|
Interview
|
As always with the
Wu, the saga continues. As indicated, Wu-International presents
the 2nd instalment of the Wu Elements series. What better Element to
follow up Moongod (aka Dr Moon’s) interview than his friend and partner in
rhyme/beats Cilvaringz? The man responsible for getting Moon and
Bronze into the Wu-Tang family tree, the first Non American
Wu-Tang Killa Beez, The man, Wu-Tang's own Abbott (The RZA)
calls the hardest working Killa Bee in the game.
The series aims to
find out what the backbones of the Wu-Tang movements have been
up to, the production team collectively known as the Wu-Elements
included The RZA, Inspectah Deck, Mathematics, 4th Disciple,
True Master, Goldfinghaz, Darkim Be Allah and later Cilvaringz,
Moongod Allah and Bronze Nazareth.
Cilvaringz has just completed a Europe Tour with his Wu-Tang
brothers, Method Man, Mathematics, Streetlife and DJ Sueside and
had just about had the time to give us his
view on a broad range of subjects from MC’ing to producing, from
his early works to a follow-up to
“I”, from Holland to NYC to
Morocco, from organizing tours to acting, … Meet the man, the MC,
the producer, business man, scholar, CEO, manager, and the list
goes on, Enter the mental chamber of Cilvaringz on this second
outing or Wu-Elements interview series.
Enjoy ... |
I like to say thanks first and foremost for
taking the time to answer these questions, highly
appreciated, and will also point out that nothing will be
altered, edited or changed when this is published online.
Wu-International: Peace Ringz, what's good?
Cilvaringz: Peace. I'm balanced. Just went
through a tough period, but I'm good. All blessings to God.
Wu-International: You are equally an MC as well as a
producer, what did you initially start off as ( beat maker or
lyricist )?
Cilvaringz:
I started as an MC. But punk
ass Moongod would never make the beats the way I wanted to,
or never add this or that instrument the way I wanted it. So
I went and bought my first Korg Triton and lost it. I made 1
to 3 beats a day since then.
Wu-International:
Which would you say fits you best or rather which do you
prefer over the other?
Cilvaringz: I love performing live, but don't
like recording in the studio. But producing can be
frustrating at times when you don't get a certain sound
you're looking for. But once you get that beat man, it's a
great feeling. So it's almost 50/50.
Wu-International: Are there any advantages or
benefits in being an MC as well as a producer?
Cilvaringz: Yes. You're less dependent of people and
you can also get that sound you want out of your speakers.
When I couldn't get the old RZA out of the new RZA, I was
able to recreate that sound I was looking for, just by
watching him make beats. Hadn't I been a producer, it
would've been a frustrating time.
Wu-International:
Where do you normally draw your inspirations from as far as
making beats goes?
Cilvaringz: Movies. Scenery. A good sample.
Wu-International: We read somewhere that you lived in
the US for a while, did that play a significant influence on
your music and if so how?
Cilvaringz:
I only
worked in the states, never lived for longer periods than 2
months in the States. It had an influence on my accent, not
more. The music was always the same, whether in the states
or Europe or Morocco.
Wu-International: A while ago you said you were
planning to move to Morocco, Marrakesh. Your YouTube account
also shows images of your Moroccan wedding party. Do you
think this new home will also influence your music/beats ?
Cilvaringz:
Yeah a little. I
live in a very picturesque city and have a home in the
country side which is a very biblical setting. That does
influence the way you make beats and write songs. I'd love
to get Killah priest out there and do a follow up to
Heavy
Mental. That would be a perfect setting.
Wu-International: Most assume you were just signed as
an artists/MC with Wu-tang and don't know you were also part
of the Wu Elements, how did you officially get involved as
an element?
Cilvaringz: I never signed a deal with Wu-tang
productions. I only signed to RZA productions and
Wu-international. I was never told specifically I was part
of the Wu-Elements or anything like that. It just falls into
place when you're part of the family and you happen to
produce. From what I know, the Wu-Elements were Goldfinghaz,
True Master, 4th Disciple, Allah Mathematics, Darkim Be
Allah and The RZA.
Bronze, me and Moon just happen to produce and the Clan got
to hear our beats first. Deck is part of the clan so that
speaks for itself.
 |
Wu-International: If you had a chance to produce an
entire album for any Wu-Tang general, who would you choose
and why?
Cilvaringz:
That's a
tough one cause they're all very unique and
talented. I once started on a GZA album when I
managed to recreate that feel of 'Liquid
Swords',
but we never got around to it.
I'd like to do a compilation with all of them, more
than anything. That way I can capture all their
energies on one album.
|
Wu-International: How about if you were to use just 1
producer to lace your album, Wu-tang or non-Wu, who would
you be interested in working with ?
Cilvaringz: That's tough. I'm a big fan of True
Master and 4th Disciple. If they'd lace me with their
'96-'99 catalogue, it would be extremely difficult to pick.
Wu-International: Most of the fans know you produced
some hot joints that have not been credited to you within
the Wu, can you share with us some of the songs that you
worked on that most people don't know of?
Answer:
Cilvaringz:
I did 'Gorilla
hood' for Ghostface, I did 'a lil story' for Inspectah Deck
and I gave Mathematics the sample for 'Meth vs. Chef 2'. The
only song people doubted was the Deck track, but Deck had
already explained that in an interview with hiphopgame so
that was fine. I just spoke to him about it a few days ago
too. We gonna do some more work.
Wu-International: After the album "I" , there were
talks of you not releasing another album as an MC, and
planning to concentrate solely on producing, how true is
this and what's the reason if true?
Cilvaringz:
It's an off and on
thing with me. Depends on my moods. I have to experience a
lot to start writing cause I don't wanna write just for the
sake of writing. I been in a good place for quite a few
years now, just enjoying life. I can't just fill a whole
album talking about holidays in the Seychelles, walking the
dogs in the countryside and eating great organic foods grown
in my own garden. It might sound funky, but I really write
when I need to get shit off my chest. For now I'm at 7
topics. When I get to 12 I'll hop back in. If not, it's
going to be producing the compilation. But the fans have to
support that, Sellaband style.
Wu-International: We have seen some new tracks in
your tour video blog, for instance the impressive "36
chambers of death" produced by True Master. Is that a new
track or one from the pre "I" Era?
Cilvaringz:
It's a semi new track.
Just a beat I had laying around. That beat was actually for
'The W' album but they never used it.
True Master is
incredible, he got some serious heat and a distinctive
sound.
Wu-International: Are there other tracks you did with
True? And are you planning on using them for "II"?
Cilvaringz:
"II" only has about 3 songs so far. I have no idea what will
happen with that record. So far I been so busy touring and
setting up tours, I haven't had time to be real creative.
Wu-International: How was it to work with him (again)
?
Cilvaringz:
I haven't seen True in years, just had the beat laying
around.
Wu-International: Unreleased and up coming
projects were advertised on the
"I"
multimedia section to be put out via your record company, is this still
your intention and if so any reason for the delay?
Cilvaringz:
No delay. Just not enough interest. There were maybe two
people that emailed me about it and wanted to pay for it.
With all due respect to those two fans, but it's not worth
it financially.
Wu-International:
You have been involved in numerous projects over the years,
from groups such as Lin brotherz, the henchmen, etc ? One we
have not been familiar with up until now has been the iron
empire, can you please tell us more about this and who was
involved in it?
Cilvaringz:
These
were albums we recorded before I got with Wu and when I was
with Wu. We loved making music, doing projects, working out
ideas and concept, all that. It was a creative thing. We
learned a lot from that and we had fun doing it cause you
could just spit what you wanted, experiment, do all types of
craziness without having anyone judge it but your peoples.
We ended up doing thousands of songs I think. Moon is
collecting all that back together.
Wu-International:
On your twitter account we noticed you and Moon mentioning
plans for an Iron Empire Part 3 project? Is this again an
inside job like the previous 2 instalments or can we hope
for a release somehow ?
Cilvaringz:
I never said anything about that I think. But yeah Moon and
I spoke about that. When we have some time we will do it.
It's still an in-house thing.
Wu-International:
From pictures you posted online and our recent Moongod
interview, its evident you are both sitting on a massive
amount of unreleased projects that the fans are hoping to
discover and enjoy, any reason why they still remain
unreleased?
Cilvaringz:
Sure, those are private
recordings. I understand fans would love to hear it but I
might not be so eager to have that out there. All artists
have their own private stash. God knows what you were
rapping about back then. It's slander, it's foul, it's
comedy, it's porno, it's everything you could try out as an
artist just to find your niche. It's very personal. So of
course I'd want to keep that private because there's a lot
stuff on there that only we knew about, or just made sense
to us. It could be damaging to your credibility right now
because the public has grown to know you in a certain way.
Because that's the man you developed into and that's when
you were ready to talk to broader crowd. But all that old
shit was training and having fun, finding your way. So I'd
like to keep that personal and Moon respects that. Barracuda
is the same, he doesn't want to have that out there at all.
You don't wanna hear a bunch of kids rapping about how many
hairs they got on their balls and what length each hair is,
feel me?
Wu-International:
Does it flatter you that fans think so highly of the music
you did with
Moon and the others during those years? The fact people are
still asking for these unreleased albums and for rereleases
of the stuff you sold through your websites proves you guys
made a big impression with those.
Cilvaringz:
I think you're
overstating it. Though I know there's some interest in it,
it's really not that much. I'm sure fans would download it
for the fuck of it and give it a quick listen, but as far as
people actually wanting this badly, there weren't that many.
Maybe 15? I put up a poll on the Corp. and as I expected, it
was a 2 page thread.
Wu-International: Moon has expressed that he doesn't
mind it all being released to the fans for free or sale, but
that you'd have to agree too. Would you be interested in
putting these out through other forums if the opportunity
was right for you?
Cilvaringz:
Nope. Sorry guys. For the
reasons listed above.
Wu-International: It will be a shame if the fans
never get to hear these songs . Regardless of what
you now think of them, the fans still love that old
vintage Rings & partners/Moonlight sound, what would
it take for you to agree to put them out?
Cilvaringz: Nothing. That's pretty much a
closed subject for me. |
 |
Wu-International: Thanks for those answers, let's
talk about your company, Rings & Partners Entertainment
Group, could you please tell us more about the company, your
role and signed artists?
Cilvaringz:
Rpeg ltd is more a
management firm. It's never been a label. I guide artists
that I respect into a more solid career. I've did that for a
bunch of artists and producers. But our main practice
remains setting up tours. They're the most work, but most
fun and most lucrative as well. We've done tours for KRS One, Sean Paul, 50
Cent, Redman, Method Man, RZA, Raekwon
and the Wu-Tang Clan.
Wu-International: You have Shabazz the Disciple, Salah Edin and more on your roster, what are the
requirements or what do artists need to do to be represented
or managed by Rings & partners?
Cilvaringz: Both Shabazz and Salah are not with
my company anymore. That stopped a while ago for various
reasons. Right now I only still represent Focus... Ledr P
aka Palestine & Eslam Jawaad, as well as our group Arap.
Wu-International: What is Arap? Is it just a group, a
movement, a new genre? and what is your involvement with
this?
Cilvaringz:
This is a group of well established rappers, DJs and
producers of Arabic descent. It's me, Ledr p, Eslam Jawaad,
Narcy, Dj Lady, DJ Lethal Skillz, Shadia Mansour and others.
I pretty much bring concepts to the table and guide them to
fruition. Everybody is well established in their own right
so its quite a task bringing them all together when work
needs to be done.
Wu-International: Can we expect to see something soon
from this collective?
Cilvaringz:
We've been saying 'soon' for a long time now so I'm
not gonna say yes. But it feels like everybody is finalizing
their personal albums, so that should create some space for
collective works.
Wu-International: From posters and MySpace links it
seems Eslam Jawaad has completed his album "The mammoth
tusk" and same for Salah Edin, any reasons why these are not
out yet?
Cilvaringz: Eslam's album came out already. We
had some heavy hitters on there like
Damon Albarn from Gorillaz, De La Soul, RZA and Focus...
That was a great album. I enjoyed working on that and
coordinating the videos. Both videos are on YouTube, I'm in
both of them and co-directed them.
Wu-International: Was not aware of that, so where can
fans buy this album?
Cilvaringz:
Eslam's album is out on
iTunes.. There's only a limited amount in hardcover Cd's.
Wu-International: You also have focus from Aftermath
on your roster, will Ringz ever hook up with the
good doctor (Dr. Dre) for a track or 2?
Cilvaringz: Focus is my brother before music, before
Aftermath and anything else. We're practically
family. I don't really care about the Aftermath link
as much as I love his music. He could've been signed
to master p for all I care. Don't get me wrong, I'm
proud my brother's with the doc, and it's great
being out there in la and in their studios and shit,
seeing some unbelievable behind the scenes shit, but
that don't mean I'm getting a beat from Dr. Dre. It
does mean I got to hear some Detox shit before the
general public! And believe me, that track focus
produced with Dre & Snoop going back and forth is
fire!!!
Wu-International: You have a BA in
International Artist Management as well as
Entertainment Law. The rap game is filled with everyone who wants to
glorify being a college drop out, how did you manage to
complete your studies and still stay active in the game?
Cilvaringz: I just figured all the fame and
glory don't mean you got money in your pockets. It doesn't
mean it's sustainable neither. So you always need a back up
plan. I'm a 'glass is a half empty' type of guy. Whatever I
do, I always consider worst case scenario first. Everything
positive is a bonus. I have applied that way of thinking my
whole life. That's why I forced myself to continue studying
instead of getting caught up in the joy of joining the Wu.
Wu-International: You have a reputation for being a
very good business man, Shabazz described you in a recent
interview as a guy who would wear a suit and sit down with
businessmen and strike a serious deal and later jump onto
baggy wears and kill it in the studio or on stage, does that
description fit you well?
Cilvaringz:
Uhm yeah. I
do tend to believe I know what I'm doing when I'm doing
business. My tours have generated millions for the artists I
worked with, that's not small change to be dealing with and
lots of responsibility. You gotta know what you're doing. We
did some great stuff. We pulled in some big music deals for
movies and cartoons, large world tours, made some small time
artists famous overnight, even the latest RZA I-drum
application on iPhone. I can't complain about the company
and the people that work in it.
 |
Wu-International: Speaking of shows, you are
currently on tour with Method Man, how is that going, which show have you enjoyed most?
Cilvaringz: Touring with Meth is always
a joy. Always a full house and always so much
energy. I can't believe how he keeps doing it. After
the Munich show meth collapsed backstage and fell
down on the couch. He took off his shirt and as I
came in I saw steam coming off him. Actual steam
coming off his back. He was that overheated. And he
keeps doing it every night. We did Europe this time. |
|
Last time we did Canada and South America together.
I always watch him, every night. That's the best
teacher to have when it comes to live shows. We have
good fun, always. The ultimate highlight for me is
when I come do Deck's verse on 'Nuttin ta fuck
with'. Meth, Street and I always interact on stage
doing that song and that's a great moment for me
still. |
Wu-International: Bronze has indicated you were
instrumental in him being part of the Wu. Fans would love to
see more collaborations with both of you as well as with
Moon, what are the chances of this happening anytime soon?
Cilvaringz:
I gave
Bronze his artist name 'Bronze Nazareth', Bronze and I used
to work a whole lot more than nowadays. He's less online,
maybe that's why we haven't worked more together. But yeah,
I discovered Bronze and introduced him to RZA and told RZA
to get him on. I used to take Bronze with me to Steubenville,
Ohio when I was working with 4th Disciple. So I slowly
introduced him to the fam.
Wu-International: Fans always pair or compare you
with bronze, or Moon, who would you say is a better producer
or even MC between the 3 of you?
Cilvaringz:
I beat all
them bitches !!!! Lol
Wu-International: What is the meaning of Tongue Fu,
and was that something you invented?
Cilvaringz:
uhm that's just playing
with words. Cause everybody was always asking me about this
kung fu shit like 'you guys really practice kung fu before
you rhyme?' wtf? U serious? So I once said 'no it's with the
words.. Like uhm Tongue fu!' and I ran with it.
Wu-International: You featured as an actor in Shouf Shouf
Habibi, what was that like, what was your part in that
movie, and is acting something you would consider sometime
in the future?
Cilvaringz:
if someone ever
asks me, I'd do it. But I'm not pursuing it at all. Music
and scripts yes, but acting? Not really. It was fun doing it
and it was a big movie too, but the director knew me and
just asked me to do a quick cameo.
Wu-International: If your cousin or a little brother
wanted to get into the music game like you, what would your
advice to them be?
Cilvaringz:
Good luck!
Wu-International: Thanks very much for your time
Rings, anything else you might want to add that we missed?
Any last words for the fans, shout outs etc?
Cilvaringz:
Thank you
for the interest! I might need yall help (Sellaband) to do
this compilation y'all, so if you interested keep an eye
open! Wu forever. 1
Thanks
for your time and we wish you all the best in your future
endeavours.
Keep up to date with
Ringz
www.myspace.com/cilvaringz
Related Interviews: Wu-Elements Series
#1
[Moongod Allah] -
The
Dutch Master Interview
#2
[Cilvaringz] - Inside
The Mental Chambers Interview
#3 [Inspectah Deck] -
The Manifesto Of A
Rebel Interview
#4 [Mathematics] -
The Math Files Interview
#5 [Goldfingaz] -
Gold Tha Deal Maker
Interview
#6 [Bronze Nazareth] - Half Entity Interview
#7 [Darkim Be Allah]
- King Christ Interview
#8 [True Master] -
The Master Craftsman Interview
<Read Other Interviews> |
