Over the last three decades, RZA has been one of the most innovative artists to emerge in pop culture. Beginning his career as Prince Rakeem, he became the “Abbot” of Wu-Tang Clan, one of the most renowned groups in music history. In 1993, he served as executive producer of the group's classic debut Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), which sold more than 3 million copies. From there, he oversaw the solo albums of members of the Clan, which garnered critical acclaim. Additionally, he formed the underground group The Gravediggaz along with Prince Paul, Frukwan, and Poetic, who pioneered the sub-genre of horrorcore rap.

When he returned to his solo work, he released several solo albums, including Bobby Digital in Stereo and Digital Bullet. He also composed and scored music for feature films such as Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999), Blade Trinity, and Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Vol. 2.

In November, RZA launched Wu-Wednesdays on LL COOL J’S Rock The Bells Radio on Sirius XM. The weekly show will feature  “new and classic hits from the entire Wu-Tang Clan, alongside exclusive DJ sets, interviews, and more. 

BET.com caught up with RZA and he spoke about Wu-Wednesdays, his evolution as an artist, and the influence of the Wu-Tang Clan around the globe.

BET.com: In November, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) turned 30 years old. How does it feel to commemorate one of the most influential LPs ever 30 years later?

The RZA: It’s been very rewarding, fulfilling, and validating. What I mean about validation is that there was an intention behind everything. It wasn't like we were just shooting at the moon, it was an intention to enter this arena of hip-hop culture to put our flag up, you know what I mean? There was an intention to come in and put our flag on the ground. It's a blessing to realize that we just put our flag in and we stuck it in deep enough that it stopped. So 30 years later, it's been a blessing.

BET.com: Recently, you performed the album with an orchestra. How was that experience?

The RZA: That was very fulfilling as well and that was something that I didn't imagine because, at the end of the day, I'm the hip-hop [Laughs]. I didn't know what a C chord was. I knew what it sounded like but didn't know what a C chord was. So another thing about hip-hop, art, and culture is that you should always evolve. As a thinker and seeker, I just kept evolving and realized, “Wait, I love A-Minor.” I love it when the strings do this or the guitar does that. Then I learned that therapy, so  I was able to get it translated. Somebody said, “The RZA was composing all along.” I just didn’t know it.

BET.com: The meteoric rise of Wu-Tang has been documented on Showtime’s "Of Mics and Men" and "Wu-Tang Clan: An American Saga" on Hulu. How did it feel to tell the story of the Wu-Tang Clan in two different ways?

The RZA: On 'Mics and Men,' you get a chance to see the perspective of all the members and whether we agree or not, everybody has a point of view. That's one thing I love about a documentary. So I wanted to make sure that that existed, that, you know, it wasn't always my point of view wasn't always gold, so it wasn't always right. But you get a circle of it. And then you could decide, you know, you could piece it together.

With 'Wu-Tang: An American Saga,' we had a more artistic expression that we wanted to show. especially how we created those albums. Since the Amazing Adventures of Grandmaster Flash, hip-hop has always had a cinematic expression. It has always been about young artists going through the phases of trying to find a way to express themselves. So, in the TV show, I got a chance to tell our story but it showed it in an artistic way that would match the way that we did the album.

When you think about an album like Liquid Swords, we start with the Shogun Assassin: "I had a bad dream and bad dreams are only  dreams.” Then we go into the song “Cold World '' which wasn't a dream but it felt like a dream because it was so rough in the streets in our era. So, for me, the TV series was like a reflection of the Wu-Tang while keeping all of the reality and the truth of Wu-Tang in there. It also gave you the artistic mythology that, to me, hip-hop, art, and culture should give to an audience.

BET.com: In your career, you’ve done so much more than make great rap music. Why is it important for an artist to evolve?

The RZA: I think the simple answer is to use the example of a painter. When you first start, your first painting may be a flower. Then you may paint a bowl of fruit, and then a landscape, and then you move on to portraits as your talent evolves. But somebody may look at one of your paintings and your most famous painting may be of an apple but you’ve painted so much more. Leonardo da Vinci's most famous painting is the Mona Lisa but it's not his best. He evolved to do some incredible paintings, but the foundation remained. So 36 Chambers is that foundation for me, but I think artists have to evolve. If you look at actors, musicians, and dancers, they all evolve to become masters, and virtuosos at what they do. The same should be true for hip-hop lyricists. There’s an artist out now whose evolution I appreciate and didn’t expect: Lil Yachty. He started out being really pop and simple but now he’s dropping lyrics and taking his craft seriously. He’s evolving and that’s important.

BET.com: Getting back to your DJ roots, you’re hosting your show on Sirius XM. How did you connect with Rock The Bells to launch Wu-Wednesdays?

The RZA: I always wanted to rock on the radio since I was tuning the dial trying to find some hip-hop. Even though there are many faces in hip-hop, it is a global phenomenon, and Rock The Bells is the bomb with Shade 45, Hip Hop Nation, and all these different stations are doing a great job of spreading our culture. Also, you have the Funkmaster Flex’s of the world. In my opinion, Wu-Tang is a subgenre of hip-hop.  It has its own pillar. So for me to get a chance to expose some of that pillar so people don't gotta dig for it is an honor and a privilege. It really started for me in 1999, when I was hanging out with Sway and King Tech, on The World Famous Wake Up Show.  I would go up there and do guest hosting and I would come on there to Darth Vader’s theme, “Imperial March.” I would try to make it like the radio in the 20s and 30s when there was no TV and you had to use your imagination. So those things have always been fascinating to me in a way of telling stories like that. And so for me, just more Wednesdays, like giving me a fulfillment of getting the chance to do that.

BET.com: What is the format of the show?

The RZA: Well, the first thing is that it will be unpredictable. But it's gonna be fun. I will say that [Laughs].

BET.com: Can you share a story that stunned you about the impact of Wu-Tang?

The RZA: I'll give you two things. Once, at a show, there was a grandfather with his son who had his son. Three generations of fans from one family were wearing those Wu-Tang T-shirts. That was amazing. Second, a gentleman walked up to me, shook my hand, and said, Thank you. Because of The Tao of Wu, I'm a millionaire.” So that was like, Okay, somebody's listening. They're taking the wisdom and they're applying it.”