As reported by Sky News, renowned Hip-Hop artist and producer RZA is venturing into the realm of classical music with the creation of a symphonic ballet. The project, entitled A Ballet Through Mud, was born out of RZA's reflections on his youth and the discovery of a trove of notebooks dating back to his teenage years.
Amid the pandemic, RZA unearthed an old Tommy Hilfiger book bag brimming with writings that he had penned from the age of 14 onward. These notebooks chronicled his experiences as a young Robert Diggs, growing up in the gritty environs of Brownsville, Brooklyn, followed by Staten Island. "I started reading through these lyrics and I'm recalling all the young love, the young exploration. The first time you had a drink or smoke. All this is written in my lyrics, like a lyrical diary," RZA shared. Initially contemplating transforming these musings into rap, the multifaceted artist charted a different course. Rather than opting for his signature genre, he resolved to compose music to accompany the poignant tales captured in his lyrical archive.
A Ballet Through Mud narrates a coming-of-age tale through musical expressions, delving into themes of love, friendship, and the complexities of youth. This distinguished departure from RZA's established musical catalog was debuted to an admiring audience at the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, where it was performed alongside dancers from the Alvin Ailey dance theatre school to resounding acclaim.
Set for release as his inaugural classical album, RZA views this venture as a "natural creative evolution", conceived to surprise and broaden the artistic landscape.
Reflecting on his artistic influences, RZA draws inspiration from an eclectic array of classical maestros, spanning from Mozart and Beethoven to Duke Ellington and Quincy Jones. He underscores the parallel between classical music and Hip-Hop, pointing out instances where classical samples have seamlessly melded with Hip-Hop production. Reflecting on the work of Sergei Prokofiev - who wrote the children's symphony Peter And The Wolf, RZA elaborated, “looking at Peter And The Wolf and knowing every character, every animal in that ballet or suite had an instrument to match to it - the flute was the bird, the trombone was the wolf... I started learning then that you can take instruments and give them characters."
"As a movie composer, that philosophy got reinforced."
His foray into classical music was catalyzed by his involvement in scoring Ghost Dog: The Way Of The Samurai and subsequently Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill. These experiences left an indelible imprint on his creative trajectory. "These types of ideas have been evolving in me through my progression of work," he says. "It's like it's in my blood now."
The title of the ballet, A Ballet Through Mud, holds personal significance for RZA as it mirrors his own journey from the gritty streets of Staten Island, also known as “Shaolin", to a more enlightened state. Symbolizing the transformative nature of his life experiences, RZA articulates, "The mud is considered to be foul, dirty... you know, I'm RZA, I'm from the slums of Shaolin. But yet, out of the mud grows the lotus plant, considered pure, beautiful... so hopefully, you can go through the mud and come back up a lotus."
At present, RZA is working in post-production on his upcoming film One Spoon Of Chocolate, which he also directed.
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