SNEAK PEEK: Wu-Tang Clan's RZA Talks Australia's Indigenous History With Briggs

Right before kicking off a four-show run at the Sydney Opera House, Wu-Tang Clan member RZA sat down with Aussie artist Briggs inside the iconic venue to talk a range of topics. 

The two rappers discussed everything from hip hop to Australia's Indigenous history to memories of late Wu-Tang member, Ol' Dirty Bastard.

Check out the full teaser and some highlights below before the full interview hits the Sydney Opera House Facebook tonight at 6.30pm.

Read our review of Wu-Tang Clan's Sydney Opera House show here.

Australia’s Indigenous history:

RZA: “In America – we are aware of the Indigenous people. What’s the proper way you would like to be addressed by someone?” 

Briggs: “If you know the person and the person from the tribe, you would address them as a Yorta Yorta man or woman. That’s my tribe. If you think pre-settlement, Australia looked more like Europe. There were 500+ nations.”

RZA: “That’s crazy because in America, the Americas between North and South America, there were 500+ Indian nations. We are talking about 1000+ nations. We got rid of 1000+ nations, and broke it down to 250 nations?”

Briggs: “That’s part of the education and teaching of what I bring to my music. I’ve learnt a lot of that from the artists that I followed in my youth and I knew that the 36 Chambers was about teaching and that’s what I carry in my music.”

RZA’s calling to hip hop:

‘I was handled the mic at my first block party with my cousin, GZA. I was too young to be outside. I was eight years old... I became immediately addicted… and hip hop became my calling for my expression, for my musical talent and non-talent [as a kid]."

Briggs on Wu-Tang Clan and Dr Dre’s influence:

“I grew up in the '90s. It was the affinity with seeing something that was black on TV. I’m indigenous, Yorta Yorta is my tribe, from Victoria. And seeing something so dangerous and cool; I was the perfect age for that era of Wu-Tang and Dr Dre; to have both sides. I consider myself so fortunate to have been around that era.”

RZA and the Sydney Opera House:

“You know, opera is its own thing but it is a narrative from a musical… To play Wu-Tang’s music in the Opera House, I call it a cap stone. There are many venues we’ve played, you know, but this, even the name of this signals something different from what I do but also at the end of the day, commemorates and integrates what I do. Raekwon and Deck’s verse on CREAM - it is an opera, it is a saga.”

RZA on Wu-Tang Clan:

“The 10 million records that MC Hammer sold kept the people asleep, but the one million Wu-Tang sold, that has woken up the people and that will multiply. That resonates and that’s what we strive to do and that’s the beauty of it.”