Wu-Tang Clan leader RZA has suggested that hip-hop's famous collective might reunite – but only if they do it entirely on his terms. "I've been talking to some of the guys, like: 'Yo, look, I would suggest that you put down everything you know, and trust me one more time'," RZA told the New York Times.
The group might reconvene, he suggested, to mark next year's 20th anniversary of the Wu-Tang's landmark debut album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). "There's one last job Wu-Tang Clan must do," RZA said. "The 20th anniversary is next year. And we need to, one time, completely, efficiently, properly, professionally represent our brand. One more time. But this time, showing up on time for press and for concerts and studio. Do it one time, perfect."
RZA said he believed the power of the Clan had been at its greatest when the other members allowed him to be "a dictator", but that they had since come to like doing things their own way. "It's like: 'What makes you think you're the genius?' Before, they believed in me like that, they trusted me like that. Now, they've had a chance to do their own thing, and some things they liked better. Whether it was successful or not, they may like it better. But I would say, if we get one more shot of me being completely trusted as the driver of the ship, I think we could give the world one more record, maybe. And if not that, one more campaign. You got people with tattoos on, man. You got people that some of those words we did, it influenced their life. And you don't want to leave them."
He dismissed fears that without the full original lineup – Ol' Dirty Bastard died in 2004 – any reunion would lack legitimacy. "There's enough of us still alive, and I think there's still enough fans out there. Hip-hop is stronger than ever, as far as worldwide recognition, and our name is synonymous with it. It'd be smart for us to say: 'OK, 20 years, guess what?' We've proven that not only could the music last for 20 years, but there's an entity – you could go see a Rolling Stones concert right now. You could go see a Kiss concert. Anyway, I think there's one more round for Wu-Tang, if they go proper. But if they don't come proper, for some reason, whether it's my fault, their fault or the world's fault, I'm going to continue creating art and the Wu-Tang saga."
