RZA and DJ Scratch’s latest track and music video “Fate of the World” were released on Feb. 18. It is the second single to be released in anticipation of their upcoming album Saturday Afternoon Kung Fu Theater, which was conceived at the beginning of quarantine and will be released on March 4, 2022. 

The song and video feature a balladic melody and meditative chants that encourage people far and wide to come together and build a better future.

In the video, RZA acts as a martial arts master and teacher, or Sifu, and he sends the message that raising young people to make a “better tomorrow” is a powerful act. The video switches between scenes of RZA teaching a group of adult students and teaching a young boy. The chant is said in both scenes throughout the song: “Left, right, come together.” 

Along with addressing fights between good and evil, the song has clear political undertones.

The upcoming album is inspired by kung fu movies that played on Saturdays when there were few channels to choose from. Grammy award-winning producer DJ Scratch works together with RZA to mimic the nostalgic, fantastical themes and aesthetics in the “Fate of the World.” 

An ever-present theme in these movies is the battles between good and evil. RZA calls for the good, the people, to come together and work against evil in the form of a “rotten system.” 

The rest of the upcoming album will continue to tackle this theme. RZA will spar with his alter-ego Bobby Digital, showing that the battles between good and evil can happen inside of one person as well as between many people. 

Photo credit: Owen Ela