RZA, known best for his work as the iconic producer behind Wu-Tang Clan, is an incredibly influential and forward-thinking musician.
RZA’s work is primarily built up from a collage-style method, taking a small handful of samples and turning them in to something new by looping sections or chopping smaller parts to rearrange.
Taking a look at the song C.R.E.A.M, by Wu-Tang Clan (produced by RZA), we can see that the song “As Long as I’ve Got You” by The Charmels has been sampled. The sample in question is a small loop which is repeated throughout the track. In the loop, we hear some drums coming from the original sample, however RZA has layered these with his own drum samples as well as a bassline. The combination of these simple pieces together creates a memorable and infectious foundation for the group to write over.
The small details RZA puts in to his beats are what really elevate them, for example, listening to C.R.E.A.M, you can hear some alternate snare samples coming in occasionally for effect, as well as some alternate sample chops for the intro and some FX being used to keep things fresh. This is extremely important to make repetitive loops feel exciting.
Another part of RZA’s production to note is the lack of quantisation, meaning the drums are not perfectly on time. This creates a human, swung feel that can be heard all throughout RZA and other producers in the style’s work.
RZA also makes use of intertextuality, the relationship between media and other media. This can be exampled through concepts such as parody, in which a piece of media draws conventions from another for its own purpose, or through references, in which media is mentioned and referred to in other media for whatever intended goal the originator desires. RZA’s use of intertextuality lays in his use of sampling – taking a look at the classic soul and jazz records he consistently samples evidences the intertextuality between art forms that have originated from black culture (Soul, Jazz & Hip-Hop) and the way sampling has re-contextualised them in modern media. Another example is his use of sampling kung-fu films and the cultural references from them put in to his own work and the work of Wu-Tang Clan.
