Grandmasters (album)

Infobox Album | Name = Grandmasters
Type = Album
Artist = DJ Muggs vs. GZA/The Genius


Released = October 25th, 2005
Recorded = 2005
Genre = Rap
Label = Angeles Records
Producer = DJ Muggs
Reviews =
*Allmusic Rating|4.5|5 [http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:5257gjyr66ix link]
*Okayplayer Rating|4|5 [http://www.okayplayer.com/reviews/index.php/weblog/more/grandmasters/ link] | Last album = "Legend of the Liquid Sword"
(2002)
This album = "Grandmasters"
(2005)
Next album = "Pro Tools"
(2008)

Grandmasters is an album by GZA/Genius, a Wu-Tang Clan emcee and Cypress Hill's main producer DJ Muggs.

Inspiration and Album Title

"Chess is the ultimate board game. Monopoly is not in its league and Checkers doesn’t compare at all. It’s civilized war. It’s a mathematical thing, its science, and it’s strategy. That’s life all the time. Just planning your day, being ten steps ahead and seeing the moves ahead. That’s what chess is about. I’m not the greatest player. I’m not a master or a grandmaster. I lose a lot, but I learn. I’ve been defeated plenty times. I play online and I might have 900 wins and 850 losses but I play all the time. The game is fascinating and I am captivated by that. The album I just dropped is called Grandmasters. That’s the highest level you reach when playing chess and it’s also the highest level of emceeing, producing and deejaying. Most of the titles are chess slang ‘Queen’s Gambit,’ ‘Destruction of a Guard,’ ‘Unprotected Pieces,’ and ‘Illusionary Protection.’ I incorporate chess into certain rhymes. I use chess all time. Chess is a big part of what I do."

[rhttp://halftimeonline.com/hip-hop-icon-series/gza/4]

Album information

It features Wu-Tang Clan members and affiliates such as Raekwon, RZA, Masta Killa and Prodigal Sunn as well as Cypress Hill member Sen Dog. All of its tracks are produced by DJ Muggs.

It has a theme of chess as can be seen by the track names. Introductions featuring chess strategy, including instruction for a chess opening using algebraic notation, are within the album.

Reception

It is a well regarded and critically acclaimed album.

The Wire (p.73) - " [T] here's a nice, hasty feel to the record, as though Muggs just threw a loop into the beat computer and GZA just started going....With Muggs's dirty, dashed-together beats and plenty of great guests...."

Vibe (p.216) - " [With] the Cypress Hill vet's cryptic samples and glassy eyed grooves."

Track listing

Personnel

*Gary Grice - Rapper
*Corey Woods - Rapper
*Robert Diggs - Rapper
*Senen Reyes - Rapper
*Elgin Turner - Rapper
*Vergil Ruff - Rapper
*Lawrence Muggerud - Producer/Keyboardist
*Daniel Seeff - Bassist
*Mike Simz - Guitarist/Pianist/Keyboardist/Bassist
*Rob Hill - Guitarist/Strings
*Dontae Winslow - Trumpeter
*Ina Williams - Background Vocalist
*Ern Dog - Guitarist/Bassist/Organist
*DJ SPR4 - Music Recorder
*Rob Hill - Music Mixer
*Joe "The Butcher" Nicolo - Music Mixer
*Ernie Medina - Engineer
*Brian "Big Bass" Gardner - Music Masterer
*Mike "Fatoe" Orduna - Art Director/Designer
*Joey Castillo Jr. - Art Director/Designer
*Robert Johnson III - Photographer
*Dina Nadezhdina - Spoken Word Interlude Speaker