SPIN: Liquid Swords ASIDE, does RZA have a better solo disography than GZA? I Say YES

[David Daniel Davis]

The question wasnt directed to me but still wanted to chime in lol

LOVE this album. The only -ve I can say about it is not really feeling beat for "Unprotected Pieces". That's the only song I'd ever skip otherwise play it straight from start to end! Prolly GZAs best solo after LS.

Fair enough.. That is actually one of my favorite songs on there. My teenage angst self would have loved this. I would have been kicking holes in the wall and throwing large objects out of my bedroom window while it was sti closed to this. I love the plodding drums, swelling strings and gothic church bells.. I love dramatic, theatrical beats.

[MikeAll]

Fair enough.. That is actually one of my favorite songs on there. My teenage angst self would have loved this. I would have been kicking holes in the wall and throwing large objects out of my bedroom window while it was sti closed to this. I love the plodding drums, swelling strings and gothic church bells.. I love dramatic, theatrical beats.

True. That's cool and shows how music/art is so subjective. That's an apt description of the beat lol.
PEACE

[hiphopjunky]

re: GM...I didn't like it when I first heard it. I've been on a huge Muggs kick the last 6 months or so and I listened again. I think this just came too late in GZA's career...he is hard for me to listen to when he rhymes off beat and shit

[ForensikZ]

Ilusory Protection and General principles are the only “classics” on gm. By saying gm is a classic cause you can listen straight thru, well i can listen to pretty much every wu album straight through... would you want wu to do advanced pawns or investigative reports at a live show?

My point in this thread was every one of these albums minus LS are pretty much seen as good butbnot great. Noone was writing home about any of these albums EXCEPT maybe GM which was more hype imo. Good album. Great album even. Classic. No dice.

[noel411]

re: GM...I didn't like it when I first heard it. I've been on a huge Muggs kick the last 6 months or so and I listened again. I think this just came too late in GZA's career...he is hard for me to listen to when he rhymes off beat and shit

Yeah the production on gm is the best on any Wu solo after sc, but it's not the same gza. I'd actually take both bts and lotls over gm, just cos it was a much sharper gza. Gm is still a great album tho.

[MikeAll]

re: GM...I didn't like it when I first heard it. I've been on a huge Muggs kick the last 6 months or so and I listened again. I think this just came too late in GZA's career...he is hard for me to listen to when he rhymes off beat and shit

Very valid point. Not sure if its age or health but "Grandmasters" is prolly when his delivery started becoming less dynamic a la "Exploitation of Mistakes". He did spit w much more intensity on "Keynote Speaker" though. Imagine if GZA spit GM w similar fire as he did on "Heads Up".

Still LOVE GM and prolly rate it as my 2nd or 3rd fav GZA album (not counting "Words from the Genius")...

[MikeAll]

Yeah the production on gm is the best on any Wu solo after sc, but it's not the same gza. I'd actually take both bts and lotls over gm, just cos it was a much sharper gza. Gm is still a great album tho.

WORD! Not meant as a diss to GZA as his rhymes and concepts were DOPE but Muggs' production was the album's MVP.

[MikeAll]

Ilusory Protection and General principles are the only “classics” on gm. By saying gm is a classic cause you can listen straight thru, well i can listen to pretty much every wu album straight through...

Yeah that's why I was like interesting distinction between personal "classic"/fav and an album that is "classic" cause of critical public consensus. Its makes me consider how there needs to be some public popularity to be labeled CLASSIC.

would you want wu to do advanced pawns or investigative reports at a live show?

Can they do both (lol). I rate both tunes. Both have hype beats, and SOLID Wu features. RZA raped his parts!!!
TBH, ironically, "Investigative Reports" gets the slight edge for me since GZA's has some recycled or patch work lines from other verses. However thats nitpicking on my part... They are both bangers.

[David Daniel Davis]

Very valid point. Not sure if its age or health but "Grandmasters" is prolly when his delivery started becoming less dynamic a la "Exploitation of Mistakes". He did spit w much more intensity on "Keynote Speaker" though. Imagine if GZA spit GM w similar fire as he did on "Heads Up".

Still LOVE GM and prolly rate it as my 2nd or 3rd fav GZA album (not counting "Words from the Genius")...

Yeah, in that case he had to have some vigor because he would have got lost in the beat. That beat is way too uptempo for slow flow Genius/Gza.