(As far as Hip Hop Isn't Dead is concerned, Liquid Swords by The Genius/Gza (as he was known back in 1995) is a fucking no-brainer. There aren't many people who will dispute the album's grand supremacy, and if you do, you don't really like hip hop to begin with. Longtime Reader Reviewer Banksta will probably not change anybody's mind, but his point of view deserves to be heard (or read, as it were).)
If you've been following the guest write-ups I'm doing for Max to support his awesome blog (no, really, his U-God, 50 Cent or Cappadonna reviews are on par with Monty Python's Flying Circus for me), you may believe I'm a massive Wu stan, with the incurable insanity that goes with that label. Well, you're probably right. Which is why I'm presenting (surprise!) another Wu-Tang Clan album.
I've wanted to review something else, something that hasn't been looked into yet, such as DJ Muggs and Sick Jacken's Legend of the Mask and the Assassin or Eazy-E's Str8 Off Tha Streetz Off Muthaphukkin' Compton, but the titles of those discs are too long and they just aren't my desert island choices, because this round of Reader Reviews is based on such a choice. Now, some kind of album introduction is in order.
I suppose you already know the history of the Clan in short way, such as one I could write here, so I'll tell something different. My life has been normal until I fell into, you know, the Clan. It all has started innocently, just rare listens to tracks such as "Da Mystery Of Chessboxin", "4th Chamber", "Method Man" or even "Must Be Bobby", and I liked the Wu-Tang. I even converted my best friend into a Wu stan. But before any of that happened, I was a longtime Cypress Hill soldier. It wasn't until I was bored one day and listened to “Clan In Da Front”, with The Gza ripping the minimalist beat with dirty drum accompaniment, that I became a fan of Wu-Tang. Suddenly, my life has become worse and worse from then... spending all of my money on albums, posters, you know. So it makes sense that I would write about Liquid Swords.
1. LIQUID SWORDS
The Shogun Assassin-sampled intro is merged with the actual song, so it's hard to skip it. However when the beat stabs your eardrums, you'll find yourself looped into it until it ends. But you knew that already, I assume.
2. DUEL OF THE IRON MIC (FEAT MASTA KILLA, INSPECTAH DECK, & OL' DIRTY BASTARD)
Unlike the previous track, the introduction works well, as it leads directly into a duel between three people. Some people say this is Gza's best verse ever, and I'm not arguing with them. (That's what I'm here to do.) This triple-team proved to be capable of ripping most, if not all, songs to shreds on which they appear on in their various later catalogues. Ol' Dirty's on the hook only, so I'm not too excited.
3. LIVING IN THE WORLD TODAY (FEAT METHOD MAN)
Damn me if I ever find weak songs on Liquid Swords.
4. GOLD (FEAT METHOD MAN)
Featuring, sure, but only for a few words. Just like Max, I was skipping it back in the days. I'm digging the hell out of this now, though. Gza mutilates this beat, but that statement can be applied to every other track presented on Liquid Swords.
5. COLD WORLD (FEAT INSPECTAH DECK)
After my first spin of this album, this was a standout for me, and today I still love this song. “Inspector” Deck managed to climb on Gza's level back in the days: regardless of his current output, he's still my second living favorite from the Clan. I still wonder how his debut would have sounded had it been released during the first wave of Wu-Tang solo shots. (Does anybody out there prefer the remix that features D'Angelo on the hook to this album version? Anybody? Bueller?)
6. LABELS (FEAT THE RZA)
I assume you already know that these “themed” songs started here, and this one is about 9,304 different record label names sewn together into an actual verse. As this was the first time he did this, it was something new, fresh, rendering it even more awesome. Of course, The Rza's groundbreaking beat only helps the matter. (For an added bit of Prince Rakeem fun, you can also track down Rza's remix of “Labels”: I think I prefer his beat on that version a bit more.)
7. 4TH CHAMBER (FEAT GHOSTFACE KILLAH, KILLAH PRIEST, & THE RZA)
This song sucks balls.
Okay, you got me; it's actually the best song on this album. Just trying to be different.
8. SHADOWBOXIN' (FEAT METHOD MAN)
“4th Chamber” and this have been combined into one single, which was a fantastic idea if you ask me. I didn't care much for this when I first listened to it, but although this sounds more like Method Man featuring The Genius, I now believe this to be the second best track on here. What can I say? Blame my wasted-right-ear-which-hears-very-little-now for not catching this beauty first time I've heard it.
9. KILLAH HILLS 10304
This is the most controversial song here, thanks to the Wu-Gambinos influence and high-pitched loop, so it's up to you (yes, you, this one in front of the screen) whether you like it or not. I do. I love the (introductory) skit, but The Rza probably didn't mean for it to come out sounding ridiculously ridiculous.
10. INVESTIGATIVE REPORTS (FEAT RAEKWON, GHOSTFACE KILLAH, & U-GOD)
Another criminal track, but I think you've guessed that. I was never really that impressed with it. Gza outshines his invited guests, but that's probably good, since he's the host and all that. U-God handles only hook duties here (insert breath of relief here).
11. SWORDSMAN
Oh, a song without guest spots! It's “Swordsman” for me, because it sounds better as a title, more Wu-esque, and when I converted my shining Liquid Swords CD-with-box-broken-on-arrival-but-I've-lost-it-somehow-and-need-to-buy-it-again into MP3s, it wrote “Swordsman” and not “Unexplained”. (Hopefully you two already know what he's talking about, but for those of you who are lost: track eleven on Liquid Swords is the only song whose official title may be lost upon the world. The back of the CD case and the liner notes list two songs, “Unexplained” and “Swordsman”; neither features guest stars, so it's been a long-standing mystery as to what this song is actually called. So, flip a coin and let's move on.) Besides, this track doesn't explain anything unexplained. Later, the kind of sequel was made (“Illusory Protection” off of the Grandmasters album) which sounds just about as good as this.
12. I GOTCHA BACK (FEAT THE RZA)
I believe this was the first single; very weird choice if you ask me. (That's because this wasn't really the “first” single, but it was a part of the soundtrack to Fresh, so a video was shot. Raekwon and Ghostface Killah's “Heaven Or Hell” was on the same soundtrack.) It sounds dated, just like “Cuttin' Headz” off of Ol' Dirty's Return To The 36 Chambers (The Dirty Version), and just like that song, this is the last actual song on here (sort of), and just like that one, this is pretty good (and The Rza is a good addition to both). The lines “My lifestyle was far from well/Coulda wrote a book entitled Age 12 and Going Through Hell” and “What is the meaning of CRIME?/Is it Criminals Robbing Innocent Muthafuckas Everytime?” should give you an idea of what you'll hear here.
13. B.I.B.L.E (BASIC INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE LEAVING EARTH) (FEAT KILLAH PRIEST)
I've always treated this as a bonus track unmarked as such, because it's a Killah-Priest-performed, 4th-Disciple-produced song that kind of disrupts the album. The fact that it was also included on Killah Priest's solo album (Heavy Mental, for those of you keeping score) supports my theory. This song's very good, yeah, but certainly my least favorite here. Sorry, I just don't like it, and this vocal loop didn't grew on me so much.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Liquid Swords is an awesome album. No, no, I mean A-W-E-S-O-M-E. It grows on me more and more each day. This is undoubtedly my #1 desert island choice. Chris Rock once said it's just the essence of the Wu-Tang collected in one modest little CD, so if you want to become a disciple of the 36 chambers, this album or Enter The Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers would be your best choice. What do you mean, I need a therapist?
BUY OR BURN? No comment.
BEST TRACKS: “4th Chamber”; “Shadowboxin'”; “Duel of the Iron Mic”; “Liquid Swords”; “Labels”; “Cold World”
-Banksta
(Be sure to leave your comments and concerns below. Here's a link to my original post, which I just realized I wrote a really long time ago. Fuck, I feel old.)
In a Wu-Tang first, one of the original nine artists agreed to record an entire album produced by someone who is a well-known artist in his own right, but is not an actual part of the group. I'm referring to DJ Muggs, and his collaborative album with Gza/Genius is called Grandmasters.
Allegedly, these two hooked up because of their mutual love of chess, a theme that is prevalent on Grandmasters, from the song intros to the song titles. A few favors were called in on both sides, and the end result is an album that isn't technically a Gza solo album, but may as well be considered as one.
DJ Muggs started his theme of linking up with a single artist with Grandmasters. He would later attempt to master this particular category of rap album with collaborations with Sick Jacken (from Psycho Realm) and Planet Asia. Having one guy produce your album seems to be an anomaly in hip hop these days, but at one point in time, kids, this was the normal way to do things. Hopefully this will encourage more producers to take more interest in projects such as this, although I realize that, as a whole, the days of having your album done by one guy have been over for at least a decade.
I realize this intro is short, but I'm still not feeling one hundred percent. After this post, I'm taking a few days off to rest, so that the write-ups can appear more consistently. Also, I strongly encourage my two readers to start leaving more comments, as validation of a blogger's work is greatly appreciated.
Here you go.
1. OPENING
A very self-indulgent rap album intro. Listeners don't need to be reminded that DJ Muggs and Gza/Genius are the stars of the show: their names appear on the album cover, side by side. Seriously, folks, it's just music: it's not the cure for cancer.
2. THOSE THAT'S BOUT IT
Considering the fact that this song follows such a ridiculous intro, this track actually sucks even more than it would under regular circumstances.
3. DESTRUCTION OF A GUARD (FEAT RAEKWON)
The Rza barely appears at the very beginning, so he doesn't get a credit, and Raekwon's verse sounds forced, but the Gza himself sounds pretty good. However, the music threatens to swallow him whole, as Muggs tinkers with the instrumental, mostly with decent results. DJ Khalil remixed the track shortly after the release of Grandmasters and tacked on a guest spot by Ras Kass, making that song the only track in history that features both Raekwon and Ras Kass. I'm not a fan of the remix, but I'm sure many of you two are.
4. EXPLOITATION OF MISTAKES
This is good, even if Gza sounds like he's been getting into Raekwon's Ambien stash. The tale he weaves is thick with vivid imagery, and the simple beat serves its purpose and stays out of the way. Personally, I liked the gimmicky clacking of the typewriter keys, as it gives the impression as Gary Grice playing God with his creations.
5. GENERAL PRINCIPLES
This is the first track that sounds like it would be right at home on a more traditional Gza/Genius solo album. Flat out awesome, from the beat to the lyricism, even if Gza lets some curses fly but, confusingly, censors others. What the hell is that about? (This is the track which Gza performs a capella on "Elastic Audio" off of Pro Tools, for those of you that care to know.)
6. ADVANCE PAWNS (FEAT TH ERZA, RAEKWON, & SEN DOG OF CYPRESS HILL)
I've grown tired of Muggerund's incessant need to reutilize specific vocal samples on his projects as a form of audio signature (such as the guy shouting "Attention!"). Prince Rakeem sounds good, the Gza is simply the Gza (that's a good thing), Raekwon is half awake, and Sen Dog must have been very depressed in the studio the day Muggs was creating the track, since he barely does anything worth mentioning on here. However, the beat is Soul Assassins II-outtake flat-out dull.
7. QUEEN'S GAMBIT
Hey, kids! Are you sick of Gza's penchant for writing song lyrics based around a single theme, such as magazines, record labels, and animals? You are? Then you'll probably be annoyed with this song as well, which is about football. (American football, my overseas readers, although I admit it would be pretty funny to hear The Genius rhyme about soccer.) Well, at least the beat is decent.
8. ALL IN TOGETHER NOW (FEAT THE RZA)
The title pays its respects to the Gza's first rap crew, which was a trio made up of himself and his cousins, the Rza and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard, who appears briefly during the intro thanks to the magic of archival footage. As sweet as the sentiment is, though, I wasn't that impressed with the final product.
9. UNSTOPPABLE THREATS (FEAT MASTA KILLA & PRODIGAL SUNN)
With a title like that, you would certainly expect the beat to sound a lot more aggressive. Also, you wouldn't expect a Wu-Tang B-teamer to make an appearance, but maybe that's just me. Maybe it doesn't matter, though, since the song is boring, and the presence of Masta Killa wasn't helping.
10. UNPROTECTED PIECES
Muggerund's instrumental makes for a valid case which insinuates that Eminem isn't really influenced by Dr. Dre's beats: whenever he needs to create an instrumental, Eminem turns to DJ Muggs for inspiration and/or something to swipe. I can't even recall the Gza being on this song, but he must have been.
11. ILLUSORY PROTECTION
The hook grabs you with what could be a sequel to "Unexplained" off of Liquid Swords (or whatever the fuck it's called, since that's the song that isn't titled correctly on that disc), and the beat carries you the rest of the way. This is more of the type of song that I was expecting from a team-up of this magnitude.
12. SMOTHERED MATE
I love this fucking song. It's got a great sound to it, with the guitars and the organs having their way with the drums. By far, this is the best collaborative work DJ Muggs and the Gza will ever do. Curiously, both Raekwon and The Rza receive writing credits for this song. Although the liner notes are of the variety that shouldn't be trusted (for example, Raekwon apparently didn't write his own verse from "Destruction Of A Guard"), it's still interesting to note. Did the folks that put the package together fuck up completely, or is there a version of the track with more Wu-Tang members on it? Did the Gza actually need help to write his verses? We may never know.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Grandmasters is a bit underwhelming. Lyrically, Gza/Genius has done better: although a handful of these tracks do deserve a place in the Wu-Tang canon, Gary sounds as if he came up with the lyrics on the spot for the most part, and was too lazy to switch things up. (The notable exceptions would be "Exploitation of Mistakes" and "Queen's Gambit", although the latter still isn't a good song.) Behind the boards, Muggs sounds barely inspired by his cohort for most of the disc: the tracks may as well have been Cypress Hill leftovers that he needed to clear off of his computer before he could start working on some new shit. (Or, they may have possibly been the beats from the DJ Muggs/Inspectah Deck collaboration album that has been fully recorded (allegedly) and never released.) This was hardly the blockbuster collaboration we had all been hoping for, but at the same time, there are a handful of tracks that are pretty fucking awesome, and you are still left wondering what the results would be if Muggs were to produce entire solo albums for the other members of the Wu-Tang Clan.
BUY OR BURN? This deserves your money, but just barely. When the emcee and the producer click, it's damn near magical, but when Muggs goes off on his own tangents, leaving Gza to wonder why he's stuck with the bill, the tide turns questionable. Perhaps what the Gza should do next is explore a full album collaboration with production from, I don't know, The Rza? I know, that's asking too much, but still.
BEST TRACKS: "Smothered Mate"; "Illusory Protection"; "General Principles"; "Exploitation of Mistakes"
-Max
RELATED POSTS:
Wu-Tang Clan posts can be found here, while all of the DJ Muggs write-ups are here.
Sorry this post took so goddamn long, but it's due to circumstances beyond my control: this disc was supposed to hit shelves on Tuesday, August 19, and yet, due to some unknown shipping error or something, Best Buy didn't have it the day it dropped: I wasn't able to finally pick it up until last night. (I did find it at a Target on Tuesday, not unlike how I found the last Rza album, but it was for full retail, and there is no way in hell I'm paying eighteen dollars for a fucking CD unless it came with four discs, an autographed poster, three ringtones, earth-friendly packaging, and multiple blowjobs from Victoria's Secret models.)
Anyway, one of my favorite memories of the old Ultimate Wu site (while it lasted) was when one of the moderators tried to rip me a new one when I dismissed Gza/Genius's Beneath The Surface: he actually stated that Beneath The Surface was a better album than Liquid Swords. No, seriously, he did. You can stop laughing now. While everyone is entitled to their opinion (even if it's completely fucking erroneous), it's a fact that the Gza has been attempting to recreate his seminal classic disc with each subsequent visit to the recording studio. He even went so far as to title one of his solo albums Legend Of The Liquid Sword. So it's no secret that even the Genius realizes that his Wu-Tang solo debut (note that I'm not counting Words From The Genius) is one of the best albums ever made, regardless of musical genre.
Pro Tools, Gza's sixth solo album (okay, now I'm counting Words From The Genius) and his first since 2005, goes so far as to have artwork on the back of the CD case that will hopefully recall the album cover from Liquid Swords. According to the (incredibly cheap-looking) liner notes (seriously, it looks like all of Gza's budget was spent on the cover, as the credits within look like a copy of a copy of a copy, and speaking of the credits, they're so fucking cheap that it appears that none of the artists were cleared by their labels, and none of the sample sources are named - you'll understand what I mean in a bit), Pro Tools is almost exclusively an in-house Wu-Tang production, with all of the Wu-Elements contributing in some form, and with a couple of exceptions, the guests are all Wu-Tang related.
My understanding is that Pro Tools has gotten some surprisingly rave reviews on the Interweb. Let's see if the critics are right.
1. INTROMENTAL
Very dull, but at least it's short.
2. PENCIL (FEAT MASTA KILLA & THE RZA)
Masta Killa sounds completely out of place, but his appearance is the equivalent of someone interrupting your train of thought to ask you where the restroom is and then leaving you to your own devices, anyway. This is really the Gza and the Rza show, and how: The Rza, with his long-ass "Winter Warz"-esque verse, impresses in a way that just didn't happen on Digi Snacks.
3. ALPHABETS
Sounds like a Beneath The Surface leftover, but not necessarily in a bad way. I was halfway expecting Gza to rhyme about his adventures in Alphabet Land, a la "Labels" or "Fame", but thankfully the Genius decided to just spit.
4. GROUNDBREAKING (FEAT JUSTICE KAREEM)
Gza and his son pass the mic back and forth, sometimes in the middle of fucking sentences, which is a bit frustrating. Bronze Nazareth's beat is pretty nice, though.
5. 7 POUNDS
Surprisingly for a Wu-Tang album (but not surprisingly for hip hop in general), Black Milk produced this track. The hook is too wordy, but otherwise, this isn't bad at all.
6. 0% FINANCE
Maybe I skipped the day when all of the bloggers noted that "0% Finance" uses the exact same beat as "Stay In Line" from Legend Of The Liquid Sword, but I don't remember reading that anywhere. Oh well, I suppose as long as "Stay In Line"'s original producer, Arabian Knight, gets a publishing credit, it's all good. (Still not sure why a different producer needed to be credited for "0% Finance", though, since I can't imagine Choco did even half of the work that Arabian Knight did.) I ended up liking this song more that "Stay In Line", since it features the Gza in storyteller mode, but the true reason for my positive reaction may be due to the fact that, unlike the original track, Santogold doesn't appear on this.
7. SHORT RACE (FEAT ROCK MARCY)
There isn't much to this song, but it's decent. Rock Marcy is definitely a much better rapper than his first crew, Busta Rhymes's Flipmode Squad, ever deserved. Is his other crew, the U.N., even still recording?
8. INTERLUDE
Only exists to lead straight into...
9. PAPER PLATE
Gza throws some darts at the Curtis Jackson camp, ostensibly because Curtis was stupid enough to take shots at him after some concertgoers at a Gza live show decided to chant "Fuck 50" and Gza essentially agreed with them without saying as much. Gza's certainly not the first Wu-Tang member to diss that jackass (Raekwon also did so on that "Clyde Smith" interlude on Ghostface Killah's Supreme Clientele), but he is the first to do so on an officially released song. (Hell, it was the first fucking single.) Rza's rather elementary production serves its purpose well, staying out of the way of Gza's bars, for the most part, which are delivered in such a clean (literally, there's no cursing) and fluid manner that you wouldn't mind hearing the Genius disrespect your grandmother as long as it was to a Rza beat. It's pretty funny that, while Gza took the time to record this song, he apparently has no intention of even acknowledging Soulja Boy's existence.
10. COLUMBIAN TIES (FEAT TRUE MASTER)
Sounds like Gza rhyming with his twin on the hook, because I've always felt that True Master, who actually didn't produce this song, sounds like an older Genius when he rhymes. That said, this shit is really good.
11. FIREHOUSE (FEAT KA)
Gza only appears on the hook? The fuck? I'm hoping that Ka is only included on Pro Tools as a favor to Rock Marcy (who produced), and not because he's under the wing of the Gza, because he's not so good a rapper that he deserves his own song. His delivery sounds like a more polished Nine, and part of that guy's appeal was that his vocals weren't that polished to begin with. It was pretty funny when Ka illustrates that he had to grow up fast by mentioning that he "never used a potty", though.
12. PATH OF DESTRUCTION
That title begs for some hardcore Wu-Tang production, perhaps something with a confrontational vibe, with kung-fu flick samples and swinging swords incorporated into the background. However, what we actually get is pretty boring.
13. CINEMA (FEAT JUSTICE KAREEM)
It's hard to decipher what Gza's son is saying on the hook, but the Genius himself adopts a creepy whisper-like flow that ends up sounding pretty effective over Arabian Knight's beat.
14. INTERMISSION (DRIVE IN MOVIE)
Nice throwback to early Wu-Tang! Much appreciated, guys.
15. LIFE IS A MOVIE (FEAT THE RZA & IRFANE KHAN-ACITO OF OUTLINES)
Rza and Gza spit over the barely altered track to Gary Numan's "Films". The Rza and the Gza over some New Wave shit: bet you didn't see that coming. And longtime readers of the blog may expect me to be in heaven with that combination: they would be right. Rza's direct theft of the Numan track comes off as a bit lazy for production work, but the mere fact that he went with New Wave to begin with (and that he didn't go with the more obvious Gary Numan song, "Cars"), makes this one of the most interesting beats he's done in fucking years. (Too bad Gary Numan doesn't receive a writing credit in the liner notes.) It's almost like if DJ Premier were to chop up some Joy Division into his beats (or even mix it into his coffee). In regard to Irfane Khan-Acito's hook, though, it's lifted straight from "Films": if you were going to take the song wholesale, why didn't you also just take Numan's vocals?
The following is listed as a bonus track:
16. ELASTIC AUDIO (FEAT DREDDY KRUEGER & FYRE DEPARTMENT)
Gza performs live in Austin, Texas, with his hypeman (and Think Differently A&R) Dreddy Krueger. The Genius spits his verses from his "1112" and "General Principles" (acapella), and, to his credit, sounds almost exactly the same as he does on his albums. Although the censoring is very frustrating, this still makes for a good way to end your album.
THE LAST WORD: While the only person that will probably bump Pro Tools in the whip is Gza's own mother, this album is actually enjoyable. It's nowhere near the level of Liquid Swords, but at this point, I'll take what I can get, and Gza's lyricism hasn't faded with age. (You should be forewarned that the album is, for the most part, clean, and the few bad words that do pop up are censored: there is no dirty version of Pro Tools available.) Not every song clicks (and Ka's guest spot is still a mystery to me), but this is certainly the most entertaining Wu-Tang project that I've heard since 8 Diagrams. To my two readers, thanks for your patience.
-Max
RELATED POSTS:
Read up on everything Wu-related from the blog by clicking here.
Gary Grice's fourth solo album, Legend Of The Liquid Sword, deliberately aims for the fanbase that hold his breakthrough disc Liquid Swords close to heart. Addressing the criticisms regarding his last disc, Beneath The Surface (the main one being that the album wasn't very good), Gza/Genius secured much better beats from some relative unknowns in the game, called in more of his Wu brothers to do battle, and released this attempt to appease his longtime fans.
Obviously, he was trying to bait fans by making them think this album would be as good as Liquid Swords with that tricky title. The problem with that line of thinking is that Liquid Swords was not a Gza solo effort: it was as much The Rza's album as Gza's, as the production on that disc was nothing short of brilliant. The Rza only contributes one track on Legend Of The Liquid Sword, and appears on a completely different track; this is clearly a long way from 1995, my two readers.
Gary boldly attempted to make Legend Of The Liquid Sword a "clean" album, so that his kids could listen to his verses without curses (hey, that rhymes!), well before Chamillionaire turned his last album into a Congress-baiting publicity stunt. This means that, even though there is a large Parental Advisory label on the front cover, most of the curses are masked by random noises taken from a foley artist's hard drive, which might make this the cleanest rap album since the Dino 5 debut.
This disc was a minor critical hit, but failed to sell enough copies to warrant a future on a major label. Soon after, Gza/Genius found himself dropped from MCA, the home he was shifted to when Geffen folded, and now he calls Babygrande home, a label that provides probably the same type of treatment as Koch's graveyard, but has more street cred due to its indie-minded roster.
Anyway.
1. INTRO
Gza's son Justice, who is apparently a rapper in his own right, tells us a story to lead off the album, a la the Shogun Assassin intro from Liquid Swords, except this time the story is about his father and the beginnings of hip hop. It's not the worst rap album intro I've heard, but it still comes off sounding like wasted space.
2. AUTO BIO
The rhymes themselves are good, but the beat isn't deserving of Gza's presence. This will be a running theme, by the way.
3. DID YA SAY THAT?
Did he just say "closion"? The chorus is incredibly ineffective, as if Gza just picked up rapping on a whim last Tuesday.
4. SILENT (FEAT GHOSTFACE KILLAH & STREETLIFE)
Good, but too short. Streetlife proves that he can actually do some work without his daytime supervisor Method Man being in the building.
5. KNOCK, KNOCK
The first single. The beat isn't exactly what you would want to hear Gza spit over, but then again, neither was "Breaker Breaker". And the chorus is censored on purpose. It worries me that, in his effort to make a "clean" rap album, he felt it necessary to censor his work, instead of actively trying to write clean lyrics.
6. STAY IN LINE (FEAT SANTI WHITE)
The guitar-driven beat grew on me during the song's four minutes, but the song is an 'alright' mixed with a 'blah' chaser due to the hook, performed by the artist currently known as Santogold.
7. ANIMAL PLANET
Gza seems to be running out of concepts for these themed songs of his. At least he doesn't try to mate all of these animals together, like Kool Keith.
8. FAM (MEMBERS ONLY) (FEAT THE RZA & MASTA KILLA)
I remember reading that "Silent" was a late addition to the album, which is why Ghost gets away with cursing while Rza and everyone else are censored to no end. The sound effects used to mask the bad words are off-putting (although they are sounds of clashing swords and kung-fu fights, a nice Wu-Tang touch), but it's always good to hear Gza alongside his Wu brethren.
9. LEGEND OF THE LIQUID SWORD (FEAT ANTHONY ALLEN)
This is the chorus? You gotta be fucking kidding me.
10. FAME
A song that mentions an awful lot of celebrities, an idea which Ghostface borrowed for his own "White Linen Affair". This song isn't that bad, but I stand by the above "Animal Planet" comment.
11. HIGHWAY ROBBERY (FEAT GOVERNOR TWO'S)
For someone that's trying to record a clean album, Gza sure forgets that the term "n----z" is offensive for a good percentage of the world's population. This song's lyrics and promising beat are definite pluses, but the hook is out of place.
12. LUMINAL
This Gza/DJ Muggs collaboration is fucking terrible. Whose idea was it for these two to link up for the Grandmasters album?
13. SPARRING MINDS (FEAT INSPECTAH DECK)
This actually rocks. It probably helps that Deck had nothing to do with the production on this track.
14. ROUGH CUT (FEAT ARMEL, PRODIGAL SUNN, & 12 O' CLOCK)
Why are the weed carriers the ones that get to bless the only Rza production here, while Deck, Ghost, Masta Killa, and Rza himself are locked out of the booth? Even Gza only spits the damn hook on this motherfucker. The final product is decent, but may have been a lot better if the A-team was allowed to participate. (B.A. Baracus can spit that hot fire, you know.)
15. UNCUT MATERIAL
Meh.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Legend Of The Liquid Sword is a much better effort than Beneath The Surface (whatever happened to that Above The Surface album Gza promised us years ago, anyway?), but even The Genius has to realize that there is no topping Liquid Swords for pure unadulterated hip hop enjoyment. He developed an of fondness for shitty hooks, though, which derail the Legend train before it leaves the Wu station. Maybe if this weren't associated with the greatest rap group of all time, it would sound better to me, but the Killa Beez have a standard of excellence that they are committed to, for better or worse, and Legend Of The Liquid Sword isn't on that level.
BUY OR BURN? I would recommend a burn, especially of the songs listed below. The album isn't entirely bad; it's just very disappointing, and undeserving of your fifteen bucks. Time to go listen to Liquid Swords again, my two readers.
BEST TRACKS: "Silent"; "Fam (Members Only)"; "Sparring Minds"
-Max
RELATED POSTS:
Read all of the Gza/Genius write-ups by clicking here.
The Wu-Tang Clan were starting to teeter over the ledge of hip hop relevancy. (Hip hop relevancy, of course, has always been measured, irresponsibly so, by sales.) Method Man's second album was sheer disappointment presented on a plastic disc, and Rza as Bobby Digital In Stereo was just as bad, as seen in the eyes of Wu fans who wanted more of the hardcore street shit that the Wu broke their teeth on. The Rza's five-year plan was in the past, and the group was suffering from a lack of focus. The nine separate artists were acting like, well, artists, doing whatever the fuck they felt like doing music-wise, praise and critical acclaim be damned.
The Genius approached his third album, Beneath The Surface, from the same viewpoint. Was there a way to satisfy the fans of Liquid Swords, one of the greatest albums of our time, while also reaching out to potential new fans, not at all familiar with the Wu, who would have no preconceived notions of what to expect from Gary Grice? Would the true Wu fans accept that he, like every other member of the group, had moved from under The Rza's thumb to become his own artist, nay, his own man?
Judging from the response to Beneath The Surface, I'm guessing that the majority of the Wu fans out there also have no respect for the old-school classics.
In all fairness, The Genius was in an unenviable position. It's not like The Rza was coming off of a bold & italic classic fucking album. He always was the most lyrical of the Clan, and the lyrics don't falter when it comes to Beneath The Surface. But, as I mentioned in an earlier write up, The Rza had more to do with the Wu sound than any other member of the Clan would ever admit to.
I have no idea why The Genius decided to officially change his rap name to Gza/Genius. My guess is that it's cheaper to embroider "GZA" on the back of a jersey than it is for "The Genius".
(Side note: inside the liner notes, Gza promises his fourth album will be released in December of 1999. In true Wu fashion, he really meant December of 2002. Boy, those Wu guys have a complete disregard toward release dates, don't they? The 8 Diagrams, I'm looking in your direction! 7/7/07 my ass!)
As such...
1. INTRO
Oh fuck, this isn't good. No kung fu or Shogun Assassin samples to be found here. After the tedious introductory speech ends, though, there's a tight-ass beat that sounds like it's aching for rappers to hop on and ride. (This is a weak example of foreshadowing, by the way.)
2. AMPLIFIED SAMPLE
It's alright, but last time I checked, Mathematics ain't The Rza. Gza's incessant chant of the track's title toward the end becomes grating.
3. BENEATH THE SURFACE (FEAT KILLAH PRIEST & RES)
Wow, another Inspectah Deck produced song. Wonder what I'll think of this one. It's easier to listen to if you imagine this as an acapella.
4. SKIT 1
No comment.
5. SKIT 2
What the fuck? Two skits back to back? Who sequenced this thing?
6. CRASH YOUR CREW (FEAT THE RZA & OL' DIRTY BASTARD)
The first track presented that sounds close to that Wu-Tang spirit. Don't get excited by The Rza's appearance, though; he only pops up during the intro. This song still rocks, though, and if I'm not mistaken, Gza beat out both Pharrell and Lupe Fiasco by having skateboarders in his video first.
7. BREAKER BREAKER
The first single, which is meh by Gza standards. You'd be better served by the remix, featuring Masta Killa and Inspectah Deck, which jacks the beat from Big Daddy Kane's "Warm It Up Kane" to fantastic effect. Remember the video, where Gza is driving an 18 wheeler? Yeah, me neither.
8. HIGH PRICE, SMALL REWARD (FEAT MASTA KILLA)
Sounds okay, but ends at the 1:43 mark, giving you almost no time to even get into the song.
9. HIP HOP FURY (FEAT THE RZA, HELL RAZAH, DREDDY KRUEGER, & TIMBO KING)
Good song, but not great. The Rza only does the hook. I appreciate any chance I get to hear Dreddy Krueger rap on a track, though, especially now that his time is all A&R'd up.
10. SKIT 3
...
11. 1112 (FEAT MASTA KILLA, KILLAH PRIEST, & NJERI)
The lone Rza production here, and by Rza standards, it blows. Njeri is okay, but sounds like she's trying to be the female Gza, which isn't a good thing.
12. SKIT 4
Seriously, what the fuck??!!
13. VICTIM (FEAT NJERI & JOAN DAVIS)
If the chorus wasn't there, this song would be pretty damn good. Remember what I said earlier about Njeri? Yeah, pretty sure that's the reason why she vanished from the music scene after Beneath The Surface's release.
14. PUBLICITY
One of my favorite Gza formats, similar to "Labels" from Liquid Swords, except this time he weaves the names of music magazines into his story. On his fourth album, he rhymes the names of all forty-seven of ODB's children; it's a must-hear.
15. FEEL LIKE AN ENEMY (FEAT HELL RAZAH, KILLAH PRIEST, TRIGGA, & PRODIGAL SUNN)
If Bobby Digital was Rza's love letter to Killarmy and Black Knights of the North Star, then Beneath The Surface is Gza's shout-out to Royal Fam and Sunz of Man. The Sunz love becomes evident on this track (which sounds great), especially when you realize that Gza isn't anywhere on this song.
16. STRINGPLAY (LIKE THIS, LIKE THAT) (FEAT METHOD MAN)
This was the follow-up to the surreal, seminal "Shadowboxin'"? Yeah, no; this song is fucking awful. This track sounds lazy, all the way from its rhymes to its sad bastard production values.
17. MIC TRIPPIN
I don't know if I appreciate Gza ripping off Inspectah Deck's lyrics from "Triumph". Not the best Gza song, but that's a running theme on this album.
18. OUTRO (FEAT LA THE DARKMAN & TIMBO KING)
Remember the beat from the intro? Remember how I said that some rappers should jump on it? Well, heaven fucking forbid that Gza appears on his own outro. Side note: Timbo King again is credited as Royal Fam. Really, people, he wasn't the only guy in the group!
FINAL THOUGHTS: Beneath The Surface is, quite simply and inarguably, the third dent in the Wu-Tang armor. It seems that Gza knew that Liquid Swords couldn't be topped, and decided to go in the opposite direction, procuring beats that, for the most part, would be lucky to ever appear in the backgrounds of locally produced mattress store commercials. Even the Rza's contribution sucks. The saving grace here would be that the album clocks in at under fifty minutes, so it didn't really waste all of my time.
BUY OR BURN? Uh-uh, no way. This is a burn, my two readers. The good songs I mention below are must-have additions to the Wu legacy. The rest is pretentious piffle, especially the ill-advised skits/fake commercials that have no place on Mad TV, let alone a Wu-Tang solo album.
BEST TRACKS: "Feel Like An Enemy"; "Hip Hop Fury"; "Crash Your Crew"; and you should also troll online for the non-album "Breaker, Breaker (Remix)"
(Disagree with the above review? Make your opinions known! Leave a comment below!)
-Max
RELATED POSTS:
The Genius/Gza - Liquid Swords
The Rza - Rza as Bobby Digital In Stereo
Method Man - Tical 2000: Judgement Day
Method Man - Tical
Ol' Dirty Bastard - Return To The 36 Chambers (The Dirty Version)
Sunz Of Man - The Last Shall Be First
Wu-Tang Clan - Wu-Tang Forever
Wu-Tang Clan - Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
The Genius - Words From The Genius
THE TEASER:
In predictable fashion, I present to you the fourth Wu-Tang solo album.
Although The Genius/Gza had already released a full-length album before the Wu movement caught on, h edidn't really hit his stride until he was part of a larger group. Liquid Swords is what many Wu-Tang fans consider his true debut, some because it marks his first release under the giant black and yellow Wu umbrella, others because Words From a Genius sucked balls.
Either way, I'm fucking tired, so I won't prolong this any more.
1. LIQUID SWORDS (FEAT RZA)
Kill Bill fans will recognize the movie sample (from Shogun Assassin) as the movie The Bride watches with her daughter toward the end of the second film. Mos Def fans will recognize this song from his third album Tru3 Magic, where he jacked Rza's beat and Gza's flow wholesale. Wu fans will want to beat the shit out of Mos Def fans for giving Mos Def praise for his song when "Liquid Swords" kicks ass just fine by itself, thanks.
2. DUEL OF THE IRON MIC (FEAT OL' DIRTY BASTARD, INSPECTAH DECK, & MASTA KILLA)
With the exception of the final song, The Rza produces every song presented here. Liquid Swords also has the distinction of being the first Wu-Tang solo album that featured every member of the Clan. I like how this write-up doesn't tell you anything about the song.
3. LIVING IN THE WORLD TODAY (FEAT THE RZA & METHOD MAN)
This is one of those songs that you only discover when you let the CD play straight through; trust me, you would have never heard of this one otherwise. Great track.
4. GOLD (FEAT METHOD MAN)
This is the only track I skip on a regular basis, and it's still pretty good, so what does that tell you?
5. COLD WORLD (FEAT INSPECTAH DECK & LIFE)
Kind of like Gza's "Can It be All So Simple", but a billion times better. I prefer the remix with D'Angelo on the chorus; that one can be found online easily.
6. LABELS (FEAT RZA)
Gza strings together tons of record label names into an understandable narrative. Later, he would write entire songs based around celebrity names, different breeds of dogs, and ultimately, all of Method Man's nicknames.
7. 4TH CHAMBER (FEAT GHOSTFACE KILLAH, KILLAH PRIEST, & THE RZA)
This. Song. Is. The. SHIT. Enough said.
8. SHADOWBOXIN' (FEAT METHOD MAN)
Honestly, what Wu fan doesn't like this song?
9. KILLAH HILLS 10304 (FEAT RZA & OL' DIRTY BASTARD)
No matter your feelings on this song, you have to admit that it's a lot more entertaining than the spinoff songs "Shaolin Place" and "The Heights".
10. INVESTIGATIVE REPORTS (FEAT RAEKWON, GHOSTFACE KILLAH, & U-GOD)
Honestly, this is one of the weakest Rae and Ghost combos that I've ever heard.
11. UNEXPLAINED (or SWORDSMAN, depending on who you ask)
Liquid Swords, along with a few Ghostface albums, has the annoying distinction of having liner notes that don't really match the tracklisting. Regardless of what the song is called (I refer to it as "Shadowboxin' 2: Electric Boogaloo"), it's good.
12. I GOTCHA BACK (FEAT THE RZA)
I think this was originally on the Fresh soundtrack, along with Rae's "Heaven or Hell" from Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... It sounds dated, as if it would have been the best song on Words From a Genius.
13. B.I.B.L.E. (BASIC INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE LEAVING EARTH) (FEAT KILLAH PRIEST)
Gza decided to end the album with a Killah Priest solo shot. Although The Rza didn't touch this song, it still sounds great.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Liquid Swords is, in my opinion (and many others), THE best Wu-Tang solo offering, but Cuban Linx is right there next to it. There's just something about the time when Rza controlled every aspect of the Wu's collective career; he may have been a control freak, but the shit sounded good, so who could really complain?
BUY OR BURN? BUY THIS SHIT NOW. This is in my top five albums of all time, period. If you burn this shit, it damn well better be for promotional use only, and even then, you better write the Gza a nice apology note.
BEST TRACKS: "4th Chamber"; "Shadowboxin'"; "Liquid Swords"
-Max
RELATED POSTS:
Wu-Tang Clan - Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
Method Man - Tical
Ol' Dirty Bastard - Return To The 36 Chambers (The Dirty Version)
Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...
The Genius - Words From a Genius
Most Wu freaks know that The Genius (a/k/a The Gza, real name Gary Grice) actually released an album before becoming part of the Wu-Tang Clan. Words From The Genius, distributed by Cold Chillin' Records, sold absolutely zero copies, due mainly to a lack of promotion (I gather it's because a rapper like The Genius, someone who doesn't rap about random bullshit, wasn't the easiest sell to a public that liked to dance). In 1994, after The Rza formed the Wu-Tang Clan with his cousin The Genius as a main general (and his other cousin Ol' Dirty Bastard as the court jester), Cold Chillin' decided to capitalize on the new found fame by re-releasing this album with a previously unreleased track produced by Prince Rakeem (as The Rza was known by back in the day).
I guess you can't blame a record company for trying to make money.
Well, you could; don't let me take that right away from you.
Anyway, the rerelease is the version that I own, so that's the review everyone gets today. The original version only has one song that was left off of the re-re; "Come Do Me", which was some bizarre hip-house attempt at a sex rap by a guy known primarily for using chess as a metaphor for life. I have that song elsewhere; trust me, you're not missing anything.
1. PASS THE BONE (FEAT PRINCE RAKEEM A/K/A THE RZA)
It makes sense that the label would put this out only after people realized that The Rza was a fucking genius and The Genius was brilliant with his rhymes. This song is good but not great; The Rza makes a comment about achieving "mad success" in his attempts to sleep with some chick while stoned; it reminded me of Borat for some reason, so it gets a thumbs up.
2. LIFE OF A DRUG DEALER
The most impressive thing about this project is that The Genius's voice and delivery is exactly the same as it was when the Clan formed. He could probably reuse all of these rhymes today and it would sell copies, as long as the Rza did all of the beats.
3. THE GENIUS IS SLAMMIN'
Yeah, you can tell this set is dated just from the title alone. Fresh, eh?
4. THOSE WERE THE DAYS
A lot of this review will focus on the horrible, horrible beats that The Genius was supplied with. The lyrics themselves are okay; it's as if Gza suffered from an early form of Ras Kass syndrome early on in his career, and The Rza delivered The Cure. (Anyone get that joke? Anyone?) (cues crickets)
5. WHAT ARE SILLY GIRLS MADE OF
Sly social commentary masquerading as...oh, who the fuck am I kidding.
6. LIVING FOUL
Easy Mo Bee (from Biggie's Ready To Die fame) produced the majority of this album. So why do the beats suck so goddamn much?
7. DRAMA
This beat is actually pretty great. Wouldn't sound out of place on Liquid Swords, except for the whole "lack of Rza" thing.
8. WORDS FROM A GENIUS
Not really sure how he came up with the title...it was on the tip of my tongue...
9. WHO'S YOUR RHYMIN' HERO
When the Clan first started, I always considered the Gza to be the best in the group, and I'm sure many other Wu fans will agree with me. (Nowadays, it would have to be Ghostface.)
10. PHONY AS YOU WANNA BE
No comment.
11. STOP THE NONSENSE
By ejecting this CD. Seriously.
12. SUPERFREAK
Never thought I'd hear a Gza song start off with a fake orgasm. Guess my life is complete now. Le sigh...
13. STAY OUT OF BARS
Truthfully, being buzzed has been proven to make this album sound better. Also weed. Lots of weed would make this album sound fantastic.
14. TRUE FRESH M.C.
Great Odin's Beard, this song sucks.
15. FEEL THE PAIN
He actually refers to himself as The Gza on this song, though, so that counts for something, right? Wrong answer.
FINAL THOUGHTS: I've read some reviews on the forum at WutangCorp.com, which is made up of fans who believe that The Wu can do no wrong. I'm here to tell you that Words From The Genius sucked in 1991, sucked in 1994, and still sucks today. And I say that even though Gza is in my top ten lyrically. I am thankful that The Genius got a second chance with the Wu and didn't fuck it up; as I wrote earlier, the lyrics are alright, but the beats here are, for the most part, ear-bleedingly awful. (Side note: Cold Chillin' for some ungodly reason, re-released this album a second time in 2006, probably to deceive all of the Wu fans they missed back in '94. The re-re-re contains both "Come Do Me" and its replacement "Pass The Bone", along with another vaulted Rza production, "Words From A Genius (Prince Rakeem Mix)". Trust me, you're still not missing anything.)
BUY OR BURN? There's no way in hell I could condone your purchase of this shit. I choose to believe that The Genius's true debut was Liquid Swords, his first Wu solo, which is in my top ten of best hip hop albums ever made. This are why people post rare albums on blogs in the first place: so you can download and listen to it without investing much of your money or time. And I would only download it if you absolutely have to own all things Wu (which means, if you're like me, you fucked up and already have this album anyway).
BEST TRACKS: "Pass The Bone"; "Drama"
-Max
RELATED POSTS:
Method Man - Tical
Wu-Tang Clan - Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
