Liquid Swords

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Some Wu members, like Cappadonna, are overly concerned with the way they dress, while others are a plain ol' inebriated mess (read: Ol' Dirty Bastard). For the GZA, it's all about the lyrics. With his nasal delivery and rapid-fire flow, he is the most experienced and oldest member of the Wu Tang Clan (he released a pre-Wu LP on Cold Chillin' Records entitled Words from the Genius in 1991). GZA's forte is battle rhymes (on his self-titled cut he declares that wack MCs' "lyrics are weak, like clock radio speakers"). On "Labels" he eloquently pens a complete song using only rap record label names. Loaded wordplay aside, beat-wise Liquid Swords is fully and exceptionally RZA-produced (peep the electric guitars and spacey synths on "Investigative Reports"). Liquid Swords is a perfect purchase for rap fiends who crave ill experimental beats and even iller punchlines. --Dalton Higgins

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Liquid Swords

Tracks:

Liquid Swords
Duel Of The Iron Mic
Living In The World Today
Gold
Cold World
Labels
4th Chamber
Shadowboxin'
Hell's Wind Staff/Killa Hills 10304
Investigative Reports
Swordsman
I Gotcha Back
Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth

Amazon.com

Some Wu members, like Cappadonna, are overly concerned with the way they dress, while others are a plain ol' inebriated mess (read: Ol' Dirty Bastard). For the GZA, it's all about the lyrics. With his nasal delivery and rapid-fire flow, he is the most experienced and oldest member of the Wu Tang Clan (he released a pre-Wu LP on Cold Chillin' Records entitled Words from the Genius in 1991). GZA's forte is battle rhymes (on his self-titled cut he declares that wack MCs' "lyrics are weak, like clock radio speakers"). On "Labels" he eloquently pens a complete song using only rap record label names. Loaded wordplay aside, beat-wise Liquid Swords is fully and exceptionally RZA-produced (peep the electric guitars and spacey synths on "Investigative Reports"). Liquid Swords is a perfect purchase for rap fiends who crave ill experimental beats and even iller punchlines. --Dalton Higgins

Customer Reviews:

One of the rawest albums I've ever heard.......2007-07-26

The title is true. Most of this album are battle raps--and it doesn't disappoint, at all. There's not a lot to say at this point, so let's break it down...

We start off with the title track, which I think is one of the best RZA beats. The lyrics are so hard hitting. Its an addictive song, that's sure. And the intro...well, its weird, as most of the samples from the movie. Standout. 10/10

"Duel of the Mic" is one of the best Wu-tang track with group members that's not on a group album. Again, a standout. 9/10

"Living in the World Today" is a great track, but not really a stand out for me. 8.5/10

We then come to "Gold", which is a spectacular song. Hard-hitting beat, rhymes and great flow from this GZA solo. 10/10

"Cold World" is another RZA that's unskippable. GZA gives us an amazing verse with Inspectah Deck showing us why he can outshine someone. 10/10

"Labels". Hmm...well, yes the song mentions a lot of labels, there's a lot of name dropping...its REAL annoying! WAIT WAIT...ITS ONE OF THE CREATIVE SONGS EVER MADE. "And if you ain't boned a mic you couldn't hurt a bee/That's like going to Venus driving a MERCURY" and "slave of a mental death MC don't panic/Throw that A&R n***a off the boat in the ATLANTIC" are just some of the many amazing lines that GZA drops...just stopping for a chorus or a hook--nearly 50 bars of straight sickness. Cannot be rated due to greatness/10

"4th Chamber" is on the same note as "Duel of the Mic". But this time, its even greater with no chorus or hook. Ghost shows us why he was picked to be on OB4CL with Raekwon. Killah Priest shows us, even know he isn't in one of the greatest groups in hiphop, he can still spit some crazy lines. "Clutch they fists/ and throw up signs like a Crip/And throw all types of fits/I leave 'em split/like a** cheeks and ragged p***y lips". RZA shines and shows everyone he's more of a producer. 10/10

"Shadowboxin'" is a song that you can either like or not. This was me when I first listened to it, but after awhile I fell in love with it. Great guest verse from Meth. 9/10

"Killah Hills 10304" is one of the best from this album. Long intro, some thing you would see on a cop show(i.e. Law and Order). After that, once again GZA goes off into space and delivers one of the greatest verses in Wu-Tang history, with amazing flow and delivery. No hook or chorus, well over 50 bars. You WILL go back a few times just to catch what he's saying. 10/10

"Investigative Reports" is an amazing song. Involving the best Wu member, Ghostface and his partner,Raekwon, for "their" later classic. Yet, GZA steals the show. 9.2/10

"Swordsman" is another hit or miss. Its very hard hitting, both lyrically and musically. Really comes hard here. 8.8/10

"I Gotcha Back", same as above. Hit or miss, the more you listen to it, the more you will like it. 8.5/10

"B.I.B.L.E. (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth)", when I first heard this track, the second the left and right channels hit the speakers, I was hooked. No this is NOT GZA, its the man who *almost* outshined 3 Wu members(tho he did this to Ghost),Killah Priest. He drops some amazing knowledge lyrics. I went back about 3 or 4 times WITH the lyrics just to see what he said. Amazing way to finish a great album. 10/10

Closing Comments: No, its NOT better than Illmatic nor Paid in Full, but its a great album and debut. I didn't expect more or less, he showed us why he is a genius. Its his best album to date--though he still has great follow ups, they won't ever be nearly as good as this. Its a classic, but no masterpiece. 5 stars. Oh, and I think I'm going to have to check out the movie, "Shogun Assassin". Its the movie that's used as some samples as intros/outros in some songs.

Cold world indeed.......2007-07-13

The acknowledged head of the Wu-Tang Clan, Genius (a.k.a. GZA) delivers the fifth Wu-banger with his sophomore solo album. Musically, LIQUID SWORDS is the Clan's strongest solo release to date, and lyrically, Genius comes correct with a style he describes as "too swift to bite."
LIQUID SWORDS is comprised of two types of songs, all backed by the rza's skillful production.

On the one hand, Genius schools the Clan's followers through songs that address serious problems experienced in every day inner-city life. "Cold World," which is backed by whirling wind sound, contains mini-stories that illustrate the misfortunes of gun-slinging in the hip-hop community. "Investigative Reports" goes even deeper in administering the blame, suggesting that drug-related crimes stem from a higher authority.

On the other hand, there are the Clan's kung-fu metaphors, which show up on Genius' more Wu-styled songs. On "Duel Of The Iron Mic," he's joined by a number of fellow Clansmen to reinstate the idea that no one can match them, despite numerous attempts to copy their image and concepts. Similarly, the production on songs like "4th Chamber" and "Shadowboxin'" closely relates them to 36 chambers, and helps make liquid sword a complete classic.
Personnel includes: Lou Diamonds a.k.a. Raekwon The Chef, Tony Starks a.k.a. Ghost Face Killer, Lucky Hands a.k.a. U-God, Ol' Dirty Bastard a.k.a. Dirt Megirt, Rolly Fingers a.k.a. Inspectah Deck, Johnny Blaze a.k.a. Method Man, Master Killa a.k.a. Noodles, Killah Priest, Dreddy Kruger, Life (vocals).The best hip-hop album in years.

The best cd i own till diz day..........2007-07-01

I listined to 36 chambers and all other solo projects from wu menbers except ugod cause he's wack... But man gza ? Diz guy is the best... Liquid swords is one of those albums that will live on forever. Best tracks ? "cold world" , "4th chamber" , "shadowboxin" a classic.

You know my steeze..........2007-05-02

This is really a great disc. The GZA isn't my favorite Wu-Tang MC and (people will hate my for this) I don't think he's the most talented (I'm gonna side with Ghost) and I certainly don't think this is the best We solo disc (Cuban Linx has a tighter concept.) But, again, this is a really great disc.
It showcases what the GZA does best, and that's old school rhymes with clever metaphors and punchlines. RZA's production on Liquid Swords is slowed down from Cuban Linx and even 36 Chambers, which allows the GZA to move at his own pace. The most prominent guests - Method Man and Inspectah Deck - work well to complement what is going on. Indeed, I don't think Deck has sounded better than this album (Duel of the Iron Mic, Cold World.) Meth's work on Shadowboxin' makes some of the dopest verses you'll ever hear ("fiend to catch a n***a snoozin'/slip the cardiac/arrest me/exorcist hip-hop possess me/crunch a n***a like a Nestle/you know my steeze")
The Genius also has a chance to shine on concept songs like Labels and Killah Hills 10304 in a way that he doesn't on Wu-Tang posse tracks. As mentioned by other reviewers, Labels is constructed around the names record labels and is a cautionary tale about thinking that a record deal is going to solve your problems ("Tommy ain't my muthaf***in Boy/when he fakes moves on a n***a he employ".) Killah Hills is the kind of in-depth drug dealer narrative that you would expect from Ghostface or Raewkwon, but the GZA holds his own, creating an even grimier scene than either of them (except maybe Ghost's "Malcom" from Supreme Clientele.)
The only "problems" occur when GZA flows over quicker beats with quicker MCs - notably on 4th Chamber and Investigative Reports. RZA, Rae and Ghost have such quick, dexterous flows and rapid fire rhymes that the songs seem to drag under the GZA's straight-forward, laid-back delivery. I realize this has more to do with preferences, so I still give the album five stars, but it's something that's always stood out to me.
All in all, this is a fantastic piece of work from a very talented MC and worth every penny you would ever have to pay for it. It makes me long for the golden era of mid-90's NY hip-hop. Buy, listen, enjoy.

The Year of the Wu Indeed.......2007-03-17

It's hard to figure out why GZA's masterpiece did not get even more recognition. This album justifies his "Genius" nickname. Dark and heavy, superbe production by the RZA and tongue twisting lyrics by the usual Wu-Tang suspects. The extracts from the movie "Shogun Assassin" solidify the whole Shaolin flavour of the album. If you've never listened to Wu-Tang, you should absolutely try this album along with "Enter the 36 Chambers", "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx" and "Ironman". These albums represent everything that is (or at least was) great about hip hop.