Coming fourteen years after its predecessor, Raekwon's 'Only Built For Cuban Linx..Pt. II' has hit the shelves and has not missed a beat. Though there were two other studio albums in between parts I and II (The Lex Diamond Story and Immobilarity), this album shines, especially at a time when quality hip-hop seems harder to find.
This album is not for everyone. No autotune; no million dollar guest spots from sub-par rapper/producers; no annoying club bangers. This is a Wu-Tang production, plain and simple. Rae sticks to what makes Wu (related) albums classic: quality beats, thought-out verses with multi layered metaphors and rhymes, and the "Wu Gambino" flavor that has become an example for other rappers to follow.
Raekwon has made a living making rhymes sometimes so complicated that you miss what hes saying upon first listen. His extensive use of Staten Island slang combined with crime lingo and his love for everything Polo, Fila, and other brand names from the 90s all come together to make verses so powerful and intricate that the listener hangs on every word. Repeat listens are rewarded with quality lines.
Add this to some top-notch production from veterans like Dr Dre, RZA, and the late, great J Dilla, and what youre left with is an album that plays through 22 tracks, with almost every song leaving you with something to like. I won't lie, a few of the tracks would have probably been better on a mixtape, but overall between the beats, kung-fu samples from movies like John Woo's "The Killer" (classic Wu), and the guest spots from Ghostface, Method Man, and other members of the Wu-Tang Clan, this album will soon find its home in your collection.
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Are there any YouTube videos of any of the songs that you could post on this blog? Some samplers that we could hear? Sounds like an interesting CD from this description, and I'd like to hear some gems from the CD. Being unfamiliar with the musicians, however, I wouldn't know which songs to go to first. Can you direct me?
ReplyDeleteDitto what Lauren said, especially because the overly-commercialized rap you describe at the beginning of the second paragraph is exactly what I hate. So maybe I'd like this!
ReplyDeleteAnd is Raekwon a former member of the wu-tang? I feel so lame asking this, and I know that you're aiming at a rap-fluent audience that wouldn't have to ask it, but I'd like a brief description of him.
So you should totally check out Blakroc.
ReplyDeleteIf you aren't familiar, it's a collaborative effort between popular garage-blues rock band the Black Keys, and tons of excellent MCs. Ludacris, ODB, Mos Def, Raekwon, RZA, Pharoah Monche, Jim James, to name a few.
It's heavy and raw. The fact that there is some actual instrumentation to be heard makes this a multi-faceted production. I'm all for sampled beats and rhythms, but having the Black Keys' inherently soulful yearnings to drive the rhymes of these guys really just brings it home and makes the album that much more...authentic.