Sitting in a private booth above the crowded Key Club in Hollywood on Jan. 24, I could see a huge cloud hovering over the masses below and could smell the pungent odor of Buddah being blessed. This was to be expected considering I was there to see the GZA/Genius from the Wu-Tang Clan teamed with DJ Muggs from Cypress Hill.
It seems like Cypress Hill was famous forever ago, but these guys still seem to attract a crowd. It felt like everyone had a Cypress Hill T-shirt on.
In the past year, it seems that every blogger and music journalist has rushed to anoint Ghostface Killah as the greatest MC ever, but they’ve overlooked the fact that he might not even be the most consistent MC in the Wu.
Sure, in terms of sheer charisma and personality, Ghost arguably trumps any MC ever. But if you’re looking for technical mastery and scythe-sharp rhyming abilities, the Genius/GZA deserves consideration on any list of the 10 best to ever grace the mic. He proved it with a dynamic performance at the Key Club.
Often criticized for his tendency to come off a bit dry, even clinical, live, the Genius commanded the stage as he towered over the sold-out crowd. He delivered authoritative rhymes in the magnetic cadence of a holy-rolling evangelist.
Backed by DJ Muggs on the turntables, along with longtime Wu-affiliates Prodigal Sunn, Dreddy Krueger and Killah Priest (who at various junctures turned in impressive freestyles of their own), the Genius turned in one of the finest hip-hop shows I’ve ever seen. He dynamited the crowd with a balance of supreme confidence, stone-cold lyrical ability and a spell binding, commanding baritone.
As he kicked off his set with his verse from “Reunited” off of “Wu-Tang Forever,” the crowd got amped from moment one, its energy never flagging for a second. From there, the man formerly known as Gary Grice lit into the fierce strings and magazine name-drops of “Publicity,” followed by a bravado rendition of “Shadowboxin” so energetic and charismatic you forgot about Method Man not being there to kick his verse.
Loose and relaxed, the GZA had none of the wooden stultified gestures you might expect, as he bounced across the floorboards spitting his fluid satin-smooth flow. He never missed a beat, wrapping his voice tightly around each word and spitting syllables like booming cannonballs.
Accordingly, the Genius’ set drew heavily off “Liquid Swords,” as he performed most of the album including favorites like “Cold World,” “Hell’s Wind Staff/Killah Hillz 10304,” “Duel of the Iron Mic” and of course, a Killah Priest-aided “4th Chamber.” From 1999’s “Beneath the Surface” came “Beneath the Surface,” the aforementioned “Publicity,” and one the show’s highlights, an ODB-less rendition of “Crash Your Crew.” Dedicating it to his fallen Clansman, the Genius sent the crowd into a violent moshing mob scene, with heads, arms and legs flying frantically.
The set was short and sweet, lasting just 50 minutes. Despite having Muggs spinning behind him, the GZA played nothing from “Grandmasters” and just two tracks from “Legend of the Liquid Sword,” “Fam (Members Only),” and another highlight, a fiery but smooth “Animal Planet.”
The show was a rare, lean hip-hop show not bloated by meaningless chatter, or wasted by innumerable weed carrier verses. There was no played-out chants about “who really loves hip-hop” or “what side of the crowd is loudest.” The elder statesman of the Wu at 40-years-old, the Genius wields the energy and enthusiasm of dudes half his age, still seemingly thrilled at rocking sold-out shows.
Indeed a palpable excitement loomed in the air as the GZA periodically hyped the new Wu-Tang album on its way. With a performance that flexed his still-awesome skills, the GZA proved that 15 years after first entering the game, he remains one of its most formidable MCs.
Perhaps the last still relevant link to hip-hop’s late ’70s break-dancing, DJ and graff roots, the Genius’ live show was hip-hop in its purest distillation. It was hip-hop at its best.
