‘The Disciple’: Everything You Need to Know About Netflix’s Wu-Tang Clan Doc
What happens when a devoted music fan goes from idolizing his favorite hip-hop group to helping pull off one of the most controversial stunts in music history? That’s the story of The Disciple: A Wu-Tang Fable.
The documentary reveals the story behind Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, the one-of-a-kind Wu-Tang Clan album, while it chronicles the unlikely journey from superfan to a member of the legendary hip-hop group’s inner circle.
Academy Award-winning producer Joanna Natasegara follows Cilvaringz’s journey under the mentorship of Wu-Tang Clan’s The RZA and his role in creating a one-of-a-kind album that would eventually be auctioned to the highest bidder, which would later spark a firestorm of controversy.
“For the last five years, making this film has been a labor of love and discovery,” Natasegara says. “Initially, I was inspired by a teenhood love of Wu-Tang and a story about the secret album Once Upon a Time in Shaolin too intriguing to miss. In the making, I discovered so much more about why Tarik, myself, and so many of us idolize them. They stand for so much that is so needed right now — community, talent, tenacity, innovation, and love. I’m so thrilled audiences will get to spend time in this world I’ve loved so much.”
Here is everything we know about Netflix’s The Disciple: A Wu-Tang Fable.
Courtesy of Netflix
When does The Disciple premiere?
The doc premieres on October 16 on Netflix.
What is The Disciple about?
The documentary follows Dutch-Moroccan rapper and producer Tarik Azzougarh, a.k.a. Cilvaringz, whose journey takes him from devoted Wu-Tang Clan fan to member of the group’s inner circle under the mentorship of The RZA. The story culminates in the creation of Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, a one-of-a-kind album from the band that was auctioned in 2015.
“The documentary is a pure complement to the time,” The RZA explained. “Joanna lived it out. She had the word become flesh all the way. That’s the same thing with the album itself. There’s very few cases where a fan actually gets to stand beside the man and add onto the man’s legacy. Here’s a guy who scraped his dollars together, came to the club, and out of all the people there, he gets pulled on stage by Ol’ Dirty Bastard. In all reality, he gets pulled into the cipher of Wu-Tang. And now his legacy is cemented.”
Courtesy of Netflix
What is Once Upon a Time in Shaolin and what happened to it?
The doc centers on the creation of Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, a one-of-a-kind album recorded in secret over six years, locked in a hand-crafted silver box. The album was conceived as a radical artistic statement to treat music like fine art rather than disposable content in the digital age.
The album was famously sold at auction for $2 million to controversial entrepreneur and “pharma bro” Martin Shkreli.
Who is behind The Disciple?
The Disciple: A Wu-Tang Fable is a Netflix Documentary in association with Studio Gebbia, Film4, 36 Cinema, Sony Music Vision; an Aluna Entertainment and Violet Films production.
The Disciple is directed by Joanna Natasegara and produced by Abigail Anketell-Jones, Lauren Dark, and Vanessa Kirby. Executive producers include The RZA, Joe Gebbia, Jason Ropell, and Abazar Khayami; David Kimbangi, Farhana Bhula, and Ollie Madden for Film4; and Trevor Burgess, Gary Hess, and James Costa for Bird Street Productions.
Is there a trailer?
Indeed. Check it out above.
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