GZA’s still in da Front

I‘m not dissing the rest of the Wu-Tang Clan, but GZA is the only member who you could imagine boasting onstage about the number of books he saw with his own eyes in the Trinity College Dublin Library.

The Genius was only here last September for a three-night sold-out run at the Sugar Club, and in between bibliophile braggadocio and schooling people on Wu-Tang lore, he presented his landmark 1995 album Liquid Swords — one of the greatest hip-hop records in history, and the finest solo record in the Wu-Tang universe.

Held up as the most cerebral and wise Clan member, GZA’s astute, razor sharp bars are written on rap’s stone tablets. In saying that, his “throw ya shitty drawers in a hamper/ Next time come strapped with a fuckin Pamper” line from ‘Clan in Da Front’ is a deliriously daft bit of slapstick that’s a world away from Liquid Swords’ gory Shogun Assassin samples and convoluted Wu-Tang martial arts mythology

Expect more gold this time, along with some Shaolin deep cuts and hopefully some tracks from his long-promised album Dark Matter — but don’t hold your breath on the last one.