Yoshi's Oakland
510 Embarcadero West
Oakland, CA
May 9, 2026
Saturday night at Yoshi’s hip hop heads from around the Bay gathered to see the one the, the only Gary Eldridge Grice, better known as GZA, one of the founding members of the Wu Tang Clan. They sported the gear and brought out their paraphernalia to watch the oldest member of the hip hop franchise that changed the game. GZA, who also goes by the moniker “The Genius”, is perhaps one of the best MCs in the business, a G.O.A.T. He’s earned that status as a true genius both musically and classroom: he also teaches quantum physics on Ivy League and other campuses.
Yoshi’s is one of the best places to see and vibe with the lyrically prolific artist whose stage presence commands stadiums and intimate venues alike. The 59-year-old rapper performed two shows that night and I caught the 9:30 late show. He walked on stage, the house broke into shouts of “GZA!”, and he kind of grinned a little. Yoshi’s is one of those cabaret style clubs where you cozy up to the people sitting next to you, the ones you came with and a few you didn’t know when you sat down but are buddies with by the time the lights come up.
His back up came out first and warmed up the crowd. The Phunky Nomads, a band that seamlessly blends hip hop, funk, R&B, and rock, has backed GZA on tour since the mid-2010s and did not disappoint. They hail from New York and include a bassist, keyboard player, drummer, and electric violinist who makes his strings sing. These guys are a musical force in their own right.
Then GZA’s strolled out, his casual style, in a blue cable sweater, jeans, and sneaks, matching the band’s laid-back attire. These cats were hip hop cool and ready to groove.
They started with a few tracks from GZA’s solo album “Liquid Swords,” one of my faves in his discography. He is not called The Genius for nothing; he brings a calculated precision to his rap. His flow is unmatched. GZA is grimy and gritty with his lyrics and sound, and he brought that as he regaled us with hits from the now 30 year old album.
No Wu-Tang member grabs a mic without paying homage to the influential collective that made them. GZA led us on a tour from the “Liquid Swords” album and into “The Chamber” with a few of the band’s hits, including snippets of “C.R.E.A.M.” and “Clan in da Front,” a track on which he is the focus and center of the song. GZA is not a dancer, but he does a hip hop two step with an occasional shoulder shimmy that takes him around and across the stage engaging with the crowd. This was the fourth or fifth time I’ve seen him, and it was perhaps one of my favorite shows outside of the Wu Tang Vegas residency in 2024. He owns the stage and you can tell that after almost 40 years he still has fun up there.
GZA tells gripping stories with his lyrical magic. He pulls you in, paints a picture of life at a different time that still resonates today. On Saturday night he shared memories of The Tang and some of their best tracks and broke out with a tribute to ODB—Old Dirty Bastard—and sang a bit of "I Like It Raw". The crowd sang along with him—these were true fans.
GZA and Wu Tang continue their “final tour” throughout the summer, which is a full-circle moment for the groups as they pay homage to their iconic album “Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). I am excited to catch them before that tour ends.
Wu Tang Forever.
