In part 1 of RZA’s exclusive discussion with AllHipHop.com, the Abbott laid out his thoughts on religion, spirituality, and his new philosophical book The Tao of the Wu. Here, he discusses publicly for the first time intimate details on the tragic passing of Ol’ Dirty Bastard. Also, the RZA opens up about how his mother’s words saved him, overcoming fears of marraige, and his greatest achievements.

AllHipHop.com: For years none of the Clan would talk about Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s passing because it was so painful. What finally made you comfortable putting it out there in the book?

RZA: His son is old enough now, and his son was there. His nuclear children are old enough to understand. That would have been a problem [before]. Second reason was the truth will always have its time. The truth out of season bears no fruit. Now it’s time. It’s 5 years later, we can speak on that and shed light to it. And it took a lot of time for me to really understand it too. I replayed that day in my head over and over looking for everything. I looked for the science, the chemistry, God, and every cause and effect that lead to that death, yo!

A year and half later Flava Flav told me a story that helped me clear my mind, because I was really puzzled about how it happened. My cousin Mario who I hadn’t seen in 4 years was coming to meet me at the studio because he wanted some money for his school tuition. And I exiled that cousin because he had stole my gun 4 years earlier. I didn’t want to f**k with him but I finally gave in. He comes on his own and right before I left I started to tell everybody don’t let nobody in. That’s what I meant to say.

Dirty was right near the elevator and I told him I’d see him in about two hours. And I left. And something in my mind said call the studio and tell them not to let nobody in. I didn’t want Mario stealing no s**t, but I didn’t make the call. I was late and rushing. And then Mario was the one who comes and gives him that pill! Ain’t that crazy? If only I would’ve knew. He died when the bag of coke opened up in his stomach.

I asked everybody who was with him that day if they had done any coke. They all lied! They didn’t tell the truth until after he was finished. And they still didn’t tell that he swallowed it! Only way I found out is when Flav told me he was with the guy that booked the show for him that day. And Dirty brought a couple Gs worth of s**t, and he couldn’t use but $400-$500 of it that day, and he swallowed the rest because he didn’t want to leave his s**t.

If we would’ve had that little bit of information we would’ve had his stomach pumped. So I replay that day but you know what, I share my part of the story with the world.

AllHipHop.com: When you speak about your mother in the book it reminds me of the Nas lyric where he says your mom is closest thing to God you’ll ever have. What is the biggest lesson you’d say your mom instilled in you?

RZA: Hmmm. There’s so many but the one that popped in my head first is when I was doing a lot of negativity and acting crazy, I got in some legal trouble and got out of it. My mom just looked in my eyes, knew I was a good kid and said “look boy, this is your second chance. God is giving you a second chance, Rakeem. Don’t waste it. Walk the right path.” And that’s what I did. And it lead to everything that’s here today: from Wu-Tang, to my company, to my babies, everything. I listened to her, and I stopped doing the negative s**t. I’m not doing nothing. I stayed away from all that s**t we were doing in those days.

Here an example that Ghost can vouch for. With street business, let’s say you get a kilo. You know how much more trouble you got on your hands? [laughs] Not just the law, but the people who want to shoot and rob you. You gotta carry a gun and all this negativity is all in your life. A kilo can probably make you $100 Gs. But then you got 5 to 6 n##### to work on it. And each one of those lives are at risk because they were giving a year a gram. One gram you got a year. That’s a 1000 years of jail, easily! [laughs] If you make it through you got a $100 grand that won’t last more than 4 months. Crazy game.

That’s how stupid we were. 2 years after that I’m selling beats for $100,000. It takes 10 minutes to make in my crib without no chance of getting in trouble. [laughs] But it shows you how positivity multiplies. I’d never become a millionaire stealing clothes and all the other dumb s**t we were doing as kids. 1 or 2 years of righteousness gave millionaire status. And not to say money is everything, it just shows you the multiplication of positivity. My mom inspired that.

AllHipHop.com: A lot of young men struggle with taking the step to marriage. When did you know it was the right time to take that leap with your spouse?

RZA: We became one 10 years ago. At first I wasn’t going to get married again. I was married once before. It was hell and I wasn’t going through that s**t again. I didn’t like the divorce system, the whole tricknology of it. So we decided to get engaged and live as husband and wife without going through a whole ceremony of bureaucracy.

But living like this with her brought peace and harmony and my life was getting more beautiful every day. I decided to make it official so everyone in the world would look at us as one. The sad part is you can love someone and feel like your husband and wife, but if you’re not married and have children, you’re going to come across a lot of difficulty. Why go through that with them when there’s a solution?

And my woman comes from a family who has a long tradition of marriage. They live it out. Her parents were married for 30 plus years. So it was the good quality of family as well.

So I did without a shadow of doubt. Yo, I did it without a prenup…

AllHipHop.com: Wow, really?

RZA: Yeah [laughs]. Before I was like “I’m getting a prenup s**t, after the last divorce.” But then I was like I’ve already defined my life with yours, so if we separated then half my life has been yours anyway so it wouldn’t really matter anymore [laughs].

AllHipHop.com: Final question, what would you say is your greatest achievement first as an artist, and then as a man?

RZA: As an artist I appreciate the birth of the Wu-Tang Clan. I’m grateful, it changed my life and thousands of families. But as far as feeling just proud, it’s really when I hear people say they’ve read the book and learned something from it, whether it’s the Wu-Tang Manual or someone who got an advance copy of this one. That s**t feels very gratifying. As an artist that’s my creative high, to know my wisdom has multiplied in another vessel.

As a man, there’s nothing greater than your children. There’s nothing greater than providing for your family and being able to watch them grow. I watched them come out of the wombs of their mothers. Well at least 5 out of 7. [laughs] I’m a Hip-Hop dude so I had a few over here and over there being caught up in the hype. My children say they love me, and that’s real because my pops disappeared. If I wanted to tell him I loved him I couldn’t say nothing. It took years for us to catch up with each other. For me to be here and part of this family is a great achievement.

This generation of Hip-Hoppers are striving to be better fathers then what we’ve seen in a long time. I’m striving to be a real good father, man.

Now since you’re the man with all the answers, I have a question for you.

AllHipHop.com: What’s that?

RZA: What does your name mean?

AllHipHop.com: Ismael means “Allah will listen” and AbduSalaam means “Servant of Peace or Most Peaceful.”

RZA: All praises due.

AllHipHop.com: Indeed, brother! Peace.

RZA: Peace…

50 CENT and THE GAMEWe couldn’t resist. Both The Game and 50 Cent have released new songs through the internet.

Being that these are two of the biggest artists out and about the Hip-Hop landscape, we decided it would be interesting to let the fans hear them at the same time and comment accordingly.

They won’t be working together, but they certain will be close – on youtube, AHH and Dr. Dre’s Detox.

“Crime Wave,” the song from 50 Cent, sounds pretty tough, almost like an extended song from the Summer’s War Angel mixtape.

This song, “Heaven,” by The Game is very poor quality, but we couldn’t resist. Check it.

ChartWatch for October 21, 2009

The last few weeks have had

Jay-Z and Mariah Carey holding it down for Hip Hop, but this week we have a

newcomer.  Well, they aren’t really a

newcomers…they have just made their way back onto the countdown, but we will

get to them later. 

First

we have Jay-Z at number 3 with his latest album The Blueprint 3.  So far the

Brooklyn MC has managed to sell well over platinum since its release September

8, 2009.  This week the album moves

another 55,000 copies.

Next

up is the group I was speaking of in the intro. 

The Black Eyed Peas manage to not only make it back into the top 10,

but also to grab the number five spot. 

That is an 18 spot jump coming from the 23rd position last

week.  The groups latest single “Meet Me

Halfway” is most likely the reason for the boost of their fifth studio album The E.N.D.  Since its June release the album has already

been certified 2x platinum and this week it sells another 40,000 copies.

What

do the next two artists have in common? 

Gucci Mane.  Mario enters the

charts at number nine with his newest album D.N.A

led by the first single “Break Up” featuring Sean Garrett and Gucci Mane.  Meanwhile, Mariah Carey grabs the number ten

spot and sells another 30,000 copies of her 12th album Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel featuring

the Gucci Mane assisted “Obsessed”.

Moving

beyond the top ten we have Drake who holds on to the number 30 spot with his EP

So Far Gone.  This week the Cash Money/Young Money artist

manages to sell another 17,000 copies of his album before the album.

Finally,

Kid Cudi grabs the 50th spot with his debut album Man on the Moon: The End of Day.  The G.O.O.D Music artist manages to sell

another 11,000 copies of the disc bringing his US total to 169,000 and his

worldwide sales to 340,000.

Dropping

This Week

Back

in 1997 this duo burst on to the charts with a 70’s and R&B inspired album

called Uptown Saturday Night.  Sonny Cheeba and Geechi Suede, collectively

known as Camp Lo, have not been able to garner the same type of mainstream

success as their debut, but over the last decade they have released some solid

albums that would please any fan.  Camp

Lo once again works with producer Ski (responsible for “Feelin It”, “Politics

As Usual”, and “22 Twos” off of Jay-Z’s Reasonable

Doubt along with Camp Lo’s Uptown

Saturday Night) to create the Hip Hop/blaxplotation sound for which they

are known on their fourth album, Another

Heist.  Since the commentators below

are always talking about Jay-Z affecting careers, how much of an affect do you

think Jay-Z had on Camp Lo’s career by using some of their beats for his debut

album Reasonable Doubt?

Next

up is Brooklyn born and Queens raised MC Cormega.  His sixth studio album features Havoc, Lil’

Fame, Tragedy Khadafi, along with Hip Hop legends Marley Marl, DJ Red Alert,

PMD, Grand Puba, KRS-One, and Big Daddy Kane. 

Let’s not forget that the album has production from pioneers like DJ Premier,

Large Professor, and Easy Mo Bee to name a few. 

Cormega is another artist that has released some solid albums over the

past few years so fans may want to pick this one up.

Next

up is Westcoast MC Fashawn, whose debut disc, Boy Meets World, is completely produced by Los Angels native Exile.  Fashawn has a buzz in the underground,

especially after the positive reviews of his mixtape with The Alchemist titled The Antidote.  That’s two well respected producers that the

young MC has worked with so the music is probably on point.  You think we are moving back to the age where

one producer crafts a whole album?

Keeping

it in the West we come to Boss Hogg who is the first artist to be released on

Mac Mall’s Thizzalmic Records.  Boss Hogg as King Creepa features J-Diggs, Crest Creepas, Holly

(Black Mafia), Jamal Minix and features production by Mr. Slap, Baby Joey and

College Boys.

Keeping it in the bay we come to

J-Diggs who is releasing three albums on the same day.  Da Good,

Da Bad, and Da Ugly are three disc that are supposed to show all sides of the

artist, J-Diggs.  The trilogy features Keak

Da Sneak, P.S.D., Chop Da Hookman, Vital, Lenny Williams, Baby Bash, Mac Mall,

Matt Blaque, Y.S., Crest Creepaz, Coolio Da ‘Unda’ Dogg, Mac Dre, Dubee,

Rydah J. Klyde, Jacka, Dem Hood Starz, Bleu, Pillionaire, Crest Creepaz, Duna,

Glasses Malone, San Quinn, Cutthoat Committee, Mob Figaz, Money Gang,

Thizz South, Thizz Latin and more. 

That’s a lot of people but it’s three albums so that’s to be

expected.  Fans of the Bay should be

pleased this week.

Wu Tang affiliate Killah Priest

returns with his ninth album, Elizabeth.  He is known for having intricate wordplay and

strong religious undertones in his music. 

The album is just Killah Priest with production work being helmed by DJ

Woool.

You may or may not have heard of

this next producer but you have undoubtedly heard some of his music.  His music is used heavily in a variety of

commercial outlets such as movies, television, and video games but still

manages to keep an authentic Hip Hop sound. 

RJD2 is releasing a vinly box set containing a collection of his music titled

2002-2010.  The set also contains & unreleased songs

by RJD2.

One fourth of Slaughterhouse releases

his fourth, solo, studio album.  Royce Da

5’9” returns with Street Hop which

features Phonte, Busta Rhymes, Trick-Trick, K-Young, Bun-B and, of course,

Slaughterhouse.  Production is handled by

DJ Premier (who actually executive produces the album), Emile, Nottz,

Streetrunner, and Denaun Porter to name a few. 

If you like Detroit, Royce or Slaughterhouse this will be an album to

pick up.

Finally we have former Shady/Aftermath

and current GMM (Grown Man Music) MC Stat Quo. 

Even though he is no longer with the label the rumor is that Stat is

still working on Detox so we will see

what comes of that.  The Atlanta rapper

returns with his second album this year, The

Great Depression.  Fans of Stat and

the album released earlier this year should not be disappointed by his latest

effort.