mono.kultur #13 is dedicated to the mighty GZA, founding member and master wordsmith of the legendary Wu-Tang Clan. Taking the hip-hop scene by storm in the early 90s, the Wu-Tang Clan not only established a new and edgier sound within the American rap world but succeeded in building a hip-hop empire that is to this day unequalled, financially and creatively. Set to coincide with the release of their long-awaited fifth collective album, ‘The 8 Diagrams’, this issue straddles an exceptional career from the beginning to the present.

With mono.kultur, GZA talked about the early days of the Clan, the art of chess and the meaning of a pyroclastic flow.

This issue has not only a rough core under a glossy armour, it also features some extraordinary reportage photography from the 80s on the emerging hip-hop scene in New York.

Interview by Renko Heuer / Photography by Sue Kwon / Design by Kai von Rabenau

“I just read a little book of interviews that the GZA did in Germany, and when I read it, he just says so many things that make sense.”
— RZA on mono.kultur #13

“Passion has a certain odor, and Berlin’s pocket-sized interview magazine, mono.kultur, certainly smells like passion and dedication. Why? Because it is done by a handful of people that don’t want to sell you anything, but rather want to give you an interesting insight into such creative minds as GZA, David LaChapelle or Wolfgang Voigt.”
— Streetwear Today