I'm gonna have to go with "Liquid Swords" just because when I first got this I listened to it literally ten or more times before I could move on. It perfectly encapsulates everything I love about Wu. No organ was ever better.
― matt2, Tuesday, 9 October 2007 13:53 (sixteen years ago) link
RZA's verse is first rap verse i ever memorized 4th chamber wins w/ease
OTM. If not for that it would be "Killah Hills 10304," IMO the most perfectly efficient "gangsta as mobster boss" scene-paintings I've heard.
"Who used to drive like sacks of blow on this remote area we labeled Dead Man's Island Two hundred miles south from Thailand Right off the docks, I got the various custom made yachts Burial plots, for my niggas hit with fatal shots There's no need for us to spray up the scene I use less men, more powerful shit for my team," and on from there...faboo.
4th Chamber got axed on the "pure essence of an album" thread with the argument that GZA was really the third-place contender on that track, and the pure essence of a GZA album should be pure GZA. I can see that reasoning, but now that we're just talking flat-out 'best track' type poll, it's gotta be 4th Chamber. "Protons, Electrons Always Cause Explosions."
― Doctor Casino, Tuesday, 9 October 2007 13:54 (sixteen years ago) link
I remember when GZA did Liquid Swords on Squirt TV, and that won me over pretty hardcore.
― Whiney G. Weingarten, Tuesday, 9 October 2007 13:59 (sixteen years ago) link
as awesome as the convo/condo/John Doe line is, "4th Chamber" is a legit contender for greatest Wu-affiliated track ever. there's just no way I can possibly not vote for it.
― bernard snowy, Tuesday, 9 October 2007 14:04 (sixteen years ago) link
Styles are played out like mark fives sneakers, lyrics weak like clock radio speakers
― Oilyrags, Tuesday, 9 October 2007 14:07 (sixteen years ago) link
Either the title track or "Cold World." I'd probably go for the latter for its production (don't care for the hook, but LOVE the shimmering synth lines).
― mike a, Tuesday, 9 October 2007 14:12 (sixteen years ago) link
As someone just getting into the early Wu solo albums, btw, I'd have to give Liquid Swords the nod for best. It's a cautionary tale free of moralizing - it just lets the facts play out for themselves in a sinister, shifting landscape. You just don't hear many rappers describe themselves "not the actor but the author of a modern day opera with a main character."
― mike a, Tuesday, 9 October 2007 14:17 (sixteen years ago) link
haha i did that because i wanted "Gold" to win
which i will vote for here as well
― ciderpress, Tuesday, 9 October 2007 17:39 (sixteen years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.
― ILX System, Thursday, 11 October 2007 23:01 (sixteen years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.
― ILX System, Friday, 12 October 2007 23:01 (sixteen years ago) link
I'm not sure if I voted in this or what I voted for if I did or what I would have voted for if I didn't.
― The Reverend, Friday, 12 October 2007 23:26 (sixteen years ago) link
Too bad I missed this, my vote would have put 4th Chamber over the top...
― rogermexico., Saturday, 13 October 2007 02:14 (sixteen years ago) link
So, exactly what is happening to the guy in the bottom middle of the cover's head?
― mehlt, Wednesday, 23 April 2008 15:18 (sixteen years ago) link
the flying guillotine!!!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_guillotine_(weapon)
― Preview of the Matrix 12, Wednesday, 23 April 2008 15:26 (sixteen years ago) link
step your kung-wu game up
― Preview of the Matrix 12, Wednesday, 23 April 2008 15:28 (sixteen years ago) link
What's up with the two tracks listed on the album sleeve that don't actually appear on the album, "Hell's Wind Staff" and "Unexplained"? Were they tunes that were dropped off of it? "Hellz Wind Staff" on Wu-Tang Forever doesn't seem to be the same tune, because it doesn't feature GZA, Killah Priest, nor Dreddy Kruger, like it says on the Li
― Tuomas, Wednesday, 23 April 2008 15:55 (sixteen years ago) link
What's up with the two tracks listed on the album sleeve that don't actually appear on the album, "Hell's Wind Staff" and "Unexplained"? Were they tunes that were dropped off of it? "Hellz Wind Staff" on Wu-Tang Forever doesn't seem to be the same tune, because it doesn't feature GZA, Killah Priest, nor Dreddy Kruger, like it says in the Liquid Swords credits.
― Tuomas, Wednesday, 23 April 2008 15:56 (sixteen years ago) link
Whoops, sorry for the double post.
Some discographies list track number 9 as "Hell's Wind Staff/Killah Hills 10304", but that tune has only GZA rapping, not Killah Priest, Dreddy Kruger, and Masta Killa, like "Hell's Wind Staff" is supposed to have according to the credits.
― Tuomas, Wednesday, 23 April 2008 16:01 (sixteen years ago) link
'Swordsman' should have won, its one of the best things basically ever.
― TomDeath, Wednesday, 23 April 2008 16:04 (sixteen years ago) link
Killah Priest, Dreddy Kruger, and Masta Killa are probably on the Don Rodriguez skit before "Killah Hills."
― clotpoll, Wednesday, 23 April 2008 19:09 (sixteen years ago) link
I still don't understand why BIBLE was on this album.
― Granny Dainger, Wednesday, 23 April 2008 19:14 (sixteen years ago) link
to annoy you
― Shakey Mo Collier, Wednesday, 23 April 2008 19:26 (sixteen years ago) link
Nah, that's RZA and GZA talking with ODB singing on the background.
― Tuomas, Wednesday, 23 April 2008 19:30 (sixteen years ago) link
yo that niggas emsingin
― The Reverend, Friday, 17 September 2010 13:03 (thirteen years ago) link
his idols would lock down airportsand extort some importcatchin ten percent of what the fiends snort
― The Reverend, Friday, 17 September 2010 13:08 (thirteen years ago) link
TOMMY AIN'T MY MOTHERFUCKIN BOY
― The Reverend, Friday, 17 September 2010 13:18 (thirteen years ago) link
I breaks it down to the bone gristle
― Gucci Mane hermeneuticist (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 17 September 2010 13:19 (thirteen years ago) link
the prominent, dominant Islamic, Asiatic black Hebrew
― Paul McCartney to be Fetid at White House (Pillbox), Friday, 17 September 2010 19:22 (thirteen years ago) link
the sharpshooters hit the prosecutors
― The Reverend, Friday, 17 September 2010 19:49 (thirteen years ago) link
now guess who's on the witness stand singin?a well known sopranoa smash hit from sammy gravano
― The Reverend, Friday, 17 September 2010 19:50 (thirteen years ago) link
Energy is FELT once the cards are dealtWith the im-pact of roundhouse kicks from black beltsThat attack, the mic-phones like cyclones or typhoonsI represent from midnight to high noonI don't waste ink, nigga I thinkI drop megaton BOMBS more faster than ya blink
― Doctor Casino, Thursday, 14 October 2010 03:16 (thirteen years ago) link
I'm low-key like seashells
― Doctor Casino, Thursday, 14 October 2010 03:17 (thirteen years ago) link
what does GZA do between noon and midnight?
― all yoga attacks are fire based (rogermexico.), Thursday, 14 October 2010 04:41 (thirteen years ago) link
my vote woulda went for "living in the world today" but wuteva.
― babygirlwc, Thursday, 14 October 2010 06:40 (thirteen years ago) link
Lines of coke off strippers?
― more than ever convinced ilxor is a sock (ilxor), Thursday, 14 October 2010 13:36 (thirteen years ago) link
what is the meaning of crime?
is it Criminals Robbing Innocent Motherfuckers Everytime?
― missingNO, Thursday, 10 November 2011 03:43 (twelve years ago) link
I'm just swingin swords strictly based on keyboardsUnbalanced like elephants and ants on see-saws
― Doctor Casino, Sunday, 13 January 2013 12:52 (eleven years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIDQoRuJr0c
― lol cassidy fan club (Whiney G. Weingarten), Sunday, 13 January 2013 17:27 (eleven years ago) link
protons electrons always cause explosions
― rocky dennis horror show (Pillbox), Saturday, 2 February 2013 02:32 (eleven years ago) link
But with knowledge of self from off the shelfMade things seemed complicated, now small like elves
― lol dis stance dunk (Doctor Casino), Saturday, 17 March 2018 16:38 (six years ago) link
"Picture bloodbaths in elevator shafts" always made me think he wrote the line while watching "The Shining."
Damn near impossible to choose but today it's "Gold."
One of the great lyrical albums by anyone ever:
Like my man Muhammad from AfghanistanGrew up in Iran, the nigga runs a neighborhood newsstandA wild Middle Eastern bomb specialistInitiated at eleven to be a terroristHe set bombs in bottles of champagneAnd when niggas popped the cork, niggas lost half they brains
― Wally P. Doyle, Thursday, 23 May 2019 20:27 (five years ago) link
My Priority is that I'm First PriorityI bone the secret out a bitch in a sororitySo look out for A&MThe Abbot and the MasterBreaking down your Pendulum
As I fiend MC's out with a blow that'll numb the a--ppendix, I'm holding more weight than ColumbiaIndex Interscope, we RCA, clanThat's coming with a plan to free aSlave of a mental death MC don't panicThrow that A&R nigga off the boat in the Atlantic
― genital giant (Neanderthal), Wednesday, 13 May 2020 04:36 (four years ago) link
Adults kill for drugs plus the young bucks bustDucking handcuffs, throats get cut when dough rushOut of town foes look shook but still poseWe move like real pros through the streets we strollBullet holes lace the windows in one-six-ohSo control the avenues that's the dream that's soldBuilding lobbies are graveyards for small-timersBitches caught in airports, Ki's in they vaginasNo peace, yo the police mad corruptYou get bagged up, depending if you're passing the cutPlus shorty's not a shorty no more, he's living heartlessRegardless of the charges, claims to be the hardestIndividual, critical thoughts, criminal mindedBlinded by illusion, finding it confusing
― paolo, Wednesday, 13 May 2020 06:51 (four years ago) link
B.I.B.L.E. (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth)
possibly one of the dopest Wu albums ever but GZA's acronym card is revoked forevermore!
― calzino, Wednesday, 13 May 2020 09:34 (four years ago) link
strong disagree, great acronym
― turn the jawhatthefuckever on (One Eye Open), Wednesday, 13 May 2020 14:08 (four years ago) link
Tbf that one’s a CD-only bonus track and it’s 100% Killah Priest.
― pomenitul, Wednesday, 13 May 2020 14:12 (four years ago) link
I heard that acronym at a Fundamentalist church convention long before Liquid Swords
― genital giant (Neanderthal), Wednesday, 13 May 2020 14:21 (four years ago) link
xp its backstory is more complicated than I thought:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVy1QEulhDc
https://www.waxpoetics.com/blog/features/articles/the-making-of-liquid-swords-gza/
― pomenitul, Wednesday, 13 May 2020 14:24 (four years ago) link
I am utterly baffled as to how Duel Of The Iron Mic got zero votes. It might be the best track on this album.
― paolo, Tuesday, 20 December 2022 10:18 (one year ago) link
This is not a eighty-five affair, made clearWhen the gods get on to perform storms blew upWu's up, causin the crowd to self-destructKiller bees are stingin somethin while I revealScience, that's heavily guarded by the culpritBombin your barracks, with aerodynamicSwordplay, poison darts by the doorwayMinds that's laced with explosive dosesDamagin lyrical launcherLunge at the youthful offender then injureAny contender, testin the murderous masterCould lead to disaster, dynamite thoughtsExplode through your barrier, rips the retinaWho can withstand the astonishing punishingStings to the sternum, shocked in the hip-hop livestockSeekin for a serum, to cure em
And who the hell voted for BIBLE?? Because that should not have been on the CD. Should have just ended after 'to have it happen to my own neck is... ridiculous'
eeeeeeeuuuuuuurrrrrrhhhhhhhggghhhhh
― paolo, Tuesday, 20 December 2022 10:21 (one year ago) link
lol
― human and working on getting beer (longneck), Tuesday, 20 December 2022 13:08 (one year ago) link
Cold World - Gold - Living in the World Today is the part of the album I don't really replay, it's dark and atmospheric and doesn't hit clear like the first two or 4th Chamber.Shadowboxin' / Hell's Will / Investigative Reports (my potential vote) is the part I treasure, so inventive and fresh. I'd say the album is stronger with BIBLE, it's welcome to have a bright track top it off, nice endless loop.
― Nabozo, Tuesday, 20 December 2022 13:20 (one year ago) link
oh wow "Cold World" gets me every time. Took me years to trace the Stevie Wonder sample.
― Malevolent Arugula (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 20 December 2022 13:22 (one year ago) link
and "Shadowboxin'" is Method Man's finest moment anywhere.
There's no shame in voting for "B.I.B.L.E."
Also FWIW, I think it was meant as a "bonus track." Like GZA left it to RZA to figure out where to put it, and he didn't know where it would really fit within the album, so he just tagged it on to the end.
― birdistheword, Tuesday, 20 December 2022 23:41 (one year ago) link
(I didn't vote for "B.I.B.L.E." though)
― birdistheword, Tuesday, 20 December 2022 23:42 (one year ago) link
a true gem, very dark, very enjoyable
title track, duel of the iron mic, 4th chamber, shadowboxin, swordsman^^can't choose
bible does seem tacked on
― corrs unplugged, Thursday, 22 December 2022 10:22 (one year ago) link
happy 28th birthday to this timeless masterpiece, released 7 november 1995
― come on barbo let’s go parpo (bizarro gazzara), Tuesday, 7 November 2023 16:58 (six months ago) link
gotta read the labels
― a very very unfair (Neanderthal), Tuesday, 7 November 2023 17:00 (six months ago) link
Happy birthday indeed! That really is a stacked track list when you see it laid out in poll form. Surprised that 4th Chamber did not win at the time, considering it is THE GREATEST SONG IN THE HISTORY OF POPULAR MUSIC
― Iain Macdonald, Wednesday, 8 November 2023 13:25 (six months ago) link
Best album in history.
― hat trick of trashiness (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 8 November 2023 13:31 (six months ago) link
Aiyyo camouflage chameleon
― not the one who's tryin' to dub your anime (Doctor Casino), Wednesday, 8 November 2023 13:36 (six months ago) link