As the mastermind behind one of the best hip hop groups of all time, RZA made a name for himself through his producing and rapping efforts with the Wu-Tang Clan. While producing many different cuts for both the Wu-Tang group releases, as well as the solo efforts, he built up his reputation for producing tracks that had a signature sound and catapulted him into elite company and a severe demand for his services started to take form. Although he had built himself up under the name of RZA, once he decided to come out with his own solo releases, he used the name Bobby Digital. Finally after over a decade since he broke into the Hip Hop game with the genius of the first Wu-Tang release Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers); he drops Birth Of A Prince, the first solo effort under the name of RZA.
Although this is not an effort under the name Bobby Digital, he still refers to that alias throughout the first half of the release. Then, in the second half of the effort, he distances himself from that name symbolizing his solo transition from Bobby Digital to the RZA, which finally concludes when someone calls him Bobby and he corrects that individual, saying he doesn’t go by that name anymore. It’s an interesting transition which is almost refreshing because of the fact that the second half of the disc, AKA the RZA half, is much better, production-wise, but lyrically he stays consistent throughout the album.
One of the best produced tracks, and most interesting lyrically is “The Birth,” a heartfelt recount of his childhood, an intimate look at his life, as well as a glimpse of the sadness he feels for the injustices that have been done to his race throughout history. The production fits the lyrics like a puzzle piece with a very dark melody, mixed with a slow beat that complement his vocal tones and subject matter perfectly. The only thing that might take away from this song is the first chorus where RZA sings with the sample, but that is easily overlooked when you pay attention to what is being spoken.
Although RZA is mostly known for his production, the content of what he speaks about, especially on this album, is very underrated. Certain tracks such as “A Day To God Is 1,000 Years,” and “Fast Cars,” which doesn’t mention anything about cars except for in the hook, and the previously mentioned “The Birth,” all tackle subjects in a very interesting fashion.
RZA is a veteran to the Hip Hop scene, and has never been limited to just that genre, as he has worked with the likes of Rage Against The Machine, and U2, as well as produced the score for the latest movie from Quentin Tarantino, “Kill Bill Volume 1” among other movies. However, Birth Of A Prince doesn’t stray too far away from his signature sound that is well known from his work with Wu-Tang. His use of samples in hooks and the backgrounds of his tracks have always been intriguing and that fact doesn’t change for this release. The only drawback to his latest effort might be his lack of superior flow on certain tracks, where his style just doesn’t seem to fit the beat perfectly, however his production expertise and lyrical content more than make up for that.
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