Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA Drops Exclusive Record Player With Ballantine’s
Hip-hop legend RZA is spinning a fresh tune.
The Wu-Tang Clan frontman unleashes a branded Crosley vinyl record player, the first product drop through his new collaboration with whisky brand Ballantine’s.
Designed and signed by RZA, the Ballantine’s x RZA Crosley deck comes with a Montero Bluetooth speaker, and is available from next Friday, June 30.
The timing is sweet. RZA”s limited-edition wheel-of-steel arrives as hip-hop celebrates its 50th anniversary, and as Wu-Tang Clan welcomes the 30th anniversary of their landmark debut Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers).
The special record player, built by Crosley Radio, the Louisville, Kentucky specialist in audio electronics products, is the first in a wave of product drops, from music to food and fashion, say reps.
“Whether it’s discovering new music, trying out new recipes or getting your hands on a limited-edition capsule collection,” reads a statement, each release through the alliance “will see RZA explore his passions, showing there truly is no wrong way to express yourself.”
The multihyphenate creative revealed his pact with the Scottish drinks brand by way of a piece to camera, which can be seen in full below.
RZA (real name: Robert Diggs) also has a long list of film and TV credits, including his directorial debut with 2012’s The Man with the Iron Fists, and followup-films Love Beats Rhymes (2017) and Cut Throat City (2020). He’s also issued a raft of soundtracks, played his part in the trailblazing horrorcore outfit the Gravediggaz, and in March of this year, delivered a keynote at SXSW.
Earlier this year, RZA, Wu-Tang Clan and Nas announced a North American tour, which will begin this August and visit 25 cities through October. But first, the rap pioneers will play a string of live dates in the U.K. and Europe through July and August.
RZA’s Ballantine’s x RZA Crosley record player is priced from €275 ($300) at ballantines.com/RZA.
Lars Brandle
Billboard
