Remix album of "Grandmasters", the collaborative project between Brooklyn rapper of the Wu-Tang Clan Gary "GZA / The Genius" Grice and LA producer of the Cypress Hill Lawrence "DJ Muggs" Muggerud. Muggs is also credited with this effort, however, his beats are set aside and replaced by remixes from different artists, including many little-known or up-and-coming names: Dialekt, DJ Khalil, James Alsanders, LD, King Karnov, DJ Solo, Lewis One, St. Louis and Scoop Deville. Among the guests, there are Raewkon, RZA and Masta Killa of Wu-Tang, Prodigal Sunn of Sunz of Man, Sen Dog of Cypress Hill, and Ras Kass, the only novelty among the rappers compared to the original version, which takes the place of The Abbot in "Destruction of a Guard" alongside Lex Diamonds. Ras Kass is a kind of Wu-affiliate being part of The Four Horsemen along with, among others, Killah Priest of Sunz of Man.
Deprived of the musical contribution of a single producer, the disc loses sonic coherence, gaining some scattered quality, thanks to the individual beatmakers who do a very good job with their minimal performances, in an attempt to give greater value and energy to the bars spitted by GZA. Among others, DJ Khalil ("Destruction of a Guard"; one of the most lively rhythms of the edition), James Alsanders ("Exploitation of Mistakes"), King Karnov ("Advance Pawns"), DJ Solo ("All In Together Now"; good piano that gives a soulful mood to the track), St. Louis ("Unprotected Pieces") and J-Thrill ("Illusory Protection") stand out.
This remix album runs smoothly for a good half hour, highlights GZA's lyrical talent more and is slightly better than the original record, however, it's still far from being a solid album. 7/10.
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