032: Genius/GZA - Liquid Swords (1995)
This week on Discord & Rhyme: witty, unpredictable talent and natural game. In the early ‘90s, Bobby Diggs, aka Bobby Digital, aka the RZA, served as de facto leader for a nine-piece Staten Island (or Shaolin) collective that changed the face of hip-hop. The Wu-Tang Clan’s rhymes were clever, aggressive, filled with pop culture references, and came at you from all sides, paired with production from the RZA, who preferred to sample empty space and dissonance over conventional hooks. Between 1994 and 1996, the members of Wu-Tang unleashed a whole volley of classic solo albums, and 1995’s Liquid Swords by the GZA, alias the Genius, might be the greatest of all of them. On this episode Rich leads Mike, Ben, and Phil through RZA’s chaotic sound landscapes and GZA’s murderous rhymes tight with genuine craft, both of which helped him realize that hip-hop is one of the greatest things in the entire world.
NOTE: This episode is marked Explicit, which you may or may not be able to see in your podcatcher, due to some strong language and violent imagery (i.e., we said a bunch of swears). Don't say we didn't warn you!
Cohosts: Rich Bunnell, Mike DeFabio, Phil Maddox, Ben Marlin
Complete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/032-geniusgza-liquid-swords-1995
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