RZA Is Pushing For Wu-Tang Clan To Be In The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame
Since 2017, the Wu-Tang Clan group has been eligible to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. However, the nine-man New York Rap collective has yet to appear on the ballot. As 2019’s induction ceremony takes place Friday night (March 29) in Brooklyn, RZA says that he believes the voting committee should properly consider Wu-Tang’s merits.
“I think we should [get inducted], and I do care,” RZA tells Rolling Stone‘s Jason Newman. The Brooklyn, New Yorker also feels that his group’s catalog fits the curation of the Cleveland, Ohio museum. “Listening to a song like ‘Bring da Ruckus,’ I thought I was making Hip-Hop, but sh*t, it has a motherf*ckin’ Rock & Roll groove like a motherf*cker. I don’t know how the f*ck I did that. I go back and listen to some of The Beatles progressions and some of [Led] Zeppelin’s progressions and movements, like, okay, I was on some sh*t, though.” Besides RZA, the collective includes GZA, Raekwon, Method Man, Ghostface Killah, U-God, Masta Killa, Inspectah Deck, and the late Ol’ Dirty Bastard.
The MC/producer/DJ adds that he feels that the energy of the Rock & Roll youth movement of the ’60s and ’70s evolved into Hip-Hop for the ’80s and ’90s. Hip-Hop acts in the Hall include Run-D.M.C., Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, Tupac, and N.W.A. The Abbott says that he understands if it “takes time,” but feels that such a move is beneficial for Rock and Hip-Hop.
As a solo artist, RZA has worked with Rock artists including the Hall Of Fame-inducted Sly Stone as well as The Black Keys, Dog Eat Dog, The Mars Volta, and Travis Barker. In 2016, he partnered with Interpol’s Paul Banks to form Banks & Steelz. The duo released an album, Anything But Words. Meth’, Ghost’, and Masta Kill all appeared.
This May, Wu-Tang Clan’s documentary Of Mics & Men will air on Showtime. The trailer released in January. RZA is executive producing the dramatic series, Wu-Tang: An American Saga for Hulu that is currently revealing some of the actors (and fellow Rap artists) who are playing the members of the Clan and its affiliates. Additionally, RZA and band-mate Ghostface Killah are making a Horror movie, Angel Of Dust, based on their real-life experiences.
