Reviews
Review: Only Built for Cuban Linx II
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Fourteen years since the original, after two solo albums plagued by Wu-Tang politics and ‘The Illmatic’ curse, four years since the announcement of a follow-up, a change of labels and executive producers, the product is cut and cooked and ready for streets. And this shit is pure crack.This album is a near-perfect contemporary continuation of 1995’s classic prequel. The intro, a direct reincorporation of the originals closing track ‘North Star,’ finds Papu Wu celebrating the predicted success for his apprentice while at the same time he ironically warns Raekwon of the plagues of prosperity. But that is where the repetition ends. Raekwon has assembled a distinct dark, evocative, yet playful and humorous story and sound. The narrative is as vivid as it is broad and the images are authentic and affecting. There are moments or horror, fear and sadness accompanied by instances of excitement and hilarity.
Each track works an individual vignette but the album’s captivating feature is its campfire feel, a group of aging mobsters reminiscing about the pains of a hard days work and the spoils of their plunder.
The supporting cast is stellar. The Wu affiliates provide regular and deft, yet not overstated appearances. Inspectah Deck continues to push his case as one of the most unrecognized MC’s with lucid juxtapositions, punctuating laughter with fear.
The guest spots from non-Clan members offer an eccentric array of veterans and these interventions are equally calculated and precise. Busta Rhymes reveals a subtlety to his growl that engages the albums grimy overtones. Beanie Sigel is equally powerful as he laments the existence cursed upon his son from his prison cell.
Although Ghostface is less prominent than on the original, the aesthetic affinity born out of his stylistic contrast with Raekwon that contributed so much to the original, is still obvious. While Rae builds layered plots, Ghost is equally immediate. Each Ghost line has an individual imagery that plays off Raekwon’s greater plot. And it is this unique ability that allows grave reflections on the struggles of hood survival and the toils of a villainous life to be complemented by comedic stories of hoodlum habits and sexual deviance.
On ‘Cold Outside,’ Ghost evokes the extent of his daily burdens, as he confronts everything from AIDS, to cost of cigarettes and nappies as Christmas approaches. Only can Ghostface follow up a line promoting troop withdrawal from Iraq with a complaint about the state of the Hip Hop industry. Conversely on ‘Gihad’ we find Tony getting his nuts graphically gobbled by a white girl named Trish who is pregnant to his son. The farce that unfolds as his son returns home is matched only by the references to Richard Gere, Something About Mary, T-Bone steaks and the purported moral lesson Ghost claims to be giving his son. The dialogue that closes out the song is Starks at his most brilliant, ‘Get you a 40’ too, and a pacifier nigger, and a beer for the dyke.’
But it is Raekwon that is the focus and most impressive part of the album. The diversity yet simultaneous depth of the narrative finds Rae in charge of an empire built from the street foundations of the original album. It is his ability to construct vibrant visual juxtapositions that keeps the album captivating. From an alarmingly authentic vision of cooking in the coke kitchen to sweeping critiques of the social situation of the ghetto, Rae’s criminal chronicle balances glamorous celebration of sneakers, rocks and yachts against frighteningly detailed descriptions of the realities of his chosen profession.
Plot driven recollections detail the explicit executions of competitors, the drug production process and the ongoing influence of these gangsters even when incarcerated. Heart-felt narratives capture the societal strains of poverty and the family pains of father in prison. Unique characters populate the album and Raekwon provides a different light to the personalities that surround his activities, the most obvious being the tribute to ODB on ‘Ason Jones.’ Here, we find a sincere portrayal of a generous, loving, family man.
The production is an almost flawless musical metonymy for the album’s Mafioso narratives. The reverent strings, choral samples and hungry drums are a fearsome, dark compliment to the albums lyrical imagery. The album draws from an array of some of the genre’s most respected beatmakers with a range of pedigrees, but each beat captures the underlying shadowed but glorified villainy of the Chef’s stories. The different approach of each producer creates an equally unique yet cohesive sonical experience.
While surprisingly contributing just three tracks, The RZA is still unrivaled as an omniscient narrator of the “Wu-Tang sound.” He comes off spooky and appropriately minimalist, although the self gifted nomination as the “Black Mozart” may be a stretch.
The most impressive individual producer has to be Dilla. He continues to extend his posthumous legacy for diversity. On the opening track, ‘House of Flying Daggers, a classic Wu posse cut, Dilla draws on incessant horror film strings over militant drums that sets a furious pace for the album. His beat for ’10 Bricks’ comes from a 2005 beat tape and must have been made with Rae’s first announcement of a sequel in mind. And it feels only fitting that ‘the toast to the fallen,’ ODB tribute should find Dilla at his most pensive.
The varied yet cohesiveness of the production invokes comparisons to perhaps the most perfectly produced Hip Hop album. The shared musical aesthetic constructs a vivid backdrop of concurrent grime and flamboyance of drug dealing in the same way Illmatic’s production portrayed the antithetical experience of a 19 year old in Queens. Even Dr. Dre’s characteristic clean, over-polished and crispy beats are so gloomy as to still match the album’s gravely resonance.
Expectations are always a threat to enjoyment, and when offering a sequel to Only Built for Cuban Linx, I never expected expectations to be met. This was even more true after the politics the album encountered. However this record more than lives up to hopes. Its musical and lyrical three-way existence as a criminal celebration, omnipresent narrative and cultural critique provides for a captivating listen. Only Built for Cuban Linx II is hard, its dark, vivid, funny and clever but above all it is raw Hip Hop at its most pure.
Simon is a regular contributor to Deft Magazine and active in the hip hop community in Paris. He earned his Bachelors of Law and Arts from New Zealand's University of Otago, Simon was also a DJ on Radio One Dunedin, in Otago, New Zealand.
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