Anime News

Afro Samurai Soundtrack Release On January 30th
Date: 1/17/2007
KOCH Records announces the release of the soundtrack of Afro Samurai, a new animated miniseries which will premiere on Spike TV on January 4th, 2007. The soundtrack features an original score by RZA, plus tracks featuring Big Daddy Kane, GZA, Q-Tip, Talib Kweli and the extended Wu Tang Family. Afro Samurai is the animated epic, based on a graphic novel by Takashi Okazaki, of a black samurai's hunt for the gunman who murdered his father. Academy Award-nominated actor Samuel L. Jackson stars as the uncompromising hero in this stylish series that crosses cultural boundaries as a fusion of animated samurai action and hip-hop culture.
The talented RZA is arguably best known as a musical mastermind and MC in the influential hip-hop group the Wu-Tang Clan followed by a solo career as a rapper and producer. He also has an increasing list of Hollywood credits including composing both of Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill movies, Jim Jarmusch's Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai and Blade: Trinity, as well as Barbershop 2: Back in Business and Unleashed. RZA has also experienced motion picture success as an actor and was in Derailed, Coffee and Cigarettes, Scary Movie 3 and Ghost Dog.

"As a fan of martial art 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. Many hip hop artists and musicians from the late 80's to now have been inspired by this form of entertainment, and today's animators have been stimulated by hip hop. But, usually these two forms of expression never meet in the same realm of artistry," said RZA. "Afro Samurai offers me the opportunity to mix the innovational world of hip hop with the visual imagination of Japanese animation. The vibe of Afro Samurai is so soulful and cool, that when I was asked to compose the series my creative juices immediately reacted. I felt it was something meant for me to do; in many ways Afro and myself share the same spirit."
Source: Anime News Service