We mostly know American hip hop performer GZA (pronounced 'djizza'), also known as THE GENIUS, as establisher of the priceless Wu-Tang Clan. Aside from that, he also released five solo albums. Of those, 'Liquid Swords' from 1995 is a milestone in the history of the Wu-Tang Clan and hip hop in general. In September 2007 he presented this album in its entirety live in Brooklyn (with Jamie Lidell as support-act!) and he'll be bringing that show to Europe this Fall. If you know that GZA uses the word sword as a metaphor for the tongue, then you know we can expect some verbal fireworks.

GZA, real name Gary Grice, discovered the hip hop scene in de Soundview Projects in his youth in the Bronx. He ran into Robert Diggs and Russell Jones there and they they started the hip hop crew All In Together Now. After their ways parted for solo projects, they later reunited as Wu-Tang Clan and Diggs took on the alias RZA, Jones was later renowned as Ol' Dirty Bastard. In '93 the group successfully debuted with the album 'Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)' and the rest is history.

'Liquid Swords, is arguably Wu-Tang's finest hour'. Pitchfork Media

'Often acclaimed as the best Wu-Tang solo project of all, Liquid Swords cemented the Genius/GZA's reputation as the best pure lyricist in the group'. Allmusic.Com

Without a doubt the juiciest hip-hop bill this Autumn, as The GZA will have none less than British pride Roots Manuva at his side. That's right, before The GZA lets his 'Liquid Swords' masterpiece loose on you, Roots Manuva will climb on stage with band to present his new album 'Slime & Reason'. Roots Manuva has clearly been rooting around in his reggae collection this time, and not without result in his classic 'Run Come Save Me'.

'Slime & Reason' is his sixth studio album if you count the remix albums 'Dub Come Save Me' from 2002 and 'Alternately Deep' from 2006. The original albums 'Run Come Save Me' and 'Awfully Deep' are quite simply milestones in British hip-hop history. Rodney Smith (Roots' real name) also rightly received an award for Best British Hip-Hop Act. 'He is the voice of urban Britain, encompassing dub, ragga, funk and hip hop as it sweeps from crumbling street corners to ganja-filled dancehalls, setting gritty narratives against all manner of warped beats' (The Times). He also gets praised lyrically for his typically British point of view, like 'eating cheese on toast and drinking two pints of bitter'. He had 2 semi-hits with 'Dreamy Days' and 'Colossal Insight' but his big breakthrough was with 'Witness (1 Hope)'.
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Extra support-act will take the form of Beat Drunx, the hip-hop formation around beats producer One Cell and MC Rubski. One Cell's productions are built on deep funk, rock and jazz and in 2005 he went to work with Rubski under the name Beat Drunx. Since then, both on their album 'Brewed & Bottled' and on stage, we've also recognized MC Acrid Cast and DJ Courtasock (you most likely know the latter from Grazzhoppa's mildly phenomenal DJ Big Band).

Timing

6:00 pm doors
6:30 pm Beat Drunx
7:30 pm Roots Manuva
9:15 pm The GZA presents 'Liquid Swords'