In an impassioned continuation of the seminal Staten Island hip hop collective’s association with only the nerdiest of endeavours (see: WuChess) “Genius” Wu-Tang Clan member who fucking loves science, GZA, appeared at a recent TEDxTeen event to talk physics.
When he’s not sharpening his swords, GZA is a co-founder of a not for profit inner city education program called Science Genius, which seeks to engage high school kids with science using hip hop. Here he discusses his childhood fascination with physics, how the sciences can help young people make sense of the world, its impact on his songwriting and the work he does with Science Genius.
He discusses it extensively but nowhere is the dullness of conventional approaches to education more apparent than when students from his program take the stage to rap about gravity, sexual reproduction, natural selection and the formula for work (force x distance).
GZA’s science inspired new album, Dark Matter, is still in the laboratory.
