Diggs, Robert 1966(?)–

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Diggs, Robert 1966(?)–

(Bobby Digital, Prince Rakeem, RZA)

PERSONAL: Born July 5, 1966 (some sources say 1968 or 1969), in Brooklyn, NY.

ADDRESSES: Agent—c/o Author Mail, Riverhead Books Publicity, 375 Hudson St., New York, NY 10014.

CAREER: Record producer, rap artist, composer, and actor. Member of All In Together Now, early 1990s; released solo musical singles as Prince Rakeem, 1991; formed Wu-Tang Clan (band), 1992; also founding member of Gravediggaz (band). Selected recordings as producer include Enter the Wu Tang Thirty-six Chambers, Loud, 1993; Wu-Tang Forever, Relativity, 1999; The W, Sony, 2000; Wu-Tang Iron Flag, Sony, 2001; and Disciples of the Thirty-six Chambers: Chapter 1 (Live), Sanctuary, 2004. Recordings as solo artist include RZA as Bobby Digital in Stereo, BMG, 1998, The RZA Hits, Sony, 1999; RZA as Bobby Digital in Digital Bullet, Koch, 2001, Birth of a Prince, Sanctuary, 2003, and The World according to RZA, EMI, 2003. As producer and composer, released film soundtracks Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, Sony, 2000; Kill Bill: Volume 1, Maverick, 2003; Kill Bill: Volume 2, Maverick, 2004; Barbershop 2, Interscope, 2004; and Soul Plane, MGM, 2004. In addition to numerous film and television appearances as himself and with the Wu-Tang Clan, appeared as Winston Boyko in motion picture Derailed, Miramax, 2005.

WRITINGS:

(As RZA; with Chris Norris) The Wu-Tang Manual, Riverhead Books (New York, NY), 2005.

SIDELIGHTS: As a producer and rap artist, Robert Diggs, who is best known under his main pseudonym RZA (pronounced "RIZ-uh"), is an innovative and influential figure in the hip-hop music scene who has expanded his interests into the fields of film score composition, acting, and production. With two cousins, the late Russell Jones (aka Ol' Dirty Bastard) and Gary Grice (aka GZA/Genius), and six others, he formed the rap-group Wu-Tang Clan in 1992. His leadership of the group resulted in a distinctive, dramatic sound, as well as lyrics and a group mythology based on Eastern mysticism and Diggs's love for kung fu films. The group also launched Wu-Tang clothing, fragrances, video games, comics, and a book, The Wu-Tang Manual, which was written by Diggs with the help of Chris Norris. In the book Diggs describes himself as having a dictator-like control of the group for the first five years, but notes that he later passed some producing responsibilities on to others. This allowed him to do more work as a solo artist and to explore his interest in film production. He composed the soundtrack for Jim Jarmusch's Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai and both of Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill films. Diggs has also produced his own kung fu movie, The Z Chronicles.

The Wu-Tang Manual is made up of four books: Book One contains member biographies; Book Two explains the roots of the Wu-Tang philosophy (a mix of Islam, Taoism, Buddhism, chess, numerology, and kung-fu movies); Books Three and Four deal with lyrics and production techniques. According to critics, the work contains much to interest fans. Straight.com reviewer Blaine Kyllo remarked that Diggs' work "is clear, organized, and enlightening. Founding member the RZA … lays it all out: what life was like growing up, what fascinated, what influenced." Other critics were equally impressed. Jamie Watson, a reviewer for School Library Journal, citing in particular the authors' exceptional analysis of lyrics. Writing for the Boston Phoenix, Sam Pfeifle advised that The Wu-Tang Manual "provides insight into a collective that became denser and denser as the solo projects spiraled." Pfeifle concluded, "Plenty of holes are left unfilled, and it's far from an autobiography, but as the RZA says, the Manual is 'a path, not the destination,' and it's still well worth walking down.'