Like we said when we discussed Ghostface’s 2000 album Supreme Clientele, any member of the Wu Tang Clan had their legacy pretty much cemented due to the sheer epicness of the group’s 1993 album 36 Chambers. But goddamn did their members ever have some bangers for solo albums, with Raekwon being no exception to that rule. The album’s sonic identity is defined by haunting soul samples and crackling drum breaks alongside Raekwon’s confident vocal delivery. But where it truly shines is in the concept of the album where Raekwon embodied a streetwise hustler recounting his rise and fall in a crime-ridden underworld. The album feels like a Mafioso epic, filled with intricate storytelling and coded slang, an immersive world that elevates it beyond the typical gangsta rap. The skits and interludes that help enhance the storytelling along the way only adds to that sense of mystique, along with the prominence of fellow Wu Tang member Ghostface Killah who rides alongside Raekwon nearly the entire way.
Standout Songs: “Ice Cream”, “Guillotine”, “Verbal Intercourse”, “Criminology”
