Producer, rapper, filmmaker and actor RZA has an eclectic taste in music and, as the man behind the extraordinary beats of the Wu-Tang Clan, he has done a lot of digging in his career. In the search for samples, the beatmaker (real name Robert Diggs) has run across a vast range of classics. From jazz to rock and funk, there is no limit to what the musician has heard during his career.
Furthermore, the Staten Island native is the CEO of Soul Temple Records. That said, he is always looking at the current state of hip-hop to see if there are any hidden gems and new artists he can add to the roster. Although Diggs is a figure of the 1990s and a pioneer of East Coast boom-bap, he has an appreciation for the new and has never shied away from praising fresh talent.
Behind his sparse productions are samples from The Charmels, Otis Redding, Irene Cara, The JBs, and other musicians stretching far and wide. The tracks Diggs has utilised are unique, somewhat obscure, and deep in the crates of music.
Despite the digitalisation of the music industry and the transition from cassettes to CDs and now streaming, RZA has spoken to various publications about his love for the tangible. That said, the producer once told SPIN magazine, “I like to listen to music on vinyl. The slight variation of speed, there’s something about the ebb and flow of it that makes me always feel alive.”
Although he was the driving force of the Wu-Tang Clan, a collective of stars, RZA has shown his appreciation for the luminaries that rule hip-hop today and, in an interview, revealed that he has an appreciation for the Canadian emcee that currently dominates the hip-hop charts.
Opening up about the one and only Drake, RZA admitted that his 2016 project, Views, is an album that he now can’t live without and unveiled that, as a producer, he loves the instrumentals that appear on the album.
Speaking about the project, Diggs revealed, “Drake’s Views is one of the few modern albums that stay on repeat in my house. His lyrical honesty accompanied with lyrical confidence layered over various emotional beats was refreshing when I first heard them and they continue to soundtrack my days.”
The Staten Island native also gave a shout-out to DaBaby. You can hear the 2016 Drake LP Views below.