How much value does the word artist have these days? I don't know. But I do know that if I were to call someone a true hip hop artist, it would be RZA. He's THE instrumentalist of hip hop. Now, instrumental music is not particularly the most apparent fashion in hip hop expression as it has always been in the shadows of MCs' work, but it has been there, waiting to be yet fully recognized as a genre of its own. DJ Shadow's Endtroducing..... turned out to be a major break-through as it was the first album consiting entirely of samples. Other than that, instrumental hip hop has never drawn much attention. Until you check out RZA's work, that is.
RZA is the leader and creative power behind the Wu-Tang Clan, a NY-based group considered to be one of the most important hip hop bands, despite its rather underground nature. At the time (early-mid 90s), the WTC differed much from the more popular groups in the business. Was it revolutionary? I can't say. But it definitely meant something for the hip hop scene. Not only did it prove that music influences from other genres and artists are essential in hip hop, the WTC also showed that hip hop can draw from the sources of other cultures. Samurai, Shaolin, Kung-Fu... the WTC is full of eastern cultures' references and musical borrowings. And now it's the WTC that influences today's hip hop acts -- a full circle.
Wu-Tang Clan -- RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa.
It wasn't until his solo works that RZA's great potential became more and more noticable. Beside solo-albums released under his alter-ego Bobby Digital, RZA has become known as a prolific movie soundtrack maker. The score for Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai is the prime example. And I don't even have to say anything. Don't listen to me, listen to that soundtrack.
Ghost Dog ranks among the most underrated movies and soundtracks ever, and it's been easy to miss this one out. The movie, starring Forest Whitaker, is really something worth watching. Don't feel encouraged? Well, Quentin Tarantino certainly was, as Ghost Dog inspired him to make Kill Bill, for which RZA also created and produced music. But even Ghost Dog's soundtrack alone earns RZA a master title. And I'm not talking about the U.S. release; I'm talking about the original score which was only released in Japan (what a shame...). It sounds ol' school, it sounds underground, it sounds lo-fi and minimalistic. You just can't resist the feeling that you're listening to hip hop, and your head nods along to the simple beats, beautiful percussive pieces and accoustic effects.
Lose yourself in the rhytm and atmosphere of these sample tracks.
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