blew away genre conventions, and Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s Return to the 36 Chambers was immediately legendary. During the blast of hype that followed 36 Chambers, members of the Clan dropped a barrage of solo and collaborative discs, all of which are fantastic: Method Man’s Tical was unstoppable, Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. Two years later, GZA bested the role he’d had in creating one of the greatest hip-hop records of all time by releasing the absolute greatest hip-hop record of all time, Liquid Swords. His voice was powerful and commanding, his vocabulary seemed bottomless, and his poise and calm added gravitas and a sense of spirituality to a group of no-nonsense bruisers. The Clan’s standout rapper was without a doubt their elder statesman, GZA. Its raw, stripped-down production and its masterful lyrics, gracefully traded off among nine larger-than-life rappers, represented a fresh take on the booming genre of hip-hop-no slick studio tricks, no cartoony personalities, just lean-and-mean rapping over spooky boom-bap beats.
When the Wu-Tang Clan released their landmark 1993 full-length debut, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), they changed the game in popular music.
YOUTUBE LIQUID SWORDS FULL ALBUM SERIES
Sommelier Series (paid sponsored content).Overall, though, Liquid Swords is possibly the most unsettling album in the Wu canon (even ahead of Ol' Dirty Bastard), and it ranks with Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) and Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx as one of the group's undisputed classics.Donate now! I'm not interested right now. Creepily understated tracks like "Liquid Swords," "Cold World," "Investigative Reports," and "I Gotcha Back" are the album's bread and butter, but there's the occasional lighter moment ("Labels" incorporates the names of as many record companies as possible) and spiritual digression ("Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth"). Mixing gritty story-songs and battle rhymes built on elaborate metaphors (martial arts and chess are two favorites), the Genius brings his lyrical prowess to the forefront of every track, leaving no doubt about how he earned his nickname.
All of his collaborators shape themselves to his quietly intimidating style, giving Liquid Swords a strongly consistent tone and making it an album that gradually slithers its way under your skin. Not only is RZA in top form, but every Clan member makes at least one appearance on the album, making it all the more impressive that Liquid Swords clearly remains the Genius' showcase throughout. The Genius' eerie calm is a great match for RZA's atmospheric production, which is tremendously effective in this context the kung fu dialogue here is among the creepiest he's put on record, and he experiments quite a bit with stranger sounds and more layered tracks. Rich in allusions and images, his cerebral, easy-flowing rhymes are perhaps the subtlest and most nuanced of any Wu MC, as underscored by his smooth, low-key delivery. Often acclaimed as the best Wu-Tang solo project of all, Liquid Swords cemented the Genius/GZA's reputation as the best pure lyricist in the group - and one of the best of the '90s.
0 kommentar(er)
