Liquid Swords (song)
"Liquid Swords" is a song by American rapper and Wu-Tang Clan member GZA. It is the second single and title track of his second studio album (1995). The song contains background vocals from RZA, who also produced the song.
| "Liquid Swords" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by GZA | ||||
| from the album Liquid Swords | ||||
| Released | October 10, 1995 | |||
| Genre | Hip hop | |||
| Length | 4:32 | |||
| Label | Geffen | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Gary Grice, Robert Diggs, Eddie Brigati, Felix Cavaliere, Joe Zawinul[1] | |||
| Producer(s) | RZA | |||
| GZA singles chronology | ||||
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Background and composition
The song opens with sampled dialogue from the film Shogun Assassin. It also samples "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" and "Groovin'" by Willie Mitchell.[2] In an interview with Wax Poetics, GZA spoke about the song's composition:
This track is just braggadocios. It isn't meant to stand for anything. I'm talking about my skills and how I'm better than the rest. Usually I take a beat home and write to it for a few days, but it wasn't like that with this track. I think RZA played the beat for me and I just spit to it right there. The hook was actually a routine from around '84 that me RZA and Ol' Dirty would do: "When the emcees came, to live out the name." Just like that.[3]
Charts
| Chart (1995) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100[4] | 48 |
| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[5] | 33 |
| US Hot Rap Songs (Billboard)[6] | 3 |
References
- "Liquid Swords". AllMusic. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
- "GZA's 'Liquid Swords' Turns 15 Years Old - XXL". XXL. November 8, 2010. Retrieved 2021-08-29.
- Ma, David. "Wu-Tang Clan's GZA runs down every track off Liquid Swords". Wax Poetics. Archived from the original on May 20, 2016.
- "GZA Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
- "GZA Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
- "GZA Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard.