With his sophomore solo set, "Made in Brooklyn," due for an Aug. 8 release via Nature Sounds, Wu-Tang Clan rapper Masta Killa will also appear on upcoming projects with Wu colleagues Method Man ("4:21: The Day After"), Inspectah Deck (a new mixtape) and Raekwon (the highly anticipated sequel to his 1995 debut, "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx").
"Everybody who has an album coming out, Im there," Masta Killa tells Billboard.com. "The foundation of my music is family oriented so without my supporting cast it wouldnt be what it is. The only thing that really keeps us separated is that were all pulled in so many different directions. Im fortunate that Im in a situation where I can be patient enough to be creative."
Aside from guest turns by the entire Wu-Tang Clan, "Made in Brooklyn" sports production from MF Doom, Pete Rock and PF Cuttin. Its the follow-up to 2004s "No Said Date."
"Having the opportunity to work with producers and other emcees from my hood -- East New York, Brooklyn -- was definitely something I wanted to do for a long time," says Masta Killa. "No Said Date was a pretty good pot of stew. From the chefs position, I was told not to change too many ingredients [and] just give the same dish again, so I tried to stay consistent with that."
With so many internal collaborations underway, the rapper says a new Wu-Tang studio album is continuously in the works. "Were definitely in the midst of building it," he says. "Its nothing really to work out. Its just saying, "This is what were ready to do" and also "This is what we have time to do." Were always recording so at any time we could say, "Lets put this array of songs together." Also up in the air is the status of late member Ol Dirty Bastards posthumous "A Son Unique," which was supposed to be out last year.
As previously reported, Wu-Tang will regroup next month for several shows, dubbed the
Tribute to ODB tour
, beginning Aug. 3 in Phoenix. "Im looking forward to that. Its a chance for a lot of the hip-hop fans that have been waiting to see Wu-Tang as a family [to see] all eight members on stage," says Masta Killa. "Even for us not having been onstage together for a long time, its a good feeling and we want to bring that energy to our fans."
