Wu-Tang Clan‘s de-facto leader RZA has hit back at recent comments made by his bandmate U-God.
U-God criticised RZA in a new memoir, portraying him as a dictator while taking aim at RZA’s leadership of the hip-hop outfit. The rapper described RZA as a “control freak” who tried to “exert too much control over grown-ass men”.
In response, RZA has dismissed U-God’s comment, describing the book to Rolling Stone as not totally non-fiction.
“Look, every man has a right to write a book,” RZA said. “Some books are fiction and some books are non-fiction. Some are myths, some are fantasy, some are sci-fi – I don’t know if this book falls totally in non-fiction.”
“I could never be a control freak,” RZA added. “If Wu-Tang is a dictatorship, how does every Wu-Tang member have their own contract, their own career and have put out more albums without me than they’ve done with me?”
“Secondly, if I’m the problem for anybody’s growth and development in music, then why [is it that] after 18 years after everybody got released from the Wu-Tang Productions contract in 2000, your growth has not shown through your own talent then if that’s the problem?”
RZA went on to stress that he has no personal issues with U-God and was happy that his counterpart appears “engaged” at the moment.
“More than anything, I’m happy because I’ve watched a couple of U-God’s interviews and he seems engaged and happy and satisfied, and that’s what an artist needs,” RZA said.
“He’s always been a good artist. In his book, he writes that he was looked down upon. I think he don’t really realise how much people love him and I think this particular book tour and promotion, he’s realising, ‘Wait a minute, motherfuckers know me and love me.’ I think he’s learning something we all know.”
“He’s an important piece to this Wu puzzle, and I’ve got nothing but love for him, personally.”
RZA recently spoke to NME about the past, present and future of Wu-Tang Clan. He has also revealed that he tried to buy Wu-Tang Clan’s one-off ‘Once Upon A Time In Shaolin’ album back from Martin Shkreli.