RZA biography
Date of birth : 1969-07-05
Date of death : -
Birthplace : Brooklyn, New York, USA
Nationality : American
Category : Arts and Entertainment
Last modified : 2011-07-15
Credited as : Rap singer, music producer, Wu-Tang Clan
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RZA was born in Brooklyn, New York. His family included ten other children and he spent his entire youth in poverty. In the late 1980s, he started getting into hip hop and joined a group called "Force of the Imperial Master". After being offered a solo record deal, he signed a contract with Tommy Boy Records, releasing an EP called "Ooh I Love You Rakeem".
Although the album was a flop, RZA decided to join forces with his cousins GZA and Ol' Dirty Bastard and six other friends to form the Wu-Tang Clan. They created some early singles, "Protect Ya Neck" and "Method Man", which gave them underground recognition. After some time, they were offered a record deal and they released "Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers" in 1993. The album was a massive hit and established RZA as a musician.
Following the album release, RZA produced a number of solo albums made by the group members, including Method Man and GZA. He also collaborated with some other rappers to form a side project called "Gravediggaz". In 1997, Wu Tang released their second group album, "Wu-Tang Forever", which sold even better than their debut.
Following the release of Wu Tang's second album, RZA started to retreat from the spotlight. While he had previously produced every solo project related to Wu Tang, he now only produced scattered tracks. In 1998, he released his own first solo album, "RZA as Bobby Digital in Stereo", to mixed reviews.
In 1999, RZA composed the score for the film "Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai". His work on the film received much acclaim and led to further film work, including the Kill Bill series and "Soul Plane". He also made an important acting debut in the film "Coffee and Cigarettes".
In 2000, he produced Wu Tang's third album, "The W". In 2001, he released his second solo album "Digital Bullet", which received mediocre reviews and failed to attain the success of his other projects. In 2001, he also participated in the Wu Tang album "Iron Flag".