raekwon - wu ooh

new mp3

In 1995 Raekwon became the third member of the Wu-Tang Clan to release a solo record when he dropped "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...". It marked a shift away from the RZA's trademark sound - comprising of dark dirty beats and kung-fu samples - into slightly more cinematic territory with strings replacing the grime and a gangster motif running through the middle of the album. It became a critical success and paved the way for mafioso themed hip hop albums by the likes of Jay Z (Reasonable Doubt) and Nas (It Was Written). It was this album which also began hip hop's love of Cristal with references to the high life synonymous with the drink peppered throughout. The RZA's production technique of speeding up soul samples would resurface in Kanye West's debut album (The College Dropout) and be described as 'chipmunk soul'. A hugely influential classic album.

So now 14 years later Raekwon is about to release "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II" and I, for one, couldn't be more excited - especially after hearing "Wu Ooh" which features Ghostface Killah and Method Man sounding like he's fresh from recording his own 1994 masterpiece "Tical". Head noddingly addictive; this bodes well people.

Raekwon - Wu Ooh (feat. Ghostface Killah & Method Man)