Wu-Tang Clan mastermind RZA is turning his hand to classical with the release of “A Ballet Through Mud.”

Originally debuting as a ballet in 2023, the project was brought to life by the Colorado Symphony Orchestra in Denver, Colorado.

The ballet is billed as a coming-of-age story, where characters are named after Greek musical scales. Grappling with themes of love, loss and friendship, the composition mirrors RZA’s beginnings in Staten Island to his success as an artist playing in concert halls.

“I have been composing my whole life, although I didn’t know initially that was what I was doing,” RZA said. “The inspiration for ‘A Ballet Through Mud’ comes from my earliest creative output as a teenager, but its themes are universal – love, exploration, and adventure. I hope people use it to score their own lives, to transform a drive to the grocery store or sharing a meal with loved ones into something magical, to be inspired and let their imaginations take them into a different chamber, if only for a moment.”

The Wu-Tang Clan rapper wrote “A Ballet Through Mud” after rediscovering old lyric books during the pandemic.

Pietro Rossi mixed and mastered the work, while Christopher Dragon conducted the live orchestra.