Published: Wednesday - August 8, 2007
Words by Anne van de Sande
Cilvaringz (Photo: Babygrande)
It takes hard work to get included in rosters of legendary hip-hop labels. Don't expect a warm welcome when you give free course to shameless self promotional strategies. Security will thwart your plans of walking into Russell Simmons' office to convince him of your qualities by performing a freestyle. And that demo you sent Suge Knight last month? That's probably being used as a table mat for a fancy bottle of Hennessey, just like the rest of the thousands of discs Death Row received during that same week. Although A&R's frequently have a don't-call-us-we-call-you mentality, some do manage to work their way up.
Expensive plane tickets, hours of waiting and practicing, networking, but most of all; determination and motivation. That's what pitch forked Moroccan rapper Cilvaringz into the Wu-Tang Clan. After traveling back and forth between Holland and the US in an effort to meet Wu leader RZA, he was welcomed to the Wu-Tang Killa Beez and that's when the blood, sweat and tears started to pay off. Cilvaringz landed himself guest spots on releases by original Wu members, whom he studied carefully in the preceding years, and organized a Wu world tour with RZA, which brought him to forty countries.
On his debut album, I, Cilvaringz brings back the original Wu sound, but also seizes the opportunity to introduce his personality and power. While talking to Ballerstatus.com, the only non-American Wu affiliate opens up about his come-up in hip hop, views on society and ties with Aftermath Entertainment.
BallerStatus.com: You're a member of the Wu-Tang Killa Beez, which is referred to as the second generation of the Wu-Tang Clan. Tell me more about the structure of the Killa Beez and the Wu's involvement in it.
Cilvaringz: Basically RZA built a circle of students around the main nine clan members. These students are all considered the Killa Beez. You can see it as an expansion of the Wu-Tang Clan. It's an expansion of art really because we all basically studied under the Wu-Tang Clan. For example, I studied under The RZA directly, together with Sunz Of Man, Killarmy, Royal Fam, Black Knights, and North Star. Then there is Killah Priest who came up under the GZA. Street Life came up under Method Man, Theodore Unit came up under Ghostface Killa and so on and so on. Wu are all official Wu-Tang Killa Beez. The big difference between me and them is that I'm the only official Non-American affiliate.
BallerStatus.com: What are the biggest misconceptions that people have about the Killa Beez?
Cilvaringz: That there are like 300 of them. That's simply not true. Wu-Tang was always known to roll with a huge crew of friends and acquaintances, but didn't necessarily mean they were all Killa Beez. The Killa Beez consist of a selected few. You can verify it by checking RZA's involvement with a released project. Eventually, he's the one calling the shots on who's official and who is not.
BallerStatus.com: You have put a lot of effort in getting your music heard by RZA. You jumped on stage during their show in Amsterdam to do a freestyle and even traveled all the way to NYC to set up a meeting with RZA. What made you so determined to become part of the Wu movement?
Cilvaringz: I was in love with that music and the whole aura around it. It wasn't even the lyrics as I could not relate to them, but more the mystique of the Clan. They were nine individuals, all so different from each other, the music was original, unique with each new release and always real cinematic. The whole Shaolin Kung Fu sh-- that came with it just gave the group its own image, which I loved and grew up on as a teenager. Once I saw RZA was impressed with my talent, that's when I figured there could be more to this than just an evening on stage with my favorite artists.
BallerStatus.com: Tell me when and how you were informed that RZA wanted you to officially become part of the family and what your first reaction was.
Cilvaringz: I was actually chasing RZA down for two years straight after our first "meeting" on stage in Amsterdam in '97. So one day in NYC, I basically decided to hang in front of Razor Sharp records office until he came by. I told myself I would do that for a week. So the first day goes by without success. Then at 6 p.m., just when I was about to break out, RZA's sister Sophia Diggs came by and she recognized me from previous visits to her Wu-Nails store in Staten Island. She then took me upstairs, blazed my demo loud enough for everyone there to hear it, absorbed the reactions to it, and then felt comfortable enough to call RZA and make him come to the office. RZA came through an hour later, took me into his office space, told me he admired my determination and ambition, and from then on it was on. I had accomplished what I set out to do, and that was to get a follow up on what we talked about in Amsterdam in '97. It didn't really matter whether we were going to work together or not, as long as I knew whether it was a yes or a no. The not knowing is the hardest part, which drove me tired. But looking back at it now, it's an amazing story of course. I thank God for that moment because it has opened many doors for me and gave my career a great boost, seen the world, met many people and so on.
BallerStatus.com: Looking back at the early stage of your career, as an upcoming rapper, was it a privilege to be affiliated to the Wu? Like, did it open doors more easily or do you feel you had to prove yourself more to step out of their shadow?
Cilvaringz: Yes absolutely, it opened doors. At least my phone calls and emails were being taken serious now and returned. But it wasn't an easy ride whatsoever. For example, when I set up my company Ringz & Partners Entertainment Group Ltd, I wanted to do management, media and tour booking. My only client at that time was RZA and Wu-Tang was suffering from an enormous bad reputation for not showing up at concerts. So when I was setting up the largest world tour in the history of hip-hop for RZA and myself, not only did I have no experience, but I had to constantly convince people RZA was going to show up and do the show. Since then we have achieved that record and have not cancelled one show. And of course it was a privilege to be affiliated with the Wu. So many great things came from that affiliation, I don't even know where to start. Wu-Tang is massive worldwide, to this day. Even if they're not as much in the spotlight as say 1997, it's still big everywhere, like a legendary cult status. Everyone knows the name Wu-Tang.
BallerStatus.com: There have been a lot of speculations and rumors about the clan, but the Wu recently reunited for a worldwide tour. The Wu camp seemed the have grown apart during the last couple of years, since everyone was working on solo albums and individual projects. How would you describe the current relationship between the Wu members and its extended family?
Cilvaringz: I can't really speak on that because those are family matters. What I do know it's that it isn't as bad it might seem sometimes. The brothers love each other a lot and in the end will always stick together. Like now, 14 years after they debuted their first single, they're all together, even Dirty in spirit, and still selling out every venue.
BallerStatus.com: You were pushed into the limelight when you produced for the RZA and one of Ghostface's releases on Def Jam. That must have been an incredible experience for an unknown producer.
Cilvaringz: That was beautiful because besides being a rapper, I tried to make myself a more versatile person. So like I said, I started doing management, which tipped off at the end with clients such as Focus (Dr. Dre's right hand man and Aftermath producer) and Arabic rapper Salah Edin. I did the world tour in 41 countries, which was a record for hip-hop, and now I delved into production work and my first production check ever came from Def Jam. Also knowing how picky Ghostface is with his beats, it was a blessing he took that "Guerilla Hood" beat to be his first single on Def Jam.
BallerStatus.com: You recently moved from Holland to Morocco. I initially expected you to move to the US, since it has the biggest and most developed hip-hop industry worldwide. Plus New York is the home of the Wu. Tell me more about your new residence and the reason behind your move.
Cilvaringz: I could never move to the USA. I haven't been there in years. It's just not for me; I have a great resentment for it. But Morocco is my home country and so I recently moved to Marrakech, which is a beautiful city surrounded by the second highest mountain in Africa. Great culture, great food, great people, good weather and beautiful surroundings. My surroundings are very influential to me and my music. For instance, 70% of my album was written near the pyramids in Egypt, the Great Buddha in Hong Kong, the Sahara desert of Merzouga in Morocco and the Lake District in the UK. I find great calm in places like that and base my music on where I'm at. Holland is an awful country when it comes to its people, the system, the weather, its architecture and so on. I got spoiled traveling the world, so I knew what was out there. Plus my Wu brothers and I would always meet up on tour together, so we worked like that. Method Man and I would always meet up in Holland or Germany, Ghostface and I would usually link up in London, Raekwon and I toured South America and some European places together, GZA and I met about everywhere, and RZA and I toured the world together for two years straight, so I really didn't need to be in the USA.
BallerStatus.com: On tracks like "Death To America," you rhyme critical about the US, war and how Muslims are being misrepresented. Same goes for Salah Edin, one of the artists on your management roster. He recently shot a controversial video in Holland, in which he expressed his discontent about the way Muslims are being treated among others. What do you hope to achieve with social/political tracks and how has the response been so far?
Cilvaringz: I initially wrote "Death To America" for all who want to understand the frustration and anger of Muslims who symphonized or showed understanding for what the West refers to as terrorism, and we refer to as resistance. Since I'm an Arab and Muslim and spend a good amount of time in North Africa and the Middle East, I hear the blunt side of the story from this part of the world. I wanted people to understand this way of thinking, this anger and not only try to bomb it away. If you want to solve a problem, you must understand it first, so I wrote it very bluntly and very direct so people could hear the real deal. However, I also had moments where I thought nobody would listen anyway, it won't change sh--. If people like Michael Jackson and Bob Marley with all their positive messages couldn't change the world, then who am I to try and do so. So eventually the music became my way of releasing my frustration and anger and luckily God gave me that talent. Because those hijackers didn't have music to release their anger and frustration, they had their pilot training. And looking at the response both Salah Edin and I received, it's been crazy. So much racist sh-- has been thrown at us for speaking our minds, it just showed us that the world is full of hypocrisy.
BallerStatus.com: I believe that people are ignorant towards the Islam and that they are heavily influenced and deceived by the media. Do you feel hip-hop can break those barriers?
Cilvaringz: Hip-hop broke many barriers, so I'm sure it can do anything. However, in my opinion, Islam has been highly misrepresented in hip-hop thus far, which led me to write the song "Deaf, Dumb & Blind" in which my lyrical content strongly contradicts Wu-Tang's interpretation of Islam, which is an interesting fact within itself.
BallerStatus.com: In the past you used some Arabic samples and lyrics in your music. Now that you're in Morocco, you will be confronted Arabic music like Chaabi and Rai more than ever. Is that something we will hear more in your future releases?
Cilvaringz: Uh, Rai & Chaabi no... I love classical Arabic music like Fairouz and Oum Khaltoum, plus I love classical Indian music like the old time Bollywood classics. I also have a huge stash of Celtic music, so a blend of those three is what you might hear. But first and foremost I'm dedicated to the old school Wu-Tang sound that I promised to bring back and did.
BallerStatus.com: How do you feel about non-American hip-hop? Do artists get the props they deserve?
Cilvaringz: Nowadays I'm more interested in non-American hip-hop because it's refreshing. Nas said "hip-hop" was dead, I say it's cremated, sh-- is turned to dust already. It's so f---ing boring and uninspiring. Crazy enough I do like 50 Cent's sh--, and will always appreciate Dr. Dre, Timbaland and a few more, but other than that, it's really bullsh--. But yeah it's hot everywhere man, I'm happy to see hip-hop is becoming a real nationalistic product everywhere, including here in Morocco. And artists here do get their respect, but it's a fight everywhere, not just the USA.
BallerStatus.com: Now I know you're not to keen on the Dutch audience. During shows they are laid back and study the performance without any enthusiasm or excitement. While traveling around the world, did you notice big differences between audiences from different countries?
Cilvaringz: Yeah man, it's live everywhere really. I learned so much from performing and crowd control is definitely an important aspect you must have as an artist. We would always make sure that when we performed, we did it with out own music, even if it was unknown, but we'd make sure everybody got wild and went along. Recently I was in Amman, Jordan with Sean Paul for a concert and the crowd was a typical commercial pop music crowd. But we got them to do what we wanted and they loved the show, even if it was hardcore grimy Wu-Tang beats and most of them had actually came to see Sean perform, but we still knocked the house down. But the crowds in Holland have to be among one of the worst. The only other crowd I experienced like Holland was Albania, other than that, it was crazy f---ing live everywhere we went -- Cairo, Kuala Lumpur, Buenos Aires, Sydney, Seoul, Moscow, Istanbul you name it.
BallerStatus.com: Salah Edin and you teamed up with Aftermath producer Focus... to work on some projects, including Salah's debut album. A surprising combination; An Arabic/Dutch rapper, and one of Dr. Dre's main producers. How was the chemistry between two artists with diverse backgrounds?
Cilvaringz: Focus, is first and foremost our brother. He's a wonderful brother, extremely humble and kind and f---ing talented, I mean he has been on the Math roster for six years now and produced for 50 Cent, The Game, J-Lo, Beyonce, Busta Rhymes, 112, Joe, N Sync, Usher, Destiny's Child, Tony Yayo... I mean his list is ridiculous. And with Salah and I, when a person's character is great, the rest that follows is equally great or more. Despite being from two different countries, cultures, religions and ethnicity, Salah and Focus have so much in common as far as their personal lives. So it all worked lovely. Focus produced his entire record and even gave Salah a beat, which was first planned for Detox, then Gage Money, then The Game, Too Short and eventually Daz Dillinger and Freeway. I mean everybody wanted this beat that Salah took for his third single/video "Vrouwtje Is Een Bitch." That's how humble Focus has been with us.
BallerStatus.com: Your debut album, I, was released in April. The album was pushed back numerous of times, mostly because you were working on various projects and had to wait for the other Wu members to go into studio and record their verses. How do you look back on the process of making the album?
Cilvaringz: A big learning experience and something I wouldn't want to do anytime soon again. I was trying to make a masterpiece and add many bonuses such as a full length DVD and DVD Rom, so it was just so much work. The Clan handed in their verses quite fast, that wasn't really the problem, but I'm a perfectionist and so that takes even more out of myself. This album took a good one to five years straight to finalize.
BallerStatus.com: With I you wanted to bring back the Wu's signature sound, which you did astoundingly well.
Cilvaringz: Thank you very much. It was an art to study, believe me, the Wu-Tang sound isn't just a sped up soul sample on a grimy drum loop, it is so much more, so much crazy shot the average producer would never think of. But then again I was among the masters, so I had a chance to learn the secrets first hand.
BallerStatus.com: Why did you choose to feature quite a lot of artists on the album; six out of nine original Wu members, Salah Edin and various producers?
Cilvaringz: On "Dart Tournament," I say "I'm a family man, f--- a solo song." And that's really what it is, I like recording with my family and I know the fans appreciate the collabo songs, so I tried to stick as much as I could to the winning Wu-Tang formula.
BallerStatus.com: Did you already choose a second single, a follow-up for "The Weeping Tiger?"
Cilvaringz: Strongly thinking about the Michael Jackson song "Forever Michael." Many people find it corny, but an equal amount of people loved the track and respected my decision to make a unique song like that.
BallerStatus.com: You have been working in various segments of the music industry; rapping, producing, writing and managing. How should the world see Cilvaringz?
Cilvaringz: Not to throw a promo for my album in here, but really, the album I will show you exactly who I am, what I do, what I want, how I see things and why I think a certain way.
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