GZA: Liquid Swords (2LP) [GEFFEN]

Why you'll love it

Liquid Swords is widely ranked among the greatest hip hop albums ever made, the high point of the Wu-Tang solo run. RZA's beats and GZA's chess-master lyricism are a perfect match.

This edition

• 2LP set
• Produced by RZA
• Geffen pressing

About the album

The Genius was the oldest member of the Wu-Tang Clan and its most cerebral writer, and on his second solo album he teamed up with cousin RZA in a Staten Island basement to make a stone-cold classic. RZA's beats are cold, cinematic and full of dialogue from the samurai film Shogun Assassin; GZA's rhymes are dense with chess moves, street philosophy and razor-sharp wordplay.

The title track and "Duel of the Iron Mic" set the scene, "Shadowboxin'" with Method Man and "4th Chamber" with Ghostface, Killah Priest and RZA are posse-cut perfection, and "Cold World" and "Labels" are pure storytelling genius. The Wu-Tang family is all over it.

Also at Kops: more GZA on vinyl · browse Hip Hop / R&B

Tracklist

Listen

On Geffen, a reissue of the 1995 album.