Liquid Swords
Studio album by Genius/GZA
Released	November 7, 1995
Recorded	1994-1995
Genre	Hip hop, East Coast hip hop
Length	55:17
Label	Geffen/MCA Records GEFD-24813
Producer	RZA 4th Disciple
Professional reviews
All Music Guide [1] Entertainment Weekly (B+) [2] Melody Maker (Positive) [3] Rap Reviews [4] NME [5] Option (Positive) [6] Q [7] Rap Pages [8] Stylus Magazine (Favorable) [9] The Wire (Positive) [10] The Source
Genius/GZA chronology
Words from the Genius (1991) Liquid Swords (1995) Beneath the Surface (1999)

Liquid Swords is a solo album by Wu-Tang Clan member GZA, a.k.a. The Genius, widely regarded as a masterpiece of the East Coast hip hop renaissance. It was released on November 7, 1995 through Geffen Records. GZA Liquid Swords album cover This is an album cover. ... A studio album is a collection of studio-recorded tracks by a recording artist. ... GZA (IPA pronunciation: ), aka The Genius, (born Gary Grice August 22, 1966 in Brooklyn, New York City) is an American hip hop artist. ... is the 311th day of the year (312th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Hip hop music is a style of music which came into existence in the United States during the mid-1970s, and became a large part of modern pop culture during the 1980s. ... East Coast hip hop is a style of hip hop music that originated in New York City during the early-1970s. ... In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ... Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operates as one third of UMGs Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group. ... MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... 4th Disciple is a member of RZAs production company at Razor Sharp Records along with Mathematics, RZA & True Master, he is the primary producer for the Killarmy & Sunz Of Man, he is also a backup producer for the Wu-Tang Clan. ... The All Music Guide (AMG) is a metadata database about music, owned by All Media Guide. ... Image File history File links 5_stars. ... Entertainment Weekly (sometimes abbreviated EW) is a magazine published by Time Inc. ... Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was (until its closure) the worlds oldest weekly music newspaper. ... Steve Flash Juon is an American journalist and web master who writes about hip-hop music and culture. ... Image File history File links Stars10100. ... For other uses, see NME (disambiguation). ... Image File history File links 4. ... Option (subtitled Music Alternatives, then Music Culture) was a music magazine based in Los Angeles, California. ... Q is a music and entertainment magazinepublished monthly in the United Kingdom. ... Image File history File links 4_stars. ... Image File history File links 4_stars. ... This article is about the online music and film magazine. ... The Wire is a British avant garde music magazine. ... The Source is a United States-based, monthly full-color magazine covering hip-hop music, politics, and culture, founded in 1988. ... Image File history File links 5_stars. ... GZA (IPA pronunciation: ), aka The Genius, (born Gary Grice August 22, 1966 in Brooklyn, New York City) is an American hip hop artist. ... Words from the Genius was the first album released by the rapper GZA, under his old name, The Genius. ... Beneath The Surface is a 1999 (see 1999 in music) album from Wu-Tang Clan member GZA, an American hip hop musician. ... In popular music, a solo album is an album made by a current or former member of a band. ... Wu-Tang redirects here. ... GZA (IPA pronunciation: ), aka The Genius, (born Gary Grice August 22, 1966 in Brooklyn, New York City) is an American hip hop artist. ... East Coast hip hop is a style of hip hop music that originated in New York City during the early-1970s. ... For other uses, see November (disambiguation). ... See also: 1995 in music (UK) Musical groups established in 1995 Record labels established in 1995 // January 18 - Jerry Garcia wrecks his rented BMW into a guard rail near Mill Valley, California. ... Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operates as one third of UMGs Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group. ...

Album information

Though the album was credited to GZA alone, there are numerous guest appearances from the entire Wu-Tang Clan, like all their earlier solo albums. Liquid Swords is characteristic of the Wu-Tang Clan in its minimalist, menacing and ominous beats by producer RZA, and its cinematic themes relating to Asian cinema, particularly Samurai cinema. GZA also covers many themes, such as chess, crime and philosophy. The album begins with a monologue from a little boy; his monologue, and many of the other skits scattered throughout the album, are from the cult film Shogun Assassin. These samples, along with eerie beats gives Liquid Swords a distinctive, creepy, unsettling sound, proving influential to many subsequent East Coast hip hop artists. In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Asian cinema refers to the film industries and films produced in the continent of Asia. ... While earlier samurai period pieces were more dramatic rather than action based, samurai movies post World War II have become more action based, with darker and more violent characters. ... This article is about the Western board game. ... Shogun Assassin (known in Japan as Kozure Ōkami 子連れ狼) is a very violent jidaigeki movie made for the American market and released in 1980. ...

Cover Art

The album is also known for its distinctive cover, designed by DC-Milestone comic book artist Denys Cowan who was commissioned by Garfield, an avid comic book fan under the auspices of GZA Graphics, a subsidiary company of GZA Entertainment owned by Genius and Garfield. The concept of the chessboard with its sword-wielding warriors was conceived by Genius, an avid chess player. The Genius version of the Wu-Tang Clan logo, the "G" using the logo iconography, was rendered by Wu-Tang Clan DJ Mathematics. DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company. ... We dont have an article called Denys Cowan Start this article Search for Denys Cowan in. ... Mathematics, also known as Allah Mathematics, is a hip hop producer and DJ for the Wu-Tang Clan. ...

Videos

Genius also enjoyed a successful side career as a music video director, and with Garfield as writer and producer, created all four videos for the Liquid Swords album ("Liquid Swords", "Cold World", "Shadowboxin'/4th Chamber","I Gotcha Back"), and also did videos for Sunz of Man, Ghostface Killah's song on the Sunset Park film soundtrack, Shabazz the Disciple (Penalty Records) and Case (Def Jam). The Source magazine recognized their video "Shadowboxin'/4th Chamber" as one of the Top Five Videos of 1995. Dennis Coles (born May 9, 1970), better known by the stage name Ghostface Killah, is an American rapper revered for his lyrical dexterity and vivid imagination. ... Def Jam Recordings is an American based hip-hop record label that operates as a part of The Island Def Jam Music Group, which is owned by Universal Music Group. ...

Reception

Critical response was almost universally positive. Steve Huey of All Music Guide remarked that Liquid Swords is often referred to as "the best Wu-Tang solo project of all" and "Liquid Swords cemented the Genius/GZA's reputation as the best pure lyricist in the group -- and one of the best of the '90s."^[1] Steve Juon of RapReviews.com wrote that Liquid Swords was "the purest representation of the Wu-Tang sound and style at a time when they truly reigned over all others in hip-hop in the mid-90's". ^[11] Liquid Swords is ranked #1 for the year 1995 on RateYourMusic.com, and currently the second-highest rated hip hop album of all time on the site. The All Music Guide (AMG) is a metadata database about music, owned by All Media Guide. ... Rate Your Music is a metadata database where musical albums, EPs, singles and bootlegs are rated and reviewed by users. ...

The public and critical reception was so positive that the album's marketing campaign for its November 1995 release read "Finally...In the Year of the Wu" to commemorate an astounding year-long run of hit Wu-Tang Clan solo albums.

In 1998, Liquid Swords was named as one of rap magazine The Source's 100 Best Rap Albums. Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ...

Chris Rock ranked Liquid Swords 13th on his list of the Top 25 Hip-Hop Albums ever ^[12], but in one of his concerts, he said that is one of his top 3 favorite albums. Christopher Julius Rock III[5] (born February 7, 1965)[6][7] is an Emmy Award winning American comedian, actor, screenwriter, television producer, film producer and director. ...

The album was performed in its entirety on July 13, 2007 at the Pitchfork Music Festival and again in England, on December 9 at All Tomorrow's Parties and on December 10 at KOKO (venue) in London, as part of the ATP-curated Don't Look Back series. After the cancellation of an appearance in Brooklyn, New York, the performance was rescheduled for December 13 and 14 at the Knitting Factory in New York. The Pitchfork Music Festival is an annual summer music festival organized by Pitchfork Media held in Union Park, Chicago. ... All Tomorrows Parties logo projected at festival. ... KOKO is a music venue on Camden High street in Camden Town, London. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Professional reviews:

• Rolling Stone (11/30/95, pp.66-67) - 3 Stars - Good - "It's probably the heaviest Wu-Tang production to date....Genius pulls you into his chamber headfirst....Liquid Swords cuts to the bone, another deadly efficient Wu-banger."

• Entertainment Weekly (12/22/95, p.70) - "...an intriguing paradox of wordplay and profanity, juvenilia and wisdom." - Rating: B+

• Q magazine (2/96, p.96) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...inventively laid-back sample collage of hip hop that offsets his biting messages...the result is dramatic and hypnotic..."

• The Wire (10/01, p.46) - "Genius trades 'romance' for 'crime'...and his icy skills certainly work better with darker scenarios."

• Option (3-4/96, pp.104-105) - "Genius' verbalistics evoke that creepy feeling you get negotiating certain inner-city neighborhoods on pitch black nights."

• Melody Maker (11/25/95, p.36) - "...the keywords...are synthetic and cinematic....the narrator of these ghostly/ghastly horrorcore tales is on the outside looking in, a voyeur...buzzing off the ghetto misery, wondering how to respond....one of the dozen or so best (G-Funk) albums of the year."

• Rap Pages (1/96, p.31) - 8 (out of 10) - "...Liquid Swords presents the Gza as sword-style rhyme originator, holding court over his young disciples....reverential guest appearances from the rest of the Clan...inject the album with some of its most memorable moments....Wu-Tang continue to challenge and confound all expectations of what their music is about..."

• NME (11/11/95, p.46) - 9 (out of 10) - "The best hip-hop album for years. Fact...The Rza's production...is spooked, creaky, incredibly dense....The tricks he's practised on previous Clan albums...reach their apogee here....Genius' quite brilliant lyrics [have] a complexity, a rush of imagery, a strangely poetic drama of brutality."

This article is about the magazine. ... Entertainment Weekly (sometimes abbreviated EW) is a magazine published by Time Inc. ... Q is a music and entertainment magazinepublished monthly in the United Kingdom. ... The Wire is a British avant garde music magazine. ... Option (subtitled Music Alternatives, then Music Culture) was a music magazine based in Los Angeles, California. ... Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was (until its closure) the worlds oldest weekly music newspaper. ... For other uses, see NME (disambiguation). ...

Track listing

All songs produced by RZA unless otherwise noted.

Willie Mitchell is a soul, R&B, rock and roll, pop and funk music producer and arranger who runs Royal Recording in Memphis, Tennessee. ... This article is about the singer. ... For other uses, see Samurai (disambiguation). ... Shogun Assassin (known in Japan as Kozure Ōkami 子連れ狼) is a very violent jidaigeki movie made for the American market and released in 1980. ... ODB redirects here. ... Masta Killa (born Elgin Turner, born August 18, 1969 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American rapper and member of the Wu-Tang Clan. ... “Jason Hunter” redirects here. ... David Porter (February 1, 1780 – March 3, 1843) was an officer in the United States Navy and later the commander-in-chief of the Mexican Navy. ... Shogun Assassin (known in Japan as Kozure Ōkami 子連れ狼) is a very violent jidaigeki movie made for the American market and released in 1980. ... This article is about Method Man. ... The Bar-Kays were a popular Memphis, Tennessee, soul, R&B, and funk group performing from 1966 and continue to perform today, although with only one original member. ... Loving You, Loving Me by Ann Sexton For the poet and writer Anne Sexton, see Anne Sexton Ann Sexton (born 5 February 1950 in Greenville, South Carolina) is a US soul singer. ... The Dramatics was a soul music vocal group, formed in the late 1960s. ... Stevie Wonder (born Steveland Hardaway Judkins on May 13, 1950, name later changed to Steveland Hardaway Morris)[1] is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. ... Shogun Assassin (known in Japan as Kozure Ōkami 子連れ狼) is a very violent jidaigeki movie made for the American market and released in 1980. ... Dennis Coles (born May 9, 1970), better known by the stage name Ghostface Killah, is an American rapper revered for his lyrical dexterity and vivid imagination. ... Killah Priest on the cover of his album Black August Walter Reed (born August 16, 1970), better known as Killah Priest, is an American rapper and affiliate of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan. ... Shogun Assassin (known in Japan as Kozure Ōkami 子連れ狼) is a very violent jidaigeki movie made for the American market and released in 1980. ... Ann Peebles is an internationally acclaimed singer and songwriter best known for her popular Memphis soul albums of the 1970s on the Hi Records label. ... U-God (born Lamont Hawkins, October 11, 1970 in Brownsville, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.) is an American rapper and member of the hip hop collective, Wu-Tang Clan. ... Corey Woods (born January 12, 1970), known by his stage name Raekwon, is an American East Coast rapper and a member of the Wu-Tang Clan. ... Three Dog Night is an American rock band, best known for their music from 1968–1975 but still making live appearances as of 2008. ... Shogun Assassin (known in Japan as Kozure Ōkami 子連れ狼) is a very violent jidaigeki movie made for the American market and released in 1980. ... 4th Disciple is a member of RZAs production company at Razor Sharp Records along with Mathematics, RZA & True Master, he is the primary producer for the Killarmy & Sunz Of Man, he is also a backup producer for the Wu-Tang Clan. ... The Ohio Players are a funk band whose heyday was in the mid- to late 1970s. ...

Personnel

• Raekwon the Chef - Performer
• Ghostface Killah - Performer
• Method Man - Performer
• Mark A. Humphrey - Photography
• GZA - Performer
• U-God - Performer
• Killah Priest - Performer
• Dreddy Kruger - Performer
• RZA - Producer & Performer
• ODB - Performer
• Masta Killa - Performer
• Inspectah Deck - Performer

Album chart positions

The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. ...

Singles chart positions

“Hot 100” redirects here. ... The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, formerly known as Top Soul Singles, Top Black Singles, and Top R&B Singles (before the hip-hop term was added in the late 1990s), is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. ... Hot Rap Tracks is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. ... Hot Dance Singles Sales (formerly known as Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales) is a Billboard is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. ...

References

The All Music Guide (AMG) is a metadata database about music, owned by All Media Guide. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 337th day of the year (338th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Steve Flash Juon was born in Ames, IA on June 20th, 1974. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 337th day of the year (338th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Liquid Swords at MusicBrainz