When it comes to Hip-Hop, it really doesn’t get much more legendary than DJ Premier and RZA. Both men are responsible for some of the most gritty beats and some of the most unique production since the early 90s, with DJ Premier getting his career of the ground as a member of Gang Starr and RZA as the founding member of the Wu Tang Clan. The DJ Premier vs RZA battle will go down as the battle for Boom Bap prominence and we are here for it.
In case you aren’t a Hip-Hop aficionado who has had their ear to the ground since the 90s, than you might not know just how legendary these two men are. DJ Premier, a Houston, TX native, who moved to New York City to get his record deal produced just about every track on the Gang Starr No More Mr. Nice Guy album released in 1989 with the late great Guru. He went on to work with Heavy D and the Boyz, Mobb Deep on their debut Juvenile Hell album, Nas on the classics “N.Y. State of Mind” and “Represent” off his debut album Illmatic, The Notorious B.I.G. on “Unbelievable” and Big Daddy Cane on “Show and Prove”, all before 1995.
Other DJ Premier classics include:
Jay-z “Friend or Foe”, D’Angelo “Lady”, The Notorious B.I.G. “Kick In The Door”, and Kanye West “Everything I Am”.
RZA on the other hand is the Staten Island native who came on the scene as a solo artist named Prince Raheem but found prominence when he put together the team of rappers that would be know as Wu Tang Clan. He produced the entire Wu Tang Clan debut album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). He then went on to produce legendary solo album for Method Man, Tical; GZA, Liquid Swords; Ol Dirty Bastard, Return To The 36 Chambers; Raekwon, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx; and Ghostface, Ironman.
Other RZA classics include:
Wu Tang Clan “Triumph”, and Kanye & Jay-Z “New Day” among so many other individual and solo Wu Tang cuts.
Like we have done previously with these Verzuz battles, here’s a round by round break down of the DJ Premier vs RZA battle.
Other Verzuz Battles:
Ne-Yo vs. Johnta Austin | Mannie Fresh vs. Scott Storch | T-Pain vs. Lil Jon
| Babyface vs. Teddy Riley | Jill Scott vs. Erykah Badu | Nelly vs. Ludacris | Beenie Man vs. Bounty Killer | 112 vs. Jagged Edge | Kirk Franklin vs. Fred Hammond | Alicia Keys vs. John Legend | Fabolous vs. Jadakiss |
DMX vs. Snoop Dogg | Rick Ross vs. 2 Chainz | Brandy vs. Monica
RZA went first in every round.
Round 1: GZA – “Liquid Swords” vs. Jay-Z “A Million and One Questions”
Winner: DJ Premier
Jay-Z – ” A Million and One Questions”
Round 2: Method Man – “Bring The Pain” vs. M.O.P. – “Breakin’ The Rules”
Winner: RZA
Method Man – “Bring The Pain
Round 3: Wu Tang Clan featuring Capadonna – “Maria” vs. Mos Def – “Mathematics”
Winner: DJ Premier
Mos Def – “Mathematics”
Round 4: Raekwon “Wu Gambinos” vs. Big L – “The Enemy”
Winner: DJ Premier
Big L featuring Fat Joe – “The Enemy”
Round 5: Ghostface featuring Jadakiss – “Run” vs. KRS One – “MC’s Act Like They Don’t Know”
Winner: DJ Premier
KRS One – “MC’s Act Like They Don’t Know”
Round 6: Wu Tang Clan – “Shame On A Nigga” vs. Das EFX – “Real Hip-Hop”
Winner: RZA
Round 7: Wu Tang Clan – “Protect Ya Neck” vs. Group Home – “Livin’ Proof”
Winner: RZA
Wu Tang Clan – “Protect Ya Neck”
Round 8: GZA featuring Inspectah Deck – “Cold World” vs. D’Angelo – “Devil’s Pie”
Winner: DJ Premier
D’Angelo – “Devil’s Pie”
Round 9: Wu Tang Clan – “Method Man” vs. Gang Starr – “Just To Get A Rep”
Winner: RZA
Wu Tang Clan – “Method Man”
Round 10: Ghostface Killah featuring Raekwon – “Motherless Child” vs. Jay-Z – “D’evils”
Winner: DJ Premier
Jay-Z – “D’evils”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nwptyj9Ec8
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