Artist – Album: Raekwon – Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...
Released: 1st
August 1995
Sounds Like: "I love all kinds of music. I like Wu Tang
Clan..."
A thorough history of the ins and outs of the Wu Tang Clan
is far beyond the grasp of mere mortals such as myself. An old school friend,
soon-to-be flatmate and occasional blogger pal of mine text me about a month
ago declaring that he was trying to piece together a bit on them, and the poor
fool has been reduced to a jabbering wreck, with still no sign of the blog. If
I ran at that rate, Albumaday... would take me thirty years (although I concede
that his blog is considerably better than mine, check it out: http://watersstewartewan.blogspot.co.uk/).
As he put it, before his mind became too discombobulated – “their history and
productivity is insane. They’ve got to be one of the vastest outfits ever.
Offshoots, alter-egos and general chaos everywhere. It’s absolutely mental!” So
I thank my lucky stars that I’m only dealing with one of the solo albums rather
than anything by the collective as a whole, and I’ll do my best not to let the labyrinthine
back-story drive me crazy.
To be fair, Raekwon’s debut album only just qualifies as a
solo effort, as the irrepressible Ghostface Killah appears on almost every
track and every Clan member, as well as affiliated acts Cappadonna and Blue
Raspberry, makes at least a fleeting appearance across the 18 tracks. The
fluidity of the lineup helps to keep the record fresh, whilst lynchpin Raekwon
keeps the material sufficiently focussed, ably backed by Ghostface Killah (who,
to my amateur enthusiast’s ears at least, threatens to steal the show
throughout).
There’s a plethora of standout hip hop tracks here, from the
beginnings of the Mafia style rapper on ‘Incarcerated
Scarfaces’ and the seminal ‘Wu-Gambinos’,
to the typical hoes and cristal of ‘Ice
Cream’ (from Raekwon’s verse: “Shaolin's finest, whattup Boo, peace your
highness, Yo I'm loungin, big dick style, y'all niggaz is the flyest”). ‘Glaciers of Ice’ and ‘Ice Water’ complete the triumvirate of
exceptional tracks featuring the word “ice”.
I wouldn’t say this record is for everyone – if you don’t
consider yourself a fan of hip hop, this ain’t gonna be the album to change
that view. But for lovers of East Cost Rap, this is a must have. If you’re an
inbetweener, such as myself, it’s resolutely a should try.
Albumaday... rating: 7/10
1. Striving
for Perfection – 1:43
2. Knuckleheadz
– 4:03
3. Knowledge
God – 4:24
4. Criminology
– 3:47
5. Incarcerated
Scarfaces – 4:42
6. Rainy
Dayz – 6:02
7. Guillotine
(Swordz) – 4:22
8. Can
It Be All So Simple (Remix) - 5:38
9. Shark
Niggas (Biters) – 1:38
10. Ice
Water – 3:38
11. Glaciers
of Ice – 5:20
12. Verbal
Intercourse – 3:31
13. Wisdom
Body – 2:38
14. Spot
Rusherz – 3:13
15. Ice
Cream – 4:13
16. Wu-Gambinos
– 5:39
17. Heaven
& Hell – 4:56
18. North
Star (Jewels) – 3:58
Listen to ‘Ice Cream’: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oz3z33Zyg3s
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