With this new album, I'm hoping for a masterpiece but I'm expecting another disappointment...
Understandable. Like I said, I haven't been impressed by the 2 full tracks released so far. Keep Watch and Ron O' Neal didn't satisfy at all. The audio with Cappa sounded dope tho. Still gotta hear Ruckus In a B Minor fully before I judge.
This Vibe writer, Juan Vidal, is calling the album brilliant:
http://www.vibe.com/photo-gallery/w...ngs-new-better-tomorrow-lp-and-preaching-ches
One day after the police murder of Vonderrit Myers, VIBE treks to St. Louis with RZA as he visits the World Chess Hall of Fame, mentors at-risk kids in juvie and talks Wu-Tang's brilliant new album
Words: Juan Vidal
RZA is seated center stage, donned in all black and addressing a room of more than 300 high school students in the city of St. Louis. He's talking chess, martial arts, and hip-hop, three of his greatest loves. Alongside Adisa Banjoko, founder of the
Hip-Hop Chess Federation, RZA is sharing personal anecdotes and fielding questions at the Demetrious Johnson Charitable Foundation, an organization that provides assistance for inner city youth. It's the first stop on the day's busy agenda.
"Listen, the people with brain power are the ones that will always rule the world,” RZA says.
Just a few miles away, in the neighborhood of Shaw, there was a fatal shooting. Exactly two months removed from the murder of Michael Brown, another young person, Vonderrit Myers, has been killed—this time by the gun of an off-duty police officer. With a city on the cusp of boiling over and a packed auditorium of youth desperate for answers, RZA has positioned himself to speak life where death currently abounds. He stands up at a point, offers the crowd a sermon of sorts about the 12 Jewels of Life: Knowledge, Wisdom, Understanding, Freedom, Justice, Equality, Food, Clothing, Shelter, Love, Peace, and Happiness. He touches on each with a fervor that would excite even the staunchest skeptic. And everything is tied seamlessly to chess—a game for which RZA is an avid spokesman—both as a discipline and as a metaphor for purposeful living.
In addition to his storied career as a rapper, producer, actor, and filmmaker, RZA has long been an advocate for chess. Years ago, he and the other members of the Wu-Tang Clan spearheaded a movement of emcees that often injected references to the game in their expression. Classics like “Da Mystery Of Chessboxin'” and “Liquid Swords,” among others, not only highlight their sharp lyrical sensibility, they also serve as artful representations of their affinity for the ancient pastime.
“We have to start thinking more analytically,” RZA submits later en route to the next stop, the St. Louis County Juvenile Detention Center.
Blaring from a small Boombatix speaker is the new Wu-Tang Clan album,
A Better Tomorrow, which is set for a Dec. 2 release through Warner Bros Music. Although tensions within the camp threatened the album's progress for a time, compromises were eventually made to ensure its completion. The first group effort since 2007's
8 Diagrams, this one is something special. And RZA speaks on the project, which marks 20 years since the Wu first burst onto the scene, with child-like elation. “Truth is, we went for it all on this one,” he says. “Man, I called up Rick Rubin and told him this might be my last joint.”
Standout tracks include the chest thumping DJ Mathematics-produced “Keep Watch,” “Mistaken Identity,” and the infectious piano-driven “Ruckus in B Minor”—which has RZA flexing on the nostalgic tip: “Rae, all those bad times is behind us /Ghost, put that mask on to remind us.” RZA enlisted Rubin to remix the track.
The certified head-nodders present throughout the LP are in many ways reminiscent of the purity of
Wu-Tang Forever. And they do the work of re-establishing the power of RZA's sound; heavy textures, gritty riffs, and drums that knock almost violently. They capture a time when intelligent lyricism and musicality were forefront.
At the juvenile detention center, the teenagers recognize RZA. While most of them are not as familiar with his musical legacy, they know him from his television and film roles. “Oh, man, we just watched
The Man with the Iron Fists!” one of them yells. “You were in the one with Denzel, you were in
American Gangster,” says another. “How rich are you, how many cars?”
RZA humbly satisfies some of their curiosities before delving into his testimony—telling of the ways in which chess, martial arts, and hip-hop helped him sharpen his decision-making skills and carve a path of success.
“See, in the beginning, I saw my Wu-Tang brothers as chess pieces,” RZA says. “I knew all their strengths and they let me be their Abbot. I calculated moves and made nine millionaires. Like ya'll, I made some bad choices growing up, but that's in the past.” He pauses. “You all got to understand something,” he says, moving closer. “You can't get any of those moments back but if you spend your time wisely, you can earn more time."
What RZA sees before him are a few dozen youth in revolt. They've been let down, abused, some of them abandoned and left to fend for themselves. And as a result, many live in a constant state of hopelessness and depression, acting out through violent crimes and perpetuating a cycle of negative behavior. But the more RZA speaks, the more engaged and comfortable they appear, taking mental notes from a man who's overcome what they're now facing. They believe him.
At the World Chess Hall of Fame, a sizable crowd is gathered for the evening's event. The Living Like Kings exhibition, which boasts “The Unexpected Collision of Chess and Hip-Hop Culture,” is just underway and RZA is the honored guest. In attendance are artisans, local and national media, and tastemakers united by a common appreciation for creativity and the city of St. Louis. Through all the recent turmoil for which the area has become synonymous, much of the community has turned to gatherings like this to share in some positivity. The exhibition, which runs until April 26, 2015, features a 25-minute multimedia film piece by Benjamin Kaplan, a Street Beautification photography series by Adrian O. Walker, and select murals curated by artist Daniel Burnett.
RZA makes his rounds, posing for pictures and charming both young and old with his wisdom and wit. And while he may be famous and enormously accomplished, he's also just a human being among other human beings. Still, his words, all words, matter. So as heated protests continue just blocks away, as residents grapple with what's to come, and as the question of whose role it is to serve and protect who grows blurrier by the day, the hip-hop blasting within these four walls is very necessary. The kings and queens are ready to advance.
