The soundtrack for Afro Samurai is a refreshing change of pace from the average hip-hop album. While most artists today seems to be content choosing overpowering beats that club their listeners over the head with the strength of a two ton gorilla, RZA chooses a more refined and tactical approach. Not unlike a feudal samurai, RZA employs tact and subtlety to create a unique-sounding album that does not alienate long-term RZA fans. The RZA signatures are all here: creative samples and instruments, kung-fu voiceovers, and unique sound effects. This is not to say that RZA hasn’t grown. The record really does capture the essence of anime, while injecting some hip-hop flavor. Afro Samurai also fits in nicely with Wu folklore. The anime series it soundtracks resembles the animated segments in Kill Bill (which, of course, RZA also scored), while its main character, dubbed Afro, is everything the Wu always wanted to be: stark and bloody, yet also strangely honorable.Perhaps the greatest accomplishment of Afro Samurai is that it manages to cover so many musical bases (instrumentals, RnB, and nostalgic hip-hop infused with Asian influence) while still feeling as a coherent body of work. The guest appearances by the likes of Q-Tip, Talib Kweli and Big Daddy Kane aren’t gimmicky and instead contribute to the feel of the album. For any RZA fan, Afro Samurai is a worthy fresh appetizer to the upcoming Wu-Tang album.
“As a fan of martial arts and old Japanese samurai movies, I have always wanted to be a part of such creativity, and to have my own spice added is even better" -The RZA