hiphopheads Essential Album of the Week #103: GZA - Liquid Swords - HipHop | HipHop Channel

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hiphopheads Essential Album of the Week #103: GZA - Liquid Swords - HipHop

hiphopheads Essential Album of the Week #103: GZA - Liquid Swords - HipHop

hiphopheads Essential Album of the Week #103: GZA - Liquid Swords

Posted: 30 May 2018 06:23 AM PDT

Welcome to the new and improved Essential Album of the Week discussion thread!

Every Wednesday we will discuss an album from our Essential Albums list

Last Time: Tha Dogg Pound - Dogg Food

This Week: GZA - Liquid Swords

Stream/Purchase

Spotify

iTunes

Google Play

Background/Description (courtesy of allmusic)

Often acclaimed as the best Wu-Tang solo project of all, Liquid Swords cemented the Genius/GZA's reputation as the best pure lyricist in the group -- and one of the best of the '90s. Rich in allusions and images, his cerebral, easy-flowing rhymes are perhaps the subtlest and most nuanced of any Wu MC, as underscored by his smooth, low-key delivery. 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. Not only is RZA in top form, but every Clan member makes at least one appearance on the album, making it all the more impressive that Liquid Swords clearly remains the Genius' showcase throughout. All of his collaborators shape themselves to his quietly intimidating style, giving Liquid Swords a strongly consistent tone and making it an album that gradually slithers its way under your skin. Mixing gritty story-songs and battle rhymes built on elaborate metaphors (martial arts and chess are two favorites), the Genius brings his lyrical prowess to the forefront of every track, leaving no doubt about how he earned his nickname. Creepily understated tracks like "Liquid Swords," "Cold World," "Investigative Reports," and "I Gotcha Back" are the album's bread and butter, but there's the occasional lighter moment ("Labels" incorporates the names of as many record companies as possible) and spiritual digression ("Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth"). Overall, though, Liquid Swords is possibly the most unsettling album in the Wu canon (even ahead of Ol' Dirty Bastard), and it ranks with Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) and Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx as one of the group's undisputed classics.

Guidelines

This is an open thread for you to share your thoughts on the album. Avoid vague statements of praise or criticism. This is your chance to practice being a critic. It's fine for you to drop by just to say you love the album, but let's try and step it up a bit!!!

How has this album affected hip-hop? WHY do you like this tape? What are the best tracks? Do you think it deserves the praise it gets? Is it the first time you've listened to it? What's your first impression? Have you listened to the artist before? Explain why you like it or why you don't.

DON'T FEEL BAD ABOUT BEING LATE!!!! Discussion throughout the week is encouraged.

Also my bad for delaying this so long, school has kicked my ass and I just had to deal with that first

Next week's EAOTW will be Goodie Mob - Soul Food

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Drake Ellaborates on Controversial Image

Posted: 30 May 2018 08:10 PM PDT

I ran the numbers on every Kanye album rollout, here is what I learned (and a prediction on the new album)

Posted: 30 May 2018 01:53 PM PDT

Every album in Kanye West's discography has a story attached to it, a narrative or a legend that has emerged since it was released. It's tempting to say listeners and critics assign these legacies to Kanye's albums as they age, but the raw data tells a different story::

Kanye strategically controls the narrative around every one of his albums, and he begins the process around 60 weeks prior to release date.

I gathered data from Kanye's entire discography and back catalogue, including:

  • Every song he has ever produced
  • Every guest spot he's delivered
  • Every lead song he's released

I analysed the period 60 weeks prior to each album, (aka when Kanye's in "Album Mode") to either prove or disprove a commonly held belief for each album. In my research, I found that Kanye is meticulous in his preparation.

What the Data says about each of Kanye's Albums

The College Dropout: Kanye wasn't taken seriously or given opportunity as a rapper until his debut album.

Prior to The College Dropout:

  • Kanye performed the fewest guest spots
  • Kanye delivered the fewest words
  • Kanye delivered the fewest hooks
  • 77% of Kanye's output prior to the album is devoted to production, the most

Late Registration: The year Kanye came back to remind everyone he wasn't just a great rapper, he was instrumental in crafting the sound of mainstream hip-hop during the early 2000s.

Prior to Late Registration:

  • Kanye released the most beats than prior to any other album
  • Kanye produced the most singles of any album cycle
  • He gave more beats away (37) than any other album
  • He produced for 21 separate labels, his most

Graduation: Kanye transcended rap and became a rock star

  • Ye sold more copies of his promotion singles (10,000 via "Stronger" and "Can't Tell Me Nothing") than at any other point in his career
  • He went on his longest world tour (2006-2008, the most shows he has ever played outside of the U.S. )
  • Graduation charted in the top 10 in 14 different countries, a career high (Yeezus is second with 11)

808s & Heartbreak: Kanye took the biggest risk of his career on 808s

  • Kanye used just 3 samples used on 808s, making it the least sample-reliant project of Kanye's career (next lowest is 18 samples on Yeezus)
  • Kanye had his lowest output as a producer prior to the album
  • 10 tracks that Kanye appeared on or released before the album were R&B, a career high (Yeezus and* Graduatio*n each only had 3)
  • The 808s era is the first time Kanye used auto tune on his lead vocals
  • A whopping 88.3% of Kanye's vocals on 808s utilize autotune

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy: Kanye's Ascent to the Top of Mainstream Rap

  • Kanye performed more words and more bars prior to MBDTF than any other album
  • More Kanye beats were released with Kanye as a guest artist than at any other point in his career
  • There isn't a a single song prior to MBDTF in which Kanye performs only a hook with no rapping
  • 6 of Kanye's guest spots before the album were Pop, making it his most Pop-heavy album cycle by far

Yeezus: Kanye's least accessible album (the anti-MBDTF)

  • Fewest bars Kanye has ever dropped before an album
  • Fewest hooks Kanye has ever delivered (as lead artist) before an album (43 words devoted to hooks)
  • Kanye produced the fewest tracks for guest artists ever prior to Yeezus
  • He produced for just 4 different artists, and 6 separate labels, his lowest

The Life of Pablo: Kanye's most confusing album

The legacy of TLOP is yet to be felt, but the data has a hard time figuring out

what that feeling will look like.

  • 44 samples were used on the album, the most for any Kanye album
  • The album is mid-range when considering stats like bars prior to album (3rd), 31 tracks produced (4th), Singles produced (3rd), Kanye not rapping on his own beats (5th)
  • Kanye released more album tracks prior to TLOP
  • Ye produced more pop songs (6) prior
  • TLOP's singles performed the worst on the Hot 100 than any other Ye release

Kanye's 2018 Album: What do the numbers say?

The follow up to The Life of Pablo is due to drop this Friday, and Kanye's stats in the past 60 weeks don't give a lot of clues as to the content or sound. He's produced 9 tracks for other artists, and 2 for himself. He has dropped 2 loosies, "Lift Yourself" and "Ye Vs. The People". He featured on Travis Scott's "Watch", which hit 16 on the Hot 100, his next best was 48 with his production credit on "BBO" by Migos.

No Kanye rollout has tracked a similar path. With the promise of 7 songs, and the above statistics, it seems this project could be an odd mix between Yeezus and 808s. Both projects found Kanye withdrawn and reserved (musically) prior to their release.

One thing is for certain: it will make sense 10-15 years from now.

If you're interested in getting a little deeper into the analysis, you can find my full write ups w/ complete data on each of Kanye's albums here. If you have any questions please don't hesitate!

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I've collected every Pusha T guest verse, diss track, live performance and interview, and put them all in one place

Posted: 30 May 2018 03:26 PM PDT

Kanye listening party tomorrow

Posted: 30 May 2018 07:54 AM PDT

National Multiple Sclerosis Society Responds to Pusha-T

Posted: 30 May 2018 10:45 AM PDT

Jay Rock's 'Redemption' Album Will Feature a "Dream" Collaboration with JAY-Z

Posted: 30 May 2018 12:49 PM PDT

[FRESH VIDEO] Jay Rock - Win

Posted: 30 May 2018 09:01 AM PDT

Pusha T speaks on his "Story of Adidon" Drake diss at Breakfast Club Interview 5/30

Posted: 30 May 2018 04:33 AM PDT

Drake Probably Should Have Seen This Coming (Vulture)

Posted: 30 May 2018 09:18 AM PDT

Black Thought shares cover art for "Streams of Thought Vol. 1"

Posted: 30 May 2018 04:43 PM PDT

Trevor Noah's behind the scenes take on the Pusha T/Drake beef

Posted: 30 May 2018 08:48 PM PDT

[FRESH] The Internet - Come Over

Posted: 30 May 2018 08:52 AM PDT

Lupe Fiasco comes to the defense of Drake's blackface pics

Posted: 30 May 2018 12:51 PM PDT

Lupe's tweet

And here's him saying that the pusha t diss was wack

Apparently, Drake was also wearing jim crow couture and those pics were created to represent how black artists and black culture seems so uppity but holds some kind of sadness or shit like that inside. Just to give some perspective, here's the two pics

Btw, he deleted his tweets and it was like a long rant it seems, if somebody screenshotted them please tell me and i'll edit this post

EDIT:

In response to "I would like to know your thoughts on Drake in blackface"

Not defending or deflecting but Did you see the whole picture? It's two pictures you know. You do know that right? That it's two pictures

In response to "Two pictures?"

Yes it's two pictures of [Drake] in blackface...the one Pusha has as the cover art is connected to another one but it's cropped off. The one you saw is happy and the other is sad. Both together actually presents a powerful duality of representation and race and its expectations on art

In response to "That does not excuse it. Come on Lupe lol"

Sure it does. Last time I checked Drake was a mix of 2 of the most hated races on earth. Made an artistic gesture in those photos. Pusha let Ye put a stolen photo of Queen Whitney at her worst as an album cover as an artistic gesture. I can see validity in both. Stop while u ahead

In response to "Also, Push and Ye releases that themselves. This other one has been dug up. There's a difference when you control the content"

You act like he wad personally hiding it. It's been on a website for years. Push dug it up and put it up. BUT he only showed you half of the photo and hiding it's real context and intention. When I saw the other half I knew at that moment he made a mistake. Hahha

Thank you u/Chriscftb97 for the help!!

EDIT 2: Here's Lupe talking about this subject on his live

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Pusha-T, a Lecturer Seeking a Target, Finds One (NYTimes)

Posted: 30 May 2018 02:35 PM PDT

I think I accidentally found a project Kanye’s working on that no one knows about…

Posted: 30 May 2018 07:36 PM PDT

An Explanation From the Clothing Company Who Made Drake's Jim Crow Shirt

Posted: 30 May 2018 05:53 PM PDT

[FRESH ALBUM] Waka Flocka Flame - Big Homie Flocka

Posted: 30 May 2018 10:20 PM PDT

OVO Rep in May 2017: "If it is in fact Drake's child, which he does not believe, he would do the right thing by the child."

Posted: 30 May 2018 09:25 PM PDT

Gorillaz announce new album "The Now Now" with new song to be premiered on Zane Lowe's Beats 1 show tomorrow too.

Posted: 30 May 2018 10:10 AM PDT

Trippie Redd and Lil Wop arrested

Posted: 30 May 2018 08:49 AM PDT

Sounds like they were involved in a jumping, but somebody pulled a gun on Trippie first so they got off with minimal charges

http://m.tmz.com/#2018/05/30/rappers-lil-wop-trippie-redd-arrested-fighting-atlanta/

submitted by /u/RainingBranden
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Pusha T Breaks It All Down With Funk Flex [Interview - 1:32:16]

Posted: 30 May 2018 11:25 AM PDT

[FRESH] Future - Bag feat. Yung Bans

Posted: 30 May 2018 09:02 PM PDT
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