RZA, Run DMC's Rev Run, DJ Khaled & More Share Stories For BMI's "How I Wrote That Song"

RZA talks about Wu Tang Clan's "C.R.E.A.M." and Method Man's "I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Get By" while Rev Run and others share stories about their most successful tracks for BMI's "How I Wrote That Song."

This weekend, several songwriters and musicians linked up to share stories that inspired their art. RZA, Run DMC’s Rev Run, DJ Khaled, Red One and Joel and Benji Madden were selected to be on this year’s panel and each shared personal stories about some of their more successful songs.

When “C.R.E.A.M.” blasted through the speakers at the Key Club venue where BMI held this event, RZA nodded his head to the beat before explaining how the Wu’s debut was an outlet for each member to escape the perils of streets.

“Our refuge would be the studio and my house was the studio,” he shared. “No matter how much trouble we did in the world, we would come together to make songs. [With 1993’s Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers], that was all of my homies from the neighborhood, finding a place to escape from the hells of the neighborhood and we would get together to make songs.”

He also explained the story behind Method Man’s Mary J. Blige-assisted “I’ll Be There For You/You’re All I Need To Get By,” a cut Meth originally did not want to do. According to RZA, Meth refused to make the song a single until he was given a car and a Mary J. Blige placement.

“Method Man, at the time, was considered the most hardest emcee in the game," RZA noted. "He had a song called ‘Bring the Pain.’ He’s 6’4” and in my neighborhood, he would walk around with the biggest gun you’ve ever seen. So, he did not want to be a pretty boy or a type of boy that girls liked, you know what I mean? I remember we did this song in my basement and I kind of forced him to do the song…We had to promise to buy him a new car and get Mary J. Blige to do the hook in order for this to be the single. It turned out this song became maybe a double platinum seller for him. Him and Mary won a Grammy [that] year.”

Other artists on the panel also had personal stories to share. Among other things, DJ Khaled explained stories about his "anthematic" tracks, saying it has sometimes taken him many months to track artists down for songs. He noted that persistence allowed him to succeed and said "no one" would outwork him.

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The RZA and Good Charlotte Co-Founders Added to BMI “How I Wrote That Song” Lineup

Wu-Tang Founder The RZA & Good Charlotte co-founders Joel and Benji Madden have been officially added to BMI’s ‘How I Wrote That Song’ Lineup.

The pair join Rev Run, RedOne and DJ Khaled for the pre-Grammy panel, to be held February 11 at the Key Club in Los Angeles.

The RZA and the Maddens will discuss the process of writing producing and performing hit songs. Previous “How I Wrote That Song” participants have included will.i.am, T-Pain, Nas, Colbie Caillat, Common, T-Pain, Keri Hilson, Zac Brown, Seal, Cee Lo Green and others.

The conversation will be moderated by Catherine Brewton, BMI Vice President of Writer/Publisher Relations.

BMI’s “How I Wrote That Song” is open to members of the public, ages 15 years old and up.

Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 day-of the panel and can be purchased at http://www.keyclub.com/.

Doors open at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday February 11th and the panel discussion will be held from 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

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