2008 Woodie Awards
Not quite Genius
Originally released in 1991, GZA's Words From The Genius does not measure up to today's standards
Ryan Burns '08
Issue date: 10/12/06 Section: Arts & Entertainment
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For years, underground hip-hop fans have known and respected one of the best lyricists of all time, GZA from the Wu-Tang Clan. He has appeared on countless Wu classics, and is responsible for one of the best solo albums in Wu-Tang history, Liquid Swords. This 1995 album put GZA on the map lyrically and simultaneously solidified the Wu-Tang Clan's spot in hip-hop history. Even recent albums, like last year's Grandmasters had all the ingredients of classic GZA: Ominous production, and verbal pictures being painted by the clever wordsmith.
I had all of this in mind when I was on sandboxautomatic.com, looking at the newest hip-hop releases. I was surprised when I came across Words From The Genius, a new release from GZA. Once I purchased the album I was shocked at its original release date: 1991. After doing some research, I found out that Words From The Genius was originally released on Cold Chillin records in 1991. The commercial release didn't sell a lot of copies and was subsequently pulled from the shelves. I was interested in hearing how GZA sounded before the Wu-Tang era. When this album was released, GZA went by the alias The Genius, for his lyrical prowess.
Easy Mo Bee, who produced songs for Big Daddy Kane and The Notorious B.I.G, produced the majority of Words From The Genius. However, this album started off in an awkward manner with the song "Come Do Me." Picture a classic Wu-Tang beat. Now picture the opposite and you have "Come Do Me." This obvious attempt at commercial success seemed to have backfired a little bit. It sounds like a new jack swing type beat that would've been better suited for a Jodeci track.
Luckily, the album picks up a little bit after this track. "Phony As You Wanna Be" showcases GZA in his most comfortable setting, talking about how good he is at rapping. This track showcases the gritty New York City sound that defined the early '90s. This horn-laced beat almost sounded like something that Pete Rock would craft up around this same time. GZA is at his best on this track, calling out fake emcees who can't rhyme with lines like, "I bet none of ya wont, arrange a battle/and prove your style, against a brother with a totally different profile." GZA comes off as an extremely confident emcee here, which planted the seed for his Wu-Tang skills to grow.
I had all of this in mind when I was on sandboxautomatic.com, looking at the newest hip-hop releases. I was surprised when I came across Words From The Genius, a new release from GZA. Once I purchased the album I was shocked at its original release date: 1991. After doing some research, I found out that Words From The Genius was originally released on Cold Chillin records in 1991. The commercial release didn't sell a lot of copies and was subsequently pulled from the shelves. I was interested in hearing how GZA sounded before the Wu-Tang era. When this album was released, GZA went by the alias The Genius, for his lyrical prowess.
Easy Mo Bee, who produced songs for Big Daddy Kane and The Notorious B.I.G, produced the majority of Words From The Genius. However, this album started off in an awkward manner with the song "Come Do Me." Picture a classic Wu-Tang beat. Now picture the opposite and you have "Come Do Me." This obvious attempt at commercial success seemed to have backfired a little bit. It sounds like a new jack swing type beat that would've been better suited for a Jodeci track.
Luckily, the album picks up a little bit after this track. "Phony As You Wanna Be" showcases GZA in his most comfortable setting, talking about how good he is at rapping. This track showcases the gritty New York City sound that defined the early '90s. This horn-laced beat almost sounded like something that Pete Rock would craft up around this same time. GZA is at his best on this track, calling out fake emcees who can't rhyme with lines like, "I bet none of ya wont, arrange a battle/and prove your style, against a brother with a totally different profile." GZA comes off as an extremely confident emcee here, which planted the seed for his Wu-Tang skills to grow.