Lyrical Swordsman - The GZA

One of my favorite MCs of all time is the GZA from the Wu-Tang Clan. I was a teenager when I first heard the Wu-Tang Clan's first album - Enter the 36 Chambers and I loved it. It was everything I ever wanted in an album: Raw, gritty and innovative. Plus they fused hip-hop with kung-fu cinema that I grew up watching as a kid growing up so I was able to combine my two favorite things in one album. Of all the MCs in the Wu-Tang clan, my favorites were the GZA and Ghostface Killah.

The GZA recently put out an album called 'Pro-Tools' which I recently purchased from Amazon's MP3 download site. I had high expectations being that his earlier album , 'Liquid Swords' is one of my all time favorites. The album didn't disappoint me and I think it is one of the best hip-hop albums out right now.

It struck me how the principle of Gong-Fu applies to the art of MCing. Mastery through time and effort. The GZA is one of the most consistent MCs out there. You can tell by listening to his flow and delivery that he obviously hones his craft. I appreciate true skill regardless of the field and the beauty about skill is how effortless it looks when it is applied. Everyone remembers the GZA going off on Soulja Boy at a concert of his recently.




50 cent decided to come to Soulja Boy's defense and made some comments about the GZA. I recently was browsing through the album and stumbled upon a track called 'Paper plates' on his album, which lo and behold seems to go at 50 cent. Normally I think most rap-beefs are just a ploy for publicity *cough* 50 vs. Kanye *cough* but I do enjoy a lyrical dismantling and this is definitely one.



There is a proverb that goes "The match is over the moment the swordsmen touch swords".

Intro - Ode to Martial Arts (Way of Life)

My interest in Kung-Fu or Gongfu began when I watched kung-fu movies as a kid growing up. 108 Shaolin wooden men, Snake vs. Crane, Drunken Master, Shaolin vs. Wutang, Revenge of the Ninja may have had shaky dialogue and plot holes so big that you could drive a semi through them, but my friends and I spent plenty of hours mimicking the punches and kicks, the over-dubbed mouth movements, the sounds (whoosh-bap-bap-yeeaaaahhhhhh). We would watch Bruce Lee and reenact scenes from our favorite movies. I promised myself if I ever got the chance to study Kung-Fu, I would. I've been studying Shaolin Kung-Fu for the past 6 years and I can't jump backwards onto rooftops just yet but I am working on it.

I also grew up listening to hip-hop music. I've been a fan of hip-hop since I was a kid in the mid-eighties. Way back when mix-tapes were on cassettes that you would trade with your friends and play at a low volume because you didn't want any grown ups hearing cuss-words coming from your tape player. Although there have been groups who have incorporated the martial-arts symbolism (like the Wutang Clan), I hadn't really heard a group describe the martial arts journey so perfectly until I heard a song from one of my favorite groups Dead Prez. The song is called Way of Life from their RBG-Revolutionary but Gangsta album.



Here are the lyrics:

Dead Prez - Way Of Life

What you know about the running, the stretching
The katas, the weapons
The path, the journey
The jewels, the learning
The fear, the focus
The aches, the pains
The contact sparrin', the breaks, the sprains
The trial and error, the ranks, and belts
The spiritual growth, the science of breath
The tests, the techniques
The forms, the stances
The flow, the rhythm, the internal answers
The herbs, the healing, the quiet meditation
The truths revealed through daily dedication
The love for the art, the sweat on your shirt
The mind, the body, and the spirit at work
The feelings of failure, the hope to succeed
The battles with questions like "Should I smoke weed?"
The water, the thirst
The cleansing, the blessings
The flash of insights, the teachings, the lessons
The grappling and locking, trapping and boxing
The training and slacking
The starting and stopping
The stayin' committed, when your homies ain't with it
The hours or practice after the class is finished
The cause of your ignorance, flaws in your discipline
Broken laws of nutrition, and poor conditionin'
The vitamins and supplements
Salves and ointments
The kin-ships, pulled joints and doctor appointments
The dues, the pads, the wraps, the gloves
The mouthpiece you left home, the taste of your own blood
The hunger, the blocks
The punches, the squats
The crunches, the example you set for the youngsters
The will, the skills, to kill or to heal
The separation between what's fake and what's real
The laws of physics, The class camaraderie
The vows of humility, the bow, the courtesy.

Well everything except the "Should I smoke weed" part I can cosign.