In 2014, some 25 percent of hip-hop is about gangster rap.
For example, I’m GZA from Wu-Tang (The Clan, aka the Wu-Tang), and we’ve written the longest lyrics so far (2:58), which is still no longer than any mainstream rap song. And there’s a lot of rap about money – what’s there not to be mad about?
You’ve actually written more rap songs than any other modern rapper, but who gives a fuck about them?
It’s funny. In my career I’ve written a few thousand songs. [Laughs] I have four lawyers. You know, I need these lawyers as much as the other rappers [laughs].
In the UK, you have about 50 million Twitter followers. But in the U.S., you’ve had 1.3 million. Who has had a bigger impact on your music?
My Twitter account has grown by about 70 percent since I first started and it was all due to how it’s done. There’s no platform that provides a better environment to be a musician and connect globally.
For example, people are watching the video I did for ‘Blackout’ [featuring Jay-Z and Big Sean] and they know I’m on Twitter. Because of Twitter and Facebook, for the first time I actually have thousands of followers. Then there are all these people who follow me on Instagram, and who have no idea that I’m actually doing it.
What’s the biggest difference between Twitter and Facebook for you?
Facebook’s a lot easier to follow. I don’t have to worry about what’s happening on my day job or doing whatever else I’m working on. I don’t need to get my phone to my mom’s. I can be me all day and you can know I’m doing something.
Twitter is where I work so I have to rely on that to make money. You can’t do Twitter and Facebook all the time, because there’s so much shit that happens. I can’t do all the things that are on Twitter, but I have so much power over it and my ability to promote myself. You know, I can show on Twitter that I’m on Twitter 10 hours a day for a long time.
I can do the same thing with Instagram, which is another site I’m very active on. And I have a lot of power there – that’s why I get more followers. It’s a real power
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