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There was a method to the madness of what we did,” RZA says of his work with Ol’ Dirty Bastard.
RZA released today (November 11) “Obey Me,” a song he and producer Buddha Monk produced for Ol’ Dirty Bastard in 1994. They were working on ODB’s debut solo album, 1995’s Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version, when they recorded "Obey Me."
"He was fuckin' buggin' out on this song that night,” RZA says of Ol’ Dirty Bastard during an interview with Rolling Stone. "Dirty felt that anything he made was supposed to be released. I was more critical of what we released. And even though some people may listen to his first album and go, 'Shit, this is crazy, this song fits right in.' To me, there was a method to the madness of what we did. And with the stuff that didn't make the album, there was a clear reason why in the narrative of what I was striving to create with his style.”
Ol’ Dirty Bastard died of a drug overdose in 2004. Prior to that, the Wu-Tang Clan, of which both RZA and Ol’ Dirty Bastard are members, had emerged as one of Rap’s most successful and influential collectives.
Listening to “Obey Me,” which was originally titled “Bitches Better Obey Me,” took RZA back the group’s early collaborations.
"This was just us creating with the freedom of making music and this song is definitely a glimpse into that mindset,” says RZA, who also refers to ODB as Ason. "I'm hearing Ason just be Ason and that's something I miss from him. It reminds you of the unity and camaraderie of the Wu-Tang. We cross-pollinated ourselves so much because there was a brotherhood, a community of unity of hip-hop. And this song gives me a glimpse on what made us unique and great."