Artist GZA

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GZA

While other Wu-Tang Clan vets have seen their share of ups and downs since the group’s mid-’90s peak, GZA has spent those years working at a steady clip, putting out reliably solid (but hardly classic, save 1995’s Liquid Swords) solo albums every few years. Pro Tools, from 2008, continued the trend with formidable writing but decidedly ho-hum production. Far more interesting were his onstage collaborations in 2009, when GZA excited/confused festival crowds by randomly teaming up with artists like Fucked Up, King Khan, and The Black Lips to try giving “rap-rock” a better name. It’ll be interesting to see how those collusions—including a shudder-inducing dalliance with Devendra Banhart—influence GZA’s seventh album, due later this year.

Updated 03/20/2010