GRAMMY-nominated rapper/producer/actor/author and Wu-Tang Clan leader RZA has had a lifelong fascination with kung-fu television and film tropes, which has influenced almost every aspect of his art.
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In 2016 he debuted a new concept tour based around a live reimagining of the score for the film that inspired him to found the Wu-Tang Clan: The 36th Chamber Of Shaolin. This week, RZA has announced he is resurrecting his tour project, called RZA: Live From The 36th Chamber Of Shaolin, for a new series of shows inLos Angeles, Denver, Washington, D.C., Miami, and San Francisco.
The story told in The 36th Chamber Of Shaolin informed RZA's outlook on New York City as a young man, as he saw a parallel between the Chinese villagers struggling against their oppressive Manchu authority and his own situation as a minority growing up in the U.S.
"Beyond the kung-fu, it was the reality of the situation that hit me. Growing up as a black kid in America, I didn’t know that that kind of story had existed anywhere else," he explains in a press statement announcing the new show dates.
RZA's reimagining of the film against the backdrop of New York City would become the foundation for the Wu-Tang Clan's 1993 debut Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), now considered one of the most successful and influential hip-hop albums of all time.
For his Live From The 36th Chamber … project, RZA re-scores The 36th Chamber Of Shaolin live from start to finish, syncing each scene with tracks from the Wu-Tang Clan's vast discography. The mini tour will commence on April 17 in Denver and run through April 26, where it will conclude in San Francisco.
A full list of show dates can be found below; ticketing information is still forthcoming.
4/17 Denver @ Paramount Theatre
4/18 Washington, D.C. @ Warner Theatre
4/20 Miami @ Lemon City Studios (III Joints Fest)
4/24 Los Angeles @ Palace Theater
4/26 San Francisco @ Castro Theatre
