Wu-Tang is for the cultured: RZA releases his first classical album

Doubling down on last year's 30th anniversary Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) symphonic celebrations, Wu-Tang Clan 's RZA just released his very first classical album, A Ballet Through Mud .

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That's right, the musical mastermind behind Wu-Tang Clan 's groundbreaking discography, and many of the members' solo releases, has now relinquished the beats and just dropped his very first classical album.

But, before you get all...

...here's a bit of fair warning: RZA , along with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra conducted by Christopher Dragon , has offered a recorded version of the ballet he composed and performed live at the Boettcher Concert Hall in Denver, CO in early 2023 along with his symphonic iteration of 36 Chambers of Shaolin .

"I hope this inspires people to take a chance in classical, to take a chance with instruments, and to take a chance to be outside the box," RZA says in the album's trailer.

"I have been composing my whole life, although I didn't know initially that was what I was doing," he explains in a new interview with BBC Music Magazine .

"The inspiration for 'A Ballet Through Mud' comes from my earliest creative output as a teenager, but its themes are universal – love, exploration, and adventure," he adds. "I hope people use it to score their own lives, to transform a drive to the grocery store or sharing a meal with loved ones into something magical, to be inspired and let their imaginations take them into a different chamber, if only for a moment."

RZA is certainly not the only member of the group who has branched out into non-Wu-related ventures. GZA (the Genius) has been diving deep into quantum physics , Method Man recently put his full focus into his acting career , Ghostface is slinging Killah Coffee now, and, of course, Chef Raekwon has had his Licataa wine available for years as well.