"Beneath The Surface" features Killah Priest. Once again, the beat is original but it's slow. I like it. For the chorus, he uses a sample of a woman singing.. "...Scratch underneath the surface - But as your purpose lie -Seems our will is worthless -Like we're pawns beneath the sky -Face a race by reason, and that is just a win -For empty soul I breathe in, keep myself from givin in..."  It's a cool song which does not repeat the chorus too much.. It's short, slow and sweet. Then, there's 2 skits that come right after each other.. I'm not going to go in detail about the skits but they are somewhat unneeded. They talk about guns, the record industry, etc. The one good skit is about cops using the probable cause and racial profiling to shoot to kill African-Americans.

The real chaos begins with "Crash Your Crew" featuring Ol' Dirty Bastard aka Big Baby Jesus aka Osiris aka... whatever!!! This song is loud and will wake up your neighbors and give your parents a headache. The only problem is that Gza only kicks ONE verse! It's still a good one.. ODB just repeats in his insane yelling voice.. "I'm gonna crash your crew !!!" about 16 times! The song is very loose and chaotic in both the beat and the rhymes.. It bangs!

The next track is the very stylish and cool "Breaker, Breaker" which is also the first single.. The beat is very cool. It borders on being rough but the tightness of the actual beat has a glossy feel to it..  The strings in the melody make the song great. It just goes along great with the beat. Gza handles the chorus through a distorted mic like he was rapping it through a CB. "...Breaker, breaker, one nine, clear the line - Can you read me? Extorted your rhymes -MC's should expect the worst- But stay alert and shoot first..." Gza's lyrics are not only deep and hardcore but his delivery is very tight.. "This is not a test, it's difficulty - Picture closely, the ignorant mostly- Blind, deaf, dumb, your mind left numb -Lost soul who failed to hear the roll of the drum.." This could be a big hit for Gza without compromising his hardcore stance in the hip-hop nation.

"High Price, Small Reward" featuring Masta Killa is an extremely short song but the rhymes are good. Since it's so short it does not get boring. "...I wiped the chrome off wit the dust cloth -'Fore I bust off -What's the cause, life loss, high price to pay- For a small reward, kill for that Bushwick and Horsely broad..." There's no chorus, like man Wu tracks but the beat and the rhymes are there. It's not a great song but it's not wack.

"Hip Hop Fury" featuring Rza, Hell Razah, Timbo King, and Dreddy Kruger  is an amazing hardcore joint! Rza handles the chorus with a loud intensity: "..You crunchy chump crabs get crumbled up like crack rock - fuck wit the Wu we bustin ya whole snot box - Throw ya right ear and ya bitch up in a zip lock- Spazzola to ya fury form of hip hop!..."  The beat slams too. Rza and Gza are the ones who stand out the most though...

"1112" featuring Killah Priest, Masta Killa, and Njeri is the ONLY song produced by The Rza..The beat is cool but the ones he made on "Liquid Swords" rock harder. Gza and Master Killah stand out on the mic. Priest does a good job too as Njeri does not need to be there.

"Victim" features Njeri and Joan Davis. This is the softest and worst song on the album. It's R&B hook is reflective of the streets but come on.... GZA... we don't need R&B hooks on your albums! We depend on your albums to have NO R&B hooks!  Joan Davis sings the hook: "..Just another victim of the... victim of the ghetto -Just Another victim, that's how it goes, ooh..." The sentiments are hardcore because they deal with the streets but the chorus and the slow beat along with the not too talented Njeri makes this track truly suffer.

"Publicty" was one of the first singles too for this album too and is also a very creative song. Like Genius did for record labels on "Labels" off "Liquid Swords", Genius does for magazines on "Publicity".  Here is where Genius shows his genius... There's no chorus to this song which adds to the uniqueness. The beat is very cool and the heavy strings give it an atmosphere of sonic blast. Genius raps: "...My Rap Pages be The Source - Ego Trip remain victory, and no loss -RRap Sheet show you Details, of wars and streets- Where the most live, catch Vibe and Blaze heat -Double XL [XXL] kings who rush through, got right on - Quick to Stress ya, sound crew to get a mic on - Math lets the plates Spin -Consecutive hits, promoters' face grin -The dawn catch fist, keep the paper direct wire -See them jake be tire unlike the story that Echoes out with chronic liars - Like those who feast on hogs, eat murder dogs - A Village Voice kid with his heart and soul calm -Killa bees produce the honey- That fortify the platinum, plus the DJ clause fiend to scratch them..." He also weaves in zines like "Raygun", "High Times", "Black Beat", "Rolling Stone", and even "Tiger Beat". There's also many more. This is a great song.. great hip-hop! The only thing it's missing is dope scratching...

"Feel Like An Enemy" featuring Hell Razah, Killah Priest, Prodigal Sun, and Trigga is one of the two tracks on the album that does NOT contain GZA at all. I wish Gza was on this joint because the beat rocks. It makes you want to run or drive real fast. Hell Razah from Sunz Of Man kicks it off : "I'm like a whirlwind spinnin wit words of wisdom - In the ghetto only promised a hearse and system..." Killah Priest handles the chorus and he does a very good job of it. With an intense voice and delivery, he raps: "...AND ALL THAT HARD ROCK SHIT - charged wit blasphemy! -AND IF YOU'RE FEELIN LIKE AN ENEMY -come after me!..." It's a dope song and would be even doper if the Gza was on it.

"Stringplay (Like This, Like That)" features Method Man. I'm sorry but Meth steals the show completely.. The song is very catchy and could be a very successful single. The stings are very cool and uptempo as the beat fits it very well. Method Man handles the chorus which is repeated about four times each time: "..Uh and it goes like this - Uh uh uh uh, it goes like that.." Method Man's verse is dope too. He steals the song away from Gza like he drops a hundred dollar bill on the floor: "..Pay no attention to the evil they speak - You caught the beef wit the equal eye, poisonous beats from underneath -Crack the concrete wit two left feet -Head on my meat-Ain't no games here we playin for keeps -WE PLAY FOR KEEPS!.." This is a dope song. It's much catchier and poppy that "Shadowboxing" and goes with what I said earlier about the album sounding more glossy. This is a perfect example.. Still, the song is dope..

"Mic Trippin'" is the final complete song on the album which is just Gza alone. It's also Gza's last time his voice is on the album. He uses similar Wu- verses for the chorus but flips it around to make it his: "..Injustice, intelligentcube like never -
Watch a mega watt bang spot, raise the lever- Its operation cobra, its over  -Control the globe slowly, the bold soldier..." It's a cool song but it does not stick in your mind as much as the other ones... It's not wack but it's not amazing.

The final track is "Outro" featuring La The Darkman and Timbo King. Using the same orchestral string melody and beat from the Intro, the two kick verses to end the album with no chorus. La steals the show: "...My clan is like USA the way we conquer - Lay back, grow more chocolate than Willly WWonka- Stomp ya, till your head bleed, your mouth bleed- Runnin wit the heart of slave that's been freed..."

Genius made a very good album I believe that it's up to Wu-tang standards. It seperates himself from the Wu-affliates like Killarmy and Sunz Of Man. The beats are all decent. Some are better than others. While "Victim" is too slow" beats of "Stringplay", "Breaker, Breaker" and "Hip Hop Fury" are terrific. They feel and sound hardcore while having the potential to sell and become very popular. OF course, they won't... The production is also well done.. Arabian Knight and John The Baptist do a good job. "Breaker. Breaker" is produced very well. The sample from "Beneath The Surface" is very tight and clear. The main problem with the album, like many Wu albums, is that there is NO scratching!!! Hip-hop needs scratching! Now, I don't want wall to wall scratching but a little helps!!! It reminds people that this is hip-hop! "1112", The only track produced by Rza is good as it maintains his hard beat similar to "Liquid Swords".. This is good for the people who loved "Swords" It brings are harder more loose feel to the album like  on other songs like "Crash Your Crew" and "High Price, Small Reward".  Gza's lyrics save the album. No one has his delivery or his style. He's not only a very mysterious Wu member but and sharp one. "Publicity" shows how sharp and creative he is.. The only problem is that posse cuts and the weak "Victim" drain his creative control.. Still, Gza stands alone in hip-hop's lyrical population as a unique voice. He is creative.. he shows it on "Publicity" but not showing up on songs like "Feel Like An Enemy" lower his originality. Still, Genius has an original style, flow and lyrical content. He is a young pioneer.  The album flows nice but the skits get in way especially the section where there are two skits in a row... There should only be half the amount of skits that there are.  They cut the album up too much. The songs are short enough that they never get boring nor do the songs all sound the same.. The album flows nicely. Genius is a hardcore artist dealing with subjects of gunz, drugs, the ghetto and many other things.  His guests like Method Man, Hell Razah, Rza, ODB, and Killah Priest all bring a nice hardcore feel. The only thing that brings the hardcore aspect down is the very boring and soft "Victim". Still, songs like "Crash Your Crew" and "Hip-Hop Fury" make this a dope hardcore album. Genius/ Gza made a dope album. Though many do not like it as much as "Liquid Swords", it still can stand alone. If Gza never made "Swords", this would be almost a masterpiece. One main problem that it's too too short. There are plenty of tracks, too many skits, and yet it clocks in under 50 minutes!!!  Still, Gza's sharp lyrics and on-point beats fuel the hardcore hip-hop nation in many ways. The genius takes us beneath the surface and there's dopeness underneath....
Beats: 8/10.
Lyrics: 810.
Production: 8/10.
Originality/Creativity: 8/10.
Album Flow: 8/10.
Hardcore Rating: 8/10.
[ Overall Rating 8/10 ]