Warbled Spider-Man theme music. Japanese Jidaigeki flick tidbits. Distortion, static and boom-bap living together in perfect harmony. A diverse (if not offsetting) musical palette is necessary to complete a sharp witted, lyrical bonanza and in the Wu-Tang Clan’s strongest year as a collective, that’s exactly was summoned for Genius b.k.a. GZA’s career highlight, Liquid Swords. Read the rest of this entry »

There’s a skit in the middle of GZA’s new album Pro Tools where he pontificates on the fierce allegiance of the Wu-Tang Clan’s fans. Over a decade removed from the glory days of Liquid Swords, the continued devotion of the Wu-Heads is a testament to just how revolutionary their music was in Hip-Hop’s evolution. That being said, the 00s have not been kind to the legacies of most of the Wu-Tang members, and GZA is certainly no exception to the rule. As an album, Pro Tools fails to reform Voltron from the ashes, or break any new ground offering only glimpses of the talent that made the GZA a legend. Read the rest of this entry »