Along with his late cousin Ol’ Dirty Bastard, GZA, Ghostface Killah, Method Man, Cappadonna, U-God, Raekwon, Inspectah Deck, and Masta Killah, RZA has become a permanent hip-hop icon. As the mastermind behind albums like 1993’s Enter The Wu (36 Chambers) and 1997’s Wu-Tang Forever, RZA has been the chief architect responsible for the Wu-Tang sound.
Coupled with his passion for filmmaking, the Staten Island native rarely stops working. RZA’s upcoming movie, Cut Throat City, is in post-production. Starring Wesley Snipes, Terrence Howard, Shameik Moore, Kat Graham, Tip “T.I.” Harris, and Demetrius Shipp Jr., the film is set in New Orleans around the time Hurricane Katrina hits. It’s a huge departure from his previous kung fu-inspired flick, 2012’s The Man With The Iron Fists.
“Each of these actors brought something really cool to the story and to the characters,” RZA explains. “Of course, Wesley Snipes being a master actor, right? We watched him in so many different roles over the course of the years.
“I think one thing we may have forgotten is that, because he’s been such a powerful action presence — go to The Blade or Passenger 57 or Murder At 1600, you seen him kick ass a lot — we forgot that Wesley is a great dramatic actor. You kinda forget that a little, right, because you fell in love with his action films.”
As RZA continues speaking about the film, his passion for what he’s created shines through. He marvels that he was able to cast Shameik Moore, who plays Blink in the movie. Moore appeared in the celebrated Netflix series about hip-hop’s origins, The Get Down, and in the film Dope.
“To me, he was cool, right?” he says. “He was a leader, and sometimes he was a follower. He was strong and he was vulnerable, and he was brave. Okay, he’s brave, he’s athletic, he got rhythm. So I was like, ‘This guy really has a lot of talent’ and then when I met him, you know you get to screen your actors and you get to see who you’re gonna use. When I sat down with him, he was such a unique spirit.”
He continues, “And the characters that he’s played so far is not him. Of course, he has the ability to be them, but he’s very talented at becoming what’s put in front of him. I was already impressed with him, watching his work, but I thought when I meet him I would meet a version of these guys that I saw, but no, I met someone totally different. Then I was like, ‘Okay, this kid is one of those chameleons.’”
RZA shares that Moore impressed one of his director friends, who is now eyeing him for another role.
“He [the director] loved this movie Dope as well,” he says. “He was like, ‘Wow, I didn’t think this kid could be that kinda guy.’ And now you know, this guy is considering him for something he’s working on now because he saw that way. This dude changed costumes like it’s nothing.”
Cut Throat City is expected to arrive in February 2019. But in between, Wu-Tang Clan is gearing up to perform four sold-out shows at the historic Sydney Opera House in Australia. It marks the first time all members will play together Down Under.
The legendary Hip Hop collective is also plotting a 25th-anniversary tour in honor of their seminal album, Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). After all, there’s no rest in Shaolin.