In this SOLO SHOOTOUT we salute one of hip-hop’s most influential figures – RZA. As the mastermind behind the Wu-Tang Clan, he created one of the most distinctive sounds in hip-hop history, building dark, gritty beats from dusty soul samples and kung fu movies.

His crazy run of classics, from Wu-Tang’s 36 Chambers in 1993 to Wu-Tang Forever in 1997, hit hip-hop like an East Coast earthquake – an unprecedented streak of quality and consistency that shook up the sound and changed the game forever.

But his influence goes far beyond production. As a rapper, writer, actor and visionary, he helped turn Wu-Tang into a cultural phenomenon whose influence reached far beyond hip-hop.

To honour our esteemed artist, we pulled out all the stops and convinced (OK, blackmailed) ITV to let us record this episode in their swanky World Cup studio overlooking New York, the city where RZA made his name.

If you’re new to the pod, SHOOTOUT works like this: we select 10 RZA productions that face each other in a series of one-on-one duels. We rate them, debate them and pick a winner using the three-man vote. We then tot up our TruSkore ratings for the five winners on Steve’s trusty abacus to find the overall champion.

Along the way, we also explore the mysterious Glaciers of Ice sample that eluded spotters for years, examine RZA’s idiosyncratic rapping style and try to unpack what makes his productions so unique – with intermittent yet insightful analysis from our usual panel of football pundits.

Ten productions. Five duels of the iron mic. One champion. So bring da ruckus and hit play!

TRACKS

1. Wu-Tang Clan – Uzi (Pinky Ring)
2. Method Man feat Mary J Blige – I’ll Be There For You / You’re All I Need To Get By (Razor Sharp Mix)
3. Raekwon – Glaciers Of Ice
4. Raekwon – Knuckleheadz
5. Raekwon – Incarcerated Scarfaces
6. Wu-Tang Clan – 7th Chamber Part II
7. Wu-Tang Clan – Triumph
8. GZA – 4th Chamber
9. Method Man – Bring The Pain
10. Gravediggaz – Diary Of A Madman

SHOOTOUT SPOTIFY PLAYLIST (RZA):

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2tZeHhzekLidEUCgQsuTVu?si=oNUdPuHQQ6aNiR7dPSUmnA

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EMAIL:

⁠hiphopworldcuppod@gmail.com

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Beats and stings by Danny Phillips: ⁠⁠https://soundcloud.com/dannyphillips1978