A concert featuring blog-rappers the Cool Kids and Wu-Tang Clan legend GZA might look at first glance to be a passing of the hip-hop torch, but GZA isn't giving it up quite so easily.

GZA, aka Gary Grice, rocked a crowd of thousands at Toronto's Yonge-Dundas Square on Sunday to mark the end of another NXNE, giving everyone who showed up for the free show exactly what they wanted. The old-school traditionalists got a set heavy with classics from the Wu-Tang catalog and his seminal album 'Liquid Swords,' while new-school fans were thrilled by the now-ubiquitous presence of King Khan, who brought his dime-store guitar to the stage for a handful of tracks.

The show opened with the classic '4th Chamber,' and the laid-back beat and Khan's twangy guitar built excitement from the start. Other highlights of the woefully short 40-minute set included 'Liquid Swords,' the call-and-response of 'Clan in Da Front' and a tribute to fallen comrade Ol' Dirty Bastard on his classic 'Shimmy Shimmy Ya.'

Just as satisfying as the ageless rhymes was GZA's appreciation for the fans who came to see him. When the organizers told him he had five more minutes, he brushed them off and did 10, and when the set finished, he spent several more minutes shaking hands and signing autographs.

The GZA has been said to the brains of the Wu-Tang operation. The lone Wu-banger took to the stage of New York's Knitting Factory on December 14, to showcase his cinematic piece of hip-hop history for hipsters and the Wu faithful.

Armed with the 'Iron Mic' and a 23-strong entourage, the GZA ran through 30 songs, including some Wu-Tang classics and a tribute to the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. Have an exclusive look at a rare 'Liquid Swords' performance by the Shoalin soldier.

The GZA, aka Genius, treated the Wu-Tang faithful to an an up-close and personal performance of his legendary 1995 cinematic masterpiece 'Liquid Swords.'

Armed with only a mic and an entourage of 23, GZA took to the stage at New York's intimate Knitting Factory to spit his famous verses, ranging from Wu-Tang bangers 'Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing Ta F' Wit,' 'Protect Ya Neck,' 'Reunited' and beyond. The Genius also performed a tribute rendition of 'Shimmy Shimmy Ya' for his fallen comrade Ol' Dirty Bastard.

There should be little doubt as to the Wu-Tang Clan's relevance in 2007, as GZA can rightfully claim to having paved the way for much of today's dark indie hip-hop. Appropriately, he reminded the Knitting Factory audience that, considering the amount of young faces in attendance, "who the f--- can say Wu-Tang ain't relevant to the kids? Wu-Tang is for the f---ing babies!"

Get the full story at the Boombox.

On Friday at the inaugural Echo Project just outside of Atlanta, rappers GZA (Wu-Tang Clan) and Slick Rick appealed to the festival's hippie crowd by being backed by an actual live band. "This is all live," GZA proudly told the crowd when introducing backing musicians the Fyre Dept. "Gotta respect that s---!"

Immediately before taking the stage, Slick Rick told Spinner that fronting a live band helps his music "reach a broader audience," even though it can be hard to get it to sound as slick as pre-recorded tracks.

Midway through the set, GZA further bonded with the audience by pointing to the empty photo pit and asking, "Why do they always shut down the press after two songs? We don't need that s--- empty! Let security know that we're cool with [people being there]." Meanwhile, GZA's fellow MC, Dready Kruger, wore a shirt that read, "F--- Security."

But in the front-of-house, the crowd was far too mellow to cause incidents. Guess the rappers are still adjusting to that broader audience.