GZA/Genius, The Pharcyde, Souls of Mischief, und GZA

GZA was often referred to as the “spiritual head” within the Clan and is noted for his cerebral and highly literate style. His verses weren’t quite as impassioned as some of his contemporaries; however, they exerted a cool collectivity and intricate word play that could only be attributed to him.

Grice was born in Staten Island in the mid 60s and lived with various relatives throughout the greater New York area. In the early 70s he was exposed to hip-hop at block parties and harbored a passion for the genre as a child. He progressed on to learning rhymes from MCs in the Bronx and frequently shared these lyrics with his cousins Robert Diggs (RZA) and Russell Jones (Ol‘ Dirty Bastard). The three went on to form the groups All in Together Now and Force of the Imperial Master before GZA released his 1991 studio debut “Words from the Genius”. The album was not given much promotion and failed commercially. The tour for the album also did not go as plan and GZA eventually left the label.

It was not until GZA joined the Wu-Tang Clan that things started picking up for the him. He contributed some of the album’s most memorable verses and solo tracks including “Clan in da Front”. 1995 was a huge year for GZA. He made two highly publicized and critically raved about appearances on the Ol‘ Dirty Bastard album “Return to the (36 Chambers)” and on Raekwon’s “Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...”. Additionally that year he put out his own solo record “Liquid Swords”. The album was a commercial and critical victory for GZA and is not only considered one of the best albums to emerge from the Wu-tang Clan, but also one of the finest records in the hip-hop cannon.

The entirety of the album featured the production work of RZA and 3 of the albums songs had been turned into music videos directed by GZA. The album’s artwork, which was handled by one of Milestone Media Denys Cowan’s top artist has also left an indelible impression on pop culture.

After the release of “Liquid Swords” GZA made an appearance on the Wu-Tang Clan’s sophomore album “Wu-Tang Forever” before issuing his highly anticipated solo-effort “Beneath the Surface”. Though the album did not live up to the standards of “Liquid Swords” it received strong critical praise and also was certified Gold.

GZA’s next solo release was not until 2002’s “Legend of the Liquid Sword”. In between releases he was featured on the Wu-Tang Clan albums “The W” and “Iron Flag” and also showed up on some of his fellow members solo albums. “Legend of the Liquid Swords” was herald with rave reviews, but commercially it did not peak from cult status.

In 2004 GZA embarked on an extensive tour as a solo artist and as part of the Wu-Tang Clan. This year he also made a cameo alongside RZA and Bill Murray in Jim Jarmusch’s movie “Coffee and Cigarettes”.

A year later GZA put out a collaborative album with DJ Muggs entitled “Grandmasters”. His next solo album “Pro Tools” came out in 2008 and included production work from Detroit based rapper/sound engineer Black Milk as well as appearances by RZA, Jay Garfield, Mathematics, and True Master.

Apart from his career as a studio musician and live performer, GZA is also an advocate for higher education, specifically the sciences. He is pursuing to better science education in New York City in conjunction with Columbia University Professor Christopher Emdin, Teachers College, and the website Rap Genius.

Pharcyde came together in the late 1980s as a group of dancers, and recorded a demo in 1991 that featured the tracks “Passin’ Me By” and “Ya Mama”. They drafted in artist management who had previously worked with Cypress Hill and House of Pain. Fortunately the demo landed in the hands of Mike Ross from Delicious Vinyl, who signed the group to his label in 1991.

The group recorded their debut album “Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde” and released it on November 24th 1992; the album earned Gold certification by the RIAA in 1996 in addition to having already earned plenty of critical acclaim. Their single, “Passin’ Me By” peaked at number 52 on the Billboard Hot 100, and the song made it to the soundtrack of the movie, Big Daddy. Following the release, of the album, the band managed to make the line up of the Lollapalooza festival in 1994. It was around this time that the band also earned the “Album of the Year” title from Time Magazine.

With one hit record already under their belts, it was time for the release of another one. This time it was “Labcabincalifornia”, which was released on November 14th 1995. They had a video directed by film producer and director, Spike Jonze for the song “Drop” which made it to number 5 on the Hot Rap Singles Chart, whilst the album made it to number 37 on the Billboard 200.

On November 7th 2000, the band released their third full-length studio album entitled “Plain Rap” which unfortunately didn’t chart as high as the previous two albums, but the single “Trust” did make it to number 15 in the US Rap Charts.

At the average age of 18, Souls of Mischief entered the studio, having signed a major-label deal with Jive Records, to record “93 ‘til Infinity”. It was released on September 23rd 1993, and caught the wave of the hip-hop scene that was in the mainstream by this point. Their sound was based around a live bass guitar, accompanied by samples of jazz and funk music. The album catapulted the band to success with its title track, which reached #72 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 1998, it earned the accolade of one of The Source’s 100 Best rap Albums.

Their sophomore studio album, “No Man’s Land”, released on October 10th 1995, received a comparative amount of success, reaching #27 on the R&B chart. This would however, be Souls of Mischief’s final release on Jive Records.

“Focus” was the title of their third album, released on April 20th 1998. It was the first release on the independent label, Hieroglyphics Imperium Recordings label. It was only released as a cassette and record for ten years but is now available on iTunes in a digital format. Their two albums, “Trilogy: Conflict, Climax, Resolution” and “Montezuma’s Revenge” followed a similar pattern with the success and critical acclaim that the albums earned.

However, on August 26th 2014, the band unleashed their album “There Is Only Now”. The album has guest appearances from household names, Busta Rhymes and Snoop Dogg. They released it under the record label, Linear Labs, and Essential Music.