Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Vol. II Review

It's without a hint of hyperbole that I can say that this record is the most eagerly anticipated record in Wu-Tang, if not hip-hop, history. Although Jay-Z's 'Blueprint Vol. II' has claimed the column inches it's hard to overlook the latest offering from Raekwon the Chef. Ladies and Gentlemen '...Cuban Linx Vol. II' has arrived.

After a mere 15 years of waiting arguably the greatest lyricist of his generation has finally delivered a follow up to his critically lauded solo debut. Vol. I effortlessly fused stone cold, skitteral production with lyrical dexterity, drawing on abstract metaphors and motifs to portray the grim realities of the 'thug life'. Though critics may suggest that Raekwon sought to glamourise drugs and violence the stark realness of his lyrics clearly exposed the misery, death and destruction of a ghetto existence. In many ways Vol. I was closer to the films of Martin Scorsese and blacksploitation movies like 'Across 110th Street' than his 'Gangsta' contemporaries. The early 90's saw the rise of G-Funk, and whilst getting your swag on to Snoop may have been fun, his tales of excess lacked the subtle or intelligence of the Wu- arguably Hip-Hop's most important and innovative group.

But what of Raekwon's contemporaries today? In all honesty hip-hop, commercially at least, appears to be on it's last legs. the sonic ferocity of Crunk is little but a novelty, modern day 'Gangstas' like 50 Cent lack any semblance of menace or integrity whilst commercially viable acts like Kanye West appear to be more interested in releasing novelty trainers and embarrassing themselves on red carpets than in producing relevant music. Against this soulless background the 90's revivalism of Rae seems like a breath of fresh air.

Introductory track 'Return of the North Star' fuses the romantic notion of prohibition era Gangsters with sombre warnings of "another nigger cheating you out your money" juxtaposed against the description of a vision in which Rae is seen "onstage at Madison Square Gardens". The listener is immediately transported back to 94, Rae may be off the block but this record is a reflection of his former reality- a theme continued throughout.

The first proper track 'House of Flying Daggers' is a statement of intent if ever there was one. J Dilla posthumously contributes a weighty beat, sampling the Four Tops. Whilst vocal contributions come from Inspectah Deck, Method Man, GZA and Ghostface Killah. Again the Clan's past are referenced (this time in the form of Kung-Fu motifs) leading one to question whether this record has arrived too late? Those concerns are dispelled a run of tracks taking in production from Prince Paul (Sonny's Vision), Marly Marl (Pyrex Vision) and RZA's masterpiece 'Black Mozart'. Despite opening with a kung-fu B-Movie sample RZA reworks 'The Godafther Theme' and adds layered vocals to remarkable effect. The chorus "You better get that money, no matter, what you do. You gotta get that money, and represent your crew " appears on paper to be a chant glorifying gang loyalties but in reality it is a mournful death march whilst the couplet "As reaper stay sprayed, still niggas is smoked. Four in his pocket, a diamoned up chain and some coke" shows the harsh contrast between material fetishism and the reality of life in a gang.

Considering the range of producers on this album it is ironic that the records strongest moment comes in the form of 'New Wu' a track produced by one Robert Diggs. Again RZA's production mournful; 808 snares matched against the solemn tones of little known sould group The Magictones. The rapid fire delivery of Ghost provides a perfect foil to this as he spits "Bulletproof tuxes, knuckle games is clarkers and busters. Eighteen niggas, bringing the ruckus" at double quick speed. Rae's own contribution is no less impressive using visions of marauding Romans to describe his crew, stating with no bravado "Make a move and get blown off the planet." Delivered by a lesser MC this line would appear to be an empty threat, from Raekwon it's a promise.

The album's middle section doesn't let up with Dilla and The Alchemist providing strong contributions in the form of 'Ason Jones' (feat. O.D.B) and 'Surgical Gloves' respectively. The topic rarely strays from the hyper reality of Rae's narratives of cooking and selling drugs, however lines such as "we living off fear" dispel any sense of glamour. Though often emotionless Raekwon's journey through the darker side of New York is revealing and is in many ways comparable to the social exploration of Dickens or Joyce. When Seamus Heaney described hip-hop as modern poetry he may well have had a point.

Although always engrossing it is debatable whether this record needed to be a full 22 tracks deep. At times it can come across as almost too much of a mixtape thanks to the sheer range of producers on show and at little over 1 hour in length several tracks seem like filler efforts. Despite this it is near impossible not to drawn into this record. Vocal complexities are matched by impeccable beats and reinvent the soul sampling format that has been hijacked in recent years.

So has Raekwon returned with a 'fresh' innovative album? the simple answer is no. However, though all the motifs seem to point to a simple thug formula Raekwon succinctly develops an introverted, and raw look at the ghetto. Whilst the 'ghetto bred capitalistic mental' as defined by Immortal Technique has become synonymous with the glorification of violence Raekwon eschews such simplicity. Power is juxtaposed with death, the grim reaper looms heavy and mournful tones are bought to the fore- the RZA showing why he is the most intelligent producer of all time.

It would be easy to dismiss this record as a rehash of it's predecessor, but it is hard to fault a record which combines grit, romance and reality so brilliantly. Subtlety is a premium here and when coupled with paranoid, skitteral beats it is a winning formula. This album was never going to match Vol. I but it is one of the most impressive bodies of work (despite lacking any clear singles) the world of hip-hop has produced for a long time. Has Raekwon saved hip-hop? In his own words "Fuck saving hip-hop we bringing the streets back". He has done just that, the streets of GZA's 'Cold World', Ghost's 'Yolanda's House' and his own 'Ice-Cream' Street laced with fear, loathing, death and spectres. If you want a record to posture to look elsewhere, if you want an evocative take on modern day inner-city USA step right this way.

Terror Danjah- Industry Standard Vol. IV

Whilst the whole world (or at least the world of London pirates, blogs and music ‘zines) seems to be going crazy for Hyph Mngo this week sees the release of an equally impressive and perhaps more important record from the ‘nuum. Straight from Planet Mu is Terror Danjah’s ‘Industry Standard vol. IV’. Danjah is regarded as possibly the best grime producer of all time, bringing a ridiculous amount of synaesthesia enduing sonic sounds to his take on grime. This release features 2 reworkings of the essential ‘Zumpi Hunter’ riddim a track that’s received coverage from across the board, becoming a staple of sets by Logan Sama, Prancehall, Spyro etc.

The first version is an updated V.I.P mix, featuring superior mastering showing the true depth of production. The second mix comes from Swindle and is very much in keeping with the current trend for Bristol’s ‘Purple Wow’ sound. This sublime mix adds vibrancy and a deeper melody to the synths, inducing the listener in before launching into a crucial breakdown loaded with 808 claps. Though redolent of Joker, Gemmy etc this track stands alone in taking ‘Purple’ back to its grimiest origins and displays versatility making it perfect in the dance or at home.

The B side comes loaded with two new riddims. ‘Stealth Mode’ is a dubstep influenced banger where nasty bass lines meet intimidating percussion. Though plastic thugs like Caspa try to sound menacing they seldom (if ever) reach the intensity of Danjah’s production as displayed here. ‘Sidechain’ is simply a hidden gem. Taking a tough 4x4 beat and loading it with synth stabs and LFO effects Danjah produces a hypnotising track complete with a multiple of 4 bar break downs. It’s an emboldening track that sounds not unlike Dexplicit jamming with the Neptunes- heavy but simultaneously well-made, hedonistic and uplifting.

Whilst Joy Orbison will no doubt get the column inches Terror Danjah has quietly released 4 astute tracks of intelligent urban dance music. Well recommended.

Stealth Mode
Zumpi Hunter (V.I.P Mix)

Rustie - 'Bad Science' (Wireblock)

Although filed in the Dubstep section of many record stores Rustie’s sound seems to hold more in common with the low-slung sounds of Atlanta strip clubs than with a sound synonymous with suburban London and Bristol. What Rustie does have in common with a select few ‘dubstep’ producers, most notably Joker (with whom he recently collaborated with on ‘Play Doe’) and Zomby is a forward thinking outlook fuelled by a love of underground electronic and video games. Rustie's eclectic, off-kilter sounds is difficult to pin down with his own term 'aquacrunk' being used liberally to describe his diverse sonic offerings.

At times new E.P. ‘Bad Science’ sounds like the theme music to a secret level in Sonic 1- one in which Dr Robotnik’s minions are replaced by metallic strippers. Opener ‘Tar’ effortlessly melds the Southern beats of Drumma Boy (T.I., Rich Boy, Young Jeezy) with hypnotic, pitched synths- over which Rustie layers multiple cut up samples creating a audible blow to the senses. It’s uneasy, yet stimulating listening.

Title track ‘Bad Science’ has seemingly been around for months thanks to live airings from a plethora of dj’s including Kode 9, Wireblock head-honcho Jackmaster and Kiss Fm’s Sinden. Again, Rustie employs wind up samples and bleeps over 808 kicks before launching into a, quite simply, huge drop which speaks not of sweaty, underground clubs but of main rooms. Put simply; it’s rave fodder in its purest form.

Although evocative the futurist sounds employed by Rustie need to be put in some perspective. Though original Rustie’s sound clearly has one foot firmly lodged in the past; owing a massive debt to late 80’s and early 90’s video games and early techno. In this sense Rustie’s music is a continuation of the principals of ‘space music’ first alluded to by Juan Atkins. Furthermore, it may be suggested that this E.P. acts as part of a growing trend towards ‘futurist revisionism’ or a modern reinterpretation of cultural movements musically expressed by a diverse cannon of artists including the Bellville Four and the second wave of Krautrock acts, throughout the 1980’s.

The reanimation of futurist principals and ideas comes full circle on the E.P’s flip-side which sees Heinrich Mueller (Drexcyia, Dopplereffekt, Arpanet etc) drafted in to remix Rustie’s ‘Zig-Zag’. Mueller’s work is synonymous with fusing the glacial template of Kraftwerk with a technological approach to music production. The result is staggering as he produces an eerie, hypnotic slice of experimental hip-hop.

Whilst title track ‘Bad Science’ suggests that this E.P. will be an exploration of the more club friendly side of ‘aquacrunk’ as a body of work it serves more as an example of the ever evolving closeness between experimental and mainstream electronica. Although Rustie employs a range of obtuse and unconventional samples throughout ‘Bad Science’ it remains a thoroughly enjoyable journey through experimental hip-hop; proving not only extremely listenable but challenging and greatly rewarding.

Check out 'Bad Science' here