Robert Fitzgerald Diggs (born July 5, 1969), better known by his stage name Rza (stylized RZA), is an American music producer, multi-instrumentalist, author, rapper, actor, director, and screenwriter. A prominent figure in hip hop, RZA is the de facto leader of the Wu-Tang Clan. He has produced almost all of Wu-Tang Clan's albums as well as many Wu-Tang solo and affiliate projects. He has also released solo albums under the alter-ego Bobby Digital, along with executive producing credits for side projects. In addition to the Wu-Tang Clan and his solo releases, RZA was also a founding member of the horrorcore Hip Hop group Gravediggaz where he used the name The RZArector.
RZA's production technique, specifically the manner of chopping up and/or speeding or slowing soul samples to fit his beats, has been imitated by hip hop producers including Kanye West and Just Blaze. West's own take on RZA's style briefly flooded the rap market with what was dubbed "chipmunk soul," the speeding of a vocal sample to where it sounded as though the singer had inhaled helium. Several producers at the time copied the style, creating other offshoots. West has admitted that his style was distinctly influenced by the RZA's production.
After hearing Kanye's work on The Blueprint, RZA claimed that a torch-passing had occurred between him and West.
RZA is known for having multiple aliases, for different lyrical styles and personalities: Prince Rakeem, The Abbot, Bobby Digital, Bobby Steels, the Scientist, Prince Delight, Prince Dynamite, Ruler Zig-Zag-Zig Allah. During his time with the Gravediggaz, he went by the name the RZArector, which is for waking up the mentally dead.
RZA is a Five Percenter and is usually seen wearing the 5% Nation's flag necklace around his neck. He actively extols the 5% culture (which include the Supreme Mathematics and the Supreme Alphabet). He has also embraced various aspects of Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Islam, and Christianity, as he describes in his two books, The Wu-Tang Manual and The Tao of Wu. He has described the Quran, The Bible, and the Lotus Sutra as three of his favorite books, stating that each contains enlightenment. His hobbies include watching martial arts films, and he is considered an "encyclopedia of martial arts films" due to his knowledge of the genre. His favorite movies include Five Deadly Venoms, The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, Ninja Scroll, Fist of the North Star. His second well-known hobby is chess. He is a Director of Development and champion of the Hip-Hop Chess Federation.
RZA is vegan and has promoted the vegan lifestyle and compassion for animals on behalf of PETA. "I tell you one thing I did use to like: the fish and chips," he said in 1997. "But I stopped eating fish this year. One day I just felt the death in it."
RZA is a resident of Millstone Township, New Jersey.
Early years[]
RZA was born in Brownsville, Brooklyn. He is named after Robert Kennedy and John Fitzgerald Kennedy, both of whom his mother greatly admired. RZA has called his given name an "honorable" name, given the legacy of both Robert and John. RZA has a younger brother, Terrance Hamlin, better known as the rapper 9th Prince.
RZA lived in North Carolina with his uncle from age three to seven, who encouraged him to read and study. RZA was introduced to hip hop music at the age of nine, and by eleven, was competing in rap battles.
1990s[]
1990[]
He relocated to Steubenville, Ohio in 1990, to live with his mother. He spent weekends in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where his father ran a convenience store in the city's Hill District.
RZA got involved with petty crime and drug-dealing, and was charged with attempted murder while in Steubenville. He was acquitted of the charge, giving him what he has called a "second chance".
1991[]
Robert Diggs formed a rap group with his cousins Russell Jones and Gary Grice called All in Together Now. They enjoyed local success but never signed a record deal.[ Diggs later debuted on Tommy Boy Records in 1991 as a solo artist under the name Prince Rakeem and released the Ooh I Love You Rakeem EP.
| Date | Appearance | Project | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 19 | Pass the Bone | Words from the Genius | Production |
| Words from the Genius (Prince Rakeem Remix) | |||
| July 1 | Ooh We Love you Rakeem (Baggin' Ladies Remix) | Ooh I Love You Rakeem | Production/Featured artist |
| Deadly Venoms | |||
| Sexcapades (DMD Mix) | |||
| Sexcapades (Wu-Tang Mix) |
1992[]
After a shoot-out in Ohio in 1992, RZA faced eight years in jail. "When they said 'not guilty', my face stuck in a smile for three days," he recalled. "I was just walking around town, thinking about my daughter and my wife. Right then I said goodbye to anything that would put me in that situation again. I was up on trial on an attempted murder charge. I was a motherfucking fool, with all that knowledge in my head and ending up there."
In 1992, Diggs formed a new group with his two cousins and five other childhood friends. They named the group the Wu-Tang Clan, after the 1983 kung fu film Shaolin and Wu Tang. As part of the group's formation, each member chose a new nickname for themselves. Diggs chose "RZA", based on a nickname he had been given by fans of his music, "Rza Rza Rakeem", which in turn was based on a song by All in Together Now, "Pza Pza Pumpin", as well as Diggs' graffiti tag, "Razor". He created a backronym for "RZA", stating that the name stood for "Ruler, Zig-Zag-Zig, Allah" which further translated into "Ruler, Knowledge-Wisdom-Understanding, Allah" when using the Supreme Alphabet.
The Wu-Tang Clan released their first single, "Protect Ya Neck", in December 1992.
1993[]
| Date | Collaborator | Project | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| N-Tyce | Hush Hush Tip | Production (with 4th Disciple) | |
| Root Beer Float | |||
| November 9 | Wu-Tang Clan | Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) | Production/Featured artist |
Masta Killa then joined the group in 1993, becoming their ninth member. They released their debut album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) in November 1993. RZA operated as Wu-Tang Clan's de facto leader, producing the group's songs and deciding who would get placed on which tracks.
1994[]
| Date | Worked with | Project | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 19 | Shyheim | Little Rascals | Production |
| August 9 | Gravediggaz | 6 Feet Deep | Collaborative album |
| November 8 | Shaquille O'Neal | No Hook | Production/Featured artist |
| November 15 | Method Man | Tical | Production |
| ? | Scientifik | Criminal | Production |
1995[]
RZA's rule over the Clan at this time is described in 2004's Wu-Tang Manual book as "a dictatorship". He also released a hit single of his own, in the form of "Wu-Wear: The Garment Renaissance". The song was featured on the High School High soundtrack, and was released to promote the Wu-Tang clothing brand, also called "Wu-Wear". It peaked at #60 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #6 on the Hot Rap Singles chart.
| Date | Collaborator | Project | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 28 | Ol' Dirty Bastard | Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version | Production |
| April 25 | Method Man | I'll Be There For You/You're All I Need To Get By (Razor Sharp Mix) | |
| May 23 | The Riddler | ||
| August 1 | Raekwon | Only Built 4 Cuban Linx | |
| August 5 | Tricky, Gravediggaz | Psychosis | |
| Tonight is a Special Night | |||
| October 31 | Cypress Hill | Killa Hill N****s | Production/Featured artist |
| November 7 | GZA | Liquid Swords | Production |
1996[]
| Date | Collaborator | Project | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 30 | Ghostface Killah, Raekwon | Who's the Champion | Production/Featured artist |
| June 10 | Shyheim | Young Godz | Production |
| June 25 | Wu-Tang Clan, Killah Priest | America | Production |
| July 2 | Dog Eat Dog | Step Right In | Production/Featured artist |
| September 10 | Method Man, Cappadonna | Wu-Wear: The Garment Renaissance | Production/Featured artist |
| September 17 | Bounty Killer, Raekwon | War Fare (Ask Fi War) (Remix) | Production |
| October 1 | Killarmy | Wake Up | Production |
| October 29 | Ghostface Killah | Ironman | Production |
1997[]
1997 saw the release of Wu-Tang Forever, the Wu-Tang Clan's highly-anticipated second album. The album for the first time featured RZA delegating a small number of beatmaking duties to other producers in the Wu-Tang camp, such as his protégés Mathematics, True Master and 4th Disciple who are known as the original Wu-Elements, and Clan member Inspectah Deck.
| Date | Worked with | Project | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 14 | n/a | Tragedy | Production/Featured artist |
| March 25 | The Notorious B.I.G. | Long Kiss Goodnight | Production |
| June 3 | Wu-Tang Clan | Wu-Tang Forever (22 songs) | Production/Featured artist |
| July 29 | Wu-Tang Clan | Diesel | Production/Featured artist |
| August 5 | Killarmy | Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars (2 songs) | Production |
| August 12 | Wu-Tang Clan | Dirty the Moocher | Production/Featured artist |
| October 14 | Gravediggaz | The Pick, the Sickle and the Shovel (5 songs) | Collaborative album |
| November 25 | Wu-Tang Clan | Sucker M.C.'s | Production/Featured artist |
| December 1 | Bjork | Bachelorette (RZA Remix) | Production |
| ? | Sunz of Man | Natural High | Production |
1998[]
| Date | Worked with | Project | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | Texas | Say What You Want (All Day, Every Day) Remix | Production/Featured artist |
| March 24 | Cappadonna | The Pillage (5 songs) | Production |
| April 7 | Ol' Dirty Bastard, Mystikal, Master P | Who Rock This | |
| AZ | Whatever Happened (The Birth) | Production/Featured artist | |
| April 21 | n/a | The Chase | |
| April 28 | Big Punisher, Prodigy, Inspectah Deck | Tres Leches (Triboro Trilogy) | Production |
| July 21 | Royal Fam | Legacy | |
| Sunz of Man, Timbo King | Concrete Jungle | ||
| Shyheim, Hell Razah | Co-Defendant | ||
| Wu-Tang Clan, Streetlife | Execute Them | ||
| Islord, Killa Sin, P.R. Terrorist, Method Man | And Justice For All | ||
| Cappadonna, Ghostface Killah | '97 Mentality | ||
| July 28 | Sunz of Man | The Last Shall Be First (3 songs) | |
| August 11 | Wu-Tang Clan | Put Your Hammer Down | Production/Featured artist |
| November 3 | Ghostface Killah, Ol' Dirty Bastard | Windpipe | |
| November 17 | La the Darkman | Polluted Wisdom | Production |
| Method Man | Tical 2000: Judgement Day (4 songs) | ||
| November 24 | n/a | Bobby Digital in Stereo (19 songs) | Production/Featured artist |
| unreleased | Deadly Venoms | Ready
Rap Scholar |
Production |
1999[]
In 1999 the RZA moved into composing film scores. His first work, Jim Jarmusch's Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai(1999), earned praise; he also had a brief cameo in the film itself, as a fellow samurai wearing camouflage. The experience was positive and, as he noted during an interview on National Public Radio's Fresh Air, the work with traditional musicians gave him the desire to learn how to read and write music.
| Date | Collaborator | Project | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 11 | n/a | Ghost Dog | Soundtrack |
| June 22 | n/a | The RZA Hits | Compilation |
2000s[]
2001[]
| Date | Worked with | Project | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 28 |  |
Digital Bullet | Album |
2003[]
RZA appeared in the film Coffee and Cigarettes
| Date | Collaborator | Project | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 28 | Various | The World According to RZA | Compilation |
| October 7 |  |
Birth of a Prince | Album |
2005[]
RZA appeared in Derailed.
RZA did the voiceover for the videogame Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure.
2007[]
Before signing with SRC Records in 2007, RZA was flooded with offers from Bad Boy Records, Aftermath Records, Interscope and Def Jam among others for the Wu-Tang Clan super-group.
In 2007, he produced the score of the Japanese anime Afro Samurai starring Samuel L. Jackson. In 2007 he released the little-publicized instrumental album The RZA-Instrumental Experience, and worked with Raekwon on his highly anticipated Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II. From 2005 to 2008 he collaborated with System of a Down bassist Shavo Odadjian on the project Achozen
RZA also appeared in American Gangster as the character Moses Jones. He also popped up in The Box as Duece.
2008[]
| Date | Worked with | Project | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 24 |  |
Digi Snacks | Album |
He played Lonnie in Gospel Hill.
2009[]
The group released two singles, one of which, "Deuces", was included in the 2009 film Babylon A.D.
RZA played Chuck in the comedy film Funny People. He was also the voiceover in anime Afro Samurai: Resurrection and the character Samy in Life is Hot in Cracktown.
2010s[]
2010[]
In 2010 he worked on what was intended as a solo album for GZA, Liquid Swords II, but the album remains unreleased. RZA also worked with Kanye West on the latter's fifth album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, as well as Watch the Throne by Kanye and Jay-Z.
Played Greg Beals in the television series Outlaw. Film-wise, RZA played T-Bone in Repo Men, Mouss in The Next Three Days and an airline screening marshall in Due Date.
2011[]
In a 2011 interview, RZA revealed that he had recently decided to clean out his beat machines of instrumentals he made for the Wu-Tang Clan that were never used; as a result, he gave away ten beats each to Nas, Busta Rhymes and Talib Kweli, as well as 20 beats for Kanye West, including two that were used on West's previous two albums.
RZA was Lamar in A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas.
2012[]
RZA produced UK artist Josh Osho's 2012 debut album L.I.F.E.
RZA also contributed vocals to three songs on John Frusciante's 2012 EP Letur-Lefr and in 2013 he contributed vocals to one song on Kid Cudi's 2013 album Indicud. In August 2012 RZA founded a new record label, Soul Temple Records, with a distribution deal from RED Distribution. On September 28, 2012 he hosted one episode of the web series Equals Three, substituting for regular host Ray William Johnson. He appeared on Earl Sweatshirt's album Doris, contributing a verse on the track "Molasses".
Appeared in nine episodes of Californication as Samurai Apocalypse. RZA also released his movie The Man with the Iron Fists, directing, co-writing and appearing as the lead actor called Blacksmith.
2013[]
Voiced a role in Robot Chicken and appeared in G.I. Joe: Retaliation as a character called The Blind Master. He also made an appearance in Thai martial arts sequel Tom Yum Goong 2 as Mr. LC
2014[]
| Date | Collaborator | Project | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 14 | n/a | Only One Place To Get It | EP |
Despite artistic disagreements with Raekwon, RZA and The Wu-Tang Clan released their sixth album A Better Tomorrow in 2014.
He played DEA Agent Cassius Green in television drama Gang Related, and Tremaine Alexander in the film Brick Mansions.
2015[]
The group also recorded an album that has remained unreleased, although eight of the songs were released in 2015.
RZA returned to the movies with The Man with the Iron Fists 2, again reprising his acting role and co-writing the script. He also appeared as Steven in Mr. Right.
2016[]
| Date | Worked with | Project | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 26 | Anything But Words | Collaborative album |
In 2013 RZA and Paul Banks began to collaborate as Banks & Steelz for what became the 2016 album Anything But Words. Guest appearances include Kool Keith, Ghostface Killah, Method Man, and Masta Killa. Two singles were released from the album, "Love + War" and "Giant. "
RZA played himself in PopStar: Never Stop Never Stopping.
2017[]
Directed the film Love Beats Rhymes.
Made an appearance in The Simpsons. Directed Marvel's Iron Fist and played Swim in Snowfall.
2018[]
RZA was the lead actor in the movie Thriller, as well as the executive producer and composer. He also directed and wrote for Blood Brothers.
RZA had a cameo appearance in Fresh off the Boat.
2020s[]
2020[]
In June 2020, ice cream company Good Humor approached RZA to create a new jingle for ice cream trucks to play, to replace the tune "Turkey in the Straw", long associated with minstrel shows that often featured racist lyrics. (Good Humor does not directly operate any trucks, but the company wanted to encourage ice cream truck drivers to not play the song.) RZA's resulting composition was released in August 2020.