# What is the best GZA album?

> Wu-Tang's resident chess master never rushed a record. His solo catalogue runs from a forgotten pre-Clan debut to a canonized classic and the quieter returns that followed.

*By YPB Team · Published October 31, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/what-is-the-best-gza-album*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Grandmasters** — score 1000/1000
   A 2005 collaboration with DJ Muggs of Cypress Hill, structured around chess moves and gloomy, cinematic beats.
2. **Liquid Swords** — score 999/1000
   The 1995 RZA-produced masterpiece built on kung-fu samples and chess imagery, widely ranked among the greatest hip-hop albums.
3. **Words from the Genius** — score 966/1000
   GZA's 1991 Cold Chillin' debut, released as The Genius before the Wu-Tang Clan took off.
4. **Beneath the Surface** — score 818/1000
   GZA's 1999 gold-certified follow-up, produced mostly by Wu-Tang affiliates with a darker, denser sound.
5. **Legend of the Liquid Sword** — score 636/1000
   The 2002 album that paired GZA's lyricism with brighter, more varied production.
6. **Pro Tools** — score 0/1000
   GZA's 2008 album, featuring the 50 Cent diss track Paper Plate and appearances from Wu-Tang members.

Tags: hip-hop, music, wu-tang clan, gza