“I want to not only help tell these stories but help further each woman’s legacy and spark curiosity in people to learn more about them. “The stories behind the songs on Eve are inspiring, and I wanted to do my part in celebrating these women in the best way I know how,” Rapsody said in a statement. Each song on the album features the rapper paying tribute to “a legendary black female, helping shed light on the people that have served as inspirations for Rapsody through the years.” Rapsody, who was nominated for the Best Rap Album Grammy for her 2017 LP Laila’s Wisdom, will next release Eve on August 23rd. Blige and rap great Roxanne Shante also make cameo appearances in the video. He then dropped 'Beneath The Surface' and 'Legend Of The Liquid Sword, in 19, respectively, that werent as successful as his second solo album. On “Ibtihaj,” D’Angelo delivers a woozy take on the famed “Liquid Swords” chorus, while GZA himself appears in the video to revisit the song and contribute a fresh verse to 9th Wonder’s RZA-sampling beat. In 1995 he released the dark, kung-fu inspired, but still widely-acclaimed 'Liquid Swords', that is considered one of the best Wu-Tang solo albums alongside Raekwons 'Only Built For Cuban Linx'. The rapper also unveiled the new video for “Ibtihaj,” an ode to fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad, the first American to wear a hijab while competing for the United States at the Olympics. 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.Rapsody recruits D’Angelo and GZA and samples the Wu-Tang Clan rapper’s classic 1995 solo single “Liquid Swords” on her new song “Ibtihaj.” 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"). 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. 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.
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. 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. 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. 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.
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