GZA & Muggs - Grandmasters Review Thread

[New Hills 36]

I really like this. something sbstantial about it and well themed. I like the remix album a lot too. 8-8.5

[OddioPellMell]

exploration of mistakes was my ringtone till i threw it out the car window... i miss that phone it would probably still be the ringtone

[Don Universo]

superior album...this could give beneath the surface a run for its money.Great chemistry and beat for beat this shit is crazy as well as lyricaly.

[djskillz]

10/10 for me. There's not a single track I can skip. Every time I listen to it again I'm amazed at the lyrical ability of the GZA and the talent Muggs has for beats. Classic.

[David Daniel Davis]

This joint is officially a decade old now and it is still top shelf material.

[claaa7]

this is one of the albums that restored my faith in the Wu... around 2001/2002 i kind of left the Wu's new material alone, then in 2005 i borrowed a very dope J-Love / Method Man cassette which got me hyped up to buy "Tical 0" haha.. very dissapointing, but then i got on i believe the very same day - "Fishscale", "Grandmasters" and "No Said Date". that trio of album definitely brought me back into the fold.

some people complain about GZA sounding tired on here, i do not at all think that is the case... he murders tracks like "General Principles" and "Advanced Pawns", full of amazing metaphors, underworld stories like he did on "Liquid Swords", a powerful ODB tribute track without spelling it out, etc. and all set over some mindblowing DJ Muggs productions.

the one thing i have to complain about on this album is that the mixdown is pretty weak at times. especially the vocal/beats loudness ratio, which i believe is the reason that some people complain about GZA not being in top form here, it's just that his vocals sometimes is drowned out in the mix on some of the most powerful beats.. "Illusory Protection" is the best example.

have you guys checked out the "Grandmasters" remix album? good idea but i think they should and could have gotten a bunch of better producers than they did. the DJ Khalid remix with Ras Kass is on point tho

[sickdog]

it's DJ Khalil. yeah, got all 3 cd versions of this album. album, instrumentals and remix album. remix album is good, very dope remixes of some joints on it.

[claaa7]

^ haha yes of course, you're right... been a good while since i heard the remixes.. how are the DVD that came with it? what's on it - is it only concert footage or is it in studio footage as well?

[David Daniel Davis]

Yes, it has both concert and studio footage.

[sickdog]

dvd is a mess lol... all mixed, random footage but nothing special on it tho.

[rainbow]

i found this album stunningly disappointing upon it's release - repeated listens enhanced it's banality.

[cbfwebs]

This album is superior. DJ Muggs badass beats under GZA's pyroclastic flow and vocab and chess metaphors? RZA and GZA being the Chess masters of the Wu this makes perfect sense. Liquid Swords had Chess imagery galore. "Advance Pawns" is the banger on here. Special guest appearance! RZA, GZA, Raekwon kill it!

[puerto rock]

Love this album. Production was on point and GZA had some of his best verses I'd heard in a long time.

"Exploitation of Mistakes" "General Principles" "Advance Pawns" "Queen's Gambit" "Illusory Protection” “Smothered Mate.” etc.

Great tracks. I played this throughout 2005 along with Common's "Be". These two albums kept my faith in hip hop music as it was being taken over by some wack rappers.