RZA hasn’t given much thought to the performance portion of Wu-Tang Clan’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction. No wonder – more than 1,000 songs can be compiled from the clan’s individual and group discographies. “I’m still processing the fact that this is really happening,” he tells Rolling Stone, a day after the group learned that she would be part of the Class of 2026.
On past legs of their hugely successful Wu-Tang Forever: The Final Chamber Tour, the group attempted to build support for a Rock Hall victory by encouraging fan voting from the audience. “Every night we threw the QR code on the screen and asked fans to vote,” says RZA. “I did it modestly, like, ‘It would be an honor if you wanted to vote for us.’ Raekwon was more like, ‘Nah, screw it. Please vote now.’”
The mastermind behind Wu-Tang was in “great spirits” as he spoke about the recording – something he said was “hardly imaginable” at the start of his career.
Congratulations on the admission
Congratulations. It’s not really a conclusion as you still have a lot of projects going on – but it’s definitely a culmination.
I mean, it’s coming to an end vicinity [lacht]. We still have a lot to do and we are blessed to still be able to create art in some form. But this is definitely one of those pillars in life, one of those signposts for me. The first house I ever bought was in Cleveland. I have driven past or visited the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame hundreds of times.
How did you find out about it?
My partner invited me to dinner on Monday and my wife said, “I’ll come with you.” We arrive and there is a bottle of champagne on ice. He pops the cork, gets the glasses – and then my wife told me. My wife and I actually watched both versions of “American Idol,” the East and the West Coast broadcast to see the announcement on Monday evening. Then I woke up on Tuesday morning and the first thing my wife said was, “Good morning, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer.” The child in me feels it.
The group has been eligible to nominate since 2018. Have you had the record in the back of your mind over the past few years, or have you never really thought about it?
I didn’t think of that. This is the award I never would have predicted – especially at the start of my career. Going platinum, getting a few Grammy nominations, or winning as a producer, it all feels great. But the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame was out of reach for me, because even when we got the Rage[Against-the-Machine]-Tour [1997] After that, I went home to Cleveland, drove past the Hall of Fame and started buying guitars and stuff – but hip-hop just didn’t seem to belong in that building. That was hardly imaginable.
Questlove’s note on eligibility
When we became eligible, Questlove messaged me and said, “Yo, you’re eligible now.” And I’m like, “Yeah, okay, but we’ll see what life brings.” As the years went by, I heard rumors three or four years ago that we were going to be nominated – and it didn’t happen. When we were nominated this year, I was with my brother Russell Crowe, who is a musician himself. And he said, “This is a really big deal, but a lot of people don’t get it done on the first try, so don’t worry.” And now we’re in! Bamalama!
Have you spoken to everyone in the group by now?
In some form, yes. The mood is pure joy. There was another long message from Inspectah Deck this morning that was just beautiful. The trip. Thanking each other. Knowing where we came from and where we are now and being grateful for each other. Everyone has reported. “Thank you brother.” “I love you, brother.” A single expression of love.
Hardly any group has had more internal group friction in the last three decades than you. I guess that was all forgotten this week.
Absolutely. One hundred percent. Just a few weeks ago, the Australian disaster was bad news, and we fought our way through it with management calls – and then, bamalama, good news. Everyone feels the pride of it, and the bad smell disappears when the good smell takes over.
Who is coming to the ceremony?
Anyone planning on not showing up?
To my knowledge, I don’t see anyone not coming. I don’t see anyone boycotting this.
There were definitely instructors who boycotted the event.
We take this as a proud moment. Of course the fans are everything and you don’t do this for the awards. You do it because you love it. Whether they pay you or not, that’s what you’re going to do. But when you’re successful and when your peers in the community honor you, those are special moments that artists should appreciate. A musician can be whatever he wants – but as an artist and as a professional, those are professional accolades, bro.
My first lawyer from Ohio was in a rock band in college. He’s a judge now, but he loves music. He congratulated me and told me he was proud of me. How many people love music, have been in bands, tried it – and will never get this kind of accolade? And in hip-hop terms, it means even more. And even though some colleagues were accepted before us, it’s still a very small group and we are so grateful, bro, and I mean that with all my heart.
Record-breaking speeches?
The E Street Band famously spoke for over 30 minutes in 2014 – the longest speech in Rock Hall history. Will Wu-Tang try to break this record?
Some of us talk a lot. Some don’t talk. I’m talking, and it’s through the lyrics. So they’ll probably choose one of us. We’ll probably have a conversation like, “Who wants to talk? Let’s sort this out.”
So there will be speakers and not nine ten-minute speeches?
[Lacht.] I think we’ll clean things up a bit, bro. But let me tell you a joke. We won a Billboard award last year. A few brothers went, then I graduated. And after I finished came another one Brother got back on the mic and took five more minutes. And I was like, “Fuck it. That’s just how he felt.”
MC Lyte told us about her long history with you and the group. What does it mean to you to be inducted with her?
Personally, that means everything to me. [Producer] Milk D and her DJ K-Rock – back before Wu was known, you could meet them in the neighborhood. Milk D’s father was involved in the label, so I learned from that that you could take it into your own hands. “I Cram to Understand U” played forever, and Method Man even did a remix of it. Lyte was always a hero and one of the best rappers ever – and made a lot of boys look old back then, especially at this time.
And you and Queen Latifah were both on the same label at the very beginning.
Exactly. The coolest thing about it is that we all probably met in some way when we were teenagers. I remember meeting Latifah on her first single. She was the queen of Tommy Boy and I was the new artist who had just signed and was trying to work his way up. So there’s something special about this particular group of artists. They came in early, but it’s still that class.
Sade, Luther and Phil Collins
Are there any other inductees you are particularly looking forward to?
The entire list is impressive. We are grateful to stand alongside these names. Our name is next to Luther Vandross, Bro. Our name is next to Sade. These are the records you listened to when you first kissed as a teenager, bro. Many of these honorees are heroes. People whose records you bought. Whose songs you’ve heard. That you were passionate about. Not to go soft – but I remember when the movie “Against All Odds” came out. [Singt „Take a look at me now“ aus Phil Collins‘ Titelsong.] I just had a fight with my girlfriend and this song tore my heart apart. But I got it back.
It actually feels stupid to even ask this question in 2026, but there are still people who believe hip-hop doesn’t belong in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. What do you think Wu-Tang Clan’s induction means for hip-hop culture?
I think hip-hop culture has its own thing – but the hip-hop lifestyle has become the rock & roll lifestyle. Look at most of your hip-hop heroes: ASAP Rocky is doing punk rock right now. Jay-Z stood on stage with a guitar. The cultures have always been close to each other. Run-DMC, “King of Rock” is the album. It’s about the “roll” in it. It’s not just the “rock.” The “rock” is also a thing because you have to rock the house, right? Rock the mic, right?
The “roll” of it though – the way you roll, the way the music rolls, the way things move, the way the rhythm moves. Of course, these things were synonymous with rock & roll culture at some point, but hip-hop culture didn’t really exist back then to say whether it was part of it or not. But as that culture grew, I think it was like, “Yo, wait a minute. There’s some stuff that actually goes with it.” Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” is a rock song. I think the board and the judges who make these decisions look at it from that perspective.
Rock & roll attitude like the Stones
Billy Idol told us, “If anyone has a rock & roll attitude, it’s Wu-Tang.”
[Lacht.] Respect. A manager who built us in the ’90s called me today – I haven’t spoken to the guy in years – and he kept saying, “You’re fucking punk rock. You’re fucking rockers. You remind me of the fucking Stones.” When he called me today I was like, “Bro, you were so right, man.” ODB has lived the rock & roll attitude since the first album. Method Man jumping into the audience – we copied that from rock & roll.
If you could choose: who should take you in?
Oh, that’s a crazy question. Let me name a few names. I’ll name one who’s going to sound totally self-centered, but it’s probably the only person I’m a total fan of who I’ve never met: Barack Obama. Then I always remember Tarantino saying he was a “rock & roll director.” Tarantino would be a great name. I think Leonardo DiCaprio. And one more thing: How about LeBron James as a unique piece of culture? Can I ask you something: Are Rage Against the Machine in the Hall of Fame?
They were recorded in 2023, but only Tom Morello appeared.
What if Rage Against the Machine fucking recorded us? If they came back and said, “I want to welcome my brothers.” One day, fuck it – a concert to close this chapter. Just one night. That would be crazy.
