It was just days ago that RZA said that he and Raekwon had 30 days to work out their differences or the upcoming Wu-Tang Clan album, A Better Tomorrow,, would either drop without the Chef or be shelved altogether. But those differences may be too difficult to move past.
“His demands are not unreasonable as who he is and the value of what he brings to any industry, but being that Wu-Tang is a conglomerate, a big conglomerate of 10 to 12 people, those demands can’t be met,” RZA said on “Sway in the Morning.”
The two Clansmen have been going back and forth — both in interviews and in private — for some time now, as they try to work toward the release of the first Wu album since 2007 (the same year that they were last in the studio together). In order to do that, RZA said, individuals will need to make sacrifices that they otherwise wouldn’t be expected to.
“If I come into an ensemble film, and we got all these big names, somebody’s not gonna get their full pay, because the budget can’t sustain it,” he continued. “And we in a situation right now where the budget can’t really sustain what he’s demanding, and for that to be equal across the board. And not even equal; even if we was to say, ‘Well, he gets a percentage more than him or a percentage more than him,’ what he’s demanding takes so much weight on the budget that the record can’t be done.”
The production savant added that, at the rate he earns, he would need $600,000 for 30 recording sessions for the album, which would sorely hurt the budget. Instead, RZA implied that he’s taken less money, while Method Man has recorded nine verses and will “work [the money] out at the end.” He hopes Rae will agree to do the same.
“What I suggest is, look, forget the money,” he said. “We laid our first album, 36 Chambers, for less than 100 grand. We just came to the studio and put our energy out, and that turned all of us into millionaires. Let’s just do it again.”
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