This is a sentence I never expected to read and it makes me insanely excited: "GZA had just finished an extraordinary round of meetings with physicists at Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, culling ideas for a coming solo album about the cosmos." Oh. Hell. Yes. Meanwhile, GZA is also working with a Columbia professor on an educational program that uses rhyme-writing and some of the cultural trappings of freestyle rap to teach science in New York City public schools. Oh, and it turns out that GZA is pronounced "Jiz-ah", and is derived from "genius".

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_VOYB46DAHOFEZV64LAVXQFQMVU Cool K

    “Oh, and it turns out that GZA is pronounced “Jiz-ah”, and is derived from “genius”.” 

    Looks like someone is a Wu Tang funk faker…

    • http://maggiekb.com/ Maggie Koerth-Baker

      No. More like somebody has listened to Wu-Tang and enjoyed it enough to be excited about this project, but is not enough of an aficionado to have ever had a spoken conversation about GZA, specifically. So I’ve just never heard anybody else say it to me.

      • noah django

        >has listened to Wu-Tang
        >So I’ve just never heard anybody else say it to me.

        b-but, they say their names *in* the songs

        • http://maggiekb.com/ Maggie Koerth-Baker

          Yes, I know. But somehow I never put two and two together on that. I know. I’m an idiot. I really have no excuse. 

          • noah django

            m(_ _)m ゴメンナサイ
            aw, I don’t think you’re an *idiot* maggie.  quite the opposite.  now I feel bad that we all ganged-up on you ITT.  but calling people out *is* part of hip-hop.  anyway, good looking on the rest of the post and link, I’m quite sure I wouldn’t have seen it otherwise.  props.

  • Rob Wheeler

    I came across this story while playing Method Man’s Tical album on my laptop. So as a bit of a nerd myself, I REALLY appreciate this.

  • Brian Denton

    He the head. Let’s put it that way. [Wu-Tang] form like Voltron and the GZA happen to be the head.

    • seyo

      you beat me to it, but I will post it anyway:

      Raekwon: And the GZA, the G is just the Genius, he, he’s the backbone of the whole shit

      RZA (pronounced rizzah, short for Razor): It’s self explanatory, Genius

      Method Man: He the head, let’s put it that way. We form like Voltron, and GZA happen to be the head. You know what I’m sayin.

      • Jonathan Roberts

        No, not really.

  • Gendun

    “Oh, and it turns out that GZA is pronounced “Jiz-ah”, and is derived from “genius”.”

    Welcome to 1993.

    Also in science and hip hop news, check out this just-published fMRI study on freestylers:
    http://www.nature.com/srep/2012/121115/srep00834/full/srep00834.html

  • Alan Wexelblat

    Yeah I went to his talk at MIT a couple months ago. Interesting guy, even if he did dodge the questions on hip-hop and misogyny.

  • Andrei M

    “I be the body dropper, the heartbeat stopper
    Child educator, plus head amputator”

  • http://marrickvillian.blogspot.com/ Al Corrupt

    GZA’s ‘Liquid Swords’ is one of the finest hip hop albums i ever heard.
    The beats are classic, gritty Wu Tang, linked with music and dialogue (and themes) from the incredible 80′s samurai flick – ‘Shogun Assassin’. (Easily the best film around, on the subject of weaponized prams and strollers)
    http://youtu.be/E0wQhiptQBE

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Pamela-Andrews/623225402 Pamela Andrews

    GZA= Genius zig-zag-zig Allah. His name comes from the theology of the Nation of Gods and Earths, or the Five Percenters.  Michael Muhammad Knight has written some interesting stuff about these guys. 

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Col-McGillveray/100001601736627 Col McGillveray

    “Zig-zag-zig Allah” gets a shout out on the first Spice Girls single

  • Professor59

    Maybe these guys could explain a few things to Insane Clown Posse.  I hear they have some questions about science-y stuff.

  • Geelong College

    That;s great that GZA is also working with a Columbia professor on an educational program that is well known and that uses rhyme-writing and some of the cultural trappings of freestyle rap to teach science in New York City public schools.Nice.