Classic
Superior
Banger
Good
Average
Mediocre
Wack
Only a few years ago Hip Hop purists may have felt superior listening to hard core while their less enlightened companions snacked on commercial rap. As Shaolin research began to point out the overwhelming benefits of raw production, true hip hop enthusiasts started turning back to traditional styles. Wu-Tang in particular, has been shown to myriad beneficial effects, from warding off ignorance and poverty to reducing the risk of incarceration and death.
if you want to go ahead and compare the albums, being disappointed that this isnt the best album in the last 15 years, go for it. thats your choice
just understand, you're only ruining it for yourself. thats just ruining a good listening experience.
like duke said, if you dont like this album, just quit. THIS IS THE BEST WU-TANG ALBUM YOU'RE LIKELY TO EVER HEAR AGAIN
this is a great album. period. take it as such.
i've been bumpin this shit since about 10 this morning, over and over all day doing my errands and shit...
and i am LOVING this fucking album...i'm actually totally surprised at how dope it is, i didn't think i'd like it this much..
i don't wanna begin comparing it with Pt 1 but listening to it so much i really get that criminal cinematic feel real heavily throughout...so much crazy imagery and scenes drawn on this album..
and i didn't like House of Flying Daggers that much when it first dropped but for some reason i fuckin love it on here..
and Ason Jones is SIIIIIIIIIIICK...
whenever i get the chance to review it, i'm gonna have ALOT to say about this bangin ass album
Alright time for a Track By Track HONEST NO DICKRIDING REVIEW
1.Return of the North Star -N/A- Not going to rate. Too bad Rae doesn't have a verse.
2.House of the Flying Daggers - 8.5/10 -Dope track. I wish it had some hard drums on it but honestly its great. Meth kills it on this one with the "scarred for life, these niggas cant forget the cuts" line.
3.Sonny's Missing - 9/10 - I always thought Royal Flush was wack on this beat. Rae came through with the gritty crime drama and it just works amazingly. I know hearing an old beat takes away from it but the beat is just fucking dope as shit.
4.Pyrex Vision - 10/10 - Perfect interlude track. Rae's sleepy flow is effective here because it sounds like hes dazed by the fumes of the crack boiling on the stove.
5.Cold Outside -8/10 - This track would be perfect if Suga Bang didnt sing for too long in the beginning. Ghost's verse is one of his most memorable verses in years.
6.Black Mozart - 7.5/10 - I know you guys are going freak out at the score but honestly RZA could have come alot harder and kinda takes away points when he comes in vocally for a bridge nobody asked for.
7.Gihad - 7.5/10 - Tight beat and I love Rae's verse but Ghostface kinda ruins the track to me. He comes in off topic with a verse about fucking his son's bitch to teach him a lesson... makes me say "wtf" to myself every time I listen to it.
8.New Wu - 10/10 - Straight wu banger, couldnt have been done any better to me.
9.Penitentiary -9/10- Amazing track. Great concept executed very well. Beat brings tension to the stories.
10.Baggin Crack -8/10- Sick beat by Eric Sermon here and it fits Rae perfectly and doesnt overstay its welcome.
11.Surgical Gloves -10/10- Alchemist is untouchable right now. Really picks up on the second verse.
12.Broken Safety -10/10- Insane collabo. The chemistry on this track is WILD.
13.Canal Street -9/10- this shit is so grimey. A tale about their fathers putting in work in the 60s. Really gives you that old black mobster flick feeling
14.Ason Jones -10/10- At first I thought this track was kind of boring but lyrically there could not be a better tribute to O.D.B. Rae really came from the heart here.
15.Have Mercy -8.5/10- Great song about being in the bing. I can forgive Blue Rasperry for sounding a bit off key on certain parts.
16.10 Bricks -10/10- OMG SO BANGING. Probably best track on the whole album. This beat makes me spazz out!
17.Fat Lady Sings -9/10- Great track. Another gritty street tale and you really feel it when the vocal sample comes in. If I were executive producer I would have wrapped up the album right here.
18.Catalina -6/10- here is the albums first true snoozer. Generic latino beat that you would hear circa 2001 and maybe vibe out to but it just isnt poppin for me right now.
19.We Will Rob You -6/10- Another Mis-Step. Slick Rick sounds awful and the beat really isnt cutting it.
20.About Me -8/10- Cool track. Busta sounds like he tried to deliver the best shit he could and I give him props for it. Beat is cool too. Wouldve thrown this earlier in the album though because it gets dragged down a bit by the two mediocre joints its sandwiched inbetween.
21.Mean Streets - 5/10 - I really hate the singing on this track and cant listen to it.
22.Kiss The Ring - 8/10 - Good song. Deck shows he can come up with a tight hook. Masta Killa is kind of boring here, beat is too live for MK. Elton John sample btw.
OVERALL 8.5/10
This is an album where the sum is greater than its parts. There are only a couple of tracks I bump on their own (namely Surgical Gloves, Broken Safety, and 10 Bricks) If the album cut off after fat lady sings id give it a 9.5 no problem. The first 17 tracks are sequenced perfectly and provides for a very satisfying listen. Raekwon exceeded my expectations and for that I thank him for taking his time and doing his best.
For a Custom CL2 I say swap "About Me" with "Gihad", get rid of "Gihad" and throw "Kiss The Ring" before "Fat Lady Sings" and get rid of everything after "Fat Lady Sings".
Last edited by J-DON; 09-04-2009 at 05:08 PM.
A couple of things
7.Gihad - 7.5/10 - Tight beat and I love Rae's verse but Ghostface kinda ruins the track to me. He comes in off topic with a verse about fucking his son's bitch to teach him a lesson... makes me say "wtf" to myself every time I listen to it.
You are taking the word son too literally, there is no way Ghost's son is 25.
21.Mean Streets - 5/10 - I really hate the singing on this track and cant listen to it.
That's really too bad because you are missing really special lyrics, especially by Deck.
oh my god...
i'm very impatient to get that album...
i wont load it... i only know new wu and house of flying daggers...
i just wait for santa "amazon" clause comin to my house and throw a little box in my smokestack on september 11th (european release date)
thats me on my first listen of this,its worth the wait,loving it so far,cant wait to see how it is months/years from now,well dun chef!
10/10
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