The first ever Bedrocktoberfest presented by The L.A. Weekly went down on October 5 out in the city of Echo Park in Los Angeles and the main attraction of the night was none other than Bobby Digital himself, The RZA!
Backed by a live band, RZA rocked the stage for almost two hours taking fans through a journey that included classic Wu-Tang favorites, solo jams and yes even Gravediggaz cuts! The set also included a nice tribute to his friend and fallen bandmate, ODB, as RZA performed “Shimmy Shimmy Ya” to a frenzied crowd.
AllHipHop.com was on hand to get some pics and video of this memorable night and we caught up with RZA afterwards to get a few words, in which he gave us the inside information at what really happened at Rock the Bells in San Bernardino where the group experienced difficulties and delays. Check it all out below!
Interview by Tim Sanchez (@tim_sanchez) / Pics and Video by Michael Marshall (@IamHBY) and Tim Sanchez
AllHipHop.com: 20 years of the Wu-Tang Clan! Did you ever think it would get this far when you guys first started the group?
RZA: That’s beautiful right there but we’ve always said it was Wu-Tang Forever, so we’ve got more time to go. As an MC, Producer and Performer, I feel good about it. I took it to the 36 Chambers on the first album. People got a lot of our chambers but they didn’t get all of our chambers. Now you see me doing film which is another chamber as well, and I’ve got more coming because I’m in that chamber right now.
AllHipHop.com: I saw the group perform at Rock the Bells in San Bernardino and there were some difficulties that night. What exactly went wrong?
RZA: Do you want to hear the true facts of what happened? Here’s the truth; Allah Mathematics computer blew out on him on stage. I know they blamed it on whatever, no, his computer blew out. He just came off tour from Europe – about 20 dates – and his was a few dates past that (laughs). Nobody knows that though but that’s what really happened and that’s why it took a long time to show the video. Method was like, “What the f*ck?”
AllHipHop.com: Yeah, Method Man did a lot of improvising at that point.
RZA: I was getting ready to do one (freestyle) too!
AllHipHop.com: I was really hoping that you guys were going to get to display the ODB hologram for all of the New Yorkers. What are your thoughts on the cancellation of the East Coast shows?
RZA: That part I don’t know. That was just a phone call to me. All I know is that for New York and DC, my ticket was booked. I guess the currency wasn’t balancing. Cash rules – the sh*t has to balance. I don’t know how much Chang (of Guerilla Union) was spending for everything. That’s the side that a lot of fans don’t understand – it takes money to put on these shows and it all has to come back.
AllHipHop.com: What were your personal thoughts on the ODB hologram?
RZA: Personally, I thought it was part of entertainment. If someone is paying for a ticket, they are paying to see entertainment, so I thought it was cool to see his hologram. Everybody dug it – the whole crew. Nobody in the crew said anything against it. They all loved it too.
