Pitchfork

A few minutes into my chat last week with RZA-- "the sharpest motherfucker in the whole [Wu-Tang] Clan," if you'll believe a decade-and-a-half old Method Man soundbite-- he stops himself midsentence and asks, "what's the most funnest Wu-Tang album you ever had?" Wu-Tang Clan… fun? Caught a little off-guard, I manage that 2001's Iron Flag was a pretty good time, though I eventually go with the Wu's debut album, 1993's Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers).

RZA rephrases the question. "Don't think of the Wu-Tang Clan, think of the whole Wu-Tang empire. What's the most funnest album out of all those albums? I'll think of mine, and you can think of yours. Think first." After a quick mental tally, I settle on the first Ol' Dirty Bastard album, and for the very first time in my long career as a Wu-Tang Clan fan, RZA and I are on exactly the same page.

Though he's not looking to capture the vibe of ODB's largely RZA-produced debut, 1995's Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Versions, "ain't nobody can imitate that vibe." He laughs at the very idea. But something spiritually akin to that rollicking, unfettered fun seems to be the name of the game for RZA's forthcoming LP under his well-used Bobby Digital moniker. Titled Digi Snacks-- tweaked slightly from Digi Snax, as previously reported in these pages-- the disc is due July 1 on Koch.

RZA plays much of the album for me over the phone, and though that's hardly the optimal setting for a listening party, the drums kick hard, and the tracks alternate from breezy funk to the kind of stuttering menace you expect from the driving creative force behind one of the greatest hip-hop crews ever. And man, does it ever sound fun.

It certainly doesn't sound like the Wu's most recent album, 8 Diagrams, which RZA produced somewhat concurrently with Digi Snacks. "We started right before 8 Diagrams, then I took a chill pill on it, 'cause I was working on 8 Diagrams," RZA explains. "But then I jumped back into it after the 8 Diagrams campaign kind of fizzled out, and you know, went sideways. I was like, 'fuck, you know what? I'm gonna go have some more fun.' So I went back to Bobby Digital to have some fun."

A degree or two removed from the oblique rhymes and bongwater murk RZA kicks under his own name and with the Wu, the Bobby Digital recordings have generally veered toward lyrically loopy sonic sci-fi, and RZA claims the moniker split is very much the intention this time out. "I mean, RZA's always gonna pop up, no matter what, you know what I mean? But at the same time, I think the character of Bobby, I use that character that sort of draws from-- it's a lot of fun, man, that's the main word I've got to stick with. It's hip-hop and it's b-boy and it's no rules and no holds barred."

Some of that feeling can be attributed to the presence of funk-soul band Stone Mecca, who grace a number of Digi tracks and will join RZA on all of his North American tour stops. "I think Stone Mecca is one of those bands that's got that sound like a backyard band," RZA says, adding "it sounds like old dirty records." And we all know how much you like those.

I asked how touring with a full band would affect RZA's stage show. "I think it opens you up; it does limit you, but it opens you up more," he says. "We did the Rock the Bells tour [with Rage Against the Machine and Public Enemy] last year, right? At some venues we didn't have the band, at some venues we had the band. And, I mean, we always rock the house, but... you know, we got Public Enemy onstage, and PE got a few band members. I think the band amplitude is better, because in hip-hop you've got a studio mix coming out, and that's it. All the music coming from one stereo mix. And that's cool, but when you've got a band, you've got fucking 10 to 20 outputs, therefore you've got more ambiance. More sound delivers control. If the band is hip-hop enough, and have enough hip-hop soul in them, it sounds good."

So what about the Wu-Tang Clan? You might have heard about the intra-Wu rift caused by the strange (even by their standards) RZA-produced sound of 8 Diagrams. Some loved it; some, like Ghostface Killah and Raekwon, were a little less enthusiastic. Tensions flared, and both RZA and material from the disc were notably absent from the group's winter tour.

In terms of his absence from that tour, RZA claims group politics had nothing to do with it. He says, "I try to plan my year in January, and I already scheduled my son to come spend his winter break with me, and I wasn't going to go on tour when I already planned that, he wouldn't have appreciated that." He adds, "they wanted to go out and do a tour when we did 8 Diagrams, but it wasn't even an 8 Diagrams tour. So I was on vacation. I was like, 'you know what? I've done that a hundred times already, I'm about to take a chill pill with my family.'"

Still, despite his assurances that "Wu-Tang is forever," one does get the sense that things are still a little tense among its ranks. I ask RZA if he'll be appearing at the string of Wu-Tang shows lined up in the next few days. "Who's got shows this week?" he asks. "Wu-Tang?" If the concert promoters of the world are to be believed, yeah. "I didn't hear about that shit. I don't think GZA even knows about it."

Laughing, he adds, "you know what, though? Wu-Tang is so cool, there's so many cool motherfuckers there, that you're still going to have a good time. That's one thing I will say. But I hope the promoters pay attention to that. Wu-Tang Clan ain't Wu-Tang Clan 'cuz you got five guys... I think fans don't like that shit no more. I don't know how much I like that or not, to tell you the truth."

RZA continues to stand by the group's latest album. "8 Diagrams? It's a classic. I ain't saying that because I'm a part of it and shit. I'm saying that because when I get in my fucking car, it's still in my CD player. It's been in my CD player since November, and I only got six CDs in my car, but I get in my car, that motherfucker is still in there, and it's still fresh to me. Like, it still gets me, driving home late nights and I'm fucking [chants the chorus of 'Get Them Out Ya Way Pa']. I still get that groove. Yeah, 8 Diagrams, I'm glad we got that out, I'm glad Wu-Tang did that album with me, I'm glad we did that album because I needed that Wu-Tang spirit in my life and shit, and I'm glad I got it."

And as for Raekwon's less-than-favorable impression of the disc? "I mean, if he ain't changed his mind by now, he must not have listened to the record." Then he laughs.

In a few recent interviews I've read, RZA referred to Digi Snacks as potentially being his next-to-last solo LP, with a frequently expressed intention to step behind the camera and make some films. Though fairly noncommittal about the retirement chat, RZA does indeed see more movie work in his future. It's easy to picture RZA conducting an elaborate kung fu scene, but he's not ready to settle on a genre yet.

When I ask what kind of films he'd make, he replies, "Good ones. Fun ones. You know, hip-hop has always been fun, right? And in a way, hip-hop has opened your mind, it's probably helped you escape your problems and shit, you know what I mean? And good movies do that, too. And I want to give my perspective on film to people. I've got a good eye, a good ear." For now, though, he has a number of acting roles lined up, and says we can expect more episodes of the Cartoon Network series "Afro Samurai" this December, for which he will again provide the musical score.

He's also begun a chess social networking site titled-- what else?-- WuChess and is working with System of a Down bassist Shavo Odadjian on a new project, Achozen.

For now, though, that razor-sharp focus is set on Digi Snacks. As he says, it's a matter of control. "When I do Bobby Digital, I do whatever the fuck I want. There's nothing like doing whatever the fuck you want, [laughs] so I'm having a lot of fun, yo. Wu-Tang is an important band to the world, Wu-Tang ain't about one person and shit, it means more to the world. It's really special, man, and I'm proud to be a part of it. But this new Bobby Digital album, we're just letting it loose, baby. [laughs] Drink, smoke and fuck, nigga."

RZA:

04-25 Edinburgh, Scotland - Triptych Festival
04-26 Glasgow, Scotland - Triptych Festival
04-27 Aberdeen, Scotland - Triptych Festival
04-28 London, England - IndigO2
05-01 Manchester, England - Academy 1 (Futuresonic Festival)
05-02 Brighton, England - TBA
05-04 Nottingham, England - TBA
06-10 Houston, TX - Warehouse Live
06-11 Austin, TX - Emo's
06-12 Dallas, TX - Palladium Ballroom
06-14 Denver, CO - Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom
06-15 Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge
06-17 Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theater
06-18 Phoenix, AZ - The Brickhouse Theater
06-20 Los Angeles, CA - Henry Fonda Theater
06-21 San Francisco, CA - 1015
06-23 Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theater
06-24 Seattle, WA - Showbox at the Market
06-25 Vancouver, British Columbia - Richard's on Richards
06-27 Calgary, Alberta - Sled Island Music Festival
06-30 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
07-01 Chicago, IL - House Of Blues
07-02 Pontiac, MI - Crofoot Ballroom
07-04 Ottawa, Ontario - New Capital Music Hall
07-05 New York, NY - Webster Hall
07-07 Philadelphia, PA - Trocadero
07-08 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club

Wu-Tang Clan:

04-24 Atlantic City, NJ - House of Blues
04-25 Washington, DC - Love
07-11-13 Zurich, Switzerland - Openair Frauenfeld