Cilvaringz

Cilvaringz was born in Dordrecht, Holland and grew up in the city of Tilburg. [9] As an avid basketball player he was introduced to Hip Hop in 1992 and recorded his first demo the same year. After hearing Wu-Tang Clan's debut album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) he made it his aim to "either become an NBA basketball player or get a recording contract with the ever expanding Wu-Tang Clan movement."

On May 26, 1997, the Wu-Tang Clan performed at the Melkweg in Amsterdam as part of the Wu-Tang Forever promo tour. As the concert came to an end Wu-Tang Clan members Ol' Dirty Bastard and Method Man announced a freestyle session for local talent. Cilvaringz rushed to the stage but could not reach it due to the excitement of many fans. Ol' Dirty Bastard spotted Cilvaringz struggling from the side and pulled him up on stage, giving him his microphone. Capturing the attention of the entire group and crowd with his freestyle, he was pulled to the side by Method Man and Ol' Dirty Bastard and then introduced to RZA who was watching the freestyle from the side of the stage. When a fight broke out between the Wu-Tang Clan and a group of fans whose girlfriends were getting undressed by Ol' Dirty Bastard on stage, security rushed in and cleared the podium, throwing Cilvaringz back into the crowd. Not knowing how to get backstage Cilvaringz lost contact with RZA. According to Cilvaringz, RZA had just told him that he was interested in signing him to Wu-Tang Clan's extended group the Wu-Tang Killa Beez.[3]

Wu-Tang Records Signing

Wu-Tang Clan & Cilvaringz

Between 1997 and 1999 Cilvaringz traveled back and forth to New York in the hope of finding RZA. In February 1998, Cilvaringz met RZA's sister Sophia and his mother Linda at the Wu-Nails salon in Staten Island, New York, leaving behind a demo and letter for RZA. In February 1999 Cilvaringz met with RZA's sister again, this time randomly in front of the Razor Sharp Records offices in downtown Manhattan. After hearing his new demo Sophia called RZA and asked him to come by the office. Upon hearing his demo and seeing the enthusiasm of his employees, as well as Ghostface Killah's positive feedback over the phone from prison, RZA signed Cilvaringz to Wu-Tang Records. Coincidentally, Cilvaringz began recording his debut album I on May 26, 1999 at the Wu-Villa in Paris, France, exactly two years after being discovered on stage.

In 2002, Cilvaringz launched his entertainment company RPEG Ltd which organized world tours and booked live performances for various artists including Wu-Tang Clan members, Sean Paul, KRS-One, 50 Cent, Mr Probz, Gorillaz and others. Cilvaringz booked RZA's world tour in 2003 using it as his graduation project.

In 2006, RPEG Ltd expanded its services into management and guided the careers of Arab rappers Salah Edin, Eslam Jawaad, Ledr P from Sweden, Moroccan producer DJ Van and American producer Focus..., the son of Chic bassist Bernard Edwards who at the time was the only producer signed to Dr. Dre's imprint Aftermath Entertainment.[10] In managing their careers, RPEG Ltd collaborated with De La Soul, Damon Albarn, Gorillaz, IAM, Sefyu, Mala Rodriguez and others.[11]

In 2007, RPEG Ltd served as the executive producer for Salah Edin's debut album Nederlands Grootste Nachtmerrie which became the most controversial album in the history of Dutch Hip Hop music, also winning the Best Dutch Album Award. Later that year, Jive/Epic France and RPEG Ltd collaborated on the production of French artist La Fouine's second album Aller-Retour. Focus produced the majority of the album which reached Gold status in France. RPEG Ltd closed the year with a Cilvaringz and Ghostface Killah collaboration on a theme song for the Irish cartoon Skunk Fu.

In 2008, RPEG Ltd and lawyer Margriet Koedooder sued Dutch politician Geert Wilders for wrongfully portraying the image of the artist Salah Edin in the controversial anti-Islam movie Fitna. The court ruled in favor of Salah Edin and awarded 10.000 euros in copyright infringement and defamation damages. It was the first time Wilders lost a lawsuit.[12]

In 2010, RPEG Ltd teamed up with Universal Music Spain for the production of Mala Rodriguez's fourth studio album Dirty Bailarina. Focus was enlisted to produce the majority of the album. Dirty Bailarina won two Latin Grammy Awards for Best Urban Music Album and Best Urban Song.[13]

In 2011, RPEG ltd ceased all management and touring services to focus on the production of Wu-Tang Clan's secret single copy album Once Upon a Time in Shaolin.

In 2016, RPEG Ltd took on management for Moroccan artist Manal, negotiating her contract with Sony Music Middle East.

From 2007 till 2009, Cilvaringz served as Vice President of the Arts in Marrakech (AiM) International Biennale, headed by Vanessa Branson, sister of Sir Richard Branson. It is during this period that the idea for Wu-Tang Clan's single copy album Once Upon a Time in Shaolin conceptualized.

In 2014, Cilvaringz and RZA announced the release of Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, a Wu-Tang Clan album that was recorded in secret over a period of six years and of which only one single copy exists. Cilvaringz, who developed the idea of the Renaissance approach to music as a commissioned commodity further developed the concept with RZA into a presentable concept to the public, receiving additional advice from prominent art world figures along the way. On March 26, 2014 Forbes magazine exclusively announced the unique release of the album. The article reached a million views and spread throughout prominent media outlets across the world.

On May 3, 2015 the album sold to controversial pharmaceutical entrepreneur Martin Shkreli for a reported two million dollars, making it the most expensive musical work ever sold in the history of music. Martin Shkreli's identity as the buyer was kept secret until Bloomberg News revealed his identity in November 2016.[2] When Martin Shkreli was arrested for securities fraud allegations a few weeks later the FBI was prompted to tweet about the album's fate. It became the FBI's most liked and most retweeted tweet.[14]

In 2017 Flatiron Books (July 11, US)[15] and Jacaranda Books (October 1, UK and Commonwealth)[16] released a book also titled Once Upon a Time in Shaolin,[17] the untold story behind the album, written by author Cyrus Bozorgmehr who served as a senior advisor to Cilvaringz and RZA from 2014 until 2016.

Cilvaringz played a small role in the movie Shouf Shouf Habibi. He also appeared in the theme song of the movie.[18]

Cilvaringz moved to Marrakech, Morocco in 2007 and lives in the city's outskirts with his wife and two daughters. He is a practicing Muslim but does not follow any particular ideology within Islam.

From 2002 until 2010 Cilvaringz performed a total of 163 live shows in 55 countries. Cilvaringz and RZA were the first Hip Hop artists to perform live in Bulgaria and Latvia. The Bulgarian concert sold out in a week and took place at the Winter Palace Of Sports in Sofia on March 20, 2003. 11.000 people were in attendance with 3 million viewers watching a live broadcast of the concert on television. It remains one of the biggest ever Hip Hop concerts in Bulgaria to date. The success of the sold out Latvian show during the same tour started a chain of Hip Hop concerts in the following years. Cilvaringz stopped touring after a final tour with Method Man & Redman in November 2010 to focus on the single copy Wu-Tang Clan album Once Upon a Time in Shaolin.