After 14 years and two mediocre solo albums, Raekwon has finally decided to return to what launched him from Wu-Tang Clan affiliate to a widely recognized solo artist with his new release, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx ... Pt. 2.
This album, which combines hardcore rap reflecting the '90s heyday with the sensibilities of modern production, promises to become a new classic for fans of hardcore hip-hop.
Raekwon, also known by Wu-Tang fans as "The Chef" for his ability to traffic cocaine, teeters between obscene humor and mean street attitude with ease, giving the listener a taste for the tasteless only he can pull off. The traits he displays are the same that helped rap grow and should serve as and a good example for rappers in the future.
Raekwon's 1995 album Only Built 4 Cuban Linx ... ranks as one of the greatest examples of gangsta rap that combined Wu-Tang's thematic aspects with more polished beats. Some credit it as being one of the first to use Italian witticisms from crime movies in music.
And most of the Wu-Tang members join in on some tracks, making this album an unofficial reunion. The track, "House of Flying Daggers," is a lyrical assault featuring GZA, Method Man, Inspectah Deck and Ghostface, taking on legions of enemy soldiers out to attack the Wu-Tang.
Raekwon and his entourage's playful vulgarity pushes them over the top and leaves them skillfully dancing the line between humorous and obscene. There are playful parodies on several tracks, including Ghostface Killah's re-enactment of the amusing situation of getting caught with his best friend's girl.
Raekwon then pulls out all the stops when he raps solo on the drug dealing-inspired track "Surgical Gloves." He paints a vivid picture of what growing up in an urban drug culture is like, from the rewards of putting out a good product to committing cold-blooded murder without reason.
The only thing holding the album back is Raekwon's extensively scripted introductions. Usually, the rapper's taste for theatrics with long intros enhances the rest of the track, but in songs like "Cold Outside," it takes nearly two minutes for Raekwon to drop his first rhymes.
Even with these minor problems, this is one of the strongest rap albums so far this year. Raekwon The Chef shows the world he can still cut it up with the best of them -- as long as the world is able to stomach his cooking.
Grade: A-
Download: "House of Flying Daggers"
