Originally slated for release on Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Records, Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx … Pt. II sat in limbo for four years, suffering through label, producer and sample-clearance complications. Strong anticipation for the work was based on the 1995 original, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, a drug-dealing narrative widely considered one of the two or three best Wu-Tang Clan solo joints. Featuring Clanmates Ghostface Killah in a star-making turn and RZA at the top of his production game, the original perfected the now-commonplace motif of rapper-as-mafioso, and its sequel picks up where it left off.
The Details
Spinning horrifically violent, often crude tales of New York dope running, Raekwon has crafted an album as dense and rewarding as its predecessor. Despite A-game contributions from emcees like Ghost, Inspectah Deck, Method Man and Jadakiss—not to mention stunning apocalyptic beats from Dre, RZA, J Dilla and Pete Rock—it is Raekwon who steals the show. “Religious with hammers/Fakes get jammed up, cakes get battered,” he begins on standout track “Cold Outside.” “Comin’ through to get it through transactions/Blood, stinkin’ fiends/Machine guns, cannons and teams/Bakin’ sodas, gold Rovers and gophers.”
As with the best Wu-Tang works, Raekwon has created a semi-fictional hellhole and inhabited it believably, rattling off enough rich cinematic details to form a visual tapestry. Other track highlights include “Catalina” and “Black Mozart,” but the album never lags, once again raising the bar for the crowded field of Rae’s crime-rap emulato.
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