Famed producer and Wu-Tang Clan mastermind RZA – real name Robert Diggs – will be presented with the TEC Innovation Award at The NAMM Show’s 2024 TEC Awards on 27 January in Anaheim, California.

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Formerly known as the NAMM TEC Les Paul Innovation Award, the award honours individuals who have set the highest standards of excellence in the creative application of recording technology.

“RZA’s formidable body of work and talent is unquestionable,” John Mlynczak, NAMM president and CEO said in a statement. “His legacy of accomplishments and lasting power on music inspires many music makers beyond hip-hop and he deserves this high recognition.”

A trailblazer in culture and in hip-hop, RZA created the group’s widely-imitated core sound consisting of stark, booming beats, and chilling samples heavily drawing from vintage soul records as well as kung fu movies.

Wu-Tang Clan entered the music scene in 1993 with Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), an album Rolling Stone dubbed one of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (#27). The group’s debut album also featured C.R.E.A.M., a track the magazine ranked first in its list of The 100 Best East Coast Hip-Hop Songs of All Time.

Since then, the collective has sold more than 40 million albums globally.

Outside of his Wu-Tang Clan activities, RZA scored Jim Jarmusch’s 1999 film Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai and soundtracks for Kill Bill Volume 1 and Kill Bill: Volume 2. He stars in the comedy film Problemista, which premiered at SXSW, and is also an executive producer for, and directed several episodes of Wu-Tang: An American Saga, the original Hulu series honouring his group.

Now in its 39th year and presented by NAMM, the TEC Awards recognises the best in professional audio and sound production and takes place as a part of The NAMM Show, the world’s largest music trade show. All finalists will be celebrated at a special communal reception held on the campus of the Anaheim Convention Center on the evening of Saturday, 27 January.

The NAMM Show will include live music and panels, including a performance by emerging female hip-hop artist Blimes, and sessions such as Innovate and Elevate: Exploring DJ Technology with DJ Hapa, as well as signature events such as the Parnelli Awards and She Rocks Awards.

Learn more about the TEC Awards at Tecawards. Tickets are available at Eventbrite.

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