(Originally posted on MonsterFresh.com)

I almost abandoned this review. I've been swamped trying to do too much at once: Building a website, transferring content, learning to read code, networking, editing, etc., but during that whole time I have been thinking about writing. GZA/The Genius, from the infamous Wu-Tang Clan, is still on tour and his latest album, Pro Tools (Baby Grande), is still fairly new, but the particular performance that I saw took place on the the 26th of last month and I was seriously beginning to wonder if the topic was getting stale. It's true, I almost abandoned this review until I remembered this quote that I had read from GZA himself, "I'm not one to write a rhyme in 30 minutes". He continues by saying, "Once RZA came to me and was like, 'Don't take two fuckin' weeks to write a verse man, don't strain your brain.' Then when I take two weeks to write something he'll be like, 'This is a masterpiece man!' That's how I have to do it, I like to work like that." These quotes hit me instantly and, not only encouraged me to continue but also epitomize the basis of the GZA's appeal to me and the reason for his endurance and consistency in the unstable and oft-criticized realms of Hip-Hop and rap music.


The Backdrop

In 1993, after recruiting 6 new members to their crew, Force Of The Imperial Master (AKA: All in Together Now), Gary Grice (GZA) and his cousins Robert Diggs (RZA) and Russell Jones (Ol' Dirty Bastard) released one of the most influential Hip-Hop albums of all time under the moniker of the Wu-Tang Clan. Although '93 was an important year for Rap music, Enter the WU-Tang: 36 Chambers managed to become a critically acclaimed breakthrough amongst such releases as Midnight Marauders (Tribe Called Quest), Doggystyle (Snoop Dogg), Black Sunday (Cypress Hill), and Strictly for My N.I.G.G.A.Z. (2Pac). While Cypress Hill made us want to hit the bong, Pac spoke of uprisings, and Tribe rapped about consciousness in their Cross Colours overalls, more than any other artists, WU-Tang displayed the skills that made people want to rap. One of the more famous quotes from 36 Chambers came from Method Man in a portion where he and Raekwon are trying to describe the 9 artist's various roles in the group, "He the head let's put it that way. We form like Voltron and GZA happen to be the head".

When the swarm of the WU dispersed in different directions to establish their own solo careers and identities, some individuals made more of an impact then others. Method Man's Tical (1994) and Ol' Dirty's Return to the 36 Chambers (1995) separated their unique voices, reinforced the artists' almost mythical personas, and enhanced their own individuality while other members like U-God and Inspectah Deck tended to fade more into the shadows of the lime light. GZA paved his path somewhere in the middle and made it clear that he was less of a personality than some, but would make his mark quietly through quality and well crafted lyrics. His solo album, Liquid Swords, as well as Raekwon's Ghostface heavy Only Built for Cuban Linx, dropped at the end of '95 and was hailed as a masterpiece. I have personally listened to Liquid Swords as much as, if not more than, any other release ever, Rap or otherwise, and I regularly catch myself subconsciously repeating verses from that album in my day to day life, even now. These releases, along with the RZA (Gravediggaz/Bobby Digital) and Ghostface (Iron Man) solo albums, struck hard, fierce and quick at the height of the WU's popularity and with solid/groundbreaking production from the RZA. The Clan's second wave of solo albums were less successful as WU-Tang related merchandise and music over-saturated the market and the presence of RZA's production became increasingly absent. By the time WU-Tang's Iron Flag was released in 2001, the iron was cooling off and, although the Clan had a somewhat triumphant return with their release of the group effort 8-Diagrams (SRC) last December, the following months were plagued with everything from public bickering, financial and artistic discrepancies within the group, and even a lawsuit. With a lot of conversation in Hip-Hop circles relating to both the past and future of the WU-Tang and it's members, the GZA just dropped his latest album, Pro Tools, but opted to embark on a tour performing his 13yr old classic Liquid Swords album from start to finish.


The Album

The album Pro Tools is being labeled as The Genius' 5th full length album despite his constant efforts to market it as a compilation, with comments like, "I saw an ad out there where it's promoted as a GZA album. I'll probably be on most of the tracks but its supposed to be a compilation album, there's various artists on the album." The term "compilation" is confusing and even a bit misleading, which is probably why this album, which originally had an early January release date, bagged that angle in the labeling which now simply reads "PROTOOLS GZA/GENIUS". I got a copy of the album the day that it was finally released (Aug 19th) and was quick to notice that it actually had less guest appearances than his other albums. Only 2 WU-Tang members, RZA and Masta Killa, even appear on it. The compilation angle may have originally been an attempt to help showcase other artists on the album (his son Young Justice appears on two tracks) but is probably more likely an issue of the GZA not wanting to lessen the anticipation for his "true" solo album which is slated for an '09 release and to be entirely produced by the RZA. He says of his future release, "My next album is going to be no guest appearances. Emcees need to start carrying their own weight." I have mixed feelings about this statement because, something that I've always appreciated about Liquid Swords was the contributions from the other members. Everybody seemed to make a conscious effort to deliver their best work when recording those parts with GZA and they gave birth to some of the most memorable moments on that album. Everyone remembers Inspectah Deck's verse on "Deul of the Iron Mic" that featured the classic line, "Building lobbies are graveyards for small-timers. Bitches caught in airports, keys in they vaginas" and Killah Priest actually penned and performed the entire last track, "B.I.B.L.E. (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth)", by himself. To me the collaborations were like Jazz throwbacks where, even though Wayne Shorter may have written and performs a song, you still know that it's a Miles (Davis) album. I understand that, but I don't understand how Pro Tools should have any other label than the one that eventually appeared on it.

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