The recent resurgence of Raekwon as a relevant force in hip-hop has led many to point to the Wu-Tang Clan as a whole as an improved and reinvigorated collective. I disagree. From where I'm sitting, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...Pt. II single-handedly managed to raise the profile of the group with little help from any of the other group members solo efforts.
Since the release of Raekwon's second opus, Ghostface has released two of his weakest efforts, Inspectah Deck put out the solid yet unremarkable Manifesto, and Wu-Massacre, which featured four verses from Raekwon, showed signs of brilliance but lacked the length and coherence to make any kind of meaningful statement.
If the title track from his upcoming album Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang is any indication, Raekwon may continue to carry the group on his back for at least another year. OB4CL2 found it's stride by embracing classic Wu-Tang motifs and this track does the same. Scram Jones, who produced a pair of tracks on OB4CL2, is back with another RZA-esque beat built around a skittish three-note violin sample. Lyrically, the track picks up where Raekwon left off with his aggressively atmospheric, free-association featured verse on the Kanye West track "Gorgeous."
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