Bobby Digital in Stereo

Bobby Digital in Stereo
Studio album by RZA as Bobby Digital
Released November 24, 1998
Recorded 1997–1998
Genre Hip hop
Length 67:57
Label Gee Street/V2/BMG Records
63881-32521
Producer RZA
Inspectah Deck
King Tech
RZA chronology

Ooh I Love You Rakeem
(1991)		 RZA as Bobby Digital in Stereo
(1998)		 Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (soundtrack)
(1999)
Wu-Tang Clan solo chronology
Method Man:
Tical 2000: Judgement Day
(1998)		 Bobby Digital in Stereo
(1998)		 GZA:
Beneath the Surface
(1999)
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]
Entertainment Weekly B[2]
NME [3]
Pitchfork Media (2.9/10)[4]
Rolling Stone [5]
The Source [6]
Stylus (favorable)[7]

Bobby Digital in Stereo is the solo debut album by the American hip hop recording artist and record producer RZA, of East Coast hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan. It was released on November 24, 1998, and was certified Gold on February 5, 1999, by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It is a well-received experimental album that is based on a story featuring him rhyming as a hedonistic, fun-loving alter-ego named Bobby Digital and showcasing a unique keyboard-driven sound (rather than samples) that the RZA called digital orchestra, receiving mostly positive, though somewhat mixed, reviews.

Origin of Bobby Digital

“ It came from a really good bag of weed one day, right? I was in my studio. My birth name is Bobby Diggs. So at the time, creatively, I felt like I was in a digital frame. I felt like I was in high-speed, where everything was digital, in numbers, mathematics. I said to myself at the same time that as Bobby Digital, I could use a character to describe some of the earlier days of my own life. Partying, bullshitting, going crazy, chasing women, taking drugs. At the same time, I would mix in my love for comic books. It was a mixture of fiction and reality together to make a character I thought would be entertaining, and I could utilize that character to get fans into me as an MC, as a lyricist, and also following the path of my life. It's like pre-RZA. It's what The RZA struggles not to be, in a way, you know what I mean?[8] ”

Music

Lyrical content

On the pseudonym and character of Bobby Digital, which dominated the album's lyrics, RZA later stated:

I had to live in a way that I don't really live...I got to dip my weed in honey, and I had mad bitches around me. I probably fucked with 50 bitches this year...women are queens. But if they don't know that themselves, Bobby will prey on them. He'll treat them like bitches if they don't realize that they're queens. I had to get Bobby out of me, or else I'd be emotionally unbalanced. Bobby Digital is just me feeling my nuts. RZA is my heart.[9]
—RZA

Consequently, the album's lyrics are considerably more aggressive compared to the spiritual, self-reflective, socially aware lyrics that the RZA has been known to rhyme on Wu-Tang group albums.

Production

The sound of the album is largely keyboard-driven, but there are still samples. On the sound of Bobby Digital, RZA stated:

I learned how to play chords and progress the chords—I got together at least 16 or 17 different keyboards for this album. I always liked orchestras and strings, so I composed a digital orchestra.[10]
—RZA

Track listing

All songs produced by The RZA unless otherwise stated.

  1. "Intro" – 0:37
  2. "B.O.B.B.Y." – 5:23
  3. "Unspoken Word" – 4:44
  4. "Slow-Grind African" – 1:02
  5. "Airwaves" – 1:47
  6. "Love Jones" – 4:31
    • Producer: King Tech
    • Chorus: Angel Cake
    • Contains samples from "Star Children" By Mighty Ryeders
    • Contains an interpolation of "Love Jones" by Brighter Side of Darkness
  7. "N.Y.C. Everything" – 4:17
  8. "Mantis" – 3:33
  9. "Slow-Grind French" – 0:53
  10. "Holocaust (Silkworm)" – 5:14
    • First verse: Holocaust
    • Second verse: RZA
    • Third verse: Doc Doom
    • Fourth verse: Ghostface Killah
    • Chorus: Ms. Roxy
  11. "Terrorist" – 3:25
    • First verse: Dom Pachino/P.R. Terrorist
    • Second verse: Doc Doom
    • Third verse: Killa Sin
    • Fourth verse (Japanese version only) : Holocaust
  12. "Bobby Did It (Spanish Fly)" – 4:22
  13. "Handwriting on the Wall" – 1:39
    • First verse: Ras Kass
    • Second verse: RZA
  14. "Kiss of a Black Widow" – 2:47
  15. "Slow-Grind Italian" 1:01
  16. "My Lovin' Is Digi" – 4:26
    • Intro: The Force M.D.s
    • Chorus: Ms. Roxy
    • Contains samples from "I'm Glad You're Mine" By Al Green
    • Contains samples from "It Ain't Easy" by Syl Johnson
  17. "Domestic Violence" – 5:18
    • Female: Jamie Sommers
    • Dude on Phone: U-God
  18. "Project Talk" – 1:51
  19. "Lab Drunk" – 3:34
  20. "Fuck What You Think" – 3:10
    • First verse & chorus: RZA
    • Second verse: Islord
    • Third verse: 9th Prince
  21. "Daily Routine" – 4:23
    • First verse & chorus: RZA
    • Second verse: Kinetic 9

Japanese release bonus track:

Personnel

Artwork

The cover art is by noted comic book artist Bill Sienkiewicz.

References

  1. ↑ Allmusic review
  2. ↑ Entertainment Weekly review
  3. ↑ NME review
  4. ↑ Pitchfork Media review
  5. ↑ Rolling Stone review
  6. ↑ The Source review
  7. ↑ Stylus review
  8. ↑ "RZA interview with The Onion A.V. Club :: news articles at Wu-Tang Corp. - The Official Site of the Wu-Tang Clan". Wutang-corp.com. 2003-11-19. Retrieved 2012-01-16.
  9. ↑ "wuforever.com". wuforever.com. Retrieved 2012-01-16.
  10. ↑ did Wu-Tang producer RZA create Bobby Digital as a way to unleash his baser instincts?

External links