Raekwon Albums (5)
What The Critics Say
Like the original, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, Pt. 2 sets the stage with the intro, but here it's some Raekwon history courtesy of Papa Wu. On Pt. 1 it was fictional dialog introducing a loose concept album. Besides the introductory dialog and the album's look-alike cover -- tinted purple, as if it were a Cash Money screwed & chopped mix of Pt. 1 -- the only traits this sequel shares with the original Linx is that it's the Wu rapper in top form, spitting out rhymes worthy of the Wu logo and pushing his guest list to work harder, as evidenced by Ghostface, Jadakiss, and Cappadonna all sounding at the top of their game. The productions are equally magnificent, with Pete Rock, the Alchemist, and even Dr. Dre all living up to their lofty reputations. Inspectah Deck and Wu secret weapon Mathematics out-RZA the RZA on their 36 Chambers-flavored cuts -- the awesome "House of Flying Daggers" and "Mean Streets," respectively -- but if it's possible to create a poignant beat track, it has to be the soulful loop on "Ason Jones," a tribute to Ol' Dirty Bastard made all the more moving when you notice the beat comes from the late J Dilla. Raekwon's lyrical highlights come back to back as "Gihad" slaps the current rap scene for all it's worth while "New Wu," with Ghostface, Method Man, and RZA on production, renews hope that the Wu-Tang dynasty will return with a vengeance. If it looks long at 22 tracks, it'll still leave the Wu heads wanting more. This sequel may have little to do with the original, but if the title helps to point out this is the Shaolin poet's best work since 1995's Pt. 1, then so be it. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
'The Lex Diamond Story'
Release Date 12/16/2003
Tracks 20
Label Universal
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
For his third album, The Lex Diamond Story, Raekwon again evokes the gangsta mythology of his classic debut, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx (1995), while at the same time stretching out into new territory, to generally impressive results. The Wu-Tang member's previous album, Immobilarity (1999), also stretched out into new territory, but for that very reason the album was met with general indifference, which very well may be the fate of Lex Diamond also. After all, it's no secret: Only Built 4 Cuban Linx had been a masterstroke, not only one of best Wu-Tang albums ever but also one of the best East Coast gangsta albums ever. It was such a masterstroke that Raekwon struggled to follow it up. Perhaps that's why it took him so long to record his follow-ups, taking several years between albums to record Immobilarity and The Lex Diamond Story. Whatever the reason, the wait was worthwhile, for The Lex Diamond Story is a worthwhile album, not a masterstroke but an impressive accomplishment nonetheless. It makes heavy use of cinematic storytelling, framing the album as if it were a gangsta film with Raekwon's Lex Diamond alias as its main character, and a conflicted character at that. It helps, of course, that there are quite a few hot tracks here, particularly "Pit Bull Fights," "All Over Again," and "Once Upon a Time." The album employs a relatively large supporting cast, some good (Ghostface Killah, Method Man, the latter on an "Ice Cream" sequel) and some not so good (Rae's new posse, Ice Water). As all longtime Wu fans will no doubt wonder, RZA is nowhere to be heard here, which is a mixed blessing. Sure, who wouldn't love to see him drop some Cuban Linx-style beats? But at the same time, it's nice to hear Raekwon work with some original sounds from a wide-ranging pool of largely underground production talents. The overall result is a good album, not an especially great one on a par with Cuban Linx but certainly a better one than most other rappers out there were capable of in 2003. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
It's a rare Wu-Tang solo album that doesn't bear the stamp of the collective's production mastermind, RZA, to some extent, and Raekwon's second full-length is no different. Except for the fact that RZA doesn't actually appear on Immobilarity, the paranoid synth-strings and soundtrack feel he pioneered on Wu-Tang's Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers and Forever are all over this album. The producers, including Raekwon's American Cream Team, Infinite Arkatechz, and Six July Productions, give Immobilarity the same sounds RZA gave to Raekwon's first album, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. Though few rappers are more entitled to the sound than Raekwon, most of these songs just don't contribute to the lyrical concerns or delivery (a notable exception is "Sneakers," the only track produced by Pete Rock). And since the album's success depends wholly on Raekwon himself, it's almost impossible for him to trump the excellence of his first album. ~ Keith Farley, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
A serious contender for the title of best Wu-Tang solo album (rivaled only by the Genius' Liquid Swords), Only Built 4 Cuban Linx is also perhaps the most influential, thanks to Raekwon's cinematic imagination. If the Genius is the Wu's best overall lyricist, Raekwon is arguably their best storyteller, and here he translates the epic themes and narratives of a Mafia movie into a startlingly accomplished hip-hop album. Raekwon wasn't the first to make the connection between gangsta rap and the Cosa Nostra (Kool G Rap pioneered that idea), but he was the one who popularized the trend. Cuban Linx's portraits of big-money drug deals and black underworld kingpins living in luxury had an enormous influence on the new New York hardcore scene, especially Mobb Deep and Nas, the latter of whom appears here on the much-revered duet "Verbal Intercourse." The fellow Clan members who show up as guests are recast under gangster aliases, and Ghostface Killah makes himself an indispensable foil, appearing on the vast majority of the tracks and enjoying his first truly extensive exposure on record. Behind them, RZA contributes some of the strongest production work of his career, indulging his taste for cinematic soundscapes in support of the album's tone; his tracks are appropriately dark or melancholy, shifting moods like different scenes in a film. Cuban Linx's first-person narratives are filled with paranoia, ambition, excess, and betrayal, fast rises and faster falls. There are plenty of highlights along the way -- the singles "Criminology" and "Ice Cream," the gentle "Rainy Dayz," the influential posse cut "Wu-Gambinos" -- and everything culminates in "Heaven & Hell" and its longing for redemption. Like the Genius' Liquid Swords, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx takes a few listens to reveal the full scope of its lyrical complexities, but it's immensely rewarding in the end, and it stands as a landmark in the new breed of gangsta rap. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
