RZA and Paul Banks’ upbringings certainly contrasted each other. Banks — the lead singer of indie rock band Interpol — hopped around from country to country, but he eventually settled on a home in New York. RZA, on the other hand, always lived in the city, eventually becoming the architect behind one of the greatest rap groups to ever come together.
Both musicians are in the later part of their careers, though, as their work with their respective groups has made its impact and largely come to a close.
But today they find themselves working together under the Banks & Steelz moniker for an album called Anything But Words.
Over the last couple months, they’ve released songs with rap veterans Ghostface Killah (“Love + War“) and Kool Keith (“Sword In The Stone“), and shared a couple more songs from Anything But Words including “Speedway Sonora,” “Giant” and the title track.
The album is made up of 12 songs with additional features from Method Man and Florence Welch — the leading face of Florence + the Machine.
You can stream it below, and download the project on iTunes.
