The days of the Wu-Tang Clan being atop the hip-hop landscape seem so long ago.
Co-founder of the supergroup along with his cousin, RZA, Gary Grice, better known as the GZA, soon established himself as the lyrical member of the group, with his reserved flow offsetting ODB’s off the wall style, Method Man’s charisma, and Ghostface Killah’s more animated rhymes. He soon followed the success of the Wu debut with his solo album, Liquid Swords; backed by dark, gritty production courtery of the RZA, GZA would go on to create one of 1995’s defining albums. After this, he and the rest of the Wu would go on to drop four more albums, while he would release three more solo projects of his own. The most recent of these, Grandmasters, was well-received by critics, despite not having commensurate sales. Now at the better known Babygrande Records, GZA seeks to not only continue his streak of good albums, but get his music out to a wider audience as well.
Track Listing and Ratings: Intromental (No Rating) Pencil Feat. Masta Killa and RZA (4 Stars) Alphabets (5 Stars) Groundbreaking Feat. Justice Kareem (4 Stars) 7 Pounds (4 1/2 Stars) 0% Finance (5 Stars) Short Race Feat. Rock Marcy (4 1/2 Stars) Interlude (No Rating) Paper Plate (5 Stars) Columbian Ties Feat. True Master (5 Stars) Firehouse Feat. Ka (4 1/2 Stars) Path of Destruction (5 Stars) Cinema Feat. Justice Kareem (5 Stars) Intermission (No Rating) Life is a Movie Feat. RZA and Khan-Acito (3 1/2 Stars) Elastic Audio (No Rating)* *- Bonus Track (Live performance)
GZA is one of the most consistent emcees still doing it right now, alongside the likes of Black Thought and Common. He may lack the charisma of a Method Man, or the vocal inflections of a Ghostface, but he’s quietly built a solo resume that’s easily better than 95% of the industry today, mainstream or underground. His flow is always on point, and lyrically, he’s just as effective. Given that then, it’s no secret that GZA is the main feature of Pro Tools; if you’re looking for A-list beats, you’re plain out of luck here. RZA does stop by and produce two tracks on the album—“Paper Plate” and “Life is a Movie”—but other than that, guys like Black Milk and Mathematics are about as big name as this disc gets. That’s just fine with GZA, though, as he takes each beat on here and turns in good effort after good effort. This isn’t to say that the beats aren’t good though; in fact, the producers hold their own quite nicely throughout. True Master gives him a simple, yet effective, guitar-laced beat for “Alphabets”, while RZA provides his cousin with two good beats on the aforementioned "Paper Plate" and "Life is a Movie." However, the best bits of production belong to Roc Marciano and Jay Waxx Garfield, for their contributions of “Firehouse,” and “Path of Destruction,” respectively. The former gets respect because of the rising and waning strings that Roc incorporates as Ka kicks his rhymes (GZA only does the hook for the song), while the latter blends hi-hats and the Wu-favorite kung-fu samples while GZA holds up his end with his storytelling. Overall, the production is about what you’d expect: it’s got an old-school feel, and it’s not nearly as epic or layered as the beats of this generation. However, the production team does a more than admirable job of meshing their beats to GZA’s lyrics.
As good as the beats are, the rhymes are where this CD earns its keep; GZA, despite being over 40, sounds as focused as ever throughout the album. That calm, laid back flow is still there, combined with his distinctive voice and sharp lyrics. Don’t believe me? Check out “Alphabets,” where he effortlessly kicks lines like, One hit wonders, get a little shine like flashlights/But when I drop the bomb and explode like gas pipes. The song’s only 2:42 long, but GZA doesn’t waste a second of it; he even has the time to include words that begin with every letter of the alphabet within the chorus. Need more on the lyrical tip? Check out “0% Finance,” where he flips an extended metaphor comparing cars to women. However, the most intriguing track has to be “Paper Plate,” which sees the Wu alum tossing lyrical darts at 50 Cent and G-Unit:
"No matter what, you still 'window shop' for lyrics If you was a 'pimp', put tricks on the stroll And if those were 'soldiers', give 'em bigger guns to hold Who shot ya? You don't have enough on your roster You move like a fed, but you talk like a mobster That 'yayo' you slinging, please abort it Too many cuts on it, cokeheads they won't snort it I spray the Flea Unit with pesticides, and you can get Your best ghost writers, get 'em all to testify Have you ever been stung by a thousand hornets Five hundred Killa Beez, buzzing and really on it Whipped with "Cuban Linx", and cut with "Liquid Swords" Choked by "Ironmen" til we crush your vocal chords....."
It’s certainly worthy of repeated listens if for no other reason than GZA brings his A game here. On the other hand, however, it’s just plain unnecessary to do this. What hip-hop fan in his right mind would place 50 Cent’s place in the genre’s history over GZA’s? One was a member of one of the most influential groups ever, and the other…….well, sold a lot of records for a few years? GZA’s contributions to hip-hop far outshine anything 50’s ever done, so there’s really no need at taking shots at a guy who’s popularity is already dwindling, is there? It’d be akin to Magic Johnson going on TV to trash Tracy McGrady. Who’s really going to compare the two? On the other hand……did you see the sample I pasted? It’s simply brilliant. GZA weaves in G-Unit song titles, their names, and even old Wu albums in his diss towards the trio. It may not be the most important diss track ever, but it may very well be one of the best executed. It doesn’t get much better than that. The goodness continues throughout Pro Tools, as GZA goes from cautionary hood tales like “Path of Destruction,” to showcasing his penchant for narratives on tracks like “Cinema.” The latter of these is especially worthy of note, as GZA’s attention to detail pushes this song from being merely good to great. The track—his detailing of an encounter with an unknown and malevolent enemy—invokes nearly all of the senses as GZA describes everything from dimly-lit rooms, to broken locks and vicious dogs. On tracks like this, the listener realizes that he isn’t resting on his laurels and simply putting out mediocre product. Even at the latter stage of his career, he’s still pushing himself to create the best product possible.
To this end, there really isn’t much to complain about on Pro Tools other than everything’s about where you’d expect it to be in terms of a GZA album. There’s not much in the way of surprises or twists; however, he more than makes up for this by simply doing what he does extremely well. If you can do that, then there’s really no need to go down to your mother’s basement and create the most creative album ever. GZA plays it close to the vest, but he delivers it beautifully. I can’t knock the guy for consistency; hell, if anything, there needs to be more emcees like him this day and age. He might not be creating a new subgenre for hip-hop, but he’s making damn sure that he’s still sharp at the niche he’s already carved out. And who knows? Maybe being at Babygrande will pay dividends for him; they’re a pretty well known underground label, and maybe with that, this album will fall into the hands of a few fans who’ve never heard of the guy. If that happens, it’d just make his scathing indictment of G-Unit on “Paper Plate” that much sweeter.
Final Rating: 4.25 Stars
Standout Tracks: Alphabets, Paper Plate, Path of Destruction, Columbian Ties
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