“lyrical mastery… genius” – Pitchfork
GZA/The Genius is a founding member of the seminal hip-hop group the Wu-Tang Clan. GZA boasted some high-profile appearances on the group’s debut album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers).
GZA’s 1995 solo effort, Liquid Swords, was produced entirely by RZA. It received both critical and commercial acclaim. Also, it is widely regarded as one of the best albums to come out of the Wu-Tang camp. In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source‘s 100 Best Rap Albums of all time. Steve Huey of AllMusic called him “one of the best lyricists of the 1990s”. Also, the editors of About.com ranked him number seventeen on their list of the Top Fifty MCs of Our Time (1987–2007). He is the highest-ranking Wu-Tang Clan member on the list.
GZA’s subsequent solo projects all received great critical acclaim: Beneath the Surface (1999), and Legend of the Liquid Sword (2002). Further, Grandmasters (2005) with DJ Muggs (the producer for hip-hop group Cypress Hill) saw GZA using chess as a metaphor for the rap game. Finally, Pro Tools (2008) featured production from past collaborators RZA, Mathematics and True Master.
GZA appeared with RZA in Jim Jarmusch’s film Coffee & Cigarettes, opposite Bill Murray. The two also appeared on the Chappelle Show’s in the now legendary skits “Wu Tang Financial” and “Racial Draft.”
GZA has been working on a Wu-Tang documentary for the better part of the last decade. Further, it will prove to be the ultimate statement about the supergroup. Additionally, he also has TV shows and graphic novel ideas in development.
GZA has recently lectured at Harvard, Oxford, USC, MIT, NYU and Cornell. While at MIT he also visited marine biologists, geneticists, and quantum physicists to seek inspiration for his forthcoming projects.
Recommended for Fans of RZA, Method Man, Raekwon and Ghostface Killah.
- Genre:
- R&B/Soul
