DX: But you know I asked to segue to why’d you take a shot at Soulja Boy [click to read] in that London performance last year?
GZA: I didn’t take a shot at him, man. People gotta realize, I never took a shot. Bloggers is twisting things around. I’m pretty sure you’ve seen the clip, right? [click to view] Did you actually think I took a shot at him?

DX: There’s like two different clips. There’s one where the audience is feeding you. And then there’s another one where I thought you said something about Soulja Boy in reference to ringtones [click to view].
GZA: Yeah, I said, “You got a hot ringtone.” Someone in the crowd said, “Screw Soulja Boy.” I said, “Okay, yeah Soulja Boy you got a hot ringtone. I got a son your age. I’m not knockin’ you. I’m not hatin’ on you, but I know a couple of cats that was 17 that was really, really doing something lyrically.” ‘Cause some people try to say, “Well, given his age he don’t have to be all that lyrical.” Or, he gets a pass. And I knew a lot of 17 year-olds [who were lyrical]. Even at my age, at 17 I was just incredibly lyrically sharp. I mean, c’mon, Nas was what 18 when he did Illmatic?

DX: Rakim was 18 when he wrote “Eric B Is President.”
GZA: Right! So c’mon, don’t try to use [youth] as an excuse, man. It’s just a lot of kids out here with a lot of popcorn rap, that’s all. And be willing to take the good [feedback] with the bad. I know everything written about me isn’t always good. I go online and I gotta be able to handle it. You got people saying, “Yo, screw GZA. He washed up. He bitter. He old.” You know, whatever, whatever, I take the good and the bad. It’s just an opinion.

DX: Now you know I gotta ask this too, in one of those performances from last year – that one I think with the crowd exchange – the shot at 50 Cent comes, and you’re going at 50 again on “Paper Plate” [click to listen], but my question is why now? I mean, Fif first went at Wu like 10 years ago on “How To Rob,” but he hasn’t really taken aim at any of y’all recently.
GZA: Nah, it’s not even that; it’s not like “Why now?” I’m not doing anything to try to get a rep off [this]. I built my rep already. It was just a song, man. Actually, the rhyme was written months ago. And I just happened to be in the studio one day at home and the beat was rockin’ and I decided to throw that dart on that beat and see how it sound. The engineer was like, “Yo, where did that come from? Yo, you need to use that.” Several people heard it and was like, “Yo, you need to rock with that.” So we rocked with it. It was no big deal. It’s not like I waited years to try to get at him or anything. He never said anything personally about me. He’s said a couple of things about Wu [over the years]. As far as the [“How To Rob”] track, I never really took that a certain way. I just thought it was a track. He didn’t mean any harm by it. I never thought he did. But, when I did [that] show and someone called him out and I added on to it, or I fed into it, I just spoke what I felt. I didn’t think he’s lyrical. He’s not, to me! [I’d] still say it. It’s no big deal. So that’s all I said. And he had a response. He replied with some joking thing about my age or whatever. He didn’t really say much. He didn’t really come at me. I mean, this dude really be gettin’ at dudes, [but] he didn’t really say much. So, I did a track, whatever.

DX: One last 50 question: Do you believe 50’s Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ album [click to read] is disposable like a paper plate, that it won’t last the test of time as a Hip Hop classic? ‘Cause most people believe that’s his classic, the 2003 album.
GZA: Yeah, I would say that too. I would say that is his classic. Everything else? Nah, garbage.

DX: You know there are critics who believe 8 Diagrams [click to read] was disposable like a paper plate. What is your impression of that album with 9 months of hindsight to view through?
GZA: Compared to Wu-Tang Forever [and Enter The] 36 Chambers, yeah I agree.

DX: You’re still able to stand outside of yourself as a fan and make that admission?
GZA: Of course, ‘cause I know what I do as an individual, [and] I’ve only increased lyrically. I’m greater than I’ve ever been on the mic, even at my age, I’m getting better and better. It’s amazing. And when I listen to my music sometimes I go in a zone [and] I listen to myself as a fan. I don’t listen to it as GZA. I listen to it as a lyrical person just listening to another emcee. And then I judge it. And if I don’t like something, I don’t like it, ya know? 8 Diagrams wasn’t all that. I agree, it wasn’t all that. I wasn’t really feeling that. There were a few songs on it I liked, but I wasn’t like, “Yeah, we bangin’ ‘em.” Continued on page 4 »