{"title":"Genius \/ GZA","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"liquid-swords-the-instrumentals","title":"Liquid Swords - The Instrumentals","description":"\u003cp\u003eAvailable on 2LP, with the look of a silk-screened jacket we are excited to bring to you these Liquid Swords Instrumentals. There are many reasons why Wu-Tang Clan rapper GZA's second solo album Liquid Swords is considered one of the greatest hip-hop records of all time. Critics and historians point to GZA's raw, and starkly poetic lyrics which featured references to chess, crime and philosophy, as well as superb guest performances from his Wu-Tang Clan contemporaries. One can't comment on Liquid Swords' brilliance however without touching upon the production, courtesy of Wu-Tang's own mastermind RZA. Behind a hazy and murky backdrop of rare samples and classic boom-bap beats, RZA crafted a bleak atmosphere of urban dystopia for GZA's esoteric rhymes to flourish in,cribbing from a wide panoply of sources ranging from the dusty soul of The Bar-Kays and Ohio Players, the nostalgic jazz of Cannonball Adderley and Willie Mitchell, and even the experimental weirdness of Mothers Of Invention. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn a retrospective 5-star AllMusic.com review of Liquid Swords, writer Steve Huey said of RZA’s production: “The Genius' eerie calm is a great match for RZA's atmospheric production, which is tremendously effective in this context; the kung fu dialogue here is among the creepiest he's put on record, and he experiments quite a bit with stranger sounds and more layered tracks.” These instrumentals, peppered with frequent interludes of dialogue from the classic samurai flick Shogun Assassin, became the core of the GZA’s acclaimed sophomore LP. The full Liquid Swords instrumentals are now available in a white and black vinyl pressing, a nod to 10 the chessboard art synonymous with the album’s cover art. All tracks have been restored, with re-mastered audio from the original source tapes\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Get On Down","offers":[{"title":"Black | LP | x2","offer_id":50469082661195,"sku":"379650","price":33.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/ba98b887-7bf2-4c7f-b3cd-1c4119a65548_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727356085"},{"product_id":"liquid-swords-2","title":"Liquid Swords","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe acknowledged head of the Wu-Tang Clan, Genius (a.k.a. GZA) delivers the fifth Wu-banger with his sophomore solo album. Musically, Liquid Swords is the Clan's strongest solo release to date, and lyrically, Genius comes correct with a style he describes as \"too swift to bite\". Liquid Swords is comprised of two types of songs, all backed by the RZA's skilful production. On the one hand, Genius schools the clan's followers through songs that address serious problems experienced in every day inner-city life. \"Cold World\", which is backed by whirling wind sound, contains mini-stories that illustrate the misfortunes of gun-slinging in the hip-hop community. \"Investigative Reports\" goes even deeper in administering the blame, suggesting that drug-related crimes stem from a higher authority. On the other hand, there are the Clan's kung-fu metaphors, which show up on Genius' more Wu-styled songs. On \"duel of the iron mic\", he's joined by a number of fellow clansmen to reinstate the idea that no one can match them, despite numerous attempts to copy their image and concepts. Similarly, the production on songs like \"4th chamber\" and \"shadowboxin'\" closely relates them to enter the 36 Chambers, and helps make Liquid Swords a complete Wu release.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Interscope","offers":[{"title":"CD.","offer_id":50527694225739,"sku":"286418","price":7.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Black LPx2","offer_id":50527695077707,"sku":"2191682","price":39.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Liquid_Swords_Expanded_Edition_e0652f9c_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1728056846"}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/collections\/genius-gza.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}