So this dude, he was in jail with another dude who was in there for murder, and he probably shot about multiple people. This guy is like, he's shooting motherfuckers.

[Adam Friedland]

Jesus.

[The RZA]

But at the end of the day, when they was talking to each other, it's like, yo, at the end of the day, this dude could fix computer. This dude was a nerd.

[Adam Friedland]

They're both nerds.

[The RZA]

Exactly. They gangsters. Now, they don't get it twisted, but they nerds. The gangster is part of the environment made you have to be that, the circumstances made you have to be that. You know what I mean? It's almost like, yo, bro, I'm a vegan.

[Adam Friedland]

Right?

[The RZA]

Right. But pause.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah.

[The RZA]

If I got a. I'm sorry, he's stupid.

[Adam Friedland]

Why did I say that?

[The RZA]

I don't know.

[Adam Friedland]

I don't know why I said that.

[The RZA]

That's okay.

[Adam Friedland]

Sorry.

[The RZA]

I'm a vegan, though. But check this out.

[Adam Friedland]

Why would. Where do I get the confidence?

[The RZA]

It get tough, bro. I'm eating meat, kid. Yeah, sure, sure, sure. But this guy's stupid.

[Adam Friedland]

Wow. It's the best day of your life.

[The RZA]

Hold on, hold on. No, no, don't say yo when niggas say pause, right?

[Adam Friedland]

It's so funny.

[The RZA]

And somebody else could be like, yo, fuck it, nigga, rewind.

[Adam Friedland]

It's the middle. There was one. There was one.

[The RZA]

I like this guy.

[Adam Friedland]

Do you know every. Do you know every. Do you know every affiliate's name?

[The RZA]

Ooh, that's.

[Adam Friedland]

You can't possibly know.

[The RZA]

I don't think I could do that. But let's fuck around. Let's see what's a guy.

[Adam Friedland]

Wait, by the way, at our Jewish summer camp, a Wu Tang affiliate came and performed like, there were like, oh, 12 year old remedy.

[The RZA]

Remedy Kane.

[Adam Friedland]

He did Never Again for us.

[The RZA]

Holy shit.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah. And like, there was like, that's beautiful. Rebecca Goldstein. We were like, grinding. It's like, for him. As a gig. For him as a gig. Yeah. To a Holocaust song. Also, you had a guy named War Cloud, AKA the Holocaust.

[The RZA]

Yeah, his name was Holocaust.

[Adam Friedland]

Holocaust, yeah.

[The RZA]

Then I was like, yo, you might want to shift that. Then he went war. Then he went war. Yeah.

[Adam Friedland]

And Holocaust died last year.

[The RZA]

He died? Yeah, yeah. You know who knows Holocaust, like, verbatim. Who's somebody? Seth Rogen, bro.

[Adam Friedland]

Seth Rogen's friends with the Holocaust.

[The RZA]

No, he's not friends with Holocaust, but he. Yo, he knew that when I first met him. He dropped that like it wasn't shit.

[Adam Friedland]

I mean, it's a thing that we would Know if you had a guy named Holocaust? Holocaust died last year after October 7th and everything. I can't believe. Cut me. Cut me. You have a guy named Dexter Wiggles?

[The RZA]

Oh, you know Dexter Wiggles?

[Adam Friedland]

I'm reading the funniest names that I found.

[The RZA]

I like. Oh, like this. How do you know Dexter Wiggles?

[Adam Friedland]

Because I read a list of all the 3,000 Wu Tang affiliates. How do you even join? How do you.

[The RZA]

What's that? Well, give me some more names first.

[Adam Friedland]

Cheesy Rat.

[The RZA]

Now. That guy didn't make it, bro. I don't know him. Now. Now you're going into the unknown, charted shit.

[Adam Friedland]

Rap Master 1. That's a terrible name. You should.

[The RZA]

I don't know that one either. He didn't make it.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, polite.

[The RZA]

Yeah, polite Made it.

[Adam Friedland]

Polite is. That's nice.

[The RZA]

Yeah, polite. Yeah, polite. That's my man. Yeah, give me another one.

[Adam Friedland]

Say please and thank you. And excuse me, Spanky Splash.

[The RZA]

Wait, hold on, hold on, hold on.

[Adam Friedland]

Shorty Shit stain.

[The RZA]

There's a Shorty Shit Stain. He's not having. No. Serious. You know what? No. Shorty. Yo, yo, yo, my nigga. Hold on. Let's say Shorty Shit stance. No, I would never. I'm a big.

[Adam Friedland]

That's your cousin. Yeah, I'm a big fan. Yeah, it's just a funny name.

[The RZA]

Yo, Shorty.

[Adam Friedland]

Shorty Shit Stain.

[The RZA]

Shorty Shit Stain. Yo.

[Adam Friedland]

What is it? Does he mean to poop his pants or something? Ah. I am kind of short, you know? Mine is.

[The RZA]

Give me another one.

[Adam Friedland]

The Coward. Wait, this one?

[The RZA]

No. Who's the coward? That's not in it, bro.

[Adam Friedland]

I heard crazy allegations against this one guy. Go like, these parties where there were, like, abuses. There's a guy named T. Diddy.

[The RZA]

Nah, nah.

[Adam Friedland]

Did you see the trial?

[The RZA]

Nah.

[Adam Friedland]

How did you have this monster in your.

[The RZA]

As one of. He's stupid.

[Adam Friedland]

Yo, T. Diddy. What?

[The RZA]

He's an impersonator, but as a real guy. No, no, no, not at all.

[Adam Friedland]

Someone just put T. Diddy on the list.

[The RZA]

Yeah, give me another one.

[Adam Friedland]

Asiatic. That's funny.

[The RZA]

No, Asiatic, bro.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[The RZA]

Okay.

[Adam Friedland]

That's too on the nose for, like, a Wu Tang affiliate.

[The RZA]

Okay. What you got?

[Adam Friedland]

Stomach with a K. Don't know him. Mike Boston. And it's not like microphone with a C. It's M, I K E. Boston.

[The RZA]

You know what? I don't know. It's the first time I heard that motherfucking name, though. But I don't know him. G. What you got?

[Adam Friedland]

Belichick brought a lot of rings to the city. Who? No, no, I'm just thinking of Mike Boston calling.

[The RZA]

I thought that was named Shit.

[Adam Friedland]

There's a guy named DL.

[The RZA]

Yeah, on the DL. Give me another one.

[Adam Friedland]

I heard some things about DL and the Holocaust with Legion of Skanks.

[The RZA]

Nope.

[Adam Friedland]

Zak Amico.

[The RZA]

No. You're getting some shit now, bro.

[Adam Friedland]

Cigar?

[The RZA]

Nope.

[Adam Friedland]

Cigar is one is on the list.

[The RZA]

I'm open to mortgage.

[Adam Friedland]

Cheesy Rat.

[The RZA]

I told you, bro. No cheesy Rats, bro.

[Adam Friedland]

I think it is. He was in the Chuck E. Cheese Band. Was he?

[The RZA]

Oh, stupid.

[Adam Friedland]

The Animatronic Band.

[The RZA]

I remember that. Remember that shit?

[Adam Friedland]

That was so sick, bro.

[The RZA]

First of all, every time you take your kids there, they come back home sick.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, well, it's disgusting. Diarrhea food, but black as Billy the Kid. He's cool.

[The RZA]

I don't know. Black ass Billy the Kid. Well, there's a cousin Billy.

[Adam Friedland]

Cousin Billy, yeah.

[The RZA]

You got that on there?

[Adam Friedland]

No, I mean, there's more on the.

[The RZA]

He got some shit.

[Adam Friedland]

He pulled some selects.

[The RZA]

Give me some good ones, bro.

[Adam Friedland]

I mean, good ones. Shorty should say is one of the best I've ever heard. Okay, let's go back to the list. Okay. The Holocaust is so funny. Insane.

[The RZA]

Let me tell you something about Holocaust real quick, right?

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah. All right.

[The RZA]

So rest in peace.

[Adam Friedland]

I'm sorry for your loss.

[The RZA]

Rest in peace. To Holocaust.

[Adam Friedland]

To the Holocaust.

[The RZA]

But, yo, bro, I ain't seen him for years at one point, right? And then I saw him, he came to the studio. I was working on Afro Samurai. I said, you know what? I'm gonna let him come do a song. He showed up to the studio, he had a long coat on, bro, and he had a fucking duck in his pocket.

[Adam Friedland]

Why?

[The RZA]

I don't know, bro. He pulled out a duck and started petting this motherfucker, bro. I'm like, what the fuck? What's the science?

[Adam Friedland]

What drug is that?

[The RZA]

What the fuck is a pet D? Wait, how do you have a fucking pet duck in your pocket, bro?

[Adam Friedland]

Like, how do I. Wait, how do you. Do you guys have a barbecue or something to get together? Is it like a family reunion?

[The RZA]

This is. No.

[Adam Friedland]

Do you have a three legged race or like a sack race of all the Wu Tang affiliates?

[The RZA]

Not yet, bro.

[Adam Friedland]

How do Ari and I become. We gotta chop this bead and send it to him.

[The RZA]

Yeah, yeah, chop this up. So let's do two more names and let's get out of this chamber.

[Adam Friedland]

What's this guy's name falling down? That's me. That's so me. That is so me.

[The RZA]

Oh, that's it.

[Adam Friedland]

What's Fugi Fresco? P. Gab Gotcha. G Clef. G Flex. Gnome.

[The RZA]

Hold on. They put Gab Gotcha on there. Goldie Mac.

[Adam Friedland]

Who's that? You don't even like. I know.

[The RZA]

Gab Gotcha.

[Adam Friedland]

There have to be some guys here that.

[The RZA]

You're like, that guy. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. He was thriving.

[Adam Friedland]

Gab Gotcha. That's like a pedophile there.

[The RZA]

Gab Gotcha. He was fine and shit.

[Adam Friedland]

He was a nice guy.

[The RZA]

But you had Goldfinger. Goldfinger was actually a producer. You know who Goldfinger did, y'.

[Adam Friedland]

All.

[The RZA]

He produced a song called Superman. Fairy Tales.

[Adam Friedland]

Nevermind.

[The RZA]

That was the first song, I think, that Kelly Khalis was on. Oh, really? Yeah, he kind of brought Khalees to the. It's the owner, Gravediggers. I remember Fairy Tales, yo. They're the Grave Diggers.

[Adam Friedland]

All right. Yeah, we'll go Gravediggers. That was with Prince Paul, right?

[The RZA]

Yeah, with Prince Paul or.

[Adam Friedland]

No, that was horrorcore. Is that what they called it?

[The RZA]

That's what they called it.

[Adam Friedland]

Scary.

[The RZA]

It's dark.

[Adam Friedland]

Dark. Spooky. It's kind of like. Do you think that the Jay Z verse on Monster was horrorcore? When he's like, goblins, ghouls, spookies, Things that go bump in the night, scary things, nightmares.

[The RZA]

He make it sound like the $25,000 pyramid question, though, right? The guys are like, things that go bump in the night. Things that.

[Adam Friedland]

Wait, wait, what's it called?

[The RZA]

Fairy Tales. On the Gravediggers album.

[Adam Friedland]

But that's not a very gravedigger's thing. A fairy tale is a nice thing.

[The RZA]

Yeah, but if they probably made it dark, bro.

[Adam Friedland]

All right.

[The RZA]

All fairy tales was dark. Brother Grimm's.

[Adam Friedland]

Wow. You look handsome on the COVID of this. That's a nice picture.

[The RZA]

All right. Thank you. Yeah.

[Adam Friedland]

Pause. Why I can't compliment my friend. No, wait, so who produced this?

[The RZA]

Hey, yo, that's the first time I ever said pause in my life.

[Adam Friedland]

Really?

[The RZA]

For me? Yeah. I never said. It's an honor.

[Adam Friedland]

Wait.

[The RZA]

Goldfingers, right?

[Adam Friedland]

So grabby.

[The RZA]

No. Gab Gotcha. We left him behind.

[Adam Friedland]

He didn't produce those.

[The RZA]

No, Goldfinger did this one.

[Adam Friedland]

Wait, can I ask you a question? What is an understood thing about 36 chambers? Is it was fueled by. That is a. That is a cocaine album. Is that correct, or is that just a.

[The RZA]

What you mean gossip, bro? I mean, like, everybody was doing cocaine,

[Adam Friedland]

but it sounds like everyone's just fucking.

[The RZA]

No, no, no, no, no, no.

[Adam Friedland]

So that's just.

[The RZA]

That's a myth.

[Adam Friedland]

That's some gossip mongers.

[The RZA]

That's a myth.

[Adam Friedland]

You guys gotta deal with these.

[The RZA]

Yeah. You gotta deal with.

[Adam Friedland]

How about the money guys? Dealing with some of these gossips. Gossipy whim.

[The RZA]

I'm not a cocaine head. Don't sniff coke. Too cool to sniff coke.

[Adam Friedland]

They said that it was fueled by. I mean, it sounds like they might have meant everyone's rapping hard.

[The RZA]

They might have meant, like, because we had no money. The money that we did have could have came from.

[Adam Friedland]

That's totally true.

[The RZA]

The pharmaceutical business.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[The RZA]

So maybe the pharma they were talking about that way. It was fueled by pharmaceutical. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Adam Friedland]

Anthony Fauci. One thing I like about, like, the solo records you produce afterwards is that there's a distinct identity. Like, you're kind of in. You being auteur, like, directing a film. Like, Tikal is like. He's kind of just fighting against, like, the beats that you're making, right?

[The RZA]

Yeah.

[Adam Friedland]

Then there's, like, there's. I think for Iron man, there's a lot more soul stuff there.

[The RZA]

Yeah, a lot of soul.

[Adam Friedland]

You kind of like, you kind of directed each of their movies in a way.

[The RZA]

Well, as a producer, you should be able to do that. Right? You should be able to hear, feel the vibe of the artist and compliment them. And also you should be able to make sure that you're not doing the same thing over and over. I'm gonna say this to you like, as you got your npc. One thing I tried not to do, right. Was repeat myself, but not realizing that, which is cool for me, but all the footprints I'm leaving, other motherfuckers is picking him up.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah.

[The RZA]

You know what I mean? If Method man doesn't do Takal, there's so many rappers that don't exist. Even though Method man will never do an album or those flows again. Yeah. You know what I mean? So all the. So, you know, hear the soul samples, like, after the. After there'll be tears or shadow boxing or that sped up shit. But then by the time you get to Bobby Digital, I'm using all electronic equipment. I'm not even using samples. You know what I mean? So the point is, like, you want

[Adam Friedland]

to grow as an artist, right?

[The RZA]

Yeah. But you don't realize that sometimes your fans just want you to do this.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, but fuck them, right?

[The RZA]

And then sometimes you don't realize that, you know what? Oh, you don't want to do that no more. I'll do it. And so many other people are now doing that because you already sold, like, let's say. I'm saying, yo, everybody love donuts, right? And I'm like, yo, you know what? I ain't selling donuts no more. They making motherfuckers fat trying to. Trying to help these kids.

[Adam Friedland]

How dare he say that?

[The RZA]

I'm moving over to Dilla.

[Adam Friedland]

Dilla promoting obesity? You think Dilla was promoting obesity?

[The RZA]

No, that's fast. Fast brain. But what happens now is that you don't do it. Somebody else does it, bro.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. That album is beautiful.

[The RZA]

Dill does. Yeah. I love Dilla.

[Adam Friedland]

We were at.

[The RZA]

I was at the.

[Adam Friedland]

In D.C. at the African American History Museum to have his MP PC that he made donuts. Yeah, but he was in the hospital, right?

[The RZA]

Wasn't it? Dillo is beautiful, man.

[Adam Friedland]

Who do you see? Like, who's. Did you have baby bros, like, producer wise, that, like, you were there, like, kind of. Kind of. I don't know, sensei. That was fast, too. The way that it works. I like that.

[The RZA]

When you come across people that say they learn from the Rizzo, they study the rza, they'll let you know. You know what I mean?

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah. Do you give them. Was there anyone younger that you'd give feedback to or, like, like, looked up to you and, like,

[The RZA]

bro, I've dropped beat machines and keyboards on so many people. You could. You could forget it, bro. I'm the hip hop guy. That was in Germany when Germany didn't have hip hop. I gave kids five grand, ten grand, told them to go start it.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, really.

[The RZA]

And then. And then left them alone. But so. So that's a whole nother chamber about me.

[Adam Friedland]

Did Kanye look up to you?

[The RZA]

Yeah, Kanye.

[Adam Friedland]

Cause I see kind of a lineage there.

[The RZA]

No, no, he said that, you know, he learned a lot from the Abbott. The Supreme Clientele album was very inspirational to that album as well as just, you know, just, you know. Yeah. I mean, he once said that. I don't want to talk about Kanye like that, but he once said that, you know, they asked him who was your hero? And he said the rza. You know what I mean? So that's respect. But. But I respect him as a genius and as a brother, I think as

[Adam Friedland]

a producer, he doesn't get enough credit. Honestly, I think he's one of the best.

[The RZA]

He gets a lot of credit, bro.

[Adam Friedland]

But I think people know him more as a. I think people know him more as a famous anti Semite. But, like. But I'm like, wait, have you heard. Have you heard the Late Registration, for instance? No, he's stupid. You've done, like.

[The RZA]

Oh. When I say you stupid, bro, I'm not.

[Adam Friedland]

And the apology. You didn't even need to apologize. Yeah. I've loved you, and I just want you to be okay. You're my hero. I love you so much. And it didn't really even hurt. And you know what? It kind of was not. It was not bad for us because it seemed like you were having a tough time. And so it made anti Semitism seem like a product of someone having a tough time instead of something that all the signs are.

[The RZA]

This guy's crazy.

[Adam Friedland]

Cut all that. Cut all that.

[The RZA]

They're not going to cut none of this.

[Adam Friedland]

The money guys are going to. They were like, we're putting you on our.

[The RZA]

Yeah. When I call you stupid, though, bro, I'm one of you. Hey, Adam, when I call you stupid, it's a compliment.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[The RZA]

No, you know that.

[Adam Friedland]

No. When you date like a Latina, she's like, you stupid. Yeah, it's cute. That's good. That's like my dream girl kind of girl. Honestly. I mean, my.

[The RZA]

You ever have a New York Latina as a date?

[Adam Friedland]

I.

[The RZA]

You can't talk now. You can't talk now. Yo. No, they're the best, bro. Let me tell you something about the New York Latina, so you can just know I wanted to talk about this. Yeah, they're just special, bro.

[Adam Friedland]

They are.

[The RZA]

You know what I mean?

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah. That's all I gotta say. They're amazing. Shout out to all the Latinas in New York City.

[The RZA]

Yeah. Beautiful people.

[Adam Friedland]

Keep doing your thing. We love you.

[The RZA]

You guys are awesome.

[Adam Friedland]

It really does feel great to be called stupid, though. It's like, ooh, I am being stupid right now. You. You know, I think you've done kind of everything, right? You've done, like, everything kind of in art wise. Art wise or like, in music and movies. You've kind of, like, done all the things. I mean, you haven't been like, a best boy or a grip before. Maybe you have. I don't know.

[The RZA]

No, no.

[Adam Friedland]

You weren't like a teamster driving a truck, but, like. No, you've acted, you've written, you've scored films, actually. Movie scores. Like how? Like, approaching a film score. Like, what differentiates the process? Does it feel like you're just making

[The RZA]

an album when you were working as a composer, you working for the betterment of the film, and you're working at the service of the film?

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah.

[The RZA]

At first I thought I was working for the service of the director. I realized, no, it's not for the director. It's his vision. But you have to serve that film. And so it's a different approach because it's really. You gotta have a skill set, an ear set and an ability to do it. But it's not just about coming in and making a fucking beat, bro. What I had to do to try to understand it was I went back and studied Peter and the Wolf. So in Peter and the Wolf, every instrument represents a character.

[Adam Friedland]

It's a different character.

[The RZA]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And so the flute was the bird. Right. The trombones was the wolf and all that. So once I understood that. And that's going back basically, to classical, going back to operas, going back to suites, as they were called, the Nutcracker Suite, et cetera. So I studied that first, and then I understood that I can kind of do that with characters, and I could kind of do that with inanimate objects in a film. So it helped me. But even after that knowledge gets you, it doesn't matter, right? I was writing a scene in Kill Bill. I was writing a scene and I thought I had it, and I showed it to Quentin. He was like, no, that's not it.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah.

[The RZA]

Now, that shook me, because I'm the rza, right? Right. And at the time, it was like, what I did was probably considered undeniable, but it wasn't good for that film. And then I did it again. This went on for two weeks, bro.

[Adam Friedland]

That.

[The RZA]

It was like, no, that's not it.

[Adam Friedland]

You hadn't had to collaborate in a while, I imagine. Right. You've been like. You've been.

[The RZA]

But I haven't been. Right. And nor have I been at service.

[Adam Friedland]

Right.

[The RZA]

See, collaboration is one thing, as service is even higher than collaboration. So then maybe on a week, three, I'm just in there doing what I'm doing, and he bursted into the room and was like, that's it. And I was like, okay. Understood. Like, it's nothing personal. It has to serve the film.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, yeah.

[The RZA]

Different process.

[Adam Friedland]

I mean, that score is awesome.

[The RZA]

It's a different process, though.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, yeah. I mean, what have you enjoyed? Like. Like, I guess you're getting into, what, your. It's your fourth. This is my fourth decade. Fourth decade.

[The RZA]

I thought you'd say my fourth feature film.

[Adam Friedland]

Your fourth feature film.

[The RZA]

Yeah.

[Adam Friedland]

But it's kind of your fourth decade in making art.

[The RZA]

Slow that down. Slow down.

[Adam Friedland]

Kind of.

[The RZA]

Yeah, I got signed. Yeah, I'm approaching. Yeah. I signed to the Teenager.

[Adam Friedland]

So I guess, like, you kind of answered this question a lot earlier, but, like, you're like, you shouldn't grow complacent and, like, you know, just do the same thing over and over again. You grow restless, and you want to change and evolve over time. Like, what's in your belly right now? Like, what's motivating you right now?

[The RZA]

Cinema.

[Adam Friedland]

Cinema. Yeah.

[The RZA]

I want to be. I want to add to the catalog of cinema some great work that even 20 years, 30 years, 50 years, 100 years from now, somebody could pick it up and look at it and go, yo, that's some shit, yo. You know, I remember during the pandemic when everybody was stuck at home, I discovered Burt Lancaster, you know?

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, of course.

[The RZA]

Yeah. And it's just like, I'm watching movies that I've never seen before, you know, and it's like, it's inspiring.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah.

[The RZA]

I'm getting. You know, I. I discovered.

[Adam Friedland]

Have you seen Local Hero?

[The RZA]

Local hit? No.

[Adam Friedland]

Is that. Is that the one last film? Who's it. Who's the guy?

[The RZA]

The old guy that. I didn't see that one, though.

[Adam Friedland]

Cut it if I'm wrong. Cut it if I'm wrong. Fast. Fast. Thomas. He is. Yeah, yeah. It's his last. It's his last performance. It's an unbelievable movie. Very slept on flick.

[The RZA]

I gotta see that. Local Hero. Thank you.

[Adam Friedland]

Local Hero.

[The RZA]

Yeah.

[Adam Friedland]

One of my favorites. It's in a category which I call for the fellas, where it's like, if you're, like, at a bar with your friends, you're like, yo, let's watch Moneyball right now. Right? Let's watch Master and Commander right now. Right? And then you go home and you're, like, literally dapping each other. Cause you're like. That's what it's all about.

[The RZA]

Yeah, Right. Brotherhood.

[Adam Friedland]

Local Hero is like, definitely like that slap shot. Yeah. Wolf of Wall Street. It's just like, for the boys.

[The RZA]

Wolf of Wall Street. What a fucking masterpiece. So good. What point I'm making, like, okay, so let's use Wolf of Wall street as an example.

[Adam Friedland]

Wait, you were saying you were studying Lancaster, though. Yeah. No, no.

[The RZA]

Yeah. I was just saying, like, I'm gonna use the same thing I was gonna say about Bert. I'm gonna say about Leonardo and Scorsese and Wolf of Wall Street. But you go watch this 50 years later, bro.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah.

[The RZA]

You're gonna be entertained, bro.

[Adam Friedland]

Right.

[The RZA]

And so my ambition now. I did it in music. Whether I thought I did it or not, I know I did it. Now the Wu Tang is in the Rock and Roll hall of Fame. So I did it in music. I want to try to do that in film. I want to try to have some films that you're like, yo, I gotta see this. Tell somebody. You gotta watch that for whatever it does for you.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah.

[The RZA]

You know what I mean? One spoon of chocolate, maybe that's the one that fucking make you think about relations, right? You know, man, with the Iron Fist, which. We watched that recently in California. Yeah, bro. It's really almost the first black superhero movie after Blade. Uh huh. But I didn't know that. You see what I'm saying?

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah.

[The RZA]

So cinema, I think, is my way as an artist now.

[Adam Friedland]

What about Blank man with Damon Waynes? Have you seen that?

[The RZA]

Yeah, yeah.

[Adam Friedland]

I thought it was a superhero. It's very funny movie.

[The RZA]

Yeah.

[Adam Friedland]

Have you seen it? Someone, he's just being like.

[The RZA]

He's being gay. I don't know. He's great.

[Adam Friedland]

Now I'm trying to think of black superheroes. All right, keep going. Sorry.

[The RZA]

Yeah.

[Adam Friedland]

I cut you off.

[The RZA]

You know, say that's it, all good. But like, yeah, you asked me what I want.

[Adam Friedland]

You didn't realize that until you saw Iron Fist.

[The RZA]

Yeah, no, no. In my belly. Of course, ladies and gentlemen, the question is, what's in my belly? Yeah, in my belly. It makes cinema that can last and stand the test of time and inspire future generations. And I'm gonna be striving to do that the way I did with music.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah. Yeah. And you're hungry, ambitious.

[The RZA]

Yeah, I'm ambitious about it. We have a new company called 36 Cinema.

[Adam Friedland]

Oh, cool.

[The RZA]

You know, we, you know, like, you guys are doing your own thing. We're doing our own thing. And look, look, I'm gonna say this out loud to you. Podcasting, right? You're a comedian.

[Adam Friedland]

It's a talk show.

[The RZA]

Yeah, right. I'm just saying, talk shows, podcasting, broadcasting, all these things have given outlets of voices and made it easier.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, right.

[The RZA]

And then it become a point where you're like, yo, fuck that, bro. We got our own cameras, our own fucking lights. We do this shit the fuck way we want to do it. Yeah, cinema, it's hard for that to happen. Even though AI is here. It's hard for it to happen at the level that it projects on a big fucking street.

[Adam Friedland]

You need a lot of people there.

[The RZA]

Yeah. A lot of energy. I'm trying to simplify that and trying to open the door for that for. So that it's not a 30 hurdle race. It's only 10 12.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, yeah. So that's one of my to streamline the production process.

[The RZA]

Yeah. And the distribution process.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah. Yeah.

[The RZA]

You know what I mean? In a positive way, though, where everybody makes money, everybody makes a smile, and more art is shared.

[Adam Friedland]

You're the best. I want you to know that. I mean, this has been the best. Seriously.

[The RZA]

Thank you.

[Adam Friedland]

I, like, you're, like. I think. Yeah, you're. I've been a fan for so long, and it's really cool. And especially meeting you is like. You're just such a sincerely lovely person. Like, thank you for being here. No homo. Thanks a lot. There is a guy,

[The RZA]

Sam.