I know some people think they are just stupid, or mildly comic or whatever but I have always considered them a clever stamp of Wu originality. There are no kung-fu samples in the record, which I thought was disappointing. It’s not “36 Chambers” dope, more like “Wu-Tang Forever.” After a few listens I began to appreciate the style of it.

“Beneath the Surface” can be easily summed up it’s not ground breaking, it’s not a classic, but it is dope. So, I’ll give my initial, overall impressions before getting down to the nitty-gritty, individual dissections. Inspectah Deck produces one track which is nice to see other producers include Wu followers Arabian Knight, Mathematics and John the Baptist – the latter of whom I’ve honestly never heard of. I love to see new producers coming through but why has GZA fucked with the set-up like this? Having said that I can understand his thinking as RZA’s work had become a little inconsistent by this time. Err, what? Production time hasn’t been doled out to total unknowns though, which is encouraging. A serious inversion has occurred from almost a whole album on “Liquid Swords’, RZA’s input has decreased to one track. So what could you release to live up to your track record? Your first solo album “Words from the Genius” is unknown to most, lost in a fug of bitterness caused by record label greediness, but your skills and influence are massive, so what to do? Keep with the formula from “Liquid Swords” – acid wordplay over stormily atmospheric beats – spliced into Shogun Assassin clips? Perhaps follow the more grimy street stylings of your group debut? To advance and experiment aurally or to retreat to gangsta clichÃ© or well-trodden ground? As the Roots might have asked, was GZA going to “stand tall” or “sit the fuck down?”ĭisappointment flooded over me the first time I listened to “Beneath the Surface.” I was a lready pretty worried after looking at the album inlay and seeing the number of RZA productions. You are lauded by many as the finest lyricist in your crew an MC fit to stand by Rakim and Kane. The producer of said group was quoted on record saying it was the best record he had ever produced. A couple of years later you released a solo album praised by critics and fans alike. Imagine this – it’s 1999, and six years ago your group dropped one of the most acclaimed and influential hip-hop debuts of all time.

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