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Birth of a Prince (2003)

Where the lyrics of Birth of a Prince take you, and where it was really made.

Unlike RZA's other solo albums, this record was not released under the Bobby Digital alias, although RZA calls himself Bobby again and again throughout it.

Key places

Recording sessions at 36 Chambers Studio (2003)

Recording site Record Plant Studios — Recording sessions for the album took place from June to September 2003 at 36 Chambers Studio in New York. The point marks the city centre, not the studio building itself. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Birth of a Prince is the third solo studio album by American rapper and record producer RZA
• Released on October 7, 2003 through Sanctuary Records
• Recording sessions ran June to September 2003 at 36 Chambers Studio in New York
• RZA himself produced the majority of the tracks
• Other producers: Bronze Nazareth, Barracuda, Jose 'Choco' Reynoso, Megahertz, and True Master
• Jose 'Choco' Reynoso also handled engineering and mixing

Background

• Not released under the Bobby Digital alias, unlike RZA's other solo albums
• RZA refers to himself as Bobby repeatedly, and his rhymes are mostly in the Bobby Digital style rather than the pre-1998 style
• Fellow Wu-Tang Clan members Masta Killa, Ghostface Killah and Ol' Dirty Bastard contribute
• Wu-Tang affiliates Allah Real, Free Murder, ShaCronz, Cilvaringz, Beretta 9, Prodigal Sunn and Tash Mahogany appear
• German singer Xavier Naidoo is featured on one track
• Lead single 'We Pop', featuring Ol' Dirty Bastard, found mild success in the UK

Recording

• Sessions at 36 Chambers Studio in New York
• Mastering by Emily Lazar
• Mastered at The Lodge, according to the release notes

Cover

• Package design by Sean Mallinson
• Photography by Ivo Kljuce

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• RZA (born Robert Fitzgerald Diggs, July 5, 1969, Brownsville, Brooklyn) is an American rapper, record producer, composer, actor, and filmmaker.
• Formed Wu-Tang Clan in 1992 with his cousins and childhood friends, choosing the name RZA from a fan-given nickname and his graffiti tag.
• Wu-Tang Clan's debut album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) was released in November 1993.

Members

• Known alter egos include Prince Rakeem, Bobby Digital, the RZArector (in Gravediggaz), and the Scientist.
• Founding member of the horrorcore group Gravediggaz, performing as the RZArector.

Career

• Acted as de facto leader and main producer of Wu-Tang Clan, known for soul sample chopping, sparse beats, and cinematic elements.
• Composed scores for Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003) and Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004).
• Directed The Man with the Iron Fists (2012) and Love Beats Rhymes (2017).
• Served as executive producer on Wu-Tang: An American Saga (2019–2023), receiving a Primetime Emmy nomination for its main title theme.
• Appeared in American Gangster (2007), G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013), and the series Californication.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Metacritic: average score of 62 out of 100, based on eleven reviews from mainstream publications
• Playlouder: Adam Alphabet praised it as the piece of the RZA puzzle fans had waited a decade for
• The Village Voice: Serena Kim found it as esoteric as expected from RZA, but also more Wu
• Dotmusic: James Poletti called it the latest in a long line of frustratingly hit and miss solo efforts
• Blender: G. Beato found it more proof of RZA's eccentric genius
• The Austin Chronicle: Robert Gabriel wrote that the Wu still comes through in any way you slice it
• AllMusic: Andy Kellman said many would see it as unfocused, but song-by-song listeners would value it as a respectable addition to RZA's body of work
• PopMatters: Dave Heaton said RZA sounds uninspired as both an MC and a producer rather than off his game
• Dusted: Owen Strock said RZA still sounds determined, but his rhymes are self-obsessed and repetitive
• Pitchfork: John O'Connor called it a career low
• Stylus: Scott McKeating saw it as a stepping stone to better things rather than a fully fledged work

Records

• US Billboard 200: number 49
• US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: number 20
• French SNEP Top 200 Albums: number 123
• UK Official Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart: number 26
• UK Official Independent Albums Chart: number 20
• 'We Pop' UK Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart: number 28
• 'We Pop' UK Official Independent Singles Chart: number 29

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album was not released under the Bobby Digital alias that RZA used on his other solo records, though he still calls himself Bobby throughout.
• Release notes say the album was mastered at The Lodge, while mastering credit goes to Emily Lazar.
• Lead single 'We Pop' featured Ol' Dirty Bastard and reached number 28 on the UK Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart.
• Xavier Naidoo, a German singer, is credited on the track 'Cherry Range', one of the few non-Wu-Tang guest appearances on the record.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

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