RZA Discusses One Spoon of Chocolate, Tarantino, and Managing a Video Store

      Before he became the creative force behind the Wu-Tang Clan, RZA ran a video store in Ohio.

      Although the hip-hop group is primarily linked to Staten Island, Robert Fitzgerald Diggs, born in Brooklyn, briefly lived in Steubenville, Ohio, during the early ’90s. He had experienced some success as a solo artist under the name Prince Rakeem, but life in New York became overwhelming, prompting him to move in with his mother in Steubenville, where he set up a video rental business in a former hair salon.

      “I used to rent from a place in Staten Island called Bay Video, and I told the owner, ‘Yo, I want to open a store in Ohio.’ He allowed me to buy from him and others,” RZA remembers. “So I got thousands of VHS tapes and just went for it. It only lasted about two months, though. I ended up losing the store but kept all the videos.”

      According to him, the short lifespan of the store was due to his being “too split.” This modest admission reflects his transition back to New York, adopting the RZA persona, and forming one of the most legendary hip-hop groups ever. In 1993, the Wu-Tang Clan released “Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers),” which drew inspiration from martial arts films like the 1983 Shaolin and Wu Tang, infused with samples from kung-fu classics.

      RZA also ventured into acting, featuring in films such as Jim Jarmusch’s 1999 Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, 2003 Coffee and Cigarettes, Ridley Scott’s 2007 American Gangster, Judd Apatow’s 2009 Funny People, Todd Phillips’ 2010 Due Date, and the two Nobody films, where he portrays the adopted brother of Bob Odenkirk’s former assassin character. He additionally scored music for films including Kill Bill.

      RZA has guided numerous individuals in music — as demonstrated in the recent Sundance documentary The Disciple, which follows one of his protégés — but he regards Kill Bill director Quentin Tarantino as his mentor in filmmaking. He visited China and Mexico to see Tarantino in action while filming Kill Bill and later cast actress Lucy Liu, also from Kill Bill, in his directorial debut, 2012’s The Man With the Iron Fists, which he co-wrote with Eli Roth.

      He has directed projects like the 2017 musical drama Love Beats Rhymes, the 2020 heist film Cut Throat City, and episodes of Hulu’s Wu-Tang: An American Saga, which he co-created and which chronicles the rise of his group.

      He is back to writing and directing with his latest film, One Spoon of Chocolate, which reunites him with Cut Throat City and Wu-Tang: An American Saga star Shameik Moore, along with Tarantino, who has signed on as the film's presenter. One Spoon of Chocolate tells the story of a man named Unique (Moore) who seeks a fresh start in a small Ohio town.

      Unfortunately, that town is ominously named Karensville, where many of the local white residents are unwelcoming. Despite his attempts to evade violence, Unique is forced to fight back. The action-thriller includes inspired music choices, sharp fight scenes, and a nod to the top smokes in the Tarantino universe.

      In our latest installment of Things I’ve Learned as a Moviemaker, RZA shared insights with us about discovering the right notes.—M.M.

      **One Spoon of Chocolate Director RZA: Insights I've Gained as a Filmmaker**

      RZA directs Shameik Moore and RJ Cyler in a scene from One Spoon of Chocolate.

      1. I did not attend college to learn filmmaking. My education came from watching cinema. The theater, my collection of VHS tapes, and learning as an apprentice alongside other talented filmmakers constituted my classroom. While many attended NYU, UCLA, or similar institutions to hone their skills, my path was different.

      I had the opportunity to meet one of Ryan Coogler’s professors, who shared insights about him — he was a good student, of course, a great one. That was his process. Meanwhile, my mentor, Quentin Tarantino, and I were both shaped by our experiences in video stores. Aside from my wife and perhaps my younger brothers during my formative years, he is the person I’ve watched the most films with.

      2. The best advice he gave me about filmmaking was to write my own script. It transformed my perspective. At one time, I considered merely remaking existing works. When he pointed out that I could craft my own story using everything I’ve learned, it struck me that I could approach filmmaking with a hip-hop mindset.

      In hip-hop, we sample sounds or songs from existing records or films and create something new. I realized that you can apply that same principle to film. I