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album: Liquid Swords
artist: Genius/GZA
label: Fontana Geffen / 1995
score: 97
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by Joel Mathiesen
A masterpiece of the hip hop genre. RZA and GZA did what every emcee and producer
fails to do: make a flawless album.
GZA will always be known as the lyrical genius of the Wu-Tang and thanks to Liquid Swords
that statement can't be anymore true. He captured the life of the hood by using metaphors and
he tied in every theme to the following tracks. For example, every song on Liquid Swords fits so perfectly
with the next because of how the stories and skits are played out. GZA talks about the "killa hills" on more
than just the track, "Killa Hills," and that's what he does throughout the album, tying in each
character and story or message to the next.
My favorite song on the album is "Labels," where GZA takes out his true aggressions against the
mainstream record labels. He was always known for having a grudge against record labels and with
RZA's dark keyboards in the background, GZA gets his points across very well.
The production on Liquid Swords cannot go unnoticed. It wasn't just the Genius who made this a success.
RZA stepped away from his raw and simple beats, as he embarked on a new style using keyboards. The dark
keyboards fit perfect with GZA's doom stricken lyrics, combining to create the masterpiece
that is, Liquid Swords.
Liquid Swords should go down as one of the best hip-hop albums ever recorded and I hope GZA and RZA
are always recognized for their incredible talent on this LP.
- June 2007
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