
RZA of Wu-Tang Clan performs on stage at The OVO Hydro on June 12, 2023 in Glasgow, Scotland.
Photo by Roberto Ricciuti/Redferns.
RZA of Wu-Tang Clan performs on stage at The OVO Hydro on June 12, 2023 in Glasgow, Scotland.
“Everybody has agreed,” the de facto Wu-Tang member said in an interview.
Amid news being announced that the Wu-Tang Clan will be embarking on its final tour this year, de facto leader RZA offered details on how the tour came about — while also assuring fans that all the members of the beloved hip-hop group will be at every tour stop.
During an appearance on the New York Times’ Popcast podcast, RZA was asked by co-host Jon Caramanica, “Everybody’s going to be on every date?”“Everybody has agreed,” RZA replied, with Caramanica responding, “That’s not nothing.”
According to the Times, all of the surviving original members — RZA, GZA, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Method Man, Inspectah Deck, U-God and Masta Killa — are expected to be a part of the tour. Cappadonna and Young Dirty Bastard, the son of the late Ol’ Dirty Bastard, will also be accompanying the legendary rap group for the special occasion.
Seeing all original Wu members perform together has been a rarity as they’ve all gone on to embark on other endeavors.
In an interview with the Detroit Metro Times from 2018, Inspectah Deck spoke on this, saying, “It used to be a rarity, but in the last three to five years, it’s been more common, because we understand the importance of what we’re doing, and everybody is putting their futures in perspective.”
“Wu-Tang is big — it's bigger than us,” he added. “We started off as just a bunch of guys from the neighborhood; now it’s around the world. It's about our legacy and what we mean to people.”
The tour, dubbed Wu-Tang Forever: The Final Chamber, begins June 6 in Baltimore and ends July 18 in Philadelphia. The group will be touring with Run the Jewels.
Elsewhere in his Popcast interview, RZA shared how he had already planned for this tour well before it happened.
“It all was part of a plan,” he said. “In the beginning, there was a five-year plan. This time, there was two five-year plans. You have to start the first plan — the documentary to get to the series — and then that’s going to build up to the first tour, New York State of Mind, with Nas. That’s going to build up to the residency — a test run, at first — and that’s going to lead to a final tour.”