Deep Album Cuts Vol. 397: GZA

Thursday, April 02, 2026


 













Continuing on from Wu-Tang Clan, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, and RZA, here's a another playlist of a Wu-Tang solo catalog. 

GZA deep album cuts (Spotify playlist):

1. Swordsman f/ Killah Priest
2. Gold
3. Investigative Reports f/ Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, and U-God
4. Labels
5. Hell's Wind Staff/Killah Hills 10304
6. 1112 f/ Masta Killa, Killah Priest, and Njeri
7. Publicity
8. Stringplay (Like This, Like That) f/ Method Man
9. Beneath the Surface f/ Killah Priest
10. Silent f/ Ghostface Killah and Streetlife
11. Animal Planet 
12. Stay In Line f/ Santigold
13. Sparring Minds f/ Inspectah Deck
14. Destruction of a Guard with DJ Muggs and Raekwon
15. Advance Pawns with DJ Muggs, RZA, Raekwon, and Sen Dog
16. Illusory Protection with DJ Muggs
17. Unstoppable Threats with DJ Muggs, Masta Killa, and Prodigal Sunn
18. Life Is A Movie f/ RZA and Irfane Khan-Acito
19. 7 Pounds
20. Short Race f/ Roc Marciano
21. Firehouse f/ Ka

Tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 from Liquid Swords (1995)
Tracks 6, 7, 8, and 9 from Beneath the Surface (1999)
Tracks 10, 11, 12, and 13 from Legend of the Liquid Sword (2002)
Tracks 14, 15, 16, and 17 from GrandMasters with DJ Muggs (2005)
Tracks 18, 19, 20, and 21 from Pro Tools (2008)

Gary Grice originally recorded under the name The Genius, and famously was the one guy who released a major label solo album, 1991's Words form the Genius, years before the Wu-Tang Clan became a big name brand. That album, unfortunately, is not on Spotify, so I couldn't include any of it in the playlist. But it's a pretty good record with some excellent Easy Mo Bee production, I would love to add "Life of a Drug Dealer" or "Living Foul" (referenced on De La Soul's "Bitties in the BK Lounge") if that album ever gets a digital re-release. 

His first album as GZA, Liquid Swords, was named after the kung fu film Legend of the Liquid Sword, is rightly revered as one of the best Wu-Tang albums alongside Enter the Wu-Tang, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx..., and Supreme Clientele, if not one of the best rap albums ever. GZA is an amazing MC, albeit in a less flashy or eccentric way than a lot of his groupmates, closer to Nas than the other Wu-Tang guys in some ways. Most of the songs on Liquid Swords don't even have explicit lyrics tags, which is striking because you probably wouldn't even notice the lack of cursing while listening to it, even if it's obvious that he doesn't delight in profanity like Ghostface or ODB (on the other hand, his most recent album Pro Tools is only on Spotify as a clean edit, which is annoying). And RZA was just really on some shit on that album, I love the synth sounds and more textured use of samples on Liquid Swords. 

My brother bought Beneath the Surface, I remember we'd enjoyed the single "Breaker, Breaker" which the video got some airplay, but I don't recall listening to it much at the time. "Breaker, Breaker"'s B side "Publicity" is by far the most popular track on the album on Spotify today, good song. There's only one RZA beat on "1112," but Beneath the Surface has a little more continuity with the Wu-Tang song than, say, Raekwon's Immobilarity, including a great beat by Inspectah Deck on the title track. 

2002's Legend of the Liquid Sword was less a sequel to GZA's most popular album than simply named after the full title of the film that inspired it. "Stay In Line" featured guest vocalist Santi White, who had been an A&R at Epic Records and a songwriter for GZA's MCA labelmate Res, and would years later launch a successful solo career first as Santogold and then Santigold. I really dug the beats DJ Muggs did for GZA on their album together, he's definitely one of those people who should be in the rotation of Wu-Tang solo album producers more often, he has the right sound. GZA was pretty early to embrace guys like Roc Marciano, Black Milk (who produced "7 Pounds", and the late Ka on Pro Tools back in 2008. That makes it bittersweet that he hasn't released an album in 17 years, because he clearly keeps an ear to the underground, but he's been talking up a new album called Dark Matter since at least 2015, so hopefully that will materialize someday. 

9:40 AM