Raekwon The Chef – Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Part 2 [2009]
Written by Big D
What was it about 1995’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx that people love so much? Was it Raekwon’s vivid, descriptive mafioso rhymes? Was it Ghostface’s outlandishly high-pitched mic-work? Is it Rza’s dirty loops? Was it the bizarre “slang” that Ghost and Rae used to spit at each other that we all pretended to understand but really had no freaking clue what the hell they were talkin’ about?
For some reason, rap fans LOVE Raekwon The Chef’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. Some consider it the greatest of the Wu-Tang solo releases. Some say it’s the best produced and most linear of all Wu records. Others think it is overrated. Either way, Raek’s follow-ups Immobilarity and The Lex Diamond Story were flawed albums; and a lot of people thought the reason was because it wasn’t like Cuban Linx. Some of these are the same rap fans who shun on rappers who get experimental. “You should go back to your old style”.
Time to throw up another stone richie.In 2009, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Part 2 was one of the most highly anticipated albums of the entire decade. It was supposed to be seen as the reniassance of the Wu-Tang Clan, the rap supergroup that literally changed the game fifteen years prior and was really left in shambles for the past ten years or so. The majority of the original chefs were back in the kitchen (pun intended), including Ghost, Raekwon, Meth, Deck, and Rza (although heavily downplayed on this album when compared to it’s predecessor). Surely this was another great album right? Right?
Maybe.
Cuban Linx 2 picks up exactly where Only Built 4 Cuban Linx left off – grimy street tales about pushing drugs, surviving the slums, and organizing yourself into being something. Raekwon’s ability to paint a picture with his rhymes is in full effect for the majority of the record. Cuban Linx 2 is an odd album to talk about because there are times when the album sounds straight out of 1995 and I really wonder if it’s a good thing. Considering how much of a nostalgia freak I am and how much of a fan of that era I am, one would assume yes. However, I’d be a liar if I denied that there are certain moments on this album that sound not just dated, but downright boring.
When you examine it upon first glance, you’ll see it’s a whopping 22 tracks. Besides just that, there are a bunch of songs that clock in under 3 minutes, which sort of makes them feel a tad bit incomplete. Remember when Slum Village did it on Fantastic Vol 1? It sucked shit out of my ass, and at least Raekwon is better, but it still makes listening to the album feel more like a chore. I sort of get the idea that they wanted to make it more like an anthology short stories, it sort of gets tiring to listen to a bunch of short stories about cocaine. “Pyrex Vision” clocks in at :54. Seriously?
I feel that songs like “Gihad” and “Baggin Crack” are too short for comfort and should’ve been fleshed out (specially “Baggin Crack”, which is a banger). Other times, there are songs that are short that quite frankly deserved to not even be on the album. “Surgical Gloves”, “Canal Street”, and “Broken Safety” are a few examples of material that should’ve been cut.
I wanted SONGS – not a buncha musical interludes with rapping.
There is a Yin to this Yang though. There are times when Raekwon and crew manage to fully recapture the energetic and united Wu sound with the throwback posse cuts. ”Return of the North Star”, “New Wu”, and ”We Will Rob You” are prime examples of Wu-Tang masterpieces and reasons why they should do another group album. “Mean Streets” is another dope posse cut which feels like it belongs moreso on Supreme Clientele than any Raekwon album. “10 Bricks” is the only song on the LP that features the “Linx Trio” of Ghostface, Cappadonna, and Raekwon, and it winds up being my favorite song on the album. Every emcee comes correct and it truly feels like a leftover from Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, although it sort of solidifies the fact that other than Ghostface, rap has somewhat passed the Wu by.
Still, there are some true classics here, and with the talent involved it should surprise no one. “Cold Outside” perfectly recaptures that “I Can’t Go to Sleep/Tearz” street poetry tip. “Ason Jones” is Raekwon’s personal tribute to his fallen friend, Wu-Tang member Ol’ Dirty Bastard, complete with infamous ODB interview samples. This is a song a lot of hardcore Wu-Tang fans have been waiting years for. The Chef is joined by another fat grimey emcee Beanie Sigel on “Have Mercy”, a fully fleshed out cautionary tale about hood drama.
Fans expecting this to be a true sequel to Only Built 4 Cuban Linx quality-wise will be dissapointed. There are shades of brilliance throughout the record, but overall it feels heavy, yet incompete. The sad thing about this record is that it probably will be the final album of it’s kind, a metaphorical “closing of the book” to the Wu-Tang story. As much as I would’ve liked for it to be better, I can’t help but feel dissapointed in the overall package. I think it’s time for the Chef to hang up his apron.
2.5 Stars
