It was only slightly more than a year ago that Ludacris and Rick Ross were rocking the Dome at Syracuse University, drawing rap enthusiasts from all over the community.

While the “Rock the Dome” concert did not return this year, great hip-hop shows are still alive and well in Syracuse, and true hip-hop heads need to look no further than The Westcott Theater with the founding member of the Wu-Tang Clan, GZA, performing on Friday night.

GZA (pronounced JIZ-uh), also known as The Genius, will play The Westcott Theater on April 5. The opening acts feature Syracuse-based rap group The Goonies and Jay Foss, an SU student whose mixtapes have launched him to the front of the Syracuse rap scene.

GZA’s first claim to fame came from his performance on “Enter The Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers,” the debut album from the legendary rap group, Wu-Tang Clan. By 1995, the album was certified platinum. GZA founded the East Coast hip-hop group with his cousins, RZA and Ol’ Dirty Bastard in 1993, a group that has been called the “best rap group of all time” by Rolling Stone Magazine.

As the oldest member of Wu Tang Clan, GZA embodies every aspect of the nine-member rap group: aggressive, smart, controlled chaos and, of course, Kung-Fu. He earned the nickname “The Genius” with his philosophical lyrics, being able to maintain an aura of bravado that is matched only by his razor-sharp wit.

Known for his vivid imagery and clever rhymes depicting the grittier side of New York City, GZA played a prominent part in Wu-Tang Clan’s debut album. He was featured on almost half the tracks on the album and was one of two artists on the album to have a solo track with “Clan In Da Front.”

Since Wu-Tang Clan’s debut, GZA was the first member of the Clan to have a solo album after dropping “Liquid Swords” in 1995. The album went on to become certified gold and is still considered one of the most successful solo albums to come out of the Wu Tang Clan.

Unlike his fellow Clan members Ghostface Killah and Method Man, “The Genius” isn’t just a nickname for GZA. His latest album, “Dark Matter,” is set to release in 2013 and takes very different direction from his earlier works. “Dark Matter” is an album inspired by quantum metaphysics, and also has GZA working with MIT physicists and Hayden Planetarium Director and Internet darling Neil deGrasse Tyson.

GZA is also currently part of an experimental educational program with Columbia University and hip-hop lyrics website RapGenius to teach science to 10 New York City public school students using hip-hop.

You can expect to hear GZA’s wit and newfound scientific edge when the hip-hop legend takes the stage at The Westcott Theater this Friday.

Published on April 3, 2013 at 9:19 pm

Contact Alfred: alng@syr.edu

@alfredwkng