The Brooklyn rapper RZA puts above Nas and Rakim: “No other MC can compare”
RZA recognises rap greatness when he sees it. He is, after all, the man credited with assembling and managing the Wu-Tang Clan, arguably the greatest rap collective there’s ever been.
While a young RZA spent periods of time elsewhere, he was, by and large, a New Yorker, and his home city and its culture was hugely influential upon the life and career he ultimately grew up to lead. He was shaped by New York’s rap culture, and he idolised some of its best MCs.
Rakim, in particular, was a hugely important rapper for the RZA. Before he and Eric B came around towards the end of the ’80s, hip-hop was a different sort of beast. They changed the game, with Rakim’s rapping, especially, proving to be so important for the scene. He set a template for others like the Wu-Tang Clan to follow down the line.
The Clan, when they did arrive on the scene in 1993 with 36 Chambers, helped to put New York back on the map, in terms of the era’s rap music. While the West Coast had enjoyed a period of dominance for a spell, the East kicked back into life and Wu-Tang Clan were at the forefront of it.
But they weren’t alone. In 1994, Nas released his first LP, Illmatic, which itself proved to be one of hip-hop’s most important albums. RZA became a big fan of Nas, too, and he came to consider him to be among the great MCs. He and Rakim are right up there, from RZA’s perspective.
But there is another New York MC who RZA thinks just about beats both these legendary rappers. RZA could be accused of favouritism here, given that this person, not only is in his band, but is also literally family. The GZA, as his cousin sees it, is the best MC there’s ever been.
“I don’t think no MC could beat the GZA,” RZA claimed during a 2025 appearance on the Drink Champs podcast. “I think what GZA has written for hip-hop, no other MC can compare.”
While he explicitly acknowledged both Rakim and Nas as each being “one of the greatest,” RZA felt that his Wu-Tang bandmate’s achievements outstripped theirs. To back that rather lofty claim, he implored the hosts to “look at what he spawned” within the context of hip-hop.
“He spawned me,” RZA said. “Meth, Rae, Ghost — these are all from GZA, the enlightener.”
RZA believed that, as well as being a hugely skilled MC in his own right, GZA’s abilities also pushed those of his fellow Wu-Tang Clan members. This was a massive achievement in and of itself, RZA believed, given the importance of his group.
“What the Wu offered lyrically,” he was happy to boast, “is what no one has mastered yet.” By pushing the Wu-Tang Clan forward, by setting a lyrical standard that the others had to strive towards, GZA served hip-hop well, according to RZA. That’s why he needs to be considered up there with the best to ever do it.