Like a highly trained Shaolin monk, this issue has many styles. RZA put his two loves, hip-hop and kung fu flicks, together and created the Wu-Tang Clan, becoming its self-appointed leader and arguably the master of New York’s grittiest period of hip-hop. To sing the hook on Ghost’s “After the Smoke Is Clear,” RZA recruited William Hart, leader of the Delfonics and master of Philly’s sweet-soul period. Another influential figure whose name never fails to show up is the late J Dilla, who is pinpointed as influence number one by Bilal, who noted, “J Dilla pulled from all different genres, and he had a record collection like I’ve never seen before…rock, jazz, electronic, everything. And he mixed it all into what he did—which was hip-hop.” Bilal would absorb this multi-style influence and return the favor to his protégé, Jesse Boykins III, who is sharing his philosophy through his Romantic Movement, recruiting artists like Mara Hruby along the way. J Dilla’s music spurred multi-instrumentalist Miguel Atwood-Ferguson to interpret his songs for orchestra, enlisting Dilla cohort Karriem Riggins to add that beat.
