"Wu-Tang Clan" manager: How do you tame nine unpredictable rappers, Eva Ries?

BRIGITTE: Ms. Ries, you were the manager of the legendary American rap group Wu-Tang Clan for 21 years. Before that, you worked with Nirvana and Guns N' Roses, among others. How did you, as a young German, even make it into this world? What did you have that others didn't?

Eva Ries: My path was long and rocky. I was originally a photographer. Through my boyfriend at the time, who played in a well-known hard rock band, I became interested in how artists build careers. So, quite naively, I applied to every German record label – and was rejected everywhere. They said: "You're a photographer, you have absolutely no background in marketing, advertising, or business administration." It was the mid-80s, and without a business degree, it felt like nothing was happening.

That sounds like a frustrating start. What happened next?

In desperation, I decided to go the American route. I knew that learning by doing was more important there, and less emphasis was placed on certificates or university credits. However, my first internship at an indie rock label was a disaster: After a week, I realized that my boss only had me packing moving boxes. When I confronted her and said I hadn't come to America to pack boxes, I was fired. She called security, and they escorted me off the premises like a felon.

For many, that would have been a reason to fly home. How did you manage not to let it get you down?

I stayed relatively relaxed, updated my resume, and went to a heavy metal and hard rock convention in LA. There, I read the attendee list and deliberately ambushed music industry bigwigs and handed them my resumes. Most of them said, "Don't call us, we'll call you," but funnily enough, two of them actually called! One got me an internship in radio promotion at RCA Records, and later, through my expanded network, I landed a job at the Geffen music label in Germany. An interview led to a product management position and eventually worked with Guns N' Roses, Aerosmith, Sonic Youth, and Nirvana.

Many people know the feeling of being underestimated as a career changer. Where did you get the confidence to stick with it?

I'm an optimist and generally someone who believes in myself and is convinced that things will turn out well. Maybe I was just a bit "brazen" back then. I've always had a pretty big ego, in the sense that I never had any interest in typical internship jobs.

Female empowerment is on everyone's lips these days. You already experienced it 30 years ago in the male-dominated music business. What advice would you give to women at the beginning of their careers—especially in industries that are heavily male-dominated?

The most important thing is to believe in yourself and know what you're capable of! If you appear insecure and have self-doubt, it's difficult to convince others of your qualities. Strengthen your self-confidence and self-esteem, and work on conveying this credibly. This also includes a certain passion, which I often find lacking in some of the "Gen Z" generation.

Many younger people today place more value on a good work-life balance than on a career. Does that seem incomprehensible to you?

This desire for success and hard work aren't considered cool. Yet, immediate fulfillment is expected. In my opinion, this has a lot to do with poor parenting—parents who push their children to the limit and don't let them "break the mold" instead of building resilience. So my advice is: Be prepared to give an extraordinary amount and work hard. Find your niche and be unique to stand out.

Let's move on to the Wu-Tang Clan. For those who aren't that familiar with hip-hop: This New York rap crew revolutionized the scene in the early '90s—with nine members, raw lyrics, and a gangster image. As a woman in the thick of it—how did you cope with dealing with these eccentric artists who continually tested your boundaries?

At some point, I simply became numb to the many crises and cold-blooded in my professional life because so much was happening all the time. Like a doctor in an emergency room—at some point, you just go back to normal work mode.

Nevertheless – why were you so well-received by these hard-core rappers, including the later megastars Method Man, RZA and Ol' Dirty Bastard?

I never tried to push them or ingratiate myself with them, never wanted to be "one of them," even though they eventually saw me as an extended family. The band had other so-called managers whom they paid themselves. As a result, they never dared to speak up. I was paid by the record label. This allowed me to get away with a lot and even position myself against the artists.

You helped make the clan global stars. How did you manage that with music that was considered "non-commercial" at the time?

The guys trusted me blindly. The fact that they were so "uncommercially" successful, like with the song "Triumph," which was endlessly long and had no chorus, was insane—and it was my achievement that I was still able to place them in magazines like "Bravo," even though it didn't seem right at first glance. The Wu-Tang Clan as a celebrity cutout. Their unorthodox, dangerous image and the mysterious rumors surrounding them also helped make them a cult band.

In return, the clan persuaded you to become a mother—even though you really only wanted a career. How did that come about?

One day, one of the rappers said to me: "Eva, you can't be a selfish career woman forever. Your biological clock is ticking. You have to have a child." That was like a wake-up call for me. At first, I was annoyed that he was even getting involved—these days, that would be considered brutally intrusive. But the clan was never politically correct; you had to have a thick skin. I didn't hold it against him; I actually thought about it and laughed. If it doesn't happen now, it never will. After all, I had my daughter at 36.

Six weeks after giving birth, you went back to work, while your husband stayed home. Gender roles are still being debated today. What was your perspective on this?

You know what? We have to not care what others say and think. I was lucky to have my husband behind me. We women have to be able to break out of old gender stereotypes and define ourselves the way we want to and the way that works best for us. It annoys me terribly when women argue among themselves about hyper-personal life plans—be it about how to give birth, whether to breastfeed, or how much to work. These are issues that concern only you and your partner and no one else.

Her daughter Melina chose a completely different path—she became a teacher. A little rebellion?

Melina didn't want to get into the music business because she wanted to build her own identity. Incidentally, I was just as strict with my daughter as I was with the Clan, for whom I often had to babysit. The Wu-Tang Clan was my training ground, and when my daughter came along, it was relatively easy for me to raise her. I was stricter than my own parents.

How do you define success after everything you have experienced?

A feeling of relief when you've worked toward something for a long time and overcome a hurdle. But I haven't yet achieved that "real" success, where I could completely rest on my laurels – because it's always going on. It's a continuous process, constantly setting new goals and achieving them. That's why I continue to work in the music business, currently as music manager for the rock band "Cosmodrome" and the "Elevator Boys," whom I'm helping to build their music careers. They're fun to work with; they're ambitious, disciplined, and funny. Pure relaxation! (laughs)

Brigitte

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