Raekwon
Fly International Luxurious Art (F.I.L.A.)
Ice H2O/Caroline Records
Pretty much anyone involved in Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers is a legend, but few of the original
members still grab the mic with the same tenacity and ferociousness they were
bringing back in 1993. Raekwon is one of those MCs. Raekwon is an absolute
pillar of the gangsta rap genre evoking imagery of bleak and gritty New York
streets on all his projects. His Only
Built 4 Cuban Linx and its follow up are filled with dark boom-bap
production that pair with Raekwon’s rhymes like wine and cheese. However, the
MC promised that with Fly International Luxurious Art he would be bringing lush
contemporary production and features from hot modern rappers like A$AP Rocky
and 2 Chainz while still bringing back classic 90s rappers like Snoop Dogg and
frequent collaborator and Wu-tang veteran Ghostface Killer. There was no production
from RZA on this project which while infrequent is not without precedent for
Raekwon who likes giving new producers a chance to shine. Raekwon embarked on a
risky and ambitious project for a 45 year old MC. He said himself the record
was supposed to be exploratory and an attempt at garnering a wider (and
probably younger) audience. Sometimes it paid off brilliantly while other times
it was rather uninspiring.
The album kicks off with a familiar recipe from the Chef, a
gangster rap track from Rae featuring Ghostface Killer about getting money. The
production is classic Wu-Tang as the song kicks off with a harrowing sample
from HBO’s The Wire. The song features some kung-fu familiarity as Ghostface
and Raekwon trade bars. The next track is one of the anticipated singles
supported by A$AP Rocky called “I Got Money”. This is the kind of modern
production Raekwon promised. Featuring a pretty chime and a break from the
boom-bap this is a beat A$AP Rocky sounds at home on Raekwon makes it his own
too. Rocky definitely outshined Raekwon on this track dropping clever lines
such as, “This ain’t a bitch ass boom-bap, it’s a click-clack move back.” The
highlight of this album is without a doubt “1,2,1,2” because of the Snoop Dogg
feature. Raekwon comes in with possibly his best verse on the album and Snoop
Dogg follows with an equally impressive and inspired verse. Snoop sounds young
and hungry like some of his verses on the The
Chronic or Doggystyle. Snoop rips
the mic with a sense of urgency and drops some quality bars like, “Convertible
with the Cadillac, mackin' the mack, With some Roscoe's Chicken in my lap,
imagine that.” Scoop Deville’s production on this track is killer as always.
This record has a clear theme of excess and lavish living
which Raekwon likely can do well, but seems to fall short because he is
delivering it with the same Raekwon flow. Because of this drastic difference in
subject matter and equally different approach to his flow was necessary. The
aggressive angry flow works well over murky production while discussing hard
living but feels out of place when the rapper discusses 1st class
flights with 2 Chainz on the track. The beats and Raekwon’s flow just do not
mesh. A catchy hook comes in from Estelle about longing to be her lover now on
the same track Raekwon is rapping about “mo money, mo problems.” The album is filled with good beats and
quality lines but these two traits rarely appear on the same track.
The goal of this album was to appeal to as many audiences as
possible but the lack of cohesion makes this project appeal to none of those
audiences. The album lacks the hooks to hit the charts and also lacks the vivid
storytelling that will make hardcore Wu fans return to this album. If Rae can
commit fully to this new style and leave behind his angry flow he is
undoubtedly capable of hitting the larger audience he wants. His wordplay is
still legendary and he still has interesting things to say. This album was
advertised as a renaissance for Raekwon but it seems he only half-committed.
5/10
-
Tom K.
4/30.2015
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