RAEKWON

GENRE | CLASSICS REBORN
VERDICT | AN EXCLAMATION POINT
LABEL | ICEAL
RELEASE | 9.8.09
MYSPACE.COM/RAEKWON

Raekwon’s long-awaited sequel might be Wu-Tang’s version of the Seinfeld reunion on Curb Your Enthusiasm; maybe they did it to make up for that finale. In the Wu’s case, that would be their underwhelming 2007 album 8 Diagrams, rumored to be their final disc. Like the Seinfeld cast, the Chef effortlessly slips back into character. His eye for nuanced crime vignettes are best represented on RZA’s contributions, mainly the haunted house organs of “Black Mozart” and “Fat Lady Sings” (“Blood squirted look like laundry detergent / … right from there he gon’ need a surgeon”). But rather than making a belated attempt to rebottle mid-’90s lightning, Cuban Linx II gives that sound a dignified final bow. Iconic New York producers Marley Marl and Pete Rock line up next to Dr. Dre and J-Dilla behind the boards, while the entire clan (most notably Ghostface) makes appearances. The album manages to emulate what Curb did with Seinfeld: to give Wu-Tang fans their heroes as they would like to remember them—witty, unpredictable talents with natural game.