Originally Posted by
HEZAKYA
I finally figured out what happened to the Wu and why all this inner turmoil and scandal is happening in the Group. The man that we all know as "RZA" a.ka. Prince Rakeem..A.k.a Rzarector A.k.a Robert Diggs...is DEAD!! He died sometime in 1996..After Ironman was Released. I have'nt figured out how...Possibly during the "Flood", when all his beats were supposedly destroyed. He was Replaced by an Imposter. One of the 15 Diggs Brothers replaced him. Everyone looked up to RZA, he was the leader...When anybody bought a Wu-Tang Related album..you immediatly look at the back to see "Produced By RZA" on every song, and you bought the album with no Hesitation. Without that RZA stamp at the Time, Wu-Tang would'nt sell. Wu-Tang would be over if the public found out he died. So they did'nt tell anyone..and Covered it Up. They were already about to Record their most Anticipated album...what were they gonna do??
Well they got one of the other Diggs Brothers to replace him..he looked most like RZA out of the family..he just got a little bit of Plastic Surgery to make it official. Except he could'nt produce Beats. But that did'nt matter, they just needed this "RZA" to perform at shows and Rhyme on Beats and be the "Figure Head". As well as Sell beats to other Artist under "RZA"'s name. 4th Disciple and Tru Master were brought in to make "Wu-Tang Forever"....even Inspectah Deck got in on it and produced some tracks. Everyone was on board because they could'nt fuck up the Biggest pay day they would ever have with Forever. GZA wrote "RZA"'s Rhymes as best he could in the way The Real RZA would. 4th Disciple, Y-Kim and Tru Master taught fake RZA how to make Beats and sent him to learn "Music Theory" and Piano lessons just in case BET or MTV came in the studio sessions for interviews, He'll be able to look like a Producer.
Wu-Tang Forever was a Great Album...but something was different....the album did'nt have the same intensity as 36 Chambers. Forever's Production was more Slicker and Sleeker...and Commercial. It did'nt have the Simple Chinese Dirty drums and Samples like 36 Chambers. Almost as if it was Produced By Someone other then RZA. Forever did'nt even sound like the Previous Solo joints. There was a DRASTIC change in production style..despite only being recorded not even a Year after Ironman.
However, not everyone was happy about keeping up this phony Charade. Method Man has since stated he was'nt too happy at those Wu-Forever sessions, He said his flow on the record showed him to be lazy and just not into it. He missed working with the "REAL" RZA. ODB was so depressed about his cousin, that he rebelled from the group and Delved deep into Depression and started to Drink more and do more Coke and eventually turn to Crack to cope.
Wu-Tang Forever was released in 1997 and sold 600,000 copies and it's first week. All was well on the Business side of Wu-Tang...but not for it's members. The summer of Forever's release, Upper Wu-Tang Management decided to Make as much money as they can, because they did'nt know how long this "RZA" Charade can go on. So they Announced their Biggest Tour... with Rage Against The Machine. You see, they decided to tour with outsiders, because if they had toured with their Hip-Hop Peers, Tony Touch or somebody might of picked up that "RZA" was'nt RZA. The rest of the Clan HATED the idea of this tour and only agreed to Recording Albums and "Controlled" MTV performances with Fake "RZA"...not REAL tours. They did'nt want to keep fooling their fans anymore.
The Clan eventually rebelled against The Diggs Family and Wu-Tang Management and stopped showing up for shows. When a Loud Records Executive tried to Intervene, they Whooped his Ass and the Tour was Abruptly canceled soon after. The Clan went their Seperate ways. All of them could make it on their own except fake "RZA". He enjoyed being "RZA" too Much to give it up. He drove expensive whips and took worldwide trips..his dick was sucked by the finest lips. what was he going to do?
Without GZA writing his Rhymes, he could'nt really Rap anymore in the Wu-Tang style. He knew the keyboard and Music Theory, but he could'nt really Produce in that Wu-Tang Style. Real RZA's "CURE" album was Unfinished....so he could'nt put that out. He moves out to Los Angeles away from anyone who knew Real RZA in New York and decides to become his own rapper and records an Album. He named himself "Bobby Digital" a "RZA" alter-ego....that way he can essentially be himself without having to explain the DRASTIC change in Production and Rhyme Style. "Bobby Digital's" beats were Amateurish and CASIO Keyboard sounding. His rhymes were ABC rhymes, rapping about pussy and drugs...the stuff that Fake "RZA" enjoyed. Gone were the Scientific, Rightous, 5% Intelligent Rhymes of Albums past. He even tried to make a Movie about Bobby Digital..which still remains unreleased to his day.
Anything related to Wu-Tang Productions was handled by Divine and Power...with Fake "RZA" being the "FACE". He had to still be used in Interviews and Business deals as a "PUPPET" so Money can keep rolling into WU-Tang Productions. He was after all "Family"..so they all benefited. By this time, the second wave of Wu-Tang Solo records were released, most without RZA production. The record labels needed some RZA beats to sell their Albums...the Clan members could'nt tell them the real RZA is dead, so they went to Wu-Tang Productions and Bought some Tru Master, 4th Disciple, and Y-Kim beats and Bought the "RZA" name to be put on the beats. Raekwon refused to have anything to do with it anymore, hence no "RZA" beats on Immobilarity. All the second wave Solo Albums TANKED compare to the first Wave and the Clan was becoming Broke. Except Method Man. Tical2000 Sold Well based on Who he was and his personality....he also had the Redman Collaberation Popping off. Other Clan Members were'nt so lucky. They knew they needed "RZA" to get the public to buy their records again. U-God, Inspectah Deck and Cappadonna used The RZA name for Beats that were "Ghost Produced" by Others. They also used his name as a Executive Producer "Figure Head". Ghostface used "RZA" as a "Figure head" for his Supreme Clientele album...and just bought beats from 4th Disciple, Tru Master, Beatnuts and others. Supreme Clientel was a Critically Acclaimed Smash due to Ghostface's Ear to Successfully Reproduce RZA's Beats and using his name as "Executive Producer".
Elsewhere, "Bobby Digital" was becoming a Good Producer in his own right, with Bobby Digital in Stereo becoming a "CULT CLASSIC"....and Producing for acts he met out on the West Coast. Fake RZA was having the time of his life. However...ODB was not. Unable to get over Robert Diggs Death and Fooling the Public, ODB started to Smoke Crack and eventually started to get in trouble and went to Rehab.
With the success of Supreme Clientel...the public started to demand another Wu-Tang Clan Album. The Clan was hesitant at first to do another Fake "RZA" album, but all Clan Members except Method Man was going Broke and they Desperately Needed Money fast! So they all agreed to another Album with GZA writing Fake RZA's rhymes and 4th Disciple and Tru Master and other Newly Acquired Affilitates on Production. They worked Hard trying to Replicate that Wu-Tang Sound. The W was a back to basics Album with Dark Production and Samples. The Clan sounded Hungry again due to financial difficulties in some members.
ODB was in rehab but managed to Make MC Conditioner with Snoop Dogg. During the Promotional tours for The W, ODB escaped Rehab and was eventually sentenced to 2 yrs in a Upstate NY Prison. The Clan decides to make another album within several months of the W. To be called Iron Flag. The same arraingment of Wu-Affiliates Ghost producing tracks and GZA writing "RZA's" rhymes. But GZA had enough with this bullshit Charade, and decides to just email his verses instead of coming to the studio to deal with the drama. Another problem was "Bobby Digital"...By this time, he was more than Confident in his abilities as a Producer and Rapper. He even can mimmick the Wu-Tang Sound to a degree and Rap like "RZA" when he wanted to.
He wanted to Produce this whole album and his EGO really started to Convince himself, that he WAS THE REAL RZA! If nobody did what he wanted, he'll go Public with the Scam. So Iron Flag was produced by Fake "RZA" using the Wu-Tang style he picked up from Wu Affiliates. With a couple of guest producers like Trackmasters. Except for a Couple of Songs, Iron Flag was Universally panned and hated by fans and critics. The fallout was so terrible, that Wu-Tang vowed never to work with Fake "RZA" again...they only would continue to slap his name and rhymes on various beats to sell solo albums.
ODB Was eventually released from prison. He was so shaken up by the whole Imposter RZA Scandal...he wanted nothing to do with Wu-Tang Productions and he signed to Rocafella records. But he had'nt been able to shake the Demons that Haunted him about Robert Diggs and he eventually succumbed to his Drug Addictions and Died in 2004. After a couple more "Bobby Digital" albums, Fake RZA stayed in L.A and became in Actor. Since he been playing a Role as "RZA" since 1996. He also used his Music Theory skills and RZA's name to Compose Hollywood movies such as "Ghost Dog" and "Kill Bill" 1 and 2. The Wu-Tang was'nt really selling records anymore except Ghostface, who had his own "RZA" producers making his beats.
By 2006-7. They decide they need another album...One called 8 Diagrams, but with the same arraingment of previous albums. Wu-Affiltiates Beats disguised as RZA's. By this time, Fake "RZA's EGO was so out of control for being in Hollywood and Scoring Movies, that he really thought he was a Genius who's Production skills had surpassed even the Real RZA's. He refused to Imitate the Wu-Tang sound any longer. He wanted to use his own Bobby Digital Style. Meth, who had money, but was loosing influence as an EMCEE, needed a Wu-Tang Record to remind the fans why he's still the shit. The rest needed the Money, but Ghostface and Raekwon was not doing another album by Fake RZA, with his Symphonies and Guitar Bobby Digital Music. They refused to participate. They eventually settled and released the album. Which was Universally panned and ridiculed by Critics and Fans such as Iron flag was a few years before. So the story is still going on to this day with A Better Tommorow. With Fake "RZA" still making decisions and wanting to Control all of Wu-Tang.
"THE SAGA CONTINUES"
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