GZA + "The Cosmos" + "Chariots Of Fire" = A Dope Collaboration For New Album

“I don’t think people have ever really been in touch with science”

GZA to The Wall Street Journal
May 2012

GZA and Vangelis courtesy of Facebook

GZA and Vangelis courtesy of Facebook

Wu-Tang Clan’s resident scientist GZA hopes to change this fact with the scientific approach he’s taking to his new album Dark Matter.
GZA has been meeting with cosmologists from MIT and Cornell University to ensure the accuracy of the content for Dark Matter.
In the process, GZA has also become cool with Neil deGrasse Tyson, famed astrophysicist and cosmologist.
Tyson is a fan of Hip-Hop and served as host of 2014’s remake of Carl Sagan’s “The Cosmos.”
GZA’s approaching his future body of work like Sagan’s series multi-part “Cosmos” series.
Dark Matter will deal with the universe while subsequent albums will tackle a variation of subjects, including marine biology. So working with his newest collaborator for the project was critical enough for GZA to abandon a bunch of European tour dates.
The rapper had no choice and sacrificed some tour money to work with legendary composer Vangelis.
It might seem like a surprising collaboration since the reclusive Vangelis is best known for composing the theme for “Chariots of Fire.”
It is that inescapable instrumental that manages to evoke the feeling of victory anytime it is played. That is why the theme to “Chariots of Fire” has been used in The Olympics, commercials and countless of other movies since it was released in 1981.
Well, Vangelis is a 50-year veteran and is also labeled one of the most influential producers of electronic music. His recording studio Nemo Studios is where he created a string of electronic albums in the mid-1970s.
Parts of those albums ended up as music in Carl Sagan’s 1980 original groundbreaking documentary “The Cosmos.”
GZA’s upcoming album is scored by composer Marco Vitali and is reported to feature an entire orchestra. Hopefully, Vangelis will be able to bring a “big bang” to Dark Matter.