Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II Review

Posted by Patrick Robinson on 09.09.2009

After numerous delays and a label change, Raekwon's fourth studio album and a sequel to his 1995 Classic debut album is finally here! Can Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II live up to the expectations of its predecessor, or has Raekwon set himself up for the biggest disappointment of 2009?

These days hip-hop fans are often too quick to label something as a ‘Classic’ album, especially in an era where sales are commonly associated with quality, a fact that the majority of fans will vehemently dispute.

That being said, one album that was almost instantaneously named as a Classic album was Raekwon’s 1995 solo album, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. It is widely credited for pioneering a new subgenre within hip-hop, Mafioso rap which was characterized by slower beats reliant on string and horn sections and references to the Mafia lifestyle through the lyrics. It was quite a contrast to the other Wu-Tang projects released such as Ol’ Dirty Bastard and Method Man’s albums which were more in line with the group’s debut album.

A gift and a curse, such a heavily applauded debut album is extremely hard to follow up on and unfortunately Raekwon’s subsequent 2 albums are disappointments in comparison. In 2005 when Raekwon first announced his next album was to be a sequel of sorts to his debut album, needless to say hip-hop fans in general were skeptical as sequels rarely live up to the standards set by the original.

It’s taken four years and a change of record labels but Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II is finally upon us. Can it possibly live up to the expectations of its predecessor or has Raekwon set himself up for the biggest disappointment of 2009?



Tracks

1. Return Of The North Star Ft. Popa Wu
2. House Of Flying Daggers Ft. Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killah & Method Man
3. Sonny’s Missing
4. Pyrex Vision
5. Cold Outside Ft. Ghostface Killah & Suga Bang
6. Black Mozart Ft. RZA & Inspectah Deck
7. Gihad Ft. Ghostface Killah
8. New Wu Ft. Ghostface Killah & Method Man
9. Penitentiary Ft. Ghostface Killah
10. Baggin’ Crack
11. Surgical Gloves
12. Broken Safety Ft. Jadakiss & Styles P.
13. Canal Street
14. Ason Jones
15. Have Mercy Ft. Beanie Sigel & Blue Raspberry
16. 10 Bricks Ft. Cappadonna & Ghostface Killah
17. Fat Lady Sings
18. Catalina Ft. Lyfe Jennings
19. We Will Rob You Ft. Slick Rick, GZA & Masta Killa
20. About Me Ft. Busta Rhymes
21. Mean Streets Ft. Inspectah Deck & Ghostface Killah
22. Kiss The Ring Ft. Inspectah Deck & Masta Killa

A 22-track album is a daunting thing to approach as most people would much rather a 10-track album of exceptional quality than a 20-something track album with filler and ‘skip’ tracks. Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II somehow manages to stay just as sharp from start to finish and this is largely in part to an obviously reinvigorated Raekwon and his selection of guests for the album.

That’s not to say there aren’t any problems; however these are not so much complaints with the quality of the album, but rather the quantity at times. There are seven tracks which fall under 3 minutes in length and frustratingly, a number of these tracks have enormous potential and would have made for a fantastic song given some extra time. “Sonny’s Missing” is an incredibly vivid tale backed up by an excellent Pete Rock beat that fits right into the Mafioso rap genre Raekwon helped pioneer 14 years ago, but runs for just over 2 minutes! Likewise, “Broken Safety” features one of the most interesting beats I’ve heard in a while and is completely ripped apart by Jada, Rae and Styles P who drops a reference to Raekwon’s original Classic: “Blowin’ the purple haze, playing the Purple Tape…” (Raekwon’s debut album on cassette was originally a solid purple tape). Naturally, a song I wouldn’t have minded hearing another minute or so of cuts short under 3 minutes.

The other issue, and this is solely a matter of preference but bears mentioning, is that if you’re NOT a fan of the Mafioso style or constant cocaine references, you’re probably not going to like this album, although I will say that if you’re going to do crack rap, THIS is how it should be done!

Apart from these minor issues, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II is an outstanding album and a true testament to the original. “House Of Flying Daggers” is a high-tempo track that kicks the album off in the right direction as Inspectah Deck starts the jump off in a manner that will make you think its 1995 all over again. Whatever happened to Method Man before he released 4:21…The Day After needs to happen to more rappers out there because he’s been more invigorated than ever since then and here is no different as he kicks an excellent verse and rides the beat with ease.

For the most part though, the album sticks solidly to the Mafioso rap formula in terms of lyrical content as these are tales of the drug kingpins rather than those of the street corner hustlers. “Pyrex Vision” and “Bagging Crack” are excellent examples of this and Raekwon deserves applause for managing to stick to the theme throughout the album without making it seem boring or repetitive.

When they do move outside the Mafioso style (albeit only slightly at times), the results are equally as impressive. “Penitentiary” is a tale of prison life and the beauty of Rae and Ghost’s style is that it’s descriptive (you will be hard pressed at times not to begin picturing the scene being played out in the song) without being unnecessarily complex. Similar to “Penitentiary”, “Have Mercy” is another tale of prison although it is much more somber than the aforementioned track. Beanie Sigel deserves a special mention for his verse as he says “Try to teach my son right, give him some jewels [of knowledge] but it’s hard to raise my boy from this visiting room”. “Ason Jones” is a heartfelt tribute to Ol’ Dirty Bastard that is supplemented by excerpts of an interview with ODB himself.

Production on the album is just as impressive and boasts beats from RZA, J Dilla, The Alchemist and Dr. Dre. RZA contributes “Black Mozart”, which features naturally, a sample from Mozart and “New Wu” which is closer to the more traditional Wu sound fans will be used to. You’ll be able to pick Dr. Dre’s contributions easily and whilst they’re not anything groundbreaking, they do provide a nice contrast the the predominantly East Coast sound the album features. “We Will Rob You” is produced by Allah Justice and is bit faster than the majority of the album, but Rae, GZA, Masta Killa and Slick Rick who pops up on the hook aren’t fazed at all. One of the best songs on the album is also produced by a Wu-Tang affiliate; “Kiss The Ring” is produced by Scram Jones and is a perfect way to round out a near-perfect album.

The 411: All the songs on Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II are excellent songs in their own right, but for the purposes of making the best album possible, some of them could have been saved for a later project. To actually choose say, 3 or 4 songs to be left off is much harder than it would normally be for an album of this length. Whilst this may not be a Classic album in the same vein as Raekwon’s debut album, it is certainly the album we have been waiting for from The Chef and I have no doubt that this will be on many Year End lists as one of the best releases of 2009.

Final Score:  9.5   [  Amazing ]