Once here to bring the ruckus, Wu-Tang co-founder RZA is now here usher in the calm. The rapper and producer has teamed up with Tazo tea company to share a new meditative EP dubbed Guided Explorations. Stream it below via Apple Music and Spotify.
The six-track collection kicks off with “Intro”, which finds the MC instructing listeners to grab a cup of tea and find a comfortable place to sit. Over a soothing arrangement of hip-hop beats and stretchy ambient noise, RZA speaks in a placid voice as he moves listeners through the steps of guided meditation: Breathe deeply, address distractions, embrace isolation.
Between instructions, the hip-hop artist weaves in small mentions of his own experiences, specifically his rise with the Wu-Tang Clan. On “Bite or Stop Barking” he says,
“My plan was to bring the Wu-Tang Clan to the top. I told my brothers, ‘Get on the bus, I’m taking us to be the number one hip-hop group in the world.’ I gave them my word, and they took that leap of faith with me, because I had their trust. They understood that I had a vision, and look where it led us. So now I ask you, what do you seek? What does your success look like?” https://consequenceofsound.net/2020/02/rza-guided-explorations-stream/