In 2002, GZA was fast at work on his fourth solo album (the third since the ’93 sonic-boom of the Wu-Tang Clan). At the time, 1995’s Liquid Swords was well on its way to eventual platinum status, while 1999’s Beneath The Surface was his second consecutive Top 10 release, grabbing gold. The Genius’ label, MCA/Geffen Records was restructuring, and the lyrical shogun within the Clan followed Nas, as he did with Stillmatic, as one of the artists willing to re-visit his classic catalog in moving forward. The Legend Of The Liquid Sword is not a definitive sequel album per se. But in the minds of faithful Clan fans, it made a big wager, simply by using the hallowed name.
RZA, who put down some of his finest drum programming and filthiest sampling back in ’95, would contribute just “Rough Cut.” In his place, Cypress Hill’s DJ Muggs (who eventually collaborated with GZA at an album level), Roc-A-Fella’s Bink!, and Jay Z mentor Jaz-O stepped in. The Genius even slid behind the boards for a cut too.