Tarik Azzougarh ( ar, link=no, طارق أزوگاغ; born January 29, 1979), better known as his stage name Cilvaringz, is a Dutch-Moroccan record producer, rapper, and artist manager from

Tilburg Tilburg () is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, in the southern province of North Brabant. With a population of 222,601 (1 July 2021), it is the second-largest city or municipality in North Brabant after Eindhoven and the seventh-lar ...

North Brabant North Brabant ( nl, Noord-Brabant ; Brabantian: ; ), also unofficially called Brabant, is a province in the south of the Netherlands. It borders the provinces of South Holland and Gelderland to the north, Limburg to the east, Zeeland to th ...

. He is associated with the

Wu-Tang Clan Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Close a ...

and is best known for conceptualizing and producing the world's most expensive work of music, Wu-Tang Clan's '' Once Upon a Time in Shaolin''. Cilvaringz was discovered by

Ol' Dirty Bastard Russell Tyrone Jones (November 15, 1968 – November 13, 2004), better known by his stage name Ol' Dirty Bastard (often abbreviated as ODB), was an American rapper. He was one of the founding members of the Wu-Tang Clan, a rap group primarily fr ...

and

Method Man Clifford Smith, Jr. (born March 2, 1971), better known by his stage name Method Man, is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is known as a member of the East Coast hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan. He is also half of ...

at a Wu-Tang Clan concert in

Amsterdam, Netherlands Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban are ...

, on May 26, 1997. After impressing ODB with a live freestyle on stage he was introduced to

RZA Robert Fitzgerald Diggs (born July 5, 1969), better known by his stage name the RZA ( ), is an American rapper, actor, filmmaker, and record producer. He is the ''de facto'' leader of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, having produced most albums ...

who signed him to Wu-Tang Records in 1999, becoming the first non-American affiliate of the Wu-Tang Clan. Between 2002 and 2010 Cilvaringz toured the world as the official opening act of RZA, Method Man & Redman,

Raekwon Corey Woods (born January 12, 1970), better known by his stage name Raekwon The Chef, or simply Raekwon (), is an American rapper. He rose to prominence as a founding member of the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan, which achieved mainstream succe ...

and

Ghostface Killah Dennis Coles (born May 9, 1970), better known by his stage name Ghostface Killah, is an American rapper and a member of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan. After the group achieved breakthrough success in the aftermath of ''Enter the Wu-Tang (36 C ...

. On April 9, 2007, he released his first solo album '' I'' through five different record labels around the world, receiving critical acclaim for its return to the original Wu-Tang sound. In April 2008 Cilvaringz conceptualized and began producing Wu-Tang Clan's secret album ''Once Upon a Time in Shaolin'' under the patronage of RZA. The unique release of the secret album as only one available copy in the world became one of the biggest and widely covered music stories of 2014. ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...

'' magazine broke the story exclusively on March 26, 2014. On May 3, 2015, the album sold for a reported US$2 million to pharmaceutical entrepreneur Martin Shkreli, making it the most expensive musical work ever sold. In July 2021, the album broke its own record as the most expensive work of music ever sold and most expensive music related NFT when the US Department of Justice sold it to non-fungible token collectors PleasrDAO for $4 million to cover Shkreli's debts; PleasrDAO said they hoped to make it more widely accessible.

Early life

Cilvaringz was born in

Dordrecht Dordrecht (), historically known in English as Dordt (still colloquially used in Dutch, ) or Dort, is a city and municipality in the Western Netherlands, located in the province of South Holland. It is the province's fifth-largest city after R ...

, Holland and grew up in the city of

Discovery by Wu-Tang Clan

On May 26, 1997, the

performed at the

Melkweg Melkweg (Dutch for "Milky Way") is a popular music venue and cultural centre in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is located on Lijnbaansgracht, near Leidseplein, a prime nightlife square of Amsterdam. It is housed in a former dairy and is divided in ...

in Amsterdam as part of the

Wu-Tang Forever ''Wu-Tang Forever'' is the second studio album of American hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, released June 3, 1997, on Loud/RCA Records in the United States. Pressed as a double album, it was released after a long run of successful solo projects from ...

promo tour. As the concert came to an end

members

and

announced a freestyle session for local talent. Cilvaringz rushed to the stage but could not reach it due to the excitement of many fans.

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

and

and then introduced to

who was watching the freestyle from the side of the stage. When a fight broke out between the

and a group of fans whose girlfriends were getting undressed by

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

. According to Cilvaringz, RZA had just told him that he was interested in signing him to

's extended group the

Wu-Tang Killa Beez The following is a list of Wu-Tang Clan's associated acts and affiliates, known as the Killa Beez, the Midwest Wasps, and the Wu Fam. At times, they are directly funded, supported, or produced by Clan members, are formed as extension groups origin ...

RPEG Ltd

In 2002, Cilvaringz launched his entertainment company RPEG Ltd which organized tours and booked live performances for various artists. 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 Bernard Edwards (October 31, 1952 – April 18, 1996) was an American bass player and record producer, known primarily for his work in disco music with guitarist Nile Rodgers, with whom he co-founded Chic. In 2017, Edwards was selected as the ...

who at the time was the only producer signed to Dr. Dre's imprint

Aftermath Entertainment Aftermath Entertainment is an American record label founded by hip hop producer and rapper Dr. Dre. It operates as a subsidiary of, and is distributed through, Interscope Records. Current acts include Dr. Dre himself, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, ...

. In managing their careers, RPEG Ltd collaborated with

De La Soul De La Soul () is an American hip hop trio formed in 1988 in the Amityville area of Long Island, New York. They are best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternat ...

, Damon Albarn, Gorillaz, IAM, Sefyu, Mala Rodriguez and others. 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

collaboration on a theme song for the Irish cartoon ''

Skunk Fu ''Skunk Fu!'' is an Irish-British animated television series featuring the fables of anthropomorphic animals protecting their valley using martial arts. The show chronicles the adventures of young Skunk, training with his Kung Fu master, Panda ...

''. 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. In 2010, RPEG Ltd teamed up with

Universal Music Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

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 The Latin Grammy Awards are an award by The Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish or Portuguese from anywhere around the world that has bee ...

for Best Urban Music Album and Best Urban Song. 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.

Once Upon A Time In Shaolin

In 2014, Cilvaringz and

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. 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.

Film

Cilvaringz played a small role in the movie ''

Shouf Shouf Habibi ''Hush Hush Baby'' is a 2004 Netherlands, Dutch comedy film, written and directed by Albert ter Heerdt. Plot Hush, Hush Baby is about a Morocco, Moroccan family that tries to find their way in Dutch society. Abdullah 'Ap' Bentarek is a young M ...

''. He also appeared in the theme song of the movie.

Personal life

Cilvaringz moved to

Marrakech Marrakesh or Marrakech ( or ; ar, مراكش, murrākuš, ; ber, ⵎⵕⵕⴰⴽⵛ, translit=mṛṛakc}) is the fourth largest city in the Kingdom of Morocco. It is one of the four Imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrak ...

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria ...

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.

Discography

Studio albums

;Instrumental Albums ;Singles ;Executive Produced Albums ;Executive Produced Singles

Videography

References

{{Authority control Living people Dutch rappers Moroccan rappers Wu-Tang Clan affiliates Dutch people of Moroccan descent Dutch Muslims 1979 births 20th-century Dutch people 21st-century Dutch people People from Dordrecht Musicians from South Holland