Lost under the music radar this week following the pushed-up release of Jay-Z's The Blueprint 3 album was Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...Pt. II, his follow-up to his first album, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx.
Almost 14 years to the day Raekwon released his magnum opus, he returned this week with the sequel.
Quick aside:
In those 14 years, he released two other albums:
Immobilarity (overlooked in exactly the same vein as Nas' It Was Written; check The Table, Casablanca, Live from New York and Sneakers to see for yourself) and
The Lex Diamond Story (let's just say it makes Nas' Nastradamus seem like a classic). Needless to say, the new album is getting rave reviews (which it thoroughly deserves). The standout track for me is Ason Jones. You might have known him as:
Ol' Dirty Bastard
Osirus
Big Baby Jesus and
Dirt McGirt (my favorite of all)
Even though he passed away five years ago, this was Raekwon's tribute to his deceased brother from the Wu-Tang Clan, Ol' Dirty Bastard. It doesn't get more hip-hop than this.
