Raekwon
Shaolin Vs. Wu-Tang

Written by Dominick. Published: Friday, March 11, 2011.

There are some fixating and nostalgic aspects to Raekwon’s latest record that some die hard Wu heads will be able to sink their fangs into, but overall, Shaolin Vs. Wu-Tang marks a bit of a shift in The Chef’s formula.

For most of us Raekwon’s previous album to this; Only Built For Cuban Linx II, was the strongest release we saw a clansmen drop in nearly a decade next to Ghostface’s recent string of laudable LP’s. In other words, I think that whatever Rae chose to drop after OBFCL is naturally going to be subject to a whole hell of a lot of scrutiny. Granted, maybe some of the middle of the road type cuts on Shaolin Vs. Wu-Tang are a lil’ more deserving of praise and perhaps maybe some of the joints that are held up as outstanding blueprints for what a Wu banga should be are overhyped a tad.

As you get into Shaolin Vs. Wu-Tang you should notice pretty early on that the traditional Wu sound production-wise is decent in its delivery. Rae didn’t get up with too many Clan producers this time out. Mathematics, and Wu-affiliate producers Cilvarings and Bronze Nazereth do make the album and even add to it mightily. Bronze’s “Butter Knives”, packs a great karate flick intro and then phases into resounding horns and Mathematics’ harp-infused “Dart School”, are two of the best produced offerings, but Rae would also reach out to other, more widely known men on the boards on this jaunt as well. The Alchemist checks in on “Ferry Boat Killaz”; a track that I actually found underwhelming, while Scram Jones handles the intro (dope), the Busta Rhymes assisted “Crane Style” (decent) and the completely hopeless and out of place Lloyd Banks collaboration “Last Trip To Scotland”. The most unheralded track actually comes via west coast dual talent Evidence in “The Scroll”. Ev comes with an interesting beat that highlights Rae’s imaginative penning’s but the chorus probably could’ve been a bit sharper. Still, I thought this type of experimentation was positive for the album.

For all of the musical beat wonderment you’ll find on Shaolin Vs. Wu-Tang there were few moments when Rae broke from his now increasingly formulaic flow and subject matter. Where you will find some lyrical breadth will be on tracks like “Masters Of Our Fate”, which takes off in inspiring fashion over a surging beat construction from Tommy Nova and features Black Thought coming through in the rarest of form. I think that this joint even outshines the more subdued “Rich And Black” cut that features Raekwon teaming with a primed Nas for some deep subliminal stabs at the business nature of the record game and a new take on ethnocentric, New York rhyming.

My main beefs with this album as a whole comes from guest feature placements. Did Rae really think we’d be receptive to Rick Ross’s clumsy inclusion on “Molasses”? What about the silliness that was “Rock n’Roll” that included a totally un-appealing spot from Jim Jones? I could probably even make a case that the not so bad Raheem DeVaughn and Method Man cut, “Every Soldier In The Hood”, was in fact, pretty bad (Oh No’s production went a long way there).

The nihilistic, ultra violent rhyme slinging and Kung Fu movie sound bite aesthetic that we love Raekwon for is found in abundance in spots no doubt, but Raekwon’s pandering to a clearly different demographic through some of their purported “hardcore best” is just a huge pock mark on what could’ve otherwise been an outstanding effort. Shaolin Vs. Wu-Tang is no huge disappointment, but it does make “Immobilarity” sound and feel like a masterpiece in it’s construction. At the end of the day this record has a high degree of playability, but real Wu heads will definitely also be pressing the track skip button throughout as well.

$17.99 out of $20.00

-Dominick “BIG D O” Ledezma

Category: Reviews