The Chef is back in the kitchen
In the years following the Wu-Tang Clan’s 1993 masterpiece, Enter
the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), each member of
the Clan’s post-Wu output has been met with varying degrees of success.
Ghostface’s Supreme Clientele and
Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx
are generally considered to be the best, and that pedigree is a blessing and a
curse. The Chef hasn’t been able to recapture the creative spark of OB4CL in the decade-and-a-half since its release, making
his ambition to write a sequel something of a gambit.
The reunion of Ghostface and Raekwon (right down to the identical pose on the album cover and “Guest Starring Tony Starks” tagline) is part of what makes the long-awaited Only Built for Cuban Linx II a Godfather Part IIinstead of PartIII. One of indie-dom’s favorite rappers serves as the perfect point man for Raekwon’s return, serving up blistering verses and playing the loose cannon to Rae’s straight man.