Production

Production
According to himself, RZA tries to have no more than 20-25% sampling on any given record, something starkly different from many other major hip hop groups. He uses "the sampler more like a painter's palette than a [[Xerox]]. Then again, I might use it as a Xerox if I find rare beats that nobody had in their crates yet." He played much of the piano himself, with [[Bill Evans]] and [[Thelonious Monk]] as major influences; for instance, he created the piano part to "Da Mystery of Chessboxin'" after watching the Thelonious Monk documentary, ''Straight, No Chaser''.The RZA; Chris Norris (January 2005). The Wu-Tang Manual. New York: Riverhead Freestyle, 243 pages. ISBN 1-59448-018-4

RZA's production technique, specifically the manner of chopping up and/or speeding or slowing soul samples to fit his beats, has been picked up by currently popular producers, most notably [[Kanye West]] and [[Just Blaze]], the two main producers behind [[Roc-A-Fella Records]]. West's own take on RZA's style. Why You Can't Ignore Kanye - TIME] briefly flooded the rap market with what was dubbed "chipmunk soul," the speeding of a vocal sample to where it sounded as though the singer had inhaled helium. Several producers at the time copied the style, creating other offshoots. West has admitted that his style was distinctly influenced by the RZA's production, RZA has acknowledged his influence in an issue of [[Scratch (magazine)|''Scratch'' magazine]], saying he wished he had produced "Jesus Walks" and "Breathe", two 2004 hits produced by Kanye West and Just Blaze, respectively.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} Said by Kanye West:

{{quote|Wu-Tang? Me and my friends talk about this all the time... We think Wu-Tang had one of the biggest impacts as far as a movement. From slang to style of dress, skits, the samples. Similar to the [production] style I use, RZA has been doing that.
Justin On Our Top 10 Hip-Hop Groups - News Story | Music, Celebrity, Artist News | MTV News]}}