Can Somebody Explain why GZA Liquid Swords is considered a classic :lupe

[Ohene]

As a Wu casual, I like it more than any other solo album from any of them. Shadowboxin' is probably a Top 20 hip-hop record of all time. Just flames.



I'll be glad for you to post examples of music from their solo careers better than what this album has to offer though, I'm all ears

investigative reports, shadowboxin, i gotcha back

holy trinity

 

[Won Won]

he was

ironic thing is, Meth stepped up even more post that though

he got better as an emcee on his Tical 2000 album; although that album had one too many skits

but as an emcee, he stepped up big time

but make no mistake about it, Liquod Swords is all GZA's show

that man was a wizard w/ word

One too many? fukking 7 too many

 

[I love Latina women]

One too many? fukking 7 too many

yeah all them skits weren't needed

 

[Unknown Poster]

Bought it in 1998 my freshman year of high school and to this day it's one of the greatest hip-hop albums ever.

Everybody was in a zone on that shyt...

B.I.B.L.E. as the conclusion of Liquid Swords made it so powerful.

 

[Unknown Poster]

Not a personal classic but bro was spittin. Plus that cover hard af

One of the hardest covers of ALL TIME.
Not even close.

 

[ThirdAct]

Does not compute. Gza's a great lyricist and the beats are some of the darkest grimiest NYC winter sounding beats Rza ever made...what's not to like?

 

[Eye $L33P All Day]

From the days of being a Joey bumping Wu to a grown ass marsupial growing greys, I never for the love of me understood why Liquid Swords is put on such a pedestal.

Each time I listen to the album back and forth, I come up with the same thoughts:

• The album is boring as hell
• The theme didn't quite grab me compared to OB4CL
• The beats just missing something

I just don't get it . Am I'm misguided, smooth brained, or lost in the sauce because for the love of me I always thought this project was overrated as hell? Can a Wu head help me understand the madness and give me insight on why Liquid Swords is considered one of the best Wu albums, if not the best Wu album of all time

I think u had to be there ........ when that shyt was released it was a breath of fresh air for Hip Hop Heads, to a degree...right after Cuban Links he dropped this...... Remember, back day they weren't dropping shyt as frequently.....It's not boring in my opinion and the beats may not have been up to what was being dropped in 96 but it was a classic album with many gems...I can listen from start to finish, it's as good as OB4CL imo

 

[Whips-n-Chains]

I get what you're saying.

I listen to 36 Chambers, OB4CL, & Ironman more than I listen to this one.

Nobody wants to say it, but the reason you're not as into it is that it doesn't have "bangers", or whatever the Wu-Tang equivolent of a banger is.

There's no "C.R.E.A.M." or "Ice Cream" or "Daytona 500" or "Triumph" on it.

It's just solid workmanlike hip-hop.

If you're not predisposed to be into sort of cold-weather East Coast beats, then it's easy to get bored by it.

Also, GZA isn't as charismatic as Meth, Rae, Ghost, or ODB.

Those dudes could've been stars even without Wu.

I think it's a 4 Mic record. "Shadowboxin" is one of the best tracks of the '90s & eventually, I think you'll get it.

It's a record that has to sink in. Each lyric is intricate. Every beat matches the mood. It's the rap equivalent of a gritty crime drama directed by Scorsese


I've always felt like the solo records were better than all the collective records outside of 36 Chambers

Yeah, all Koalas got gonorrhea, if I'm not mistaken.

I’d say Duel of the Iron Mic and 4th Chamber and maybe Shadowboxin are bangers that are least on a level higher than Daytona 500, and at least at the level of Shimmy Shimmy Ya, Brooklyn zoo.

There aren’t any club/party/female friendly cuts like Ice Cream, but that was obviously by design. Ice cream is probably my least favorite song on OB4CL

 

[NormanConnors]

Terrible thread

 

[HNIC973]

Running back this classic again yeah you Coli nikkaz

 

[u mad son?]

Man shout out to OP, because of this thread I been bumping this album since and I'm loving it nh.

I got the special edition LP package version of this that came out a few years ago with the chessboard and all that. Last time I checked it was selling for around 2/300, I this was years ago

 

[Whips-n-Chains]

Man shout out to OP, because of this thread I been bumping this album since and I'm loving it nh.

I got the special edition LP package version of this that came out a few years ago with the chessboard and all that. Last time I checked it was selling for around 2/300, I this was years ago

When that was announced I had some false impression in my head that unreleased or remixed/unheard versions would come out.

I’d love to know what was left off this album that never saw the light bc I know the Wu leftovers from 93-97 would all still be classic, especially anything RZA touched in that era

 

[FaTaL]

love liquid swords

 

[The Intergalactic Koala]

I think u had to be there ........ when that shyt was released it was a breath of fresh air for Hip Hop Heads, to a degree...right after Cuban Links he dropped this...... Remember, back day they weren't dropping shyt as frequently.....It's not boring in my opinion and the beats may not have been up to what was being dropped in 96 but it was a classic album with many gems...I can listen from start to finish, it's as good as OB4CL imo

The thing was that I was there as a youngin. Older heads probably can vouch, but I was 10 in human years. I bumped 4th Chamber and Cold World like it was nobodies business. Yet, somehow I was more of a Raekwon head at the time. Hell, I remember borrowing my step aunt's Cuban Linx album to the point it became mines. I love grimey shyt, but when you mix the grimey with the flashy it hits something different.


I appreciate yall for letting me know whats real, because I was so lost with the hype. Yet, from your perspective it was revolutionary. The same way I snapped out of the "fukk hip hop" steez when Wu Tang Forever dropped.

 

[u mad son?]

When that was announced I had some false impression in my head that unreleased or remixed/unheard versions would come out.

I’d love to know what was left off this album that never saw the light bc I know the Wu leftovers from 93-97 would all still be classic, especially anything RZA touched in that era

I've only opened it twice since I copped it but one thing that was invaluable for me was the legit instrumentals of all beats including "swordsman". At that time you couldnt find those instrumentals on the internet, it didnt exist, only fan made looped shyt. So when I threw that on the turntable shyt was crazy. Other than that its just a nice mantle piece joint you open up every now and then and enjoy looking at.

I feel like a lot of the leftover joints Rza made during that time was used for Wu affiliate tracks and random features.

The RZA and AZ track on AZ album was something lifted straight out of that era. The vault must be crazy.