Wu-Tang Classics: The Gza's Liquid Swords

A look back at the Gza's (a.k.a. the Genius) sophomore release, 1995's "Liquid Swords" invokes a sort of strange, Wu-Tang nostalgia. Ahh, when rap was still good.

That isn't to say that the latest Wu-Tang releases haven't been good; Ghostface Killah's newest releases are a cut above the rest. But the hip hop think tank that was Wu-Tang is at it's strongest on "Liquid Swords." No other album since has captured the essence of rap, while allowing listeners enough of a suspension of disbelief to truly enter the Wu-Tang 36 chambers.

The sounds presented on "Liquid Swords" are those of a hip hop kung-fu showdown, with all the swinging blades, soul-shattering dropkicks, and dialogue to boot. Many of the album's best sounds come on the songs' introductions.

The Gza comes out cutting off heads. Track one of the album is ..., a real skull-chopper. After a minute and a half of dialogue taken from "Shogun Assassin," a cult-classic for anyone who knows kung-fu, the beat drops, along with some lines from the Gza. A suspenseful intro indeed!

In fact, suspense is one of the finest attributes of "Liquid Swords." Practically every song on the album opens or closes with a sound byte taken from some obscure source, or a bit of knowledge from the Genuis himself. This makes for an entertaining and, sometimes, an educational listening experience.

One of the greatest, and most appropriate, intro/song combinations appears on "Assassination Day," a song about the dangers and spoils that result from drug smuggling. The introduction is taken directly from the climax of the film "The Unusual Suspects," when the boat that's supposed to be filled entirely with cocaine is found to be empty.