April 11, 2014

GZA/The Genius "Words From The Genius" (The Source, 4/91)


"Cold Chillin has done it again! Over the past few years, they have signed some highly talented MC's and the trend continues with The Genius. Although the first single, "Come Do Me," has a definite R&B / New Jack feel to it - don't be fooled! The Genius has plenty of microphone finesse to please all types of ears with his unique rhyming style. The Genius is given plenty of room to roam with the slamming production work done by Easy Mo Bee. You might remember the songs he produced on Big Daddy Kane's second record ("Another Victory"). He supplies The Genius with plenty of funky drum tracks with a mixture of sampled organ riffs, guitar licks, and basslines that provide The Genius with a funk-filled backdrop for his rhymes." Check out the visuals to "Come Do Me," cont'd below...


"The tracks deal with a variety of subjects from street reality ("Life Of A Drug Dealer"), to funny Slick Rick style adventures ("Stay Out Of Bars") to flat out nastiness ("Superfreak"). The cuts I enjoyed most though is when The Genius rhymes about the most important thing - himself! "True Fresh MC" and "I'm Slammin" combine some of the album's most skillful production with The Genius' verbal ballistics. On "True Fresh MC," Mo Bee combines an uptempo beat, funky bassline, and crackling snare drum, with small saxophone samples from PE's "Bring The Noise" and the most original sampling of P-Funk's classic "Flashlight" keyboard riff I've heard to date. "I'm Slamming" combines the beat used by BDP on "Blackman In Effect" with a bluesy Booker T & MG's sample that simply kicks. Flat out funky beats and fly rhymes make Words From The Genius something to look out for." - The Source, 1991. Check out the full review in The Source down below...