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The RZA Hits

 
Album Review: The RZA Hits

  • Artist: The RZA
  • Rating: StarStarStarStarStar
  • Release Date: June 22, 1999
  • Total Time: 61:22
  • Type: Contains explicit content
  • Genre: Rap

Review

Perhaps the best overall introduction to the dauntingly large Wu-Tang universe, RZA Hits is an excellent singles compilation covering the first round of Wu projects -- their debut Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) and the five solo albums recorded in its wake. The material here traces the Wu's rise from underground heroes to full-fledged stardom in hip-hop's mainstream, and arguably no other album captures their offbeat menace and outsized personalities with such stunning consistency. All 13 singles collected here were produced by the RZA, giving a primer on his eerie, cinematic style; moreover, these songs were all highlights of their respective albums, from the era when the Wu's quality control was at its highest. Every album represented here is at least an entertaining listen, and three -- the group debut, the Genius' Liquid Swords, and Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx -- are undisputed classics. Which means that this is only a starting point, but the material is so consistently terrific that it makes RZA Hits one of the richest listens in '90s hip-hop. Sure, you can do without the RZA's between-track narrations, or the "bonus track" "Wu Wear, the Garment Renaissance," a lengthy plug for the group's clothing line. But this is the absolute cream of the crop, gathering tremendous singles by Method Man, Ol' Dirty Bastard, the Genius, Raekwon, and Ghostface Killah. Anyone wondering why the Wu-Tang Clan is acknowledged as one of the greatest rap groups of all time need look no further than this collection. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Narration by the RZA RZA (1:03)
Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing ta F' Wit (Lyrics) Robert Diggs, Jason Hunter, C. Woods, Dennis Coles, Gary Grice, Clifford Smith Wu-Tang Clan (3:36)
Protect Ya Neck (Lyrics) C. Woods, Clifford Smith, Robert Diggs, Dennis Coles, J.K. Hunter Wu-Tang Clan (4:52)
Shimmy Shimmy Ya (Lyrics) Robert Diggs, R. Jones Ol' Dirty Bastard (2:41)
Liquid Swords Robert Diggs The Genius (3:01)
Narration by the RZA RZA (1:20)
Method Man (Lyrics) Gary Grice, Russell Jones, C. Woods, Robert Diggs, Jason Hunter, Dennis Coles Method Man (4:55)
Incarcerated Scarfaces (Lyrics) Robert Diggs, Raekwon Raekwon (4:30)
Ice Cream (Lyrics) C. Woods, Robert Diggs Method Man, Raekwon, Cappadonna, RZA, Ghostface Killah (4:16)
Narration by the RZA RZA (1:31)
Bring the Pain (Lyrics) Clifford Smith, Robert Diggs Method Man (3:15)
Winter Warz (Lyrics) Dennis Coles, D. Hill, Robert Diggs, E. Turner, C. Woods RZA, Cappadonna, Ghostface Killah, Masta Killa, U-God (4:41)
Brooklyn Zoo (Lyrics) Russell Jones Ol' Dirty Bastard (3:40)
All I Need (Lyrics) Robert Diggs, Clifford Smith Method Man (3:16)
C.R.E.A.M. (Lyrics) Clifford Smith, Dennis Coles, Isaac Hayes, Jason Hunter, Robert Diggs, Gary Grice, Wu-Tang Clan, Russell Jones, David Porter Wu-Tang Clan (4:12)
All That I Got Is You (Lyrics) Robert Diggs, Alphonso Mizell, Freddie Perren, Mary J. Blige, Dennis Coles Mary J. Blige, Ghostface Killah, RZA (5:00)
Narration by the RZA RZA (1:40)
Wu-Wear: The Garment Renaissance [*] Robert Diggs Cappadonna, Method Man, RZA (3:53)

Credits

RZA (Producer), True Master (Producer), Mary J. Blige (Performer), Chris Gehringer (Mastering), U-God (Performer), RZA (Programming), RZA (Mixing), Ghostface Killah (Performer), Masta Killa (Performer), 1 Slord (Assistant Engineer), Wu-Tang Clan (Performer), RZA (Engineer), The Genius (Performer), Method Man (Performer), Cappadonna (Performer), Jimmie Lee (Assistant Engineer), Method Man (Producer), Tom Coyne (Mastering), Mary J. Blige (Vocals), Will Kennedy (Digital Imaging), Fourth Disciple (Scratching), Ol' Dirty Bastard (Producer), RZA (Arranger), Jack Hersca (Mixing), Rich Keller (Mixing), Raekwon (Performer), Fourth Disciple (Assistant Engineer), RZA (Compilation Producer), Ethan Ryman (Engineer), Steve Neat (Engineer), Tony Dawsey (Mastering), Jay Nicholas (Assistant Engineer), John Wydrycs (Mixing), Willie Mitchell (?), Ol' Dirty Bastard (Performer), David Sealy (Assistant Engineer), John Carr (Art Direction)
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Wikipedia: The RZA Hits
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The RZA Hits
Compilation album by RZA
Released June 22, 1999
Recorded 1993-1998
Genre Hip Hop
Length 61:22
Label Razor Sharp/Epic/SME Records
EK 69610 (North America)
492542 (international)
Producer RZA
Professional reviews
RZA chronology
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (soundtrack)
(1999)
The RZA Hits
(1999)
Digital Bullet
(2001)

The RZA Hits is a compilation produced by The RZA. It contains songs featured on the first Wu-Tang Clan album and its first round of solo albums. All songs, apart from "Brooklyn Zoo", are produced by RZA.

Contents

Reception

  • Q magazine (8/99, p.134) - 4 stars (out of 5) - "...a supremely populist selection...keeping the molten hit count high. If the consistency of these prime-time cuts was sustained, this would probably be the best rap compilation ever rather than merely one of the best."
  • Muzik (8/99, p.79) - 5 stars (out of 5) - "...singular brilliance....Greatest Hits is as effective an insight into [RZA's] unique Staten Island mayhem as the title suggests."
  • Rap Pages (9/99, p.182) - "...the perfect reference manual for [RZA's] importance to rap music....a must-listen for anyone who has ever uttered the word 'Hip-Hop'." - Rating: A

Track listing

# Title Songwriters Producer Performer Original Album
1 "Narration By The RZA" RZA RZA
2 "Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing ta F' Wit" L. Hawkins, R. Jones, J. Hunter, D. Coles, R. Diggs Jr., C. Woods, G. Grice, C. Smith RZA Wu-Tang Clan Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
3 "Protect Ya Neck" L. Hawkins, R. Jones, J. Hunter, D. Coles, R. Diggs Jr., C. Woods, G. Grice, C. Smith RZA Wu-Tang Clan Enter the Wu-Tang
4 "Shimmy Shimmy Ya" R. Jones, R. Diggs RZA Ol' Dirty Bastard Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version
5 "Liquid Swords" G. Grice, R. Diggs, J. Zawinul, F. Cavaliere, E. Brigati RZA GZA Liquid Swords
6 "Narration By The RZA" RZA RZA
7 "Method Man" L. Hawkins, R. Jones, J. Hunter, D. Coles, R. Diggs Jr., C. Woods, G. Grice, C. Smith RZA Wu-Tang Clan Enter the Wu-Tang
8 "Incarcerated Scarfaces" C. Woods, R. Diggs RZA Raekwon Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...
9 "Ice Cream" C. Woods, R. Diggs RZA Cappadonna, Ghostface Killah, Method Man, Raekwon Only Built 4 Cuban Linx
10 "Narration By The RZA" RZA RZA
11 "Bring The Pain" C. Smith, R. Diggs RZA Method Man Tical
12 "Winter Warz" D. Coles, L. Hawkins, C. Woods, E. Turner, D. Hill, R. Diggs Jr. RZA Cappadonna, Ghostface Killah, Masta Killa, U-God Ironman
13 "Brooklyn Zoo" R. Jones True Master & Ol' Dirty Bastard Ol' Dirty Bastard Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version
14 "All I Need" C. Smith, R. Diggs RZA Method Man Tical
15 "C.R.E.A.M." L. Hawkins, R. Jones, J. Hunter, D. Coles, R. Diggs Jr., C. Woods, G. Grice, C. Smith, I. Hayes, D. Porter RZA Wu-Tang Clan Enter the Wu-Tang
16 "All That I Got Is You" D. Coles, M.J. Blige, R. Diggs Jr., B. Gordy, D. Richards, A. Mizell, F. Perren RZA Ghostface Killah, Mary J. Blige Ironman
17 "Narration By The RZA About Wu Wear" RZA RZA
18 "Wu Wear The Garment Renaissance" R. Diggs RZA Cappadonna, Method Man, RZA High School High (soundtrack)

Samples used

  • "Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing Ta F' Wit" contains samples of "Impeach The President" by The Honey Drippers and "Hihache" by Lafayette Afro Rock Band.
  • "Shimmy Shimmy Ya" contains samples of "Hip-Hug-Her" by Booker T. & the MG's, "I Like It" by The Emotions, "Knocks Me Off My Feet" by Stevie Wonder and "Have Your Ass Home by 11:00" by Richard Pryor.
  • "Liquid Swords" contains samples of "Groovin'" and "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" by Willie Mitchell and "That's the Way It Is" by Al Green.
  • "Method Man" contains samples of "Sport" by Lightnin Rod, "Synthetic Substitution" by Melvin Bliss and "More Bounce To The Ounce" by Zapp. Also contains interpolations of "I'm Just A Bill," originally performed by Schoolhouse Rock, and "Method of Modern Love", originally performed by Hall & Oates.
  • "Incarcerated Scarfaces" contains samples of "Wang Dang Doodle" by Koko Taylor and "You're Getting A Little Too Smart" by Detroit Emeralds.
  • "Bring the Pain" contains a sample of "Mechanical Man" by Jerry Butler.
  • "Winter Warz" contains a sample of "I Think I'd Do It" by Z. Z. Hill.
  • "All I Need" contains a sample of "Synthetic Substitution" by Melvin Bliss, and an interpolation of "You're All I Need To Get By," originally performed by Marvin Gaye.
  • "C.R.E.A.M." contains a sample of "As Long As I've Got You" by The Charmells.
  • "All That I Got Is You" contains a sample of "Maybe Tomorrow" by The Jackson 5.
  • "Wu Wear The Garment Renaissance" contains a sample of "Don't Take My Kindness for Weakness" by The Soul Children.

Album chart positions

Year Album Chart positions
Billboard 200 Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums
1999 The RZA Hits #61 #30

 
 

 

Copyrights:

Album Review. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "The RZA Hits" Read more