by Lundberg - September 7, 2009 - - 1 Comment »
The second of two albums billed as sequels to classics released this week is Raekwon’s ‘Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Part 2.’ The first OBFCL is the single favorite album of some close friends of mine and features the signature Wu-Tang sound with Rae and Ghostface trading drug and street raps. This album is an attempt to recapture that sound and it is mostly successful with a few notable flaws.
The first thing that takes this album down a notch in my book is that I am not a big fan of Raekwon’s delivery (particularly post early Wu stuff). I find him monotonous as if he is rapping right after waking up from a coma. He sounds the same on every song here, which is amplified by the guest appearances, who almost all shine.
The other major negative for me is that while I am a big fan of 90’s Wu-Tang (some of my favorite music ever) I kind of wish they tried to put an updated spin on it rather than attempting to recapture that exact sound. Dr. Dre does a nice job of this on ‘Catalina’ (could have been a great song if not for the hook) and Rza does the same on the standout cut ‘Black Mozart’ (maybe my favorite track here, Inspectah Deck shines on this one). Also, the subject matter, while entertaining, is a rehash of older stuff. Something about 40-year-old dudes robbing and slinging crack doesn’t resonate with me fully but I am probably nitpicking here and should treat it as a street fantasy (I sound old all the sudden).
Enough with the negatives because there is plenty to like here. At 22 tracks the fat could have been trimmed but that doesn’t mean there aren’t bangers galore. ‘New Wu’ is a fantastic Wu-Tang posse cut with Method Man slamming it home. ‘Penitentiary’ is just tough (hence the title) and Ghostface steals the show as he does on nearly every one of his appearances (this album needs more Ghostface). Some of my other favorite joints include ‘10 Bricks,’ ‘Canal Street,’ and album closer ‘Kiss the Ring.’
I must give credit where credit is due. I didn’t expect Raekwon to come through here (after all it is still his name attached to the OBFCL brand) and he put out an album that while not classic material is at least worthy of the name Cuban Linx. And that is quite an accomplishment.
Click here to listen to ‘Black Mozart’
Tags: ghostface, hip hop, music, only built 4 cuban linx, raekwon, rap, reviews, wu-tang
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