GZA

GZA
GZA at Jiffy Lube Live in 2022
GZA at Jiffy Lube Live in 2022
Background information
Birth nameGary Eldridge Grice
Also known asThe Genius
Born (1966-08-22) August 22, 1966 (age 58)
New York City, U.S.
GenresHip hop
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • songwriter
Years active1990–present[1]
Labels
Member ofWu-Tang Clan

Gary Eldridge Grice[2] (born August 22, 1966), better known by his stage names GZA (/ˈɪzə/ JIZ) and The Genius,[3] is an American rapper. A founding member of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, GZA is the group's "spiritual head", being both the first member in the group to receive a record deal and being the oldest member.[4] He has appeared on his fellow Wu-Tang members' solo projects, and has maintained a successful solo career starting with his second album Liquid Swords (1995).

His lyrical style often dismisses typical rap story lines in favor of science and wide-ranging philosophies and has been characterized as "armed with sharp metaphors and a smooth flow".[5][6][7][8] An analysis of GZA's lyrics found that he has one of the largest vocabularies in popular hip hop music.[9][10] He teamed up with an education group to promote science education in New York City through hip hop.[11]

  1. ^ "TODAY IN HIP HOP HISTORY: GZA RELEASES 'WORDS FROM THE GENIUS' 25 YEARS AGO". The Source. February 19, 2016. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  2. ^ DeLuca, Dan (February 16, 2023). "5 great concerts to shake the Super Bowl Blues". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
  3. ^ Sarah Marie Pittman (May 25, 2011). "Rock The Bells Announce 2011 Lineup". Pollstar. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
  4. ^ Peter Larson (September 15, 2014). "I Played Chess with GZA of the Wu-Tang Clan". Vice Media. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
  5. ^ "Top 50 MCs of Our Time: 1987 – 2007 – 50 Greatest Emcees of Our Time". Rap.about.com. January 26, 2012. Archived from the original on January 17, 2013. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
  6. ^ Hao Nguyen (October 6, 2016). "Part 3 of the 50 greatest rappers of all time". Stop The Breaks. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
  7. ^ Kofi Bofah (November 2, 2016). "The 10 Greatest Rappers of All Time". Cheat Sheet. Archived from the original on November 30, 2016. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
  8. ^ "The Source's Top 50 Lyricists Of All Time **Complete List Inside**". ThisIs50.com. Archived from the original on December 31, 2013. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
  9. ^ Matt Daniels (2014). "The Largest Vocabulary in Hip hop". Retrieved March 26, 2015.
  10. ^ Killian Young (May 5, 2014). "Aesop Rock and GZA Have the Largest Vocabularies in Hip-Hop – Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
  11. ^ Nathaniel Janowitz (2014). "Ranked: Every Member of Wu-Tang Clan". Nerve. Retrieved November 3, 2016.