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Having seen ”Kill Bill Vol.2” last night (which by the way is impeccable), the production to film by The Rza got me thinking about this album. Not only was this due to the films theme but also due to a scene in the film where they play the beginning to a film called ”Shogan Assassin”. The relevance of this is, that the beginning of this film contains the speech that comes at the beginning of ”Liquid Swords”. After hearing this I thought it was time to dig through my reviews and re-write a review I did a while ago on this, my favourite hip hop album of all time. Though many put The Wu-Tang’s debut ”Enter The Wu (36 Chambers)” in front of this album, I beg to differ. When someone says hip hop to me, I immediately think of Liquid Swords. There is no other album created thus far that ‘packs the punch’ that this album does on the first listen and every other listen after that. The Rza’s vision for this album as one of the best hip hop and rap producers ever, and a Kung-Fu fanatic is explosive. He deals in gritty deep piano loops and keys, electronic sound effects and slamming deep drum loops and hi-hats, makes the production and themes on the album on par with no other hip hop album.

Leaving the lyricism up to the best member of the Clan The Gza, it is safe to say that your lyrics will be covered. The guest vocals from Killah Priest, Inspectah Deck, Method Man, U-God, Raekwon The Chef and Ghost Face Killah (basically the whole Clan). Means that ticking off your guest vocals are done. As the main narrator, The Gza paints dark and haunting images of life in Staten Island. Next to that him and his Clan ‘come correct’ with striking braggadocio and battle lyrics that will slice your head clear off. Not only his he filled with biblical references, but also his vocabulary is impressive and his delivery is fresh. ’Are you ready for the skill of Shaolin?’ It’s been a long time coming, but by now I think you are!

Tracklisting & Rating
1) Liquid Swords 5 Stars
2) Duel Of The Iron Mic 5 Stars
3) Living In The World Today 5 Stars
4) Gold 5 Stars
5) Cold World 5 Stars
6) Labels 5 Stars
7) 4th Chamber 5 Stars
8) Shadowboxin' 5 Stars
9) Killah Hills 10304 5 Stars
10) Investigate Reports 5 Stars
11) Swordsman 5 Stars
12) I Gotcha Back 5 Stars
13) B.I.B.L.E. 6 Stars


The ”Shogan Assassin” opens up the album. As a young boys voice tells the tale of his father, a Samurai, who’s wife was killed by the enemy. The beginning of this album has affected me like no other entrance to an album. The boy’s voice is beautifully executed over deep, dark electronic keys. Presumably the Samurai is meant to be the Gza, fearless, winning and a lyrical assassin. The boys voice ends on the key ’That was the night that everything changed’. Once again the significance of that is that hip hop will never be the same once this album has finished, which couldn’t be more true. Immediately The Rza takes over dropping sharp, electric keys, electric violins and a light hi-hat. The Gza relaxes on the microphone, showing that he doesn’t have to scream to show severe lyrical presence. His unique voice and the way he weaves rhymes together is unparalleled to none. His subject matter is fresh braggadocio with a splash of horror. Though this isn’t the best song on the album, it’s better than most do on their best days! The whole atmosphere is movie grind house meets Japanese warrior meets New York hip hop. It’s the icing on the cake already, before the album hasn’t really even begun.

’Picture blood baths and elevator shafts’ as the Samurai theme leads delicately to the first distinctive song on the album ”Duel Of The Iron Mic”. The ”Shogan Assassin” clips keep throughout the whole album and this song is no exception. Here the introduction is a warrior challenging his opponent to a sword fight. Throughout this album (like we’ve seen on the previous song) the Gza drops hints to other emcees. This is another reference, using the film, to invite any other rap groups or artists to oppose his crown. With the Rza dropping a production scheme of a sweet piano loop, triangles and a skipping, light drum loop, I don’t see that happening any time soon. The keys glitter like angel dust over the top contrasting with the gritty and dark story that the Gza tells. Here he talks of his hometown almost as if the world was ending. He describes the young ‘thugs’ who roam around looting anyone they can. He describes amazingly combining battle raps and storytelling of how biblical priests and figureheads will have to come and baptize this world of sin. His wordplay is unbelievable as he pulls words and references together that shouldn’t belong in the English language! His whole style on this track, along side guests… Inspectah Deck and Master Killah is tough, grimy lyricism at it’s best. Dropping jaws of hip hop heads everywhere; the Gza slowly moves his chess pieces closer to checkmate.

”Gold” carries on taking the album to a level that no other has managed, as it succeeds in being the third best track on here. The Rza drops one of the finest musical arrangements of his career with electric keys pounding in background, electric guitar plucks, electric, deep scratches and a pounding, heavy drum loop. Once again, the Gza’s famous winding tales come into play as he sets the scene with ’I'm deep down in the back streets - in the heart of Medina, about to set off something more deep than a misdemeanor. Under the subway, waiting for the train to make noise, so I can blast a ni--a and his boys - for what?’. His vocabulary and the way he plays with words is so amazingly good, it is almost unreal. His delivery is calm and collected as he paints verbal pictures of New York at night where people accidentally kill innocent citizens. What he says is true, but the nature of the production and the lyricism is such that it feels like a narrative pulled right out of a movie. His words are animated and come alive as he advertises his stories with passion and bravery. Never before have I witnessed an emcee execute lyricism with such perfection and grace. And never have I come so close to a lyrical movie as The Gza along with the electric guitar plucks and ebbed scratching hits the nail on the head and creates a masterpiece.

Apart from the production, the Rza (who by the way for all that don’t know is a amazing emcee as well) also culminates on a few songs. One of those is the outstanding ”Labels”. Here he introduces his song offering his advise on how to keep hip hop underground and offer true hip hop heads the best possible result. Before the song has even started, this is ridiculously promising. The production for this is unlike the rest, simple and wonderfully dark. With a ruff, tingling slamming drum loop, electric keys and a light electric backboard. Parting from the graphic storytelling for an instance, the Gza single handedly drops beautiful braggadocio. Not braggadocio in the sense of ‘look at my cars, women and money’, but taking the art form back to the original days. With quick witted punch lines like ’Ni--as be game thinking that they lyrical surgeons, when they know they’re microphone’s a virgin’. See, this is lyricism that you won’t ever find again. He’s not threatening anyone, he’s simply laying the rules down. With the character of the Rza’s production, this is a marvelous combination of bootleg hip hop meets knowledge. But having said that he is part of a group with the acronym of Witty Unbelievable Talent And Natural Game.

"4th Chamber” sees a joining of two arguable three of the best members of the Clan. Ghost Face Killah, Killah Priest and the Rza join the Gza for a biblical, blasphemous rhyming exchange session. The production is nothing short of memorable with a bizarre wailing background, a skipping drum loop and a light knocking wood tapping from 4th Disciple. This is one of those songs where every line is SO good that it’s impossible to pick a line. ’Why is the sky blue? Why is water wet? Why did Judas, rat to Romans while Jesus slept?’ and ’The year two thousand and two, the battle's filled with the Wu. Six million devils just died from the Bubonic Flu, or the Ebola Virus, under the reign of King Cyrus. You can see the weakness of a man right through his iris’ are just two of my favourites. The Rza is one member that drops the last verse just quoted, putting him in the poll for one of the best emcees ever. Yes, he is a man who likes to eat his cake and have it.

My second favourite song on the album has to be ”Shadowboxin”. Alongside the Gza, Method Man drops one incredible verse and one of the best on the album. Though arguably the most famous and popular member of the Clan, Method Man has never been anything special to me. But here he out does himself, snapping charisma into form and producing a verse that is gold on ones ears. ’You shoulda learnt about the flow and peasy afro, Ticallion stallion, chinky eye and snot nosed. From my naps to the bunion on my big toe, I keeps it movin, know just what the fu-k I'm doin. Rap insomniac, fiend to catch a ni--a snoozing’. It could be argued that he beats the Gza, and since he is my favourite member of the Clan, that is very difficult. The production on this track is the best on the album. Here the Rza provides electric scratching, a woman’s electric voice and light electric keys. The whole feel to this song is immense. You almost have to catch your breath once you’ve heard it, I did. The first time I heard this track I knew it would be one of the greatest hip hop tracks to ever be invented!

Not running out of great guests ”Investigated Reports” brings U-God, Raekwon the Chef and Ghost Face Killah the join him with his lyrical eulogies. The production is haunting and dark with electric keys playing over a tapping hi-hat. The lyricism on this track is too good for words! Storytelling and double dealing creep back into play as all four emcees switch verses with unbelievable ferocity and talent. Their voices are reserved over the beat, as its electric keys swig through over the hi-hat. The subject matter of this song is the many things in which police investigate into. The bridge describes this nicely as the Gza lists the many types of people who the police investigate into. The song is lightly political as they say ’brothers’, not naming a type of profession but just a race. Down to earth and hypnotic the song is striking and just as enjoyable as the rest of the five songs on here. Reuniting the Gza with the other three Clan members, makes this a team not to fight with. Because much like Uma Thurman they ’will kill bill’.

Even for the best hip hop album of all time, it is odd to save the best until last. Let alone when the last song is basically a solo from one of your best friends! ”B.I.B.L.E” sees the word classic being taken to a whole knew level as Killah Priest teams with the Rza to brings his own solo and one of the best hip hop songs ever made! The whole theme of this song is life lessons, faith and pain packed all into one song. The acronym B.I.B.L.E is used to mean Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. As you can tell from the title, the song is looking back on his life and analyzing the things he’s done before he dies. Much like the biblical title, the song is an array of stunning lyrical, religious references. Like Ras Kass’ ”On Earth As It Is…” Killah Priest is controversial to many Christians and Muslims questioning his faith on the time he was on earth. The Rza is the perfect man for the boards dropping saddening electric keys, a bizarre watery echo and a clapping hi-hat. The main vibe I get from listening to this song is sheer pain. The watery echo and keys bring this out beautiful. The whole song is just moving emotion, questioning things that we could do better in our life if we could re-live them. The reality of only living once hits the listener hard as Killah conquers triumphs and horrors that made him nearly not be with us. ’Knowledge is wisdom this goes back to when I was twelve, I loved doing right but I was trapped in hell. Had mad ideas, sad eyes and tears, years of fears, but yo my foes couldn't bear. I searched for the truth since my youth, and went to church since birth, but it wasn't worth the loot, that I was paying, plus the praying...Does it pay to be deaf, dumb and blind? From a slave we was kept from the mind. And from the caves he crept from behind, and what he gave, was the sect of the swine’. This is the best ending to an album of any genre that I have come across. Being a Samurai warrior is all about courage, and Killah Priest has buckets full of that to create a song so emotionally driven.

For one of the only times in my life I am speechless. If I could have crafted a better hip hop album it wouldn’t be as good as this! Everything that ever needed to be covered is on this album. The Rza provides the perfect backdrop of coveted keys; electronic scratching and slamming drum loops. The guest talents on this album are close nit and outstanding. And lyrically the Gza is in a league of his own. The Kung-Fu theme throughout the album provides subtle references to other emcees on not to mess with the Wu-Tang Clan. Alongside this, it also shows how hip hop and rap are art forms, providing a textured underlay to the whole album. Every time I put on this album I am transported to a lyrical world of religion, violence and love. If you listen closely you can also pick up many political references that creep into the picture. What else do you need? I know that the Gza will never create an album like this again, but he has the potential! Because after all ’The Gza the genius is just a genius’ and no one can rebuke that fact!

Overall Rating
5 Stars and the best hip hop album ever.


Great Music To Play While: Understanding what the best hip hop album ever made is!


Similar Albums:


The Wu-Tang Clan- Enter The Wu (36 Chambers)


Ras Kass- Soul On Ice


Onyx- All We Got Iz Us


Raekwon The Chef- Only Built For Cuban Linx



Recommended: Yes