Background and career
Robert Fitzgerald Diggs (born July 5, 1969), better known by his stage name RZA ( RIZ-ə) or the RZA, is an American rapper, record producer, composer, actor, and filmmaker. He is the de facto leader of the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan, having produced most of the group's albums and those of its members. Known for his signature use of soul samples, sparse beats, and cinematic elements, his production style has been widely influential in hip-hop. The Source and Vibe both ranked him among the greatest hip-hop producers of all time, while NME included him on its list of the 50 Greatest Producers Ever, spanning all genres. RZA has released solo albums under the alter-ego Bobby Digital; he was also a founding member of the horrorcore group Gravediggaz, performing as the RZArector. He has also worked extensively in film and television, composing scores for major films such as Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003) and Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004). He made his directorial debut with The Man with the Iron Fists (2012) and later directed Love Beats Rhymes (2017).
He served as an executive producer on Wu-Tang: An American Saga (2019–2023), for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music. As an actor, he has appeared in American Gangster (2007), G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013), and A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas (2011), as well as the TV series Californication. He has also done voiceover work, including roles in The Simpsons and Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022).
Diggs was born on July 5, 1969, in Brownsville, Brooklyn. He was named after the Kennedy brothers, Robert and John Fitzgerald, both of whom his mother greatly admired. Diggs has called his given name an "honorable" name, given the legacy of both Robert and John. Diggs has a younger brother, Terrance Hamlin, better known as the rapper 9th Prince, and an older brother named Mitchell "Divine" Diggs. From ages three to seven, Diggs spent summers in North Carolina with his uncle, who encouraged him to read and study. Diggs was introduced to hip-hop music at the age of nine; by eleven, he was competing in rap battles. He relocated to Steubenville, Ohio, in 1990, to live with his mother. Diggs spent weekends in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where his father ran a convenience store in the city's Hill District. Diggs got involved with petty crime and drug-dealing, and was charged with attempted murder while in Steubenville. He was acquitted of the charge, giving him what he has called a "second chance".
Before the Wu-Tang Clan Diggs first became interested in making his own hip-hop music in 1979 when a friend of his introduced him to Rapper's Delight by The Sugarhill Gang. In 1981, Diggs formed a rap group with his cousins Russell Jones, then known as The Specialist, and Gary Grice, then known as Allah Justice, called "Force of the Imperial Master", which they soon after renamed as "All in Together Now" in 1984. Around this time Diggs formed the DMD Posse which consisted of RZA, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, U-God, Inspectah Deck, 4th Disciple and Method Man. Diggs and Grice then signed with Jamaica Records for management purposes and Jamaica convinced Tommy Boy Records to sign Diggs as a solo artist in 1989 under the name Prince Rakeem. He released the original Ooh I Love You Rakeem promotion version of the EP, but was forced to remix and rerelease the single when Tommy Boy failed to acquire the rights to the original sample. The rereleased version underperformed commercially, and Diggs was subsequently dropped by Tommy Boy.
How RZA makes money
Diggs got involved with petty crime and drug-dealing, and was charged with attempted murder while in Steubenville. Diggs and Grice then signed with Jamaica Records for management purposes and Jamaica convinced Tommy Boy Records to sign Diggs as a solo artist in 1989 under the name Prince Rakeem.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth, in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
