Living in the World Today by GZA (prod. RZA)

I'd say like most fans of hip hop, my first introduction (and what led to my eventual love of the culture) began with the album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) by the Wu-Tang Clan. The Clan has always held a prominent place in Hip Hop, and their influence was only partly because of their music, but rather what they represented for Hip Hop in 1993. Their debut of the 36 Chambers was at a time when the shift in popularity had gone from the East Coast sound to the West Coast G-Funk sound that had been originated by Dr. Dre. With the establishment of the 9 members out of Staten Island, NY, the Wu had revolutionized the concept of what it meant to be in a Hip Hop group. Each member of the Clan would overtake the record industry by releasing solo albums. Through these albums, the 9 members would establish themselves in the Hip Hop world as well as gaining some degree of success.

One of these members being GZA (the Genius). His 1995 release, Liquid Swords has been revered by some as the best of the Wu-Tang Clan's solo releases and solidified GZA as the best lyricists in the group. Through his rich use of allusions and dark imagery his lyrics are perfectly matched with his cousin (and the leader of the Clan), the RZA's production. Through RZA's use of kung-fu samples (a trademark of the Clan that is present even on their debut release) and layers upon layers of dark tones make this one of the most gritty releases out of the Wu's catalog. Without a doubt Liquid Swords is an undisputed classic among their discography.

It is interesting to note that prior to the release of Liquid Swords in 1995, GZA had released Words from the Genius on Cold Chillin Records in 1991; making him the only member to have a release before Wu-Tang had arrived. His debut was almost entirely produced by Easy Mo Bee (the man responsible for a large portion of Biggie's Ready to Die). Despite this, the album was poorly received and the Genius would ask to be released from the label. It wasn't until GZA's return to hip hop with the Wu-Tang Clan would we see him in rare form.






One particular song that has always stuck with me off of this particular album (among a number of otherwise dope songs) is "Living in the World Today". From a production stand point I really enjoy the loop heard from the jump. The loop used is a perfect example of RZA's atmospheric style of production featured on this album. It starts off sparse, and turns into something really ugly once the bassline drops. The sample used in the beginning is "I'm His Wife (You're Just a Friend)" from Ann Sexton's album The Beginnings. Sexton is one of the fewer known female Soul singers of the South, to be specific South Carolina. She recorded a number of records with famed Nashville soul DJ and label owner John Richbourg (R) on Seventy Seven Records, which folded in 1977 and would lead to Ann's eventual fade into obscurity.




Sample starts at 0:01

The Ann Sexton loop then takes a backseat in the mix to a punching bassline that is really the heart of the beat. The basslines through out this album is to me what is most impressionable. This one in particular sounds foreboding and gives the song a much darker tone in combination with the dark imagery provided by the GZA. What is next heard in the composition are a high end filter of a horn sample. These horns are actually pitched at two different settings, so one is of a slightly higher tone. The horns come from the song "In the Hole" by The Bar-Kays. Hailing from Memphis, Tennessee; The Bar-Kays got their success as the backing band for famed R&B singer Otis Redding. Sadly, on December 10, 1967 Redding as well as some members of the Bar-Kays would die in a plane crash on their way to a performance in Wisconsin. The trumpeter, Ben Cauley would be the only survivor of the crash, while the bassist James Alexander had taken another plane. After these events, the remaining members had actually continued to play music, reforming the Bar-Kays.

Sample starts at 1:28

While Liquid Swords remains to be one of the greatest achievements in the RZA's production catalog, it is quite different from his previous releases. There is still of course traces of RZA found through out the sampled compositions, such as the kung fu samples and gritty booming basslines. Still though, as described by the GZA himself the beats had a "Grimy, rock-like feel to them." Somehow this album manages to be eerier than even RZA's most disturbing works (such as Ol' Dirty Bastard's Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version).  Similar to the other Wu-Tang releases of this period, the album was made entirely in RZA's basement in Staten Island. The beats were played over the course of 2 days, and GZA would take his time writing. Perhaps this is why the album stands out among even the most classic Wu-Tang albums. The recording processes for fellow Wu members Raekwon and Ghostface's debut albums (both of which are considered classics in their own right) were recorded at a far quicker pace. It was with Liquid Swords that RZA and GZA had taken their time crafting the record. Perhaps it was the amount of time it took to create it is what resulted in the cohesion between GZA and RZA, which is masterful and provides a sonic dialogue to the darkest parts of urban life.