RZA joins Joe Rogan to discuss his upcoming film 'One Spoon of Chocolate,' premiering May 1st and presented by Quentin Tarantino. The Wu-Tang Clan founder and filmmaker shares insights on martial arts philosophy, the intersection of technology and human experience, and his commitment to theatrical cinema over streaming.

The conversation explores disturbing realities behind modern technology, particularly how Cobalt Red by Siddharth Kara exposes slave labor conditions in Congo mines that supply materials for cell phones and electronics. They also discuss how Painkiller by Peter Berg documents the Sackler family's role in creating America's opioid crisis through legal pharmaceutical distribution.

RZA reflects on his personal evolution from street life to artistic success, marked by his April 22, 1992 acquittal that coincidentally aligns with his new film's premiere date. The discussion ranges from the value of authentic experiences versus artificial alternatives, the future of cinema technology, and RZA's philosophy on maintaining physical and spiritual discipline through martial arts practice.

From Hyperbaric Chambers to Cold Plunges: Maintaining Chi

RZA questions whether Joe still maintains the same wellness practices from his Woodland Hills studio days, specifically asking about the hyperbaric chamber and sensory deprivation tank.

Joe describes his morning routine: 'Cold plunge before I work out. Three minutes. It sucks. But every time I do it, I almost don't do it... but then I get in, like, oh, we're doing it.'

RZA shares Shaolin philosophy on qi and blood circulation: 'The qi travels through your blood. So you got to always continue to have the blood moving because the blood is the supply you have.'

Both agree that human beings are like batteries storing energy, and without regular movement and exercise, people become anxious and mentally unhealthy.

The Dark Reality Behind Our Digital Lives

Cobalt Red by Siddharth Kara reveals how cobalt mining in Congo uses slave labor conditions to power our cell phones and electronics, with workers using hammers to extract toxic minerals while living on dirt floors.

RZA had written lyrics about Congo mining before seeing the footage: 'In the middle of the Congo jungle, there's a combo of concentrated elements that make the world's phones glow.'

Joe explains the historical parallel: 'King Leopold went over to Congo... at minimum 2 million people, but I think it's 5 million that were just mined or killed just for the economic profit of what those rubber trees was offering.'

The irony of technology: 'The most technologically sophisticated aspect of our society... if you follow it all the way down to the very bottom of the food chain, you've got slave labor.'

The Sackler Family's Legal Drug Empire

Painkiller by Peter Berg documents how the Sackler family created the opioid crisis by convincing doctors to prescribe incredibly potent opioids for everyday pain management.

Joe shares his personal experience: 'I got my nose fixed... he gave me two prescriptions for opioids. And I said, But I'm not in pain. He goes, But you probably will be.'

The scale of the crisis: '70,000 die every year just in America, just from opioids... and no one's gone to jail' from the Sackler family despite documented evidence of their role.

RZA connects this to his film's themes about systemic corruption: 'If there's money involved, people can become insidious... people can become like, yeah, you could get strung out.'

Artificial vs. Authentic: The Value of Real Experience

Lab-grown diamonds demonstrate the artificial vs. authentic dilemma: a 75-carat lab diamond costs $375,000 versus potentially $100 million for an earth-mined equivalent that's 1.18 billion years old.

Chinese 'super clone' Rolexes replicate $30,000 watches for $1,400 using exact materials and 3D scanning technology, making them virtually indistinguishable from originals.

RZA's perspective on AI and technology: 'I believe AI to be a tool. I'm from the hip-hop generation... we're sampling a record, and therefore it's a digital replication of the record. It's not the record.'

The vinyl analogy: 'It's nothing like the real thing... when we really want to have a good time, we just put on the fucking vinyl and it sounds so much better, different, or it's got depth to it.'

Cinema as Sacred Experience: RZA's Theatrical Vision

RZA's 'One Spoon of Chocolate' premieres May 1st, shot on anamorphic lenses specifically for the theatrical experience: 'I make film for the theater... the sound, the color, the framing.'

The significance of April 22nd: 'That was the day that I was acquitted from a crime and started my life over... serendipitously, is the day that my film premieres on 35 millimeter.'

35mm versus digital: 'The 35 millimeter kind of makes the colors a little more richer and darker... it felt very nostalgic. I felt like I was back. It felt like a movie only.'

RZA's distribution philosophy: 'I gave the theaters 30 days first... Remember when we was kids, bro? Star Wars was in the theaters three times before you had a chance to see it come home.'