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Pro Tools (album)
Pro Tools is the fifth studio album by American rapper and Wu-Tang Clan member GZA. The album was released August 19, 2008 on GZA's Liquid Swords Entertainment and Babygrande Records. It serves as his first release since his collaboration album with DJ Muggs, Grandmasters (2005), and follows six years after his last solo effort, Legend of the Liquid Sword (2002). Production for the album took place during 2008 and was handled by several record producers, including RZA, Bronze Nazareth, Preservation, Mathematics, Black Milk, Arabian Knight and True Master.
The album debuted at number 52 on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 9,000 copies in its first week. Upon its release, Pro Tools received generally positive reviews from most music critics.
The title refers to Pro Tools music production software. In an interview with Vibe, he explained:
Well, it’s the production software program, basically. The people at Babygrande were asking for a name. I was looking around the house, or the studio, and trying to come up with something, and I may have even been reading the actual Pro Tools manual and just went with that, and it works great with the album.
— GZA
Pro Tools features production from Wu-Elements producers RZA, True Master, Mathematics and Bronze Nazareth, as well as Arabian Knight, Dreddy Kruger, Preservation. Guest appearances range from RZA, Masta Killa, and GZA's son Young Justice. GZA later said "I saw an ad out there where it’s promoted as a GZA album. I'll probably be on most of the tracks but its supposed to be a compilation album, there’s various artists on the album".
GZA was asked about producers and having fewer guest appearances on the album, responding "I’m not one who works with big producers because I expect that to make the album go double platinum. I remember once we paid $150,000 for a Trackmasters beat once, with Ron Isley singing, the “Back In The Game” track off of Iron Flag, and it wasn’t even a single, so I don’t bother searching for names. I’d rather people buy the record because they want a GZA album, and then the extras be a surprise. The album as a whole has only two Clan members on it. The last day we were recording, I was in Paris supporting the Wu tour, and a call was put out that I was in the studio and the only two that showed up were RZA & Masta Killa, so that’s what we went with. My next album is going to be no guest appearances. Emcees need to start carrying their own weight". In the same interview, he gave a response about having only a few RZA-produced songs on the album, stating "Well, you have to put in time with your producer, and RZA and I have been working back since I was 11 & he was 8 going to the Bronx to check out this hip-hop stuff, so you have to know where they are coming from. Whenever I close my eyes and listen to his stuff, I can’t put a rhyme to it. His beats are more cinematic".
The first single from the album, "Paper Plate," was released on July 18, 2008, and was circulated widely over the internet. The single continues the feud between GZA and 50 Cent (who has not responded to the track). GZA, during a performance in Queens, New York, had this to say about 50 Cent: "a Nigga don't got fuckin lyrics". In response to a question about "Paper Plate," he said:
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Pro Tools (album)
Pro Tools is the fifth studio album by American rapper and Wu-Tang Clan member GZA. The album was released August 19, 2008 on GZA's Liquid Swords Entertainment and Babygrande Records. It serves as his first release since his collaboration album with DJ Muggs, Grandmasters (2005), and follows six years after his last solo effort, Legend of the Liquid Sword (2002). Production for the album took place during 2008 and was handled by several record producers, including RZA, Bronze Nazareth, Preservation, Mathematics, Black Milk, Arabian Knight and True Master.
The album debuted at number 52 on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 9,000 copies in its first week. Upon its release, Pro Tools received generally positive reviews from most music critics.
The title refers to Pro Tools music production software. In an interview with Vibe, he explained:
Well, it’s the production software program, basically. The people at Babygrande were asking for a name. I was looking around the house, or the studio, and trying to come up with something, and I may have even been reading the actual Pro Tools manual and just went with that, and it works great with the album.
— GZA
Pro Tools features production from Wu-Elements producers RZA, True Master, Mathematics and Bronze Nazareth, as well as Arabian Knight, Dreddy Kruger, Preservation. Guest appearances range from RZA, Masta Killa, and GZA's son Young Justice. GZA later said "I saw an ad out there where it’s promoted as a GZA album. I'll probably be on most of the tracks but its supposed to be a compilation album, there’s various artists on the album".
GZA was asked about producers and having fewer guest appearances on the album, responding "I’m not one who works with big producers because I expect that to make the album go double platinum. I remember once we paid $150,000 for a Trackmasters beat once, with Ron Isley singing, the “Back In The Game” track off of Iron Flag, and it wasn’t even a single, so I don’t bother searching for names. I’d rather people buy the record because they want a GZA album, and then the extras be a surprise. The album as a whole has only two Clan members on it. The last day we were recording, I was in Paris supporting the Wu tour, and a call was put out that I was in the studio and the only two that showed up were RZA & Masta Killa, so that’s what we went with. My next album is going to be no guest appearances. Emcees need to start carrying their own weight". In the same interview, he gave a response about having only a few RZA-produced songs on the album, stating "Well, you have to put in time with your producer, and RZA and I have been working back since I was 11 & he was 8 going to the Bronx to check out this hip-hop stuff, so you have to know where they are coming from. Whenever I close my eyes and listen to his stuff, I can’t put a rhyme to it. His beats are more cinematic".
The first single from the album, "Paper Plate," was released on July 18, 2008, and was circulated widely over the internet. The single continues the feud between GZA and 50 Cent (who has not responded to the track). GZA, during a performance in Queens, New York, had this to say about 50 Cent: "a Nigga don't got fuckin lyrics". In response to a question about "Paper Plate," he said: