So, this past month, two Heavyweight New York MC's dropped sequels to their highly regarded LP's of yore.
In the Red Corner, we've got Jay-Z who's multi-adamantium selling
The Blueprint (2001) basically altered the course of modern Hip-Hop as we know it - and also gave the world
this guy... thanks. After this shit dropped, everyone had a yacht, upon which they made it very clear all champagne was to be drunk directly from the bottle, that or poured upon any hoes in the general vicinity. But a lot has changed since then: Jay is a married man, a former President of a Multi-National Corporation, he flirted with retirement, he morphed into Denzel Washington, and he hangs out with the dudes from Coldplay. Now, it would seem, is the best time to remind the world you've still got it. Enter,
The Blueprint III:
"Wait," you might be asking yourself, "Blueprint Three, you say?? What happened to Two?"
To which I would respond, "It wasn't that good, now let's move on." The Blueprint III was touted as Jay's attempt to shake up a rap game that had become stagnate, had been resting on its laurels (i.e. get paid at any cost). But, man, this record feels like just that to me... sure, the flashy production style is there, the cocksure swagger is still intact, the smooth, laid back flow.. it's all there. It just doesn't feel like anything new to me, it falls flat. It's, simply, NOT the groundbreaking, tide-reversing, game-saving LP it wants to be.
In the Blue Corner stands Raekwon The Chef, of the Wu-Tang Clan, whose groundbreaking 1995 solo effort
Only Built for Cuban Linx set the precedence for what grimy, coke-rap was about. Basically the anti-HOV, Raekwon has made his career spitting cerebral street narratives that make you never want to go to Staten Island, duke even took shots at Biggie in his prime... and talk about true rap Heavyweights! (get it... cause they're both, umm.. y'know, they're fat..) So.. yeah, moving onward: After Cuban Linx, Raekwon fell from listeners graces, as gritty street raps were slowly replaced with flashy songs about money, and women, and yachts. His next two albums disappointed, and Rae was forced to lie low. Enter 2004, er, well 2006, no wait Spring '09.. actually just a minute September 8, 2009:
Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Pt II
Okay, so there were some set backs, but holy crap-sicles the record is actually good. Damn good, in fact. The Chef has somehow managed to capture all of the electricity the first Cuban Linx had, and while it's not
quite the album its predecessor was, it is a vital slab of real Hip-Hop. Tracks like "House of Flying Daggers", "Black Mozart" and "10 Bricks" harken back to the dawn of the Wu-Tang era, while others provide stark backdrops for Rae to weave his tales. Even the guest MC's (which are few and far between considering this albums sprawling 22-song, 72 minute time table), come hard: Inspectah Deck on "Flying Daggers", the uncredited Busta Rhymes on "About me", Ghostface on any track with Ghostface, Beanie Sigel on "Have Mercy", and Masta Killa on "Kiss The Rings". The only real problem with the album is that, to me, it feels more like the closing of an era, rather than a new beginning. Like Raekwon wrapped up the 90's on one more classic album, but I do hope he has atleast another in him, maybe next decade?
Winner:
Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx IIBut.. I'll let you be the judges yourselves.
