The Tao of Wu

by The RZA

In the Divine Alphabet, Z stands for Zig-Zag-Zig, which means Knowledge, Wisdom, and Understanding. It’s the last letter of the alphabet and represents the final step of consciousness. So finally I just thought of the name as letters, as a title, not just a word. R-Z-A. It stands for Ruler-Knowledge/Wisdom/Understanding-Allah. In my life, I was zigging. I was going right but I zagged. I zagged and I almost died zagging. So I zigged back. I became the RZA. Rakeem Zig-Zag-Zig Allah. Later, people came to call me the RZA-rector—like I bring people back to life. But that year I found out the truth: The first person you have to resurrect is yourself. Forces in the world will tell you you’re a victim—of your family, your race, your past, your history. Don’t believe them. They don’t know you. Look inside and find your true self. It’s there. Give it a name.