The RZA Hits

1	Narration By The RZA 1:03
2	Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing Ta F' Wit / Wu-Tang Clan 3:36
3	Protect Ya Neck / Wu-Tang Clan 4:52
4	Shimmy Shimmy Ya / Ol' Dirty Bastard 2:41
5	Liquid Swords / The Genius 3:01
6	Narration By The RZA 1:20
7	Method Man / Method Man 4:55
8	Incarcerated Scarfaces / Raekwon 4:30
9	Ice Cream / Raekwon 4:16
10	Narration By The RZA 1:31
11	Bring the Pain / Method Man 3:15
12	Winter Warz / Ghostface Killah 4:41
13	Brooklyn Zoo / Ol' Dirty Bastard 3:40
14	All I Need / Method Man 3:16
15	C.R.E.A.M. / Wu-Tang Clan 4:12
16	All That I Got Is You / Ghostface Killah 5:00
17	Narration by the RZA 1:40
18	Wu-Wear: The Garment Renaissance / Method Man Bonus Track 3:53

Barnes & Noble

RZA is the most important hip-hop conceptualist of the decade, an innovative paradigm-shifter with scary skills. Like Public Enemy producer Hank Shocklee -- a kindred spirit and important predecessor -- RZA understood early on that hip-hop ears are more likely to accept dissonance and loopy bricolage than your average rock fan, and his work with the Wu-Tang Clan and its various solo offshoots are the most venturesome experiments in avant-hard rap ever. RZA conjures up the spookiest tableaux with spare brushstrokes -- Cecil Taylor-like piano clanks, ghostly bells, the forlorn thump of an 808 drum. If you missed out on RZA and the Wu-Tang Clan's counterrevolution the first time around, this collection will set you straight. Some of RZA's definitive production work is included here: Ol' Dirty Bastard's eerie "Shimmy Shimmy Ya," Method Man's autobiographical roughneck manifesto "Method Man," the Wu-Tang's midnight creep "C.R.E.A.M.," plus cuts from GZA, Raekwon, and the rest of the crew. The RZA hits? Harder than a battering ram, yo. Marc Weingarten

All Music Guide

Perhaps the best overall introduction to the dauntingly large Wu-Tang universe, RZA Hits is an excellent singles compilation covering the first round of Wu projects -- their debut Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) and the five solo albums recorded in its wake. The material here traces the Wu's rise from underground heroes to full-fledged stardom in hip-hop's mainstream, and arguably no other album captures their offbeat menace and outsized personalities with such stunning consistency. All 13 singles collected here were produced by the RZA, giving a primer on his eerie, cinematic style; moreover, these songs were all highlights of their respective albums, from the era when the Wu's quality control was at its highest. Every album represented here is at least an entertaining listen, and three -- the group debut, the Genius' Liquid Swords, and Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx -- are undisputed classics. Which means that this is only a starting point, but the material is so consistently terrific that it makes RZA Hits one of the richest listens in '90s hip-hop. Sure, you can do without the RZA's between-track narrations, or the "bonus track" "Wu Wear, the Garment Renaissance," a lengthy plug for the group's clothing line. But this is the absolute cream of the crop, gathering tremendous singles by Method Man, Ol' Dirty Bastard, the Genius, Raekwon, and Ghostface Killah. Anyone wondering why the Wu-Tang Clan is acknowledged as one of the greatest rap groups of all time need look no further than this collection. Steve Huey