Cuban Linx II

RaekwonOnly Built 4 Cuban Linx, Pt. IIHad you told me in 1996 that I’d someday be writing a review for an album called Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, Pt. II, I’d surely have been one blissed-out little dude. Well, actually, I’d likely have flipped you the bird in disbelief, overgrown bull cut blowing in in my own badass wind. Now a lifetime older (balder) and smarter (harder to impress), I don’t much care that Wu-Tang emcee Raekwon is releasing a sequel to his signature album, 1995’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. I don’t care because the second I heard news of this long belated sequel, I knew it’d be train wreck.

I knew it’d be a train wreck for one simple reason: Raekwon is not a good emcee. In fact, Raekwon has never really been that good of an emcee. Sure, he was okay on those first few Wu-related records, but it was rarely his style or writing or performance that made things work for him. On that first Linx record he had everything going for him: top-shelf beats by the RZA (pre-basement flood fiasco); not-yet-overdone Mafioso storylines/themes; talented friends (namely, the then-underrated Ghostface Killah); three great music videos; a now-classic Nas cameo; and, most importantly, some fire in his belly. The first Linx record, undeniably, is a 90s hip-hop classic. It plays through with the cinematic quality that many of the best hip-hop records from its era had and features some of the best production of any hip-hop record of the 90s. It also featuring a huge number of verses by the then-budding Ghostface, who has since become the most interesting mainstream emcee of this decade.

But now arrives the mess. The cover looks almost the exact same, save for the color scheme. The title is almost the exact same, as is the co-billing. The tracklist design looks similar - lengthy with interludes and lots of guests. Ghostface is on a stellar number of tracks and, on paper, the production should be great. This album, which supposedly began recording in 2005 and was first reported to be finished in 2007, has a lot to live up to. Not because of who made it or even because hip-hop publications have been talking about it for years. It has a lot to live up to because it’s relying so heavily on the brilliance of the work it’s modeled after. It has a lot to live up to because it features one of the best production teams any mainstream hip-hop record has ever seen - producers like Necro, J Dilla, RZA, the Alchemist, Pete Rock, Icewater, even Dr. Dre. Even Marley freaking Marl! So, given the cover art, title and guest list, this platter had better be hot.

But it’s not hot. It’s not hot for one reason: Raekwon is not a good emcee. Fellow Wu emcee Inspectah Deck - who actually guests on more songs than the co-billed Ghostface - makes Raekwon look bad on track one, “House of Flying Daggers,” produced by the late J Dilla. (Deck, the Wu’s original stand-out emcee, isn’t at his best here or anywhere else on the record, but still has no problem reminding us how bad Raekwon really is.) “Daggers” is a cinematic cut, as is song two, the awful “Sonny’s Missing,” which sees Raekwon attempting to complete an entire song with no guests (something he almost never attempts). Not even the track’s legendary producer, Pete Rock, can save this drowning chef.

There are a few promising moments, thankfully, but none go unscathed. The RZA-produced “Black Mozart” would fit on the first Linx album, if not for the embarrassingly by-the-book R&B hook. The real problem always comes back to Raekwon, as it should. He picks bad beats from good producers. He raps with no fire - let alone range - in his voice. This album, which so many hoped would be great, is a major letdown. What’s even more upsetting is that, no matter how bad Linx, Pt. 2 is, it’s better than most of the Wu-related albums to have surfaced since Forever. If you’re a major fan of the first Linx record, then yeah, buy this one. Buy it for the few tracks that do work. Or, better yet, just download those cuts and save some bread. Here they are: “The New Wu;” “We Will Rob You;” “Gihad;” “10 Bricks;” and “About Me.”   5/10

Written by G. William Locke