Gary Grice (born August 22, 1966), better known by his stage name GZA (pron… Read Full Bio ↴Gary Grice (born August 22, 1966), better known by his stage name GZA (pronounced /หJizzah/) and The Genius, is an American hip hop artist best known as a founding member of the seminal hip hop group the Wu-Tang Clan and for his inclusion on their group albums, his group mates' solo releases and a successful solo career.
When it comes to thought provoking, street-bred raw lyricism, the Wu-Tang Clan's fountain of wisdom, GZA takes his job very seriously. The way he crafts his double-edged rhyme flow mirrors the skill and precise technique of one who works with fine ceramics. GZA's metaphoric and multi-layered lyrics are often touted by critics as his rap name implies; genius.
Born in Brooklyn, NY and raised in every borough of New York City, The GZA's workmanship can be found three albums deep with classics dating back to 1991 including the albums Words From The Genius, the gold-selling Liquid Swords and Beneath The Surface. Before his days of microphone notoriety, GZA found himself, during the early ages of rap music, travelling throughout New York City sharpening his rap skills in scattered rhyme battles. "I've studied rap in every borough," the GZA says proudly. "I've been rhyming before a lot of these cats out here were born. We've [Wu Tang Clan] always drank, ate and slept hip-hop. I love it." On his latest blockbuster album Legend Of The Liquid Sword, The GZA makes reference to his hip- hop foundation on the reflective Fam (Members Only) "I grew up around B-Boys, DJs, MCs, through rap, never thinking in ways of TV," the Genius raps. "It was strictly all about magnificent rhyme clout."
During GZA's travels, he encountered other rap veterans that recognized his promise and helped to nurture his talent. "I watched a lot of people come up that are big now," Genius says earnestly. "I used to make demo tapes with cats that rocked with Russell Simmons and people like that. The history goes so far back; I've always been really focused on writing dope rhymes."
The GZA's dream of perfection has been realized once again on his fourth album to date. Legend Of The Liquid Sword not only regains the powerful momentum started by the last three releases, it adds to the Genius' verbal legacy with uncompromising integrity. Heat-seeking darts like the introspective, Auto Bio where GZA breaks down the elements of his life that created the man he is and the crime thriller Luminal.
What has always set The GZA apart from the ordinary is his ability to create complex images with simple context. In the same way it's said that a picture is worth a thousand words, Genius assembles his words to create thousands of vivid pictures. "I don't like to just be simple," he explains. "Even though some of my stuff can seem simple at times, I like to write in a way that when you listen to it over and over again, you hear something new and it requires you to think." Legend Of The Liquid Sword does just that. Whether the listener gets captured by the vocal acrobatics of Santi White (who has written songs for Res) on GZA's Stay In Line or the authentic old school soul production on the masterpiece Animal Planet, Genius weaves satisfying brain food through his lyrics. In his phenomenally cerebral use of metaphors, The Genius flawlessly equates human city dwellers to animals in the jungle onAnimal Planet , which was produced by rhythm doctor Bink (who has produced heavyweight joints for Fat Joe, Nate Dogg, Mr. Cheeks and Faith Evans). With beats by fellow Wu Tang brother RZA, Jaz-O (Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt album), DJ Muggs (who has produced for Cypress Hill, Mobb Deep), Wu producer Mathematics (Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Sunz of Man), Arabian Knight and other sonic masterminds, GZA's talents come across even heavier. On the adrenaline raising Hip Hop call to arms, Knock, Knock (the album's shining debut single), The GZA asks on the chorus, "knock, knock, who the f*** is banging at my door, is it abstract, commercial or hardcore?" In his signature way of ill rhyme construction, GZA further defines the parameters of whatrap music should be.
Don't call GZA's comeback just a comeback, it's a return of an entirely revolutionary thought process. "When we did Back In The Game on the Wu-Tang Iron Flag album, I did a verse about gambling," he explains solidly. "I didn't want to be 'back in the game' or 'back on the block,' that's typical. I made it all metaphorical." It's those same metaphors that makes the Genius' liquid sword a living legend in it's own time.
Name: GZA/Genius
Real Name: Gary Grice
Label: N/A
Web: N/A
When it comes to thought provoking, street-bred raw lyricism, the Wu-Tang Clan's fountain of wisdom, GZA takes his job very seriously. The way he crafts his double-edged rhyme flow mirrors the skill and precise technique of one who works with fine ceramics. GZA's metaphoric and multi-layered lyrics are often touted by critics as his rap name implies; genius.
Born in Brooklyn, NY and raised in every borough of New York City, The GZA's workmanship can be found three albums deep with classics dating back to 1991 including the albums Words From The Genius, the gold-selling Liquid Swords and Beneath The Surface. Before his days of microphone notoriety, GZA found himself, during the early ages of rap music, travelling throughout New York City sharpening his rap skills in scattered rhyme battles. "I've studied rap in every borough," the GZA says proudly. "I've been rhyming before a lot of these cats out here were born. We've [Wu Tang Clan] always drank, ate and slept hip-hop. I love it." On his latest blockbuster album Legend Of The Liquid Sword, The GZA makes reference to his hip- hop foundation on the reflective Fam (Members Only) "I grew up around B-Boys, DJs, MCs, through rap, never thinking in ways of TV," the Genius raps. "It was strictly all about magnificent rhyme clout."
During GZA's travels, he encountered other rap veterans that recognized his promise and helped to nurture his talent. "I watched a lot of people come up that are big now," Genius says earnestly. "I used to make demo tapes with cats that rocked with Russell Simmons and people like that. The history goes so far back; I've always been really focused on writing dope rhymes."
The GZA's dream of perfection has been realized once again on his fourth album to date. Legend Of The Liquid Sword not only regains the powerful momentum started by the last three releases, it adds to the Genius' verbal legacy with uncompromising integrity. Heat-seeking darts like the introspective, Auto Bio where GZA breaks down the elements of his life that created the man he is and the crime thriller Luminal.
What has always set The GZA apart from the ordinary is his ability to create complex images with simple context. In the same way it's said that a picture is worth a thousand words, Genius assembles his words to create thousands of vivid pictures. "I don't like to just be simple," he explains. "Even though some of my stuff can seem simple at times, I like to write in a way that when you listen to it over and over again, you hear something new and it requires you to think." Legend Of The Liquid Sword does just that. Whether the listener gets captured by the vocal acrobatics of Santi White (who has written songs for Res) on GZA's Stay In Line or the authentic old school soul production on the masterpiece Animal Planet, Genius weaves satisfying brain food through his lyrics. In his phenomenally cerebral use of metaphors, The Genius flawlessly equates human city dwellers to animals in the jungle onAnimal Planet , which was produced by rhythm doctor Bink (who has produced heavyweight joints for Fat Joe, Nate Dogg, Mr. Cheeks and Faith Evans). With beats by fellow Wu Tang brother RZA, Jaz-O (Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt album), DJ Muggs (who has produced for Cypress Hill, Mobb Deep), Wu producer Mathematics (Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Sunz of Man), Arabian Knight and other sonic masterminds, GZA's talents come across even heavier. On the adrenaline raising Hip Hop call to arms, Knock, Knock (the album's shining debut single), The GZA asks on the chorus, "knock, knock, who the f*** is banging at my door, is it abstract, commercial or hardcore?" In his signature way of ill rhyme construction, GZA further defines the parameters of whatrap music should be.
Don't call GZA's comeback just a comeback, it's a return of an entirely revolutionary thought process. "When we did Back In The Game on the Wu-Tang Iron Flag album, I did a verse about gambling," he explains solidly. "I didn't want to be 'back in the game' or 'back on the block,' that's typical. I made it all metaphorical." It's those same metaphors that makes the Genius' liquid sword a living legend in it's own time.
Name: GZA/Genius
Real Name: Gary Grice
Label: N/A
Web: N/A
Hip-Hop
GZA/Genius Lyrics
You crunchy chump crabs get crumbled up like crack rock
Fuck with the Wu, we busting ya whole snot box
Million white ears and your bitch up in a zip lock
From Spazzola to this purest form of Hip Hop
Here's something to advertise, promoter keep the fans satisfied
Load data for the disc drive, ghetto citywide
Leave 'em paralyzed, they stolen every word I provide
Without no clearance, I nurture this track like I'm its parents
Got requestments from retail stores for my appearance
First we target it, then they market it to kill your artist with
My hundred sharp cartridge hit whoever's starting shit
Got as many rap soldiers for how much this record ship
Fuck them niggas you record with, I make 'em forfeit
Send a bomb rap through FedEx inside your office
Son we build and deliver, came to build with the GZA
You heard the chorus from the RZA, ain't no real album spitter
Me and my street team be holding congress meetings
Audio visual video treatments internationally speaking
Got managers scared to shop you, ready to drop you
It's the coming of that newest hip-hop, Christ's apostle
Try your BDS and your SoundScans for more fam
Your whole roster couldn't take on that one Sun of Man
Get your street team, get your stickers out, put your posters up
Boost your budget up, still Razah gon' fuck it up
You crunchy chump crabs get crumbled up like crack rock
Fuck with the Wu, we busting ya whole snot box
Million white ears and your bitch up in a zip lock
From Spazzola to this purest form of Hip Hop
Industrialized niggas change as soon as you get in
Throw 'em on an auction block, CEO's bidding
Highest price paid for those wack rhymes made
Was overrated, cut off, never reinstated
I be fruitful and multiply with marvelous tales
Feed the hungry MC's who be starving as hell
I laid the first verse to quench a dry ass nigga's thirst
Who drank my wisdom up like water till his stomach burst
Full tank with the premium quality raps
Mickey Mouse niggas get caught on a trap
You Cottonelle kid from Tottenville, you're Kleenex
Looking like Rockwell wearing V-necks
You learned from this, earned from this
Niggas get tossed and turned in this and burnt in this
Scorched at a thousand degrees from live MC's
I melt y'all niggas down to the size of fleas
Your microphonists collect the bonus, ayo we own this
House niggas verse the homeless, ten to one
Timb's the one, Royal Famous, the verbal painters
Dark gallery, million dollar pictures
Imports from poor to riches, move darts
We cruise across the Brooklyn Bridge doing 60
Illegal driving from dusk to red dawn
The GZA Genius, Wu-Tang, we live long
True indeed, I hug tracks like my seed
Masada, wack MC's do me nada
King Solomon the great came to evaporate the fake
Yeah you, you know you're Power-U
You recognize the voice, it's the nigga from the Wu
Every dart I spit gets mastered and promoted
You've just been demoted 'cause you're sweet and sugarcoated
You folded, your style is half stale half molded, molded
You crunchy chump crabs get crumbled up like crack rock
Fuck with the Wu, we busting ya whole snot box
Million white ears and your bitch up in a zip lock
From Spazzola to this purest form of Hip Hop
Fuck with the Wu, we busting ya whole snot box
Million white ears and your bitch up in a zip lock
From Spazzola to this purest form of Hip Hop
Here's something to advertise, promoter keep the fans satisfied
Load data for the disc drive, ghetto citywide
Leave 'em paralyzed, they stolen every word I provide
Without no clearance, I nurture this track like I'm its parents
Got requestments from retail stores for my appearance
My hundred sharp cartridge hit whoever's starting shit
Got as many rap soldiers for how much this record ship
Fuck them niggas you record with, I make 'em forfeit
Send a bomb rap through FedEx inside your office
Son we build and deliver, came to build with the GZA
You heard the chorus from the RZA, ain't no real album spitter
Me and my street team be holding congress meetings
Audio visual video treatments internationally speaking
Got managers scared to shop you, ready to drop you
It's the coming of that newest hip-hop, Christ's apostle
Try your BDS and your SoundScans for more fam
Your whole roster couldn't take on that one Sun of Man
Get your street team, get your stickers out, put your posters up
Boost your budget up, still Razah gon' fuck it up
You crunchy chump crabs get crumbled up like crack rock
Fuck with the Wu, we busting ya whole snot box
Million white ears and your bitch up in a zip lock
From Spazzola to this purest form of Hip Hop
Industrialized niggas change as soon as you get in
Throw 'em on an auction block, CEO's bidding
Highest price paid for those wack rhymes made
Was overrated, cut off, never reinstated
I be fruitful and multiply with marvelous tales
Feed the hungry MC's who be starving as hell
I laid the first verse to quench a dry ass nigga's thirst
Who drank my wisdom up like water till his stomach burst
Full tank with the premium quality raps
Mickey Mouse niggas get caught on a trap
You Cottonelle kid from Tottenville, you're Kleenex
Looking like Rockwell wearing V-necks
You learned from this, earned from this
Niggas get tossed and turned in this and burnt in this
Scorched at a thousand degrees from live MC's
I melt y'all niggas down to the size of fleas
Your microphonists collect the bonus, ayo we own this
House niggas verse the homeless, ten to one
Timb's the one, Royal Famous, the verbal painters
Dark gallery, million dollar pictures
Imports from poor to riches, move darts
We cruise across the Brooklyn Bridge doing 60
Illegal driving from dusk to red dawn
The GZA Genius, Wu-Tang, we live long
True indeed, I hug tracks like my seed
Masada, wack MC's do me nada
King Solomon the great came to evaporate the fake
Yeah you, you know you're Power-U
You recognize the voice, it's the nigga from the Wu
Every dart I spit gets mastered and promoted
You've just been demoted 'cause you're sweet and sugarcoated
You folded, your style is half stale half molded, molded
You crunchy chump crabs get crumbled up like crack rock
Fuck with the Wu, we busting ya whole snot box
Million white ears and your bitch up in a zip lock
From Spazzola to this purest form of Hip Hop
Lyrics ยฉ Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Ch'ron Smith, Gary E. Grice, Jason Dockery, Robert F. Diggs, Sulayman Ansari, Tim Drayton
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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jochen jockel
Liquid Swords is my favorite Wu-Tang solo album. He has the best voice of all members if you ask me.
Matt Howard
Favorite rapper. Favorite album of all time. His voice is tied with Meth's though. So unique!
Tommy King
Tied with ODB on the voice
Travis LoneBear
Tbh honestly Liquid Swords or Chamber no9 by deck are what I consider the best solo wu albums imho
Stereo-Type
I agree he's an emcee's emcee...
Roger Klotz
Its impressive that a group with that much members has so many Soloalbums considered classics
RealDrDoom
What I love about GZA is that people think he's playing a character when he speaks. But no, that's the GZA, he has the most clever ways of describing everything around him. None of it is rehearsed, he thinks of it on the spot. That's why he's the genius.
fizzlewiggle
"Unbalanced like elephants and ants on seesaws!" Gza got bars!!
AcuteBombatta
โDisciplinary action was a fraction of strength, that made me truncate the lymph one tenthโ. The man is a beast.
Birdpoop Daddy I got 22s
What many don't understand was that although Gza was from Brooklyn but practically either grew up or lived in every burrow throughout New York city. Def a brotha that knew how to move wherever he was and went. Much respect. The love he got performing in Queens when he was beefing with 50 was heavy performing Paper Plates because a lot of niggas from there knew who he was before