On November 7, 1995 Wu-Tang Clansman GZA released his second, but most celebrated album Liquid Swords. Ripe with Kung-Fu flick samples, haunting loops and razor sharp lyrics, GZA’s crowning jewel moved approximately 980k copies and earned the Brooklyn MC hip-hop props that have lasted him over the past decade and a half.

The album’s first single “I Gotcha Back” appeared on the Fresh soundtrack in 1994, and the second “Liquid Swords” dropped a year later. While the album presented vivid street imagery (“Gold, ”“Cold World,” “Killa Hills 10304” and “Investigative Reports”), its creatively prose made Liquid Swords stand out from all the criminally minded LPs of its era.

For the past 15 years fans have celebrated the harmonic balance of the Genius’ quotable rhymes and the RZA’s murderous beats (RZA produced 12 of 13 tracks, 4th Disciple produced the Killah Priest solo bonus cut “B.I.B.L.E.”). Only time will tell if hip-hop purists will be bumping the Wu-banger for another 15, but to celebrate XXL broke down the beats, samples and lyrics that all combined in the creation of Liquid Swords. Shouts to Hip-Hop Is Read for the diggin'. — Rob Markman

[1] “Liquid Swords”
[Audio://townsquare.media/site/812/files/2010/11/01-liquid-swords-1.mp3]

The album’s title track starts off with sampled dialogue from the 1980 film Shogun Assassin, before rolling into the bouncy track which samples “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” and “Groovin'," both by Mississippi soul singer Willie Mitchell. Once the track kicks in the Genius strings together an array of free-associative rhyme patterns.

Samples
"The Legend of Lone Wolf"
[Audio://townsquare.media/site/812/files/2010/11/01-the-legend-of-lone-wolf-liquid-swords-cold-world-1.mp3]

"Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" by Willie Mitchell

"Groovin'" by Willie Mitchell

Notable Lyrics
“’Cause niggas styles are old like Mark 5 sneakers/Lyrics are weak, like clock radio speakers.”

“It’s a wide entrance, small exit like a funnel/So deep it’s picked up on radios in tunnels.”

[2] “Duel of the Iron Mic”

This Wu-Posse cut featured Ol’ Dirty Bastard on the hook and verses by Masta Killa and Inspectah Deck. Crate diggers will notice the David Porter “I’m Afraid the Masquerade is Over” sample which was also used for the Notorious B.I.G.’s “Who Shot Ya?” and LL Cool J’s “Ill Bomb.”

Sample
"I'm Afraid the Masquerade is Over" by David Porter

Notable Lyrics

"Check the print, it’s where veterans spark the lettering/Slow MCs is waitin’ for the editing.”

“Shit is outdated just like neck loads of sterling/Suede-fronts, bell-bottoms and tri-colored shearlings.”

[3] “Living In the World Today”

RZA chopped samples from The Bar-Kays and Ann Sexton to craft track number 3. Method Man makes an appearance doing ad-libs on the song. “Living in the World” is quite possibly the most slept-on track on Liquid Swords, but contains some of GZA’s best rhymes.

Samples
"In the Hole" by The Bar-Kays

"I'm His Wife (You're just a Friend)" by Ann Sexton

Notable Lyrics
“MCs are gunned down like being run down with Mack trucks/They God struck, religious niggas call it bad luck.”

“I’m swingin’ swords strictly based on keyboards/Unbalanced like elephants and ants on see-saws.”

[4] “Gold”

Though Slick Rick, the Notorious B.I.G. and Ice Cube may get more credit for their narrative skills, the GZA was a master storyteller in his own right. On “Gold” the Genius sets-up a crime caper where the villain gets away.

Sample
"Aries" by Cannonball Adderly

Notable Lyrics

“I had to connect to cross seals, to catch more mils/Than ho-bitches got birth control pills.”

“Snake got smoked on the set like Brandon Lee/Blown out the frame like Pan Am flight 103.”

[5] “Cold World”

After another sample from Shogun Assassin, the RZA combines sounds from The Dramatics, Stevie Wonder and The Mothers of Invention for the album’s third single. The chorus featured unpolished, yet heart-felt vocals from Wu collaborator Life; on the track’s remix he was replaced by D’Angelo. Nevertheless the Genius and guest Inspectah Deck told a New Years Eve murder tale, which quickly became a fan favorite.

Samples
"Rocket Love" by Stevie Wonder

"In the Rain" by The Dramatics

"Plastic People" by The Mothers of Invention

Notable Lyrics

“Links was snatched off necks, scars on throats/Jackets took after bullets rip through coats.”

“But he was hot, and the strip was filled with young killers/You don’t suspect, so cops creep like caterpillars.”

[6] “Labels”

If RZA used a sample for “Labels,” he concealed it nicely, as no one seems to know where it stems from. Still, the bassy backdrop, with it’s stabbing keys and swirling buzz created the perfect backdrop for GZA’s cautionary tale. Taking his cue from Q-Tip’s “Industry Rule No. 4080” line, the Genius namedrops all of the notable hip-hop labels of the day.

Samples
N/A

Notable Lyrics

“Tommy ain’t my muthafuckin’ boy/When you fake moves on a nigga you employ.”

“Who’s the Bad Boy character, not from Arista/But firin’ weapons released on Geffen.”

[7] “4th Chamber”
[Audio://townsquare.media/site/812/files/2010/11/07-07-4th-chamber-1.mp3]

“Choose the sword and you will join me, choose the ball and you will join your mother in death.” It’s kinda of an ill thing to tell a child, and an even iller way to start a track. The rocked-out instrumental featured vocals from not only GZA, but Ghostface, RZA and Killah Preist as well. The song’s war-inspired video (coupled on the same clip with “Shadowboxing”) was a visual treat as well.

Sample
"Dharmatma Theme Music (Sad)" by Kalyanji Anadji

Notable Lyrics

“It ain’t hard to see my seeds need God-degree/I got mouths to feed, unnecessary beef is more cows to breed.”

“Disciplinary action was a fraction of strength/That made me truncate the length one-tenth/Woofers thump, tweeters hiss like air pumps/RZA shaved the track, niggas caught razor bumps.”

[8] “Shadowboxin’”

When the Liquid Swords dropped in 1995, Method Man was the Clan’s top draw, making this collaboration one of the more memorable album cuts. RZA’s beat, a repetitive chop of Ann Peebles’ “Trouble, Heartaches & Sadness” set the stage for Meth and GZA’s master lyricism.

Sample
"Trouble, Heartaches & Sadness" by Ann Peebles

Notable Lyrics

“I slayed MCs back in the rec room era/My style broke muthafuckin’ backs like Ken Patera.”

“Amplify samples through vacumm tube compressions/’Cause RZA to charge niggas 20 Gs a session.”

[9] “Hell’s Wind Staff/Killa Hills 10304”

The song’s intro skit depicted a drug deal gone wrong and a vocalist in the background singing New Edition’s “Lost in Love.” The actual song is a play on the popular ‘90’s T.V. show Beverly Hills 90210, but instead sheds light on the infamous Staten Island hood, Killa Hills.

Sample
"Lost in Love" by New Edition

Notable Lyrics

“He’s a loan shark, bitches raise a grand to a finger/In the garment district, he got it sewn like Singers.”

“He set bombs in bottles of champagne/And when niggas popped the cork, niggas lost half their brains.”

[10] “Investigative Reports”

Fresh off of dropping their classic Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…, Raekwon and Ghostface linked with U-God and GZA on “Investigative Reports.” The sound and feel of the track could’ve easily been a OB4CL leftover, but it works perfectly in Liquid Sword’s sequencing.

Sample
"I'd Be So Happy" by Three Dog Night

Notable Lyric

“He just came home from Spofford/Rolling like Kaufman, and lay that ass out like carpet.”

[11] “Unexplained/Swordsman”

The Genius didn’t earn his moniker by accident. His lyrics were intelligent, his flow was fluid and “Swordsman” is a prime example. The beat’s pulsating drums dominate the track while the piano sample is subdued. Here we get a unique glimpse into what makes tick.

Sample
N/A

Notable Lyrics

“Yo I’m not caught up in politics/I’m no Black activist on a so-called scholar’s dick/I come through with the Wu and drop math/And versatile freestyles bombs on phonographs.”

“’Cause at a young age, I was molded in a religion I relied on/And got caught up in superstition/Scared to split poles, duck black cats/Once in a while threw salt over my back.”

[12] “I Gotcha Back”

“I Gotcha Back” stood as an underground staple a year before Liquid Swords was released and help set up the expectations for the Wu-classic. RZA once again delivers an haunting melody this time using the Charmels “As Long As I’ve Got You” for inspiration. It isn’t the first time that the Abbot sampled the record either, Wu-Stans will instantly recognize the record as the backdrop for “C.R.E.A.M.”

Sample
"As Long As I've Got You" by the Charmels

Notable Lyrics

“What is the meaning of crime?/Is it criminals robbing innocent muthafuckas everytime?”

“Then I realized the plan/I’m trapped in a deadly video game, with just one man.”

[13] “B.I.B.L.E. (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth)”

Coincidently the only track on the Liquid Swords, was also the only track not produced by the RZA, but it was no less spectacular. “B.I.B.L.E.” was a Killah Priest solo song produced by 4th Disciple. The song sampled The Ohio Players and found Killah Priest denouncing the contradictions of the Catholic Church.

Sample
"Our Love Has Died" by The Ohio Players

Notable Lyric

“Look into my eyes brethren, that’s the lies of a reverend/Why should you die to go to Heaven.”

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