RZA Talks Link Between Film and Music; Meets ’36th Chamber’ Idol

The RZA is hitting the silver screen yet again in the upcoming 'The Next Three Days' starring Russell Crowe. It's a prison break movie with a unique twist in that Crowe is trying to free his imprisoned wife, who has been accused of murder, with the help of underworld characters like RZA's Moose -- a drug dealer with intimate connections on the inside. In a recent interview with The BoomBox, we asked RZA why he thinks prison break movies have been captivating viewers for ages.

"Well, I think a lot us are law abiding citizens in this country, but sometimes the law makes mistakes, yo," he said. "Simple as that. There's no real way to correct those mistakes sometimes. The audience roots for somebody because of mistakes that the system makes. Movies like 'Escape From Alcatraz,' you're rooting for these guys to get out."

The Wu leader has long combined his love of movies and music. From the kung fu mythology so central to Wu-Tang Clan to scoring movies from Jim Jarmusch and Quentin Tarantino, a solid acting career and gearing up to direct his first major movie 'The Man With The Iron Fist,' RZA sees a clear link between the rhythm in music and how films function on the screen.

"I think film and music totally complement one another," he explained. "With music, you tell a story with notes and sounds. With film, you tell a story with light. Light and sound -- that's life, your eyes and your ears. When you combine those together it's a great experience."

He also revealed a great anecdote about finally meeting his '36th Chamber of Shaolin' idol Gordon Liu recently. While Liu is an undeniable kung-fu master and star of many flicks, RZA was thrilled to discover that he was also a musician and felt the same way about how all these mediums tend to play off one another.

"I finally met [Liu] and he's a musician," RZA said, clearly excited. "He plays guitar! We started talking and he said music and film is one to him. Kung fu and music is one to him. I feel the same way. These are all different expressions that travel and weave. Life travels in waves. There's a synchronicity to all of it."