GZA - Protools

GZA/Genius
Protools
Baby Grand, 2008

Here's my history with Wutang Clan member Gary Grice, AKA the GZA: 1995's Liquid Swords remainss one of my favorite albums ever. It is cinematic and dark, and Grice is on fire with his storytelling raps. GZA doesn't freestyle. He carefully composes his rhymes, making sure they make sense, and work as lines. He's from the old school of rappers who try to say something with their rhymes.

Then came Beneath the Surface, which wasn't horrible, but was mediocre enough to make me wary of checking out anything else the GZA did. I did buy the Grandmasters album he did with DJ Muggs of Cypress Hill, which was ok, but contained at least one embarrassingly bad track.

So imagine my surprise when I first heard "Alphabets" off his new album, Protools. It's actually, like, good. In fact, the whole album is pretty good. The beats are crisp, sharp, and offer up that sinister, stripped down funk that the Wu has been developing recently. Wu affiliate Dreddy Krueger offers up several beats on the album, and the RZA himself steps behinds the boards as well on the 50-Cent dis track. GZA comes off like an elder statesman, weaving complex stories over the beats with low-key confidence. Maybe too low-key: he sounds half-awake on a few tracks, and I couldn't help but wonder what was up with him. Is he sick? Going through some struggles? Was he phoning it in? Or is this sleepiness his new style?

I doubt Protools will win over the youngsters. After all, GZA is old as fuck in hip hop years, and he sort of raps like your dad, but in a good way. Wu fans can rejoice that, after the dodgy 8 Diagrams, the Clan is keeping their shit together. GZA deserves credit for embracing his age and experience, and delivering a solid, mature album that doesn't try to pretend that he will ever be a hit with the ringtone set. I'm a fan of Protools.