Gary Grice (born August 22, 1966 in Brooklyn, New York) is better known
by his stage names GZA (pronounced /'d??z?/) and The Genius.[1] He
is an American hip hop artist and is a founding member of the seminal
hip hop group the Wu-Tang Clan. Grice has continued to appear on
his fellow clan members' solo projects, and has continued to maintain
a successful solo career. Steve Huey of Allmusic has called him "one
of the best lyricists of the 1990s,"[2]while the editors of
About.com ranked him #17 on their list of the Top 50 MCs of Our Time
(1987-2007), making him the highest-ranking Wu-Tang Clan member on
the list (ahead of Method Man, Ghostface Killah and Raekwon).
Gary Grice developed an interest in hip-hop by attending block parties
as a child in the early '70s. He formed a three-man group with his
cousins, who would later be known as RZA and Ol' Dirty Bastard. The
group, All in Together Now, saw the three rapping and DJing, switching
off names and performing local shows; since they lived in different
boroughs, GZA and Ol' Dirty would travel from Brooklyn out to Staten
Island to meet up with their cousin RZA, after which the three would
travel across NYC and challenge other MCs to battles. After some
years of this, GZA was signed to Cold Chillin' Records as a solo
artist under the name The Genius. He put together an album called
Words from the Genius, produced mostly by Easy Mo Bee, but after
it failed to sell—and his rocky experience on tour—Grice
became fed up and asked for release from the label.[4]
After joining the Wu-Tang Clan, a group of nine which included himself,
RZA and ODB, GZA boasted some high-profile appearances on the group's
debut album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), including a solo track, "Clan
in da Front." This, combined with appearances on other Clan
albums such as Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version and Only
Built 4 Cuban Linx... brought him much recognition and respect (more
than he achieved solo as "The Genius"). These guest appearances
were followed up in 1995 with GZA's sophomore solo effort, Liquid
Swords, produced entirely by RZA; the album was met with critical
and commercial acclaim, and is still considered one of the best albums
to come out of the Wu-Tang camp;[5] in 1998, the album was selected
as one of The Source Magazine's 100 Best Rap Albums of all time.
After appearing on the Wu-Tang Clan's second album, Wu-Tang Forever,
GZA released Beneath the Surface in 1999. Reviews were mostly positive
and the album did well (going Gold), though it failed to live up
to Liquid Swords' acclaim or commercial success[citation needed].
Like the post-debut projects of many Clan members, critics decried
the album's lack of RZA production[citation needed], claiming the
underground producers and Wu-Elements used did not live up to the
producer's skill level. Grice put in appearances on The W, Iron Flag
and some of his group members' solo projects, but did not release
another of his own until 2002 with Legend of the Liquid Sword. The
album was received well by critics, but did not achieve commercial
success, failing to go Gold as his previous release had. GZA spent
2004 touring, both solo and with the Clan, and made an appearance
with RZA in Jim Jarmusch's film Coffee & Cigarettes, opposite
Bill Murray.
In 2005, GZA and DJ Muggs (the producer for hip-hop group Cypress
Hill) released the LP Grandmasters. Muggs provided all the production
for the album, which saw GZA using chess as a metaphor for the rap
game.[6] The album received positive reviews[7] and modest commercial
success. He then partook in the recording of groupmate Raekwon's
Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. II, originally stating that he was
heavily featured along with Inspectah Deck, though he was later unsure
about his status on the project.[8]
2007 saw GZA teaming up with his Wu-Tang Clan to record the group
album 8 Diagrams, and in the ensuing controversy, defended both Raekwon
and Ghostface Killah's rights to speak their mind, and RZA's production
job on the album.[9] In the summer of 2008, he released the album
Pro Tools which featured production from Black Milk and past collaborators
Jay "Waxxx" Garfield, RZA, Mathematics and True Master.
A very controversial song on the album was entitled "Paper Plates" a
smooth flowing response aimed at rival rapper 50 Cent. After the
release GZA toured various parts of Europe on a "Liquid Swords
Tour" where he performed songs from Liquid Swords as well as
Pro Tools. He later toured parts of the USA. GZA also stated his
wish to record another full album with RZA.[10]
In 2009, GZA made appearances on two more Wu-Tang Clan albums. The
first being on a song entitled "Stomp Da Roach" on the
album Dopium, by fellow clan member U-God, the other being appearances
on the tracks "We Will Rob You", "Rockstars" and "House
of Flying Daggers", on Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...
Pt. II. The Genius continued to tour during the year, appearing on
the "Rock The Bells" lineup and also performing at the
NXNE music festival in Canada. Recently, RZA confirmed that he will
be producing Liquid Swords II: The Return Of The Shadowboxer, which
is tentatively due out in Fall of 2010.[11] The GZA also made an
appearance in a video for Devendra Banhart's song titled "Baby".
For Liquid Swords II, he has recently confirmed with Examiner.com
that Killah Priest will hold a solo song ala 'B.I.B.L.E.' to act
as the closer to the album just like the original. He will also be
appearing on the upcoming collaboration album between producers Pete
Rock & DJ Premier V.S. album appearing on Premier's track.[12]
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
Year Title Chart positions[13][14][15][16][17] RIAA
certifications[18]
US
200 US
R&B US
Rap CAN
1991 Words from the Genius
Released: February 19, 1991
Label: Cold Chillin'/Reprise/Warner Bros. Records
- - * -
1995 Liquid Swords
Released: November 7, 1995
Label: Geffen/MCA Records
9 2 * 20 Gold
1999 Beneath the Surface
Released: June 29, 1999
Label: MCA Records
9 1 * 13 Gold
2002 Legend of the Liquid Sword
Released: December 10, 2002
Label: MCA/Universal Records
75 21 * -
2005 GrandMasters (with DJ Muggs)
Released: October 25, 2005
Label: Angeles Records
180 69 * -
2008 Pro Tools
Released: August 19, 2008
Label: Think Differently Music/Babygrande Records
52 13 9 -
2011 Liquid Swords 2: The Return of the Shadowboxer[19][20]
Release: TBA
Label: TBA
TBR TBR TBR TBR
[edit] Singles
Year Title Peak[21][22][23] Album
US Hot 100 US R&B US Rap
1991 "Come Do Me" — 86 — Words from the Genius
"
Words From a Genius" — — —
"
Who's Your Rhymin' Hero" — — —
"
Pass the Bone" — — —
1995 "I Gotcha Back" — — 29 Liquid Swords
"
Liquid Swords" 48 33 3
"
Cold World" (feat. Inspectah Deck) 97 57 8
1996 "Shadowboxin'" (feat. Method Man) 67 41 10
1999 "Crash Your Crew" (feat. Ol' Dirty Bastard & John
the Baptist) — — — Beneath the Surface
"
Breaker, Breaker" — 80 16
2002 "Knock, Knock" — — — Legend of the
Liquid Sword
"
Fame" — — 19
2005 "General Principles" (with DJ Muggs) — — — GrandMasters
2008 "Paper Plate" — — — Pro Tools