Birth of a Prince is the third solo studio album by American hip hop musician and Wu-Tang Clan leader RZA. The album was released on October 7, 2003. Unlike RZA's other solo albums, Birth of a Prince was not released under the Bobby Digital alias, though RZA refers to himself as Bobby repeatedly and his rhymes are mostly in the Bobby Digital style rather than the pre-1998 style. The album received mixed reviews from music critics.

Birth of a Prince
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 7, 2003
RecordedJune–September 2003
GenreHip hop
Length58:19
LabelWu, Sanctuary Urban, BMG Records
ProducerRZA, Barracuda, Bronze Nazareth Choco, Megahertz (record producer), True Master
RZA chronology
Kill Bill Volume 1 (soundtrack)
(2003)
Birth of a Prince
(2003)
The RZA Presents: Afro Samurai OST
(2007)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic62/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
The Austin Chronicle[3]
Blender[4]
Dotmusic[5]
Dusted(Mixed)[6]
Pitchfork Media(3.1/10)[7]
Playlouder[8]
PopMatters(Mixed)[9]
RapReviews[10]
Stylus(F)[11]
The Village Voice(Positive)[12]

Track listing edit

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[13]

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Bob n' I"Robert DiggsChoco2:52
2."The Grunge"DiggsRZA1:56
3."We Pop" (featuring Ol' Dirty Bastard & CCF Division)
Megahertz4:53
4."Grits" (featuring Allah Real & Masta Killa)RZA4:17
5."Fast Cars" (featuring Ghostface Killah & Erica Bryant)True Master3:59
6."Chi Kung" (featuring Beretta 9 & Cilvaringz)
Barracuda4:20
7."You'll Never Know" (featuring Cilvaringz)
  • Diggs
  • Tariq Azzougarh
RZA3:23
8."Drink, Smoke + Fuck"DiggsRZA3:23
9."The Whistle" (featuring Prodigal Sunn & Masta Killa)RZA3:02
10."The Drop Off"
  • Diggs
  • S. Cuffie
  • F. Cuffie
RZA3:27
11."Wherever I Go" (featuring Allah Real & CCF Division)
  • Diggs
  • S. Cuffie
  • F. Cuffie
RZA4:49
12."Koto Chotan" (featuring Masta Killa & Tash Mahogany)
  • Diggs
  • Turner
RZA2:50
13."A Day to God is 1,000 Years"Bronze Nazareth3:57
14."Cherry Range" (featuring Xavier Naidoo)
  • Diggs
  • Murray
RZA3:25
15."The Birth"
  • Diggs
  • Cross
Bronze Nazareth4:38
16."See the Joy"
  • Diggs
  • S. Cuffie
  • F. Cuffie
RZA3:10

Charts edit

Chart (2003) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[14] 49
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[15] 20

References edit

  1. ^ "Birth Of A Prince by The RZA Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  2. ^ Andy Kellman (2003-10-07). "The Birth of a Prince - RZA | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-09-13.
  3. ^ Gabriel, Robert. "The Austin Chronicle: Music: Phases and Stages". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on December 15, 2003. Retrieved 2015-09-13.
  4. ^ "RZA : Birth of a Prince Review on Blender :: The Ultimate Guide to Music and More". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved 2015-09-13.
  5. ^ "LAUNCH, Music on Yahoo - Wu-Tang Clan - 'Birth Of A Prince'". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on February 14, 2004. Retrieved 2015-09-13.
  6. ^ "Dusted Reviews: RZA - Birth of a Prince". Dustedmagazine.com. 2003-12-04. Archived from the original on 2014-01-10. Retrieved 2015-09-13.
  7. ^ "RZA: Birth of a Prince | Album Reviews". Pitchfork. 2003-11-04. Retrieved 2015-09-13.
  8. ^ "PLAYLOUDER | review - Birth Of A Prince". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on November 10, 2003. Retrieved 2015-09-13.
  9. ^ "RZA: Birth of a Prince - PopMatters Music Review". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on December 26, 2003. Retrieved 2015-09-13.
  10. ^ "RZA :: Birth of a Prince :: Wu-Records/Sanctuary". Rapreviews.com. 2003-10-07. Retrieved 2015-09-13.
  11. ^ "RZA - Birth of a Prince - Stylus Magazine". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on March 9, 2004. Retrieved 2015-09-13.
  12. ^ "village voice > music > RZA's Birth of a Prince by Serena Kim". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on November 4, 2006. Retrieved 2015-09-13.
  13. ^ Birth of a Prince (booklet). Wu, Sanctuary Urban, BMG Records. 2003.
  14. ^ "RZA Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  15. ^ "RZA Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 23, 2014.