Who would have guessed?

I happened upon an issue of Stuff with an article about and interviewing various Wu-Tang members. While scanning through I found this amusing excerpt:

STUFF: What does your name mean?
U-GOD: U is for Universal, and God explains
itself. But I don't want to get all mathematical
on you, because I might lose you. I don't like
mixing my beliefs with my music.

Mathematical?
I love math. Everything is mathematics. From
the words on the paper to the pen in your
hand. Posters, TVs, shoes--everything is on
a mathematical scale, know what I'm saying?

What do you think of Meth's acting ability?
Method Man is a Will Smith nigga. He's gonna
do his thing. I told him, "Nigga, you a Will Smith nigga."

Bova, Dan. "WHO ARE WU?" Stuff 29 April 2002: 124-125.

The interview continues and is quite amusing, but this was the part that caught me. This mathematic bent is not something that I would have expected from Wu-Tang. I guess that's because they tend to separate their beliefs from their music. It's interesting to note that in the Rock/Punk/Alternative music industry this is generally seen as selling out. I guess rappers have different ideas on the issue.

But I digress. It was really the mention of math that I found interesting. The way that this Wu-Tang member words his response, it sounds as if he knows nothing of math, but was convinced by someone else of the ubiquitous nature of math as if it was some kind of faith. I'd like to point out here that it has been my experience that math is more of a cult than a religion, but whatever.

And on that last bit, it's just fun to quote someone that said "Nigga, you a Will Smith nigga."