Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. II: A Review

In 1995, following the unlikely but resounding success of Wu-Tang Clan's 1993 debut album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), and the predictable but no less amazing success of Method Man's and ODB's debut albums, followed a less anticipated debut from Raekwon the Chef. Less well-known and charismatic than some of the other Wu personalities, the Chef nevertheless delivered perhaps its single greatest solo albums in the form of Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... (OB4CL). The intricate and haunting soundscape masterminded by RZA was matched, even bested by Raekwon's barrage of battle raps, slang, and most of all, street tales. Joined by the rest of the Wu at various points (and by Ghostface on nearly every song), the album kept the Wu at the artistic forefront of rap, by firmly establishing the trend of Mafioso rap which would greatly influence Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt (read review), Nas' It Was Written (read review), The Notorious B.I.G's Life After Death, and Mobb Deep's Hell on Earth, among other seminal works of the nineties. And it brought Raekwon and Ghostface to prominence as two of hip-hop's most talented artists.

Raekwon's follow up solo albums, while highly anticipated, did not find the same kind of critical or commercial acceptance as his debut. While Raekwon was as sharp as ever, RZA's production was noticeably absent. Further, the Chef occasionally strayed from his underground base with slightly more commercial ready fare. Not to say he was wearing shiny suits à la Puffy, but fans tended to want an album like OB4CL: not built for radio play.

So Raekwon relented by producing a proper sequel. After much hype and expectation, a planned partnership with Dr. Dre did not pan out, but Raekwon did complete the album, which was then shelved while distribution was determined. While not quite reaching the level of expectation for Dre's mythical Detox album, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II (OB4CLII), by virtue of a few strategic leaks, a couple of strong pre-release mixtape, and still nearly sixteen years later, a legion of die-hard Wu-Tang fans, OB4CLII is easily one of the most anticipated albums of the past couple of years.

The production is not RZA all the way through, but it is nearly as effective...understandable considering the pedigree of the producers. The album is more than ably serviced by Dr. Dre, the late J. Dilla of Slum Village, Pete Rock, Erick Sermon, The Alchemist, Marley Marl, among others. Despite the disparate production, the album's sound is surprisingly cohesive. Raekwon is as sharp as he's ever been, as are the rest of the Clan. The album is as cerebral as the first: there are no made-for-the-club records here, unless you're talking about a grimy, urban hole-in-the-wall. Still, there's nothing on the order of Ghostface's 2000 single Cherchez La Ghost, a quintessentially Wu track with considerable commercial appeal. The closest is New Wu, with its eerie Magictones sample, and the Dre-helmed Catalina with Lyfe Jennings. Everything else is unadulterated hardcore rap, from the opening track House of Flying Daggers, a rickety track featuring Method Man, Ghostface and Inspectah Deck, and interpolating the Wu-Tang hook for Clan in Da Front off their debut to the excellent closer Kiss the Ring.

And what's central here is Raekwon, not the production. The rapper takes strong beats and gets his message out, whether through a full song or through a single twenty-eight bar (Pyrex Vision) or eighteen bar (Sonny's Missing) verse. Highlights include the haunting Cold Outside, the back to back of Ghostface and Raekwon on Penitentiary, the Styx sampling Surgical Gloves, the meditative Have Mercy, the sonically rich 10 Bricks, the flawless Catalina, and the creeping Mean Streets.

While fans hoped for a sequel to Verbal Intercourse, a now-legendary OB4CL track wherein the first non-Wu guest Nas easily dropped one of his best and most memorable verses ever, Nas is nowhere to be found. Instead, guests Beanie Siegel, Busta Rhymes, Styles P, and Jadakiss compliment the non-Wu spot nicely with blistering verses of their own; indeed, this is the kind of album the latter needs to make rather than lukewarm fare, such as The Last Kiss (read review). If there is one complaint, the self-referentialism and hip-hop critiques in the D-Block verses are out of place on an album that is quintessentially about the streets (and occasionally Five Percenter knowledge and battle raps)...not hip-hop, not the Wu (not really), not even Raekwon personally. This album though, like its predecessor, highlights Raekwon's unique gifts, among them an unfailing confidence in his own artistic vision, rather than prevailing artistic trends.

There's nothing really revelatory here for Wu-Tang fans. OB4CLII is a stark reminder of how potent the Wu-Tang Clan really is, in an era where there hasn't been much to illustrate that to the Soulja Boy generation - Ghostface's Fishcale and this year's excellent Chamber Music (read review) notwithstanding. For those not raised on the Wu, this might be considered groundbreaking and might encourage them to broaden their rap horizons. Still for fans of the original, there's a sense of renewed faith in the Wu brand to be gained from OB4CLII. The Clansmen, especially Raekwon, are still ready, willing, and able to make the kind of music that their fans want to hear. The vision hasn't changed, just matured at the edges.