As the general admission floor slowly but surely started to fill up for GZA’s Liquid Sword 25th Anniversary Tour, ’90s original hip-hop tracks featuring Naughty by Nature and Pete Rock played in the background while we awaited the arrival of the Brooklyn native. The legendary Wu-Tang Clan member performing at Fine Line, (Minneapolis) really showed me that hip-hop can truly unfold itself as this bridge that connects any generation or race.
As I transported through the crowd hours before GZA was set to take stage, I found myself reminiscing with the opening act Juice Lord; a moment he had back in 2016 when he once freestyled acapella for near 13-minutes-straight. Now, on this night, we got to witness two generations merge together organically, and watch as the teacher that GZA has been, looked on with a feeling of honorability, as Kaleem the Dream and Juice Lord rocked the stage.
As he entered, GZA waded through a cloud of marijuana smoke that pervaded the air, he walked on stage and with ecstatic poise greeted the people in attendance. “What up Minneapp?!” He exclaimed with a grin on his face, as he knows he about to bring this place to flames, just as it did back in 2003 when the Fine Line roof caught fire.
Coming out with the opening track “Duel of the Iron Mic” his fans were immediately active to the bouncy, boom-bap beats, fused with karate samples and jazz loops. The music still sounds gritty and straight from the gutters of hip-hop, and as I look around the crowd there were age groups from each generation, from “Boomers” to the youngest Millennials, all rapping along with him.
The night’s concert was in fact a Celebration of Wu Tang, not only Liquid Swords, but the entire cast of Wu-Tang. GZA performed songs from his entire discography, from the 1993 album 36 Chambers to the 2002 solo release Legend of the Liquid Sword. Liquid Swords has been critically acclaimed as one of the best hip-hop albums of all time, often being compared to Nas’s Illmatic in the earlier stages of rap, and the music career of GZA continues to spark and bring people together in a organically. The way GZA segues from track to track is like watching a professional swimmer tread through water. He takes no breathes, not even a sip of water to be brought back to ground level, he stays with the music and delivers the hardest song of the night with “Crash Your Crew” and “Protect Ya Neck.” Transitioning from song to song was not a problem for the 53-year old Brooklyn rapper, but no one is perfect as he trips up for a moment.
“Hold up, wait, I just said that fucking verse!” He says guilty of spitting the same verse twice of the song “Mic Trippin;” kind of makes a ironic pun that he forgot a verse.
Sunday night was a show of celebration of culture, music, life and death. The GZA gave us his vicarious impression of ODB with “One Man Army,” and while it wasn’t exactly the best tune to the ear, the moment came off as genuine and graceful. GZA is a man of high class, intelligence and a great personality and he openly shares his energetic charisma with his fans, young and old.
We got more tracks stemming from Raekwon’s album with the track “Gullitone” and verses from 36 Chambers as GZA made sure to give us a full Wu-Tang show. The best part of the show in my perspective would have to be the moment he shared with a younger fan! On the track “Highway Robbery” GZA willingly lets a young man step on stage with him to recite his entire verse, and I tell you, the kid did it word for word. What a moment. GZA then asks “How old are you? You’re 17 years old? 36 Chambers is 27 years old, 10 years until he even came into existence. That’s beautiful right there.”
Before the he left, the New York MC used his final moments to pay tribute to Kobe Bryant and his daughter GiGi Bryant and those effected by the helicopter crash that killed the NBA Legend. “Rest in peace Kobe, he did a lot for basketball. Rest in peace to those that were on board with him, a lot of people lost loved ones.” were his words.
Through the night he gave us spoken word verses, and used some of the most complex rhyme schemes and syllables, his craft reminds me of how a doctor treats his patients with medicine, his poetic lyrics were inoculate to the brain. He exited the building on “Liquid Swords,” shaking the hands of his fans and signing memorabilia that will be kept as prize possessions for those lucky fans. “We thank you all! Represent to the fullest! One Love!”
Wu-Tang 4Ever
All photos by Isaac Ford, for more follow @ifo_tography on Instagram.
Setlist
1. Duel of the Liquid Swords
2. I Got ya Back
3. Unexplained
4. Clan In the Front
5. Crash ya Crew
6. One Man Army
7. Protect ya Neck
8. Animal Planet
9. Uncut Material
10. 0% Finance
11. Mic Trippin
12. Legend of the Liquid Swords
13. Silent
14. The W
15. Older Gods
16. Gullitone
17. Wu Tang Clan aint nothing to F With
18. Reunited Remix
19. Highway Robbery
20. Spoken Word / Liquid Swords
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