Issue date: 2/4/10 Section: Film & Music

GZA rocks Dundas Square during summer '09 Photo: Mattbraga / Flickr

Apparently it's disrespectful to play Wu-Tang at a GZA concert. Or at least this was claimed by DJ Scratch Bastid as he opened for the member of the legendary Wu at Sound Academy on Jan 25. Perhaps GZA's solo career needs some attention that doesnt derive from the Clan's success. Little of this mattered to the crowd, however, who were hollering "WU" at the stage with W's all up in the air.

The crowd had to wait through three opening acts for the GZA to finally hit the stage. Two of these were not very tasteful, and were the cause of some considerable eyebrow-raising. Only DJ Scratch Bastid played a solid set that managed to woo the crowd with a mix of funky beats and classic hip-hop favourites. Tribe Called Quest's "Award Tour" and De La Soul's "Stakes is High" were instant crowd pleasers, while Dead Prez's "Hip Hop" finally brought some serious energy.

GZA came on late and only rapped for an hour, but unlike Nas, who is notorious for putting on short sets so as not to exert himself, GZA was giving his all. One hour of one man ripping on the mic with very little pauses makes quite an impression. Even the musical breaks and the skits characteristically present throughout GZA's material were cut short, putting the onus on the rapper to flow incessantly.Of course, exceptions were made for certain tracks off of his Liquid Swords album, because the thrill of these songs stems in great part from the anticipation which builds in their distinct openings. GZA predictably played most of this album, since it was the one that made the man. "Shadowboxing", "Cold World" and "Liquid Swords" are some of the few songs that would drag GZA fans to the Docks on a Monday night, and he did not disappoint.

In all of the glory of Liquid Swords, GZA's other material might easily be eclipsed. Nevertheless, one of the epic peaks of the show was when the MC played "0% Finance," a song off of his latest album Pro Tools. This song has a beat so simple that its only purpose seems to be keeping time, which inevitably puts the rapping in the forefront as the rhythmical propeller. Flow is placed under tough scrutiny, because it has no walls of sound to hide behind. The lyrics of the song are especially quick, and make GZA's flawless delivery all of the more awe-inspiring.

They may be working on their own side-projects, but when GZA started chanting a cappella "Soldiers in the front/let the heat pump," it was obvious that the members of the Wu-Tang are a tightly-knit crew. These were the first lines from "House of Flying Daggers," a song off of the new Raekwon album that happens to feature Inspectah Deck, Ghostface, and Method Man - a large faction of the Wu already. When the song's beat joined GZA, he paid homage by contributing verses of his own.That the members of the Wu-Tang have long been considered the Godfathers of hip-hop is a long-established fact. Rather than taking a step back and enjoying the title, however, they continue to push boundaries. Liquid Swords seems like it should be the peak of GZA's career, but Pro Tools shows musical maturity. The show solidified what is already common knowledge: that the GZA is a force to be reckoned with.

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