Shadowboxin’ Lyrics

[Interlude: Method Man]
Allow me to demonstrate the skill of Shaolin (That's right, all you corny-ass rap motherfuckers)
The special technique of shadowboxing (Better go back and check your fucking stacks)
Because your naps ain't nappy enough (Shadowboxing)
And your reach ain't rugged enough, bitch

[Verse 2: GZA]
Yo, I slayed MCs back in the rec room era
My style broke motherfuckin' backs like Ken Patera
Most rap niggas came loud but unheard
Once I pulled out, round 'em off to the nearest third

Check these non-visual niggas, with tapes and a portrait
Flood the seminar, tryna orbit this corporate
Industry, but what them niggas can't see
Must break through like the Wu, unexpectedly

Protect ya neck, my sword still remains imperial
Before I blast the mic, RZA scratch off the serial
We reign all year 'round from June to June
While niggas bite immediately, if not soon

Set the lynchin', inform the execution date
As this 2000 beyond slang suffocate
Amplify sample through vacuum tubes compressions
Cause RZA to charge niggas twenty G's a session

[Verse 3: Method Man]
When my mind start to clickin'
And the strategy is mastered, the plot thicken
This be that Wu shit

I don't give a cotton-pickin' fuck
About a brother tryna size a nigga up, I hold my own

Hard-hat, protect the dome
Look at mama's baby boy actin' like he grown
No time for sleep, I gets deep as a baritone
Killa bee that be holdin' down his honeycomb, loungin', son
Wu brother number one
Protect your neck, flyin' guillotines, here they come
Bloody bastards, hard times and killer tactics

Spittin' words plus semi-automatic slurs, peep the graphic
Novel from the genie bottle
Hit the clutch, shift the gear, now full throttle
Time to bungee to the next episode, I keeps it grungy
Hand on my nut sack and spittin' lunghies
At a wack nigga that don't understand the fact
When it come to RZA tracks, I don't know how to act
Real rap from the Stat', Killa Hill Projects, how to be exact
Break it down, all in together now
Things are gettin' good, lookin' better now

...and some other shit

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About

Genius Annotation

Here, Method Man delivers arguably one of the greatest and most haunting “guest appearance” flows of all time. Only to be matched by GZA’s incredibly tight middle verse. Respect the Wu.

GZA’s L.S. album initially received favorable critical reviews for its lyrically complex and musically hypnotic style. Since the album’s 1995 release, its recognition has enhanced, with a number of famous publishers proclaiming Liquid Swords as one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

What has Meth said about the song?
Genius Answer

Meth told Complex

It’s crazy because I had put those two verses on there. GZA was supposed to put two verses on there too, but he only put one. I don’t know what happened. That’s RZA. Being in the studio, in the dungeon by himself, he’ll think the shit out like, ‘Fuck it. Let’s do it this way.’

When I made that record, that’s when my style flipped. It became something else. That record and ‘The Riddler.’ Before that, it was always uptempo shit. It was ‘Release Yo’ Delf,’ ‘Method Man,’ ‘Bring The Pain.’

But ‘Shadowboxin’’ wasn’t that frantic shit. Music always depends on what kind of vibe you’re in. It would just be me and RZA in the studio and I always listened to RZA. He was one of my biggest critics and my muse.

What did GZA say about "Shadowboxin'"?
Genius Answer

Meth delivered well on this one too. I even do his verse when I do it live! I mean, “I breaks it down to the bone gristle” is so dope. It’s hard not to rap along to this one. Just like when I hear “Triumph,” it’s hard not to do Deck’s verse. I think I was actually [just] the filler for that song anyways. [laughs] It always seemed more like Meth’s track. I remember RZA telling me I needed to get on it, so he put me in between. It’s an incredible song though, and I love performing it. It’s just another emcee lyrical joint with crazy smooth cadences.

GZA, Wax Poetics

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