Fans were treated to a notable musical combination on Friday, February 7, 2025, between the genre-blurring funk band from Boston, Mass., Lettuce, and rapper GZA (aka The Genius), who is a founding member of the Wu-Tang Clan. This all took place at Brooklyn Steel, located in Brooklyn, NY. Lettuce is known for fusing hip-hop, rock, psychedelia, jazz, soul, jam, go-go, and the avant-garde, making this a perfect pairing. GZA performed a set along with his band, the Phunky Nomads, followed by a set of Lettuce covers and originals. Both sets included surprise guest sit-ins.
The evening began with the Phunky Nomads, who delivered a fresh hip-hop sound. The group included drummer Ramsey Jones, keyboardist Entrfied McCloud, bassist Djibril Toure, and violinist PhearNone. Jones, who is the older brother of former Wu-Tang Clan member Ol’ Dirty Bastard, introduced the band before they launched into a thumping instrumental to get the crowd hyped. Eventually, GZA joined the party with a certain ’90s rapper swagger. The Brooklyn native looked thrilled to be on his home turf and was positively engaged with the crowd.
GZA performed his legendary Liquid Swords album in its entirety, originally released on November 7, 1995. He also covered “Shimmy Shimmy Ya” by Ol’ Dirty Bastard, as well as a pair of Wu-Tang Clan staples: “Reunited” and “Triumph.” He often flashed smiles to the fans, along with a bit of traditional call and response.
Guitarist Adam Smirnoff sat in for one tune, as did drummer Adam Deitch. Both are members of Lettuce. The Phunky Nomads also had a few moments to perform a medley of their own tunes without GZA.
Overall, GZA’s performance was truly special and a throwback to a different decade of hip-hop.
Lettuce never fails to impress or pack the house, and this set was no exception. The Grammy-nominated band consisted of Adam Deitch (drums, percussion), Adam “Shmeeans” Smirnoff (guitar), Erick “Jesus” Coomes (bass), Ryan Zoidis (alto, baritone, tenor sax, Korg X-911), Eric “Benny” Bloom (trumpet, horns), and Nigel Hall (vocals, Hammond B-3, Rhodes, clavinet, keyboards).
They began with a funk-laden instrumental before GZA sat in once again for three songs, including “C.R.E.A.M.” and “Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nothing ta F Wit,” both off Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)—the Wu-Tang Clan’s debut album. The fans were loving this synergistic collaboration, but perhaps not as much as Lettuce was. Multiple band members flashed the Wu-Tang Clan hand sign.
Lettuce then settled back into their tasty funk-meets-hip-hop, R&B, and blues-rock repertoire. This included an inspired cover of “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” by Tears for Fears, executed in an alternative R&B fashion. Hall really shined during this tune, both on vocals and keys.
During Lettuce’s set, GZA decided to roam into the crowd briefly and was spotted taking selfies with a person in a wheelchair in the ADA section, which brought a lot of joy to that individual and his entourage.
As the show went on, Lettuce played a number of jams that included inspired solos from each band member, and they never disappoint live. Brooklyn Steel was the perfect venue to host this stellar show and launch the final joint effort into the stratosphere.
The one-two punch of jam-friendly Lettuce combined with old-school hip-hop artist GZA was truly an exceptional collaboration. Unfortunately, the Brooklyn show was the last date for this pairing. However, Lettuce is up next on Jam Cruise, followed by a performance on March 2 at the Mission Ballroom in Denver, CO. Tickets are available via this link. Head over to their tour page for more dates. GZA doesn't appear to have any dates at the moment, but he updates fans on performances here.
Check out more photos from the show!
