When RZA was just 12 years old, he was exposed to The 36th Chamber Shaolin and the film influenced the foundation the Wu-Tang Clan. In 2016, it all came to fruition when the New York native live-scored the 1978 action film at Los Angeles' Beyond Fest and went on a short run sold-out shows. Now, the 48-year-old is taking the modernized live production on a five-date U.S. tour this month.
"Beyond the kung-fu, it was the reality the situation that hit me," RZA explains in a statement. "Growing up as a black kid in America, I didn’t know that that kind story had existed anywhere else."
The RZA: Live From the 36th Chamber Shaolin Tour is slated to kick f on April 17 in Denver before making it's way to the East Coast for dates in the nation's capital and down to Miami. The trek then heads west to finish up in California with shows planned for Los Angeles and San Francisco.
RZA recently stopped by the XXL fice to speak on our DJ Whoo Kid-hosted podcast Whoolywood Shuffle. He was also discussed in fellow Wu-Tang member U-God's book RAW: My Journey Into the Wu-Tang, which came out last month, though his words about RZA were ten less than complimentary.
Check out the rest RZA's Live From The 36th Chamber Shaolin Tour dates below.
April 17: Denver, Colo. – Paramount Theatre
April 18: Washington D.C. – Warner Theatre
April 20: Miami, Fla. – Lemon City Studios (III Joints Fest)
April 24: Los Angeles, Calif. – Palace Theater
April 26: San Francisco, Calif. – Castro Theatre