While the Genius continues to slice through resistant mentals with his liquid sword rhyme schemes, his sophomore album is the first clear sign that Wu-Tang's pre-eminence may be waning. Without Bobby Digital working the track wizardry, Beneath the Surface is an odd amalgamation of RZA-wannabe tracks (courtesy of the Arabian Prince and Mathematics) that are starting to sound more and more like Swizz Beats every day. Gza's rhyme assaults still pack a wallop, but his album shows wear at the seams, bulging with impossibly high ambitions and uneven execution. Songs like "Breaker, Breaker,""Publicity," and "Hip Hop Fury" still burn hotter than Sahara summers, but it's not enough to help the entire LP catch fire. --Oliver Wang

uuid:	8BD090DE-C598-4020-BCDD-D389422D9158
upc:	0008811196929
tracklisting:	Intro Amplified Sample Beneath The Surface Skit #1 Skit #2 Crash Your Crew Breaker, Breaker High Price, Small Reward Hip Hop Fury Skit #3 1112 Skit #4 Victim Publicity Feel Like An Enemy Stringplay (Like This, Like That) Mic Trippin Outro
title:	Beneath the Surface
rating:	4
purchase date:	09-05-2005
published:	29-06-1999
price:	$18.98
net Rating:	4.5
last lookup time:	137386864
genre:	East Coast Gangsta & Hardcore
fullTitle:	Beneath the Surface
currentValue:	$3.49
created:	137386848
country:	us
aspect:	Audio CD
asin:	B00000JHD7
artist:	Gza/Genius