Step Sixty Seven: Raekwon: Fly International Luxurious Art

Artist:  Raekwon
Album:  Fly International Luxurious Art
Producers:  Various
Release Date:  April 28, 2015

Review:  Raekwon the Chef returns for his first full-length record since 2011's Shaolin Vs. Wu-Tang, keeping in mind that The Tonite Show was only about a half hour.  I'm not crazy about the cover art for this one, but don't judge a book by its cover on this one - the contents of the record more than make up for it.

Fly International Luxurious Art (F.I.L.A.) opens with an intro skit about Raekwon's passport being too full to fly anywhere else, amid fans, press and square white people being excited by his presence.  It kicks off right with the bangin' "4 in the Morning" featuring Ghostface Killah, and Rae wastes no time showing us that he's still got the same skills that made Cuban Linx 2 such a hot record.  It continues with "I Got Money," which is a grower but a rewarding one.  My limit with braggadocio usually ends before listening to a hook that taunts "I got money, nyah nyah na-nyah nyah," but Raekwon, guest ASAP Rocky and producer S1 for making it so listenable.  There are Caribbean-sounding wood xylophones, an effective bassline, simple piano and a good light tone throughout.

But maybe the broad range of the album is first apparent by its follower, "Wall to Wall," with huge drums and piano and synths backing it up.  It has a large, crashing sound that doubles down with the growl of Busta Rhymes, who once again slays his guest spot on a Raekwon record.  Lyrically it's not Busta's best verse ("Difficult to predict, I'm calculated like algebra / 'Cuz the money traced back to them diamond mines out in Africa"), but he has real presence and energy that help keep it afloat and we all know Busta can spit.  Cut straight to "Heated Nights," a wavy, echoing Miami-style late-night track that's all Rae.  He looks back on how far he's come from his early days with good lines like "Dreams and schemes to make a knot / Sat on the stove and wrote 'C.R.E.A.M.,' one blunt 2 o'clock."

Weirdly, "F.I.L.A. World" is one of the only tracks I'm really not into.  The beat is interesting but it's not for me, and the lyrics are alright but there's better elsewhere - "1, 2, 1, 2" for example.  Snoop is smooth as ever with his rhymes - "Glock hot, crock pot on the block with The Chef / Out of bounds on the ground with a hole in your chest" - dropping two 12-bar verses.

Then comes "Sound Boy Kill It," which I could listen to all day.  The production on the verses can get a little minimal (just drums and one two-tone keyboard), but everything else picks up the slack and delivers a killer song.  Raekwon sets the song up with a good first verse, then Melanie Fiona offers a beautiful sung verse with the hot stinger "Raaaekwooon kill it!" before Assassin annihilates us with furious Jamaican rhymes.  Assassin has worked with Kanye as well as Kendrick Lamar before (thanks to genius.com for the info on that) and he really brings some flavor to F.I.L.A..

"Revory (Wraith)" makes up for "Sound Boy"'s quiet verses with big bass synth, guitar, background vocals.  I hate to say the verses range from decent (by Ghost and Rae) to not good (Rick Ross: "Tatted on my back, chest and palms / Then it's me and Diddy, dice games at the Palms").  It's not terrible, but Rae finishes strong with "Nautilus" and "Worst Enemy."  "Nautilus" is dark and violent with some classic scratching on the hook and "Worst Enemy" ends the album on a serious note with excellent singing by Liz Rodrigues while Raekwon expresses uncertainty about a situation he's in.  Maybe it's just storytelling, but it's cool to hear him sound almost vulnerable, talking about getting no sleep and unable to find his girlfriend before turning to some extreme violence.  Is he his own worst enemy, as the hook implies?

I can't say I'm as in love with F.I.L.A. on the whole as I am with Cuban Linx 1 or 2 or Shaolin Vs. Wu-Tang, but I definitely prefer it over Immobilarity, The Tonite Show and maybe even The Lex Diamond Story.  While a couple tracks don't bring the fire the way you'd hope, there are some really great ideas executed here in production and lyrics.  Rae's at his best at the beginning and the end, but he entertains the whole album; his guests are memorable and several tracks are real gems.

Recommended Tracks:  4 in the Morning, I Got Money, Wall to Wall, Sound Boy Kill It.

Quick Review: Method Man: The Meth Lab.

Artist:  Method Man
Album:  The Meth Lab
Release Date:  Aug. 21, 2015

Quick Review:  While The Meth Lab boasts 17 songs, there are 13 with two or more guests - and two that are completely missing Method Man.  It makes sense that the word "mixtape" is never too far from the mention of this album.

But it's actually a pretty good record.  Hanz On and Streetlife appear regularly throughout The Meth Lab, so it isn't like some other albums where too many collaborators leave you wondering who the hell is in charge and where the album is going (N.A.S.A. or Handsome Boy Modeling School's White People, for example).  On the contrary, having such a consistent trio (including Meth) on board, coupled with the Breaking Bad-tinged theme of the album, helps with its consistency in the way that Raekwon and Cappadonna helped Ghostface along on Ironman.  We've even been familiar with Streetlife since he appeared so often on 1998's Tical 2000.  I do kinda wish Meth had a bigger share of the album, but since he spent most of 2014 saving A Better Tomorrow I think we can forgive him splitting up duties with his collaborators.

Hype for the album started with the video for "The Meth Lab," which featured Method Man cooking in an RV a la Walter White and Jesse Pinkman, but "Straight Gutta" is the early favorite for me, with Redman dropping a phat hook as our main cast of characters rhymes over it.  Streetlife sets it off right and is followed by Hanz On, then Meth.  It's a bit indicative of the album's nature that Streetlife and Hanz On both bring 16 bars and Meth just eight, but that's my last word on the subject.  Things move right along with the unique flow setup on "Bang Zoom" and the chilled nature of "50 Shots," again with the help of Streetlife and Meth's brilliant opener "Y'all don't get the picture before we focus / Facts, look who back, crooked like scoliosis."  The second line is as tight as anything he's done in years with its double entendre - "Look whose back is crooked like scoliosis" or "Look who's back (and I'm) crooked like scoliosis."  Good shit.

"Water" is also great, with mysterious piano backing up Mr. Mef's rapping ("Ridin' dirty got a Luger in your lap / Black suit, 7:30, couple shooters from the trap").  "Purple Tape" (with Raekwon and Inspectah Deck) and "Intelligent Meth" (with Masta Killa) are instant classics, which is no surprise since they focus on Method Man and other Wu-generals.  "Purple Tape" has an amazing charging beat, too, with big bass and fast piano.  Raekwon sounds like he recorded the same day as some of his hottest verses from Fly International Luxurious Art because his energy and flow is off the hook; Deck represents with the same fury as he's had for 20 years which is amazing.  On "Intelligent Meth," guest iNTeLL brings the urgency and last-word-emphasis of Phi Life Cypher before giving way to Method Man, who's much more relaxed.  Masta Killa still has it too, proving that "Return of the Masta Kill" wasn't a fluke earlier this year.

There are quick skits at the end of songs, with a woman asking Mef where the meth lab is and so on.  Killa Sin makes a surprise cameo on "Symphony," then "Another Winter" is a killer track (although Method Man's amazing verse is weirdly missing from the lyrics booklet).  Guest Dro Pesci brings Deck-influenced rhymes on "Rain All Day" and the album ends with "So Staten," which is all good except for a criminally awkward hook by Hue Hef.

The Ticallion Stallion has killed it so much lately, it's easy to see why he'd make The Meth Lab more of a team effort.  Some of the tracks are a bit lukewarm, but the bangers go a long way in saving the record.  "The Purple Tape," "Straight Gutta," "Intelligent Meth" and "Another Winter" are good for offsetting my least favorite tracks like "What You Getting Into" and "Soundcheck."  In the outro, Method Man kicks everyone out of the RV/meth lab and promises that "Crystal Meth is comin' real soon," which lends credibility to some critics' complaints that this is more of a mixtape/segue between records, but there's plenty on The Meth Lab to love.

...Bitch.

Step Sixty Six: Ghostface Killah and Badbadnotgood: Sour Soul.

Artist:  Ghostface Killah & Badbadnotgood
Album:  Sour Soul
Producer:  Frank Dukes
Release Date:  Feb. 24, 2015

Review:  Continuing his "live band" sound, Ghostface Killah collaborated with Canadian trio Badbadnotgood to release the short album Sour Soul this past February.  Here, however, Badbadnotgood trades in Adrian Younge's and The Revelations' funk and old R&B stylings for a stripped-down tone with complex bass lines, slower plucked guitars and clean jazz drums to back up Ghost's flow.

With only one song clocking in over three and a half minutes ("Six Degrees"), Sour Soul absolutely flies by.  Quick note:  I bemoaned the length of some of Ghost's albums when I took my first look at Twelve Reasons to Die II a few weeks ago, and the music and lyrics are so tight that it really doesn't need me bitching about it twice, so today I'm only pointing it out to emphasize that its brevity makes it a little harder to get hypnotized and taken on an epic adventure than others.  But hey, I was also a bit mistaken when, on my first listen to this record, I said it sounded more like the traditional blaxploitation Wu-Tang stuff than I believe it is now, but we all make mistakes right?  Right.  If you've stuck with me this far on the Map of Shaolin (17 months and counting), I'll hope you'll cut me some slack for my quibble with run times and I'll admit my error on analyzing Sour Soul's sound initially.

Fortunately for Sour Soul, it spends its 33 minutes as wisely as Solomon.  Badbadnotgood develops lovely sounds from front to back, from the spy film vibe of the title track and "Raygun"'s epilogue to the ether-huffing Lynchian surrealism of "Tone's Rap."  The gentle guitar tremolo and dreamy keys on "Street Knowledge" are a perfect complement to guest star Tree's gorgeous voice, and on the rare occasions when it leans towards the funk-/soul-on-film Wu sound ("Nuggets of Wisdom," "Stark's Reality") it confidently brings its own bravado to the ever-expanding Shaolin catalog.

As much as I love Ghostface's comic book-esque concept records - the Twelve Reasons to Die series and 36 Seasons - I'm glad he took a break between them so he could put together an album full of raps that don't need to tie together and tell one story.  This gives him more room to focus on imagery and rhyming rather than adding plot into the mix - not that those records lacked either of those.  So with one fewer job to fill on lyrics, GFK delivers some really powerful couplets and verses, occasionally with the explosive power we're used to hearing from Inspectah Deck.  Check out this line from the title track:  "I don't feel, I'm comfortably numb, Stapleton's son / Insomniac charged off the rays of the sun."  Of course there's plenty of Ghost's own angry and distinctive street style throughout the album with lines like ""Tupac's back, my glock's fat / After the gun smoke, you screamin' 'where my block at?'" ("Six Degrees").

In February's preview, I called out "Gunshowers" as an early favorite and that would still stand except that it's hard for me to pick out highlights on an album that's so consistent.  Ghost and his guest Elzhi absolutely kill it, though, with lyrics so nice I'm citing them twice:

"Simple minds get blown, shattered into pieces
My thesis is thick like the Book of Eli
We live, we die, we put 'em in the sky
Free your mind that's a slave like the Fourth of July."
   (Ghostface)

"I flirt with building your empire
Gotta shake the snake in the grass and spark sharks to swim by us
'Cuz every meek head that speak street cred ain't banging heat lead
And probably cut like sweet bread wetting the sheet beds."

There's a great one-two combo of "Street Knowledge" and "Ray Gun" about 2/3 of the way into the album.  Their sounds are so opposing they make a yin-yang of fantastic modern hip-hop - "Street Knowledge" has some of the most relaxing and pulsating music on the record and Tree's voice is like a chanting lullaby over it; then Ghost and DOOM set it off with the lively indie-rap sound of "Ray Gun."  While their verses aren't the best on the record, it's clear that these are two guys comfortable in their own skin, having as much fun with the music as with each other.  Not to mention the dangerous big band sound that cuts in at the end, straight out of a classic James Bond movie.

Ghost seems to reach some kind of epiphany near the end of the album, transitioning from more standard street life lyrics to a couple tracks about Islam ("Nuggets of Wisdom") and trying to reach personal enlightenment and do good in this life ("Food").  Oddly, this third act ends up with the same problem as Eminem's Recovery - the nobler the lyrics seem to get, the smoother they ain't.  I really applauded Em's album for its themes of trying to improve his own life, but I often thought his flow was its most untouchable when he devolved into his usual rhymes about women, drugs and booze.  Ghost - amazing as he is - sometimes has the same problem.  I'm blown away by that four-bar rhyme I quoted from "Gunshowers," which definitely has some braggadocio involved, but when he goes for enlightenment, the flow can suffer a bit.  In "Nuggets of Wisdom" he says "Make sure it's halal, no pork on the fork / No swine in the cupcake filling, we knew it's pork."  It's not my favorite, nor is "Food"'s line "Yoga, deep meditational tactics / You no good, then just practice / 'Cuz practice makes perfect."  However, the sound saves it overall, with Badbadnotgood steadily providing wonderful music even when Ghost stumbles a bit.

So Ghostface Killah makes it a hat trick:  three great albums with live band sounds in a row, each with major claims to fame.  Yeah, there are a couple minor hiccups on Sour Soul, but it's really an album to hear.  Since it was only out six months ago, I think this is where I'll put an end to the Map's Legacy section - in which we analyze how each release affected the artist's career in the long run.  However, I will say again this is proof positive that Ghost is evolving as an artist.  First, he defies genre tropes - and even more specifically some gimmicks made famous by his own legendary group - to expand aurally.  He's really branching out from studio-produced loops and samples into an exciting place.  Second, this leads to him cementing another trademark sound for himself.  He had his Wu-esque debut and sophomore albums, his street albums and now his full band albums.  Ghost is a real chameleon, and whether he sticks with this style or moves on, we're in for a hell of a ride.

I'm also skipping the Recommended Tracks section this week, mostly because it's such a solid listen from start to finish and also due to that length.  There are three instrumentals on the album and I griped a bit about the lyrics on the last two tracks with Ghost, so if I picked four or five songs out of the remaining six that would be a bit of a waste.  Cop this record and witness the testament of Ghostface Killah's enduring career - his second out of three in eight months.

Step Sixty Five: Ghostface Killah: 36 Seasons.

Artist:  Ghostface Killah
Album:  36 Seasons
Producers:  The Revelations
Release Date:  Dec. 9, 2014

Review:  Much like last week's coverage of A Better Tomorrow (and every step on The Map to follow), I did a quick review of 36 Seasons when it came out.  Here's a more thorough look at the record.

36 Seasons is Ghostface's second concept album following his previous outing in 12 Reasons to Die.  This album is unrelated though he keeps his alias of Tony Starks to portray the main character.  This time around, Tony comes home to New York after an unexplained nine-year absence.  He doesn't like what's happened to his neighborhood of Stapleton: nobody remembers him, his old familiar faces are gone, kids are standing on the corner smoking pot and there's a drug cartel pushing blow and lowering the quality of life of the hood.  Tony, the drug kingpin Future (portrayed by Kool G Rap) and Tony's childhood friend Rog (AZ) introduce their sides of the story on "The Battlefield," which is a killer opening track with a lively beat by The Revelations (Chamber Music, Legendary Weapons).  Kool G delivers my favorite metaphor of the album when he talks about dealing coke, calling himself "the neighborhood blizzard flooding the streets with snow."  AZ also turns the image of "joining the life of crime out of desperation" on its ear, explaining that when he was a kid the cops stole his stash and threatened jail time for him so he decided the best way to keep making a crooked living was to become a cop.  "Salute to the enforcer, call me an officer now / Supporter of paraphernalia, I toss it around / The link to the cartel, the costs is down / It's that Denzel in Training Day shit, caution my grounds."

"Love Don't Live Here No More" follows with a lovely hook by Tony's past love Bamboo (Kandance Springs).  Tony stops by her house expecting her to drop everything and come running, but she tells him nine years was too long and she has a new man.  They leave on peaceful enough terms despite both being a little disappointed in the other's attitude about the situation - a progressive step for Ghost's usual objectifying lyrics.  Tony decides to visit his old friend Rog who tells him they could clean up the 'hood and make some cash to boot if Tony could handle the illegal/murderous side of taking down Future's gang.  Tony agrees while Rog promises a low-risk, high-reward end.  Both songs have soulful music, with "Love" leaning more towards R&B but more successfully than Ghostdini.

As Tony rides to take out Future's gang, he searches on the car radio and finds "It's a Thin Line Between Love and Hate," covered beautifully by The Revelations.  And I mean they really do a hell of a job with such this classic by The Persuaders.  In terms of story, it's pretty cool that the last symbol before the boys face likely death is Tony's love for Bamboo.  He and his young friend Mig (Shawn Wigs) go in and ice Future's gang in "The Dogs of War," but Tony takes a chemical burn to the face and Mig gets him to a private physician, the mysterious Doctor X (Pharoahe Monch in "Emergency Procedure") to perform a life-saving operation on Tony.  First, Ghost describes the situation well, balancing narrative with evocative rhymes like "The mask release the gas that simmers the soul / So my adrenaline stays level, not out of control."  Second, Pharoahe Monch builds dramatic images and mad scientist fervor with his Wu-esque verse about the mask and its purposes ("The brilliant Doctor X, no scientist is colder / The mask'll specifically protect ya from Ebola / Its destruction is impossible, totally irrelevant / The compounds are not found on the periodic table of elements").

For a while, Tony will need a gas mask to breathe through a la Bane in Dark Knight Rises (see the cover for this album posted above) but he's barely back on his feet before the cops arrest him and throw him in jail ("Double Cross").  Kandance Springs returns for "Bamboo's Lament," wondering if she made a mistake not waiting for Tony - could she have saved him from his cell, his mask, his return to a life of crime?  Meanwhile, in jail ("Pieces to the Puzzle"), Tony bides his time and realizes Rog set him up to clean out Future's gang so Rog could be the new kingpin who runs - and ruins - Stapleton while letting Tony take the blame for the gang war.  He also clarifies at this point that Rog is Bamboo's new man, although Rog had said so earlier to himself while implying he's abusive towards her ("Where's Bamboo? She needs an ass-whoopin'").

Things come to a head in "Homicide" as Mig is killed by Rog's gang as a warning for Tony to leave them alone, but Tony avenges Mig and himself in "Blood in the Streets."  AZ has some really tight lines once his verse gets going here, angry at what happened to their friendship but ready to kill or be killed to end this feud - "You grew a lot but I schooled you how to do drops / In my tube socks spraying from the rooftops, '92 props / Banging for my blue tops / It's you and me, Biggie versus Tupac / You forgot I'm the one who let you rock."  Tony lures them all into one spot and blows them up, the sole survivor of the massacre.  36 Seasons winds down with "Call My Name," in which Tony and Bamboo make amends as he takes up residence in Mig's house and explains that he has to clean up all of New York and stop the drug flow destroying the city.  The Revelations perform an instrumental cover of "I Love You for All Seasons" and the album ends.

Since the album's release last December, I've really been impressed with the balance of narrative and rhyming.  The first few times you hear it, you'll want to make sure you give it your full attention to soak up the story and the plot points, but once you know what it is and where it's going, it's easier to lean back, relax and enjoy it as a solid rap album with infectious hooks, high energy, sweet rhymes and gorgeous music.

Legacy:  Between both Twelve Reasons albums, 36 Seasons and Sour Soul, Ghostface proved four times in about two years that the Wu-Tang sound can successfully evolve and sound groundbreaking and unique without relying on the mid-'90s sound of the first wave of Wu albums.  RZA remains one of the all-time great music producers, but by working with live bands and sounds that are less immediately hip-hop, Ghost has been vital in helping develop the Wu sound of the 2010s.  Of course The Revelations were brought in by RZA for Chamber Music and Legendary Weapons initially, and Ghostface Killah worked with Badbadnotgood and Adrian Younge, so they're both due plenty of credit for where the Wu seems to be going.  Critics received 36 Seasons well, some calling it a superior album to A Better Tomorrow.  GFK is continuing to spread his wings and try new sounds and ideas and this recent iteration of his (his last four albums) is a great fit, experimented with initially on Twelve Reasons and cemented with 36 Seasons.

Recommended Tracks:  The Battlefield, It's a Thin Line Between Love and Hate, Blood in the Streets.

Step Sixty Four: Wu-Tang Clan: A Better Tomorrow.

Artist:  Wu-Tang Clan
Album:  A Better Tomorrow
Producers:  RZA ("Ruckus in B-Minor" co-produced by Rick Rubin; "40th Street Black / We Will Fight" and "Keep Watch" co-produced by Mathematics), 4th Disciple ("Miracle" and "Necklace").
Release Date:  December 2, 2014

Review:  Hoo boy.  Now we get to the tricky shit.  I knew when I started Map of Shaolin that more group or dolo albums would be released in the 14-16 month period that I was writing.  I figured I'd do my best to talk about them at their release then come back to them at their proper space on the Map, and now here we are.

So for starters, please look back at my first/quick review of Wu's sixth group LP, A Better Tomorrow, by clicking right here.  If you'd rather not, here's the summary.

In 2012 or so, rumors started buzzing that Wu-Tang would release another LP for the 20th anniversary of their debut Enter the Wu-Tang.  Unfortunately, a very public rift between Raekwon and RZA seemed to dash hopes for bringing the full group back together.  It reached the point where RZA stated that they'd do the album without Rae if they needed to, but their conflict resolved in mid-late 2014 and Rae ended up putting in verses for five of the album's 15 tracks before its release on December 2nd, 2014.  In the year or so leading up to the album, Wu put out several tracks - "Wu-Tang Reunion," which started its life as "Family Reunion;" "Keep Watch" and (premiering on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart) "Ron O'Neal" all debuted well before the release.

So what's on it?  Musically, the sound expands on RZA's post-Iron Flag love for live instruments that we've seen on 8 Diagrams and their collaborations with The Revelations - we hear some of the full band motif in "Ruckus in B Minor" and "Preacher's Daughter."  The album covers a wide tonal range, from the positively bright and glowing old soul sounds of "A Better Tomorrow" and "Wu-Tang Reunion" to the darker "Pioneer the Frontier" and "Necklace."  A couple of those bold choices don't quite pay off.  For example, the Wu get a pass on making a rap ballad in "Miracle" since everyone else seems to get to do it without taking shit (I'm looking at you, "Stan"), but its rock-solid verses clash with an ending that ventures too close to nu-metal or '00s rap-rock territory for my tastes.  I love it right until the end, and then I fake it.  Lyrically, I think the Clan are all on point.  U-God has struggled a couple times in the past but not here, and I was surprised at myself for how pleased I was with the tracks that Cappadonna leads off on.  RZA also picks up the slack from his "bitches and blunts" Bobby Digital persona, which is a big relief.

Now a bit more on the album.

Every emcee gets several chances to shine throughout the record.  RZA's tightest appearances may be his quick verse/bridge on "Crushed Egos" and "Ron O'Neal" while Rae kills "Crushed Egos" as well.  GZA's best may be "Ruckus in B Minor" although his other verses aren't to be taken lightly.  Inspectah Deck is an extinction-level-event opener for the album; U-God makes his mark the strongest on "Pioneer the Frontier" while Ghost spits bold lines in-character on "Necklace" and "Preacher's Daughter."  Masta Killa brings "Felt" to life as well as slaying his verse on "Miracle."
  Method Man is as fun as he's ever been on "Keep Watch" and "40th Street Black / We Will Fight," but he's got great life and energy on "A Better Tomorrow."  Cappadonna, who I've often bemoaned as hit-or-miss, really tightens up most of his appearances on the album, especially "Keep Watch" and "Necklace."  For specific lyrical quotes, check the quick review link up top.

By the numbers, here's how everyone checks in.  I didn't count hooks since so many are provided by samples and non-Wu vocalists.

Masta Killa and Method Man - 10 verses and one bridge each.
Cappadonna - Nine verses.
Inspectah Deck - Eight verses.
Ghostface Killah - Seven verses.
GZA, Raekwon, U-God - Six verses each.
RZA - Four verses, three bridges (plus production on 14 tracks).
Ol' Dirty Bastard - Hype lines on three tracks, taken from samples.

Legacy:  Now that I've gotten eight months hindsight on the album, I stand by most of my first impressions from last December.  I still think it gets a bit awkward somewhere between "Felt" and "Hold the Heater," but I warmed up to those tracks (and "Never Let Go," which I was iffy about) over time.  Some will argue that no song should ever need "warming up to," but I vote for the reward from that effort every time.  I love instant classics, but if something takes me awhile to appreciate, I tend to dig it a lot more.  Now, I will apologize for saying that Method Man is the "clear hero" of A Better Tomorrow, since I counted verses (as I do) and realized Masta Killa is on the album just as much as Meth  - sorry MK!  I recognize that Meth is one of the most popular Wu members, so it makes sense for some reviewers to praise his involvement - which they imply glued the album together - but I'd hate to sell the other guys short.  I was also mistaken thinking that MK was on "Hold the Heater," so my apologies.

Also, my opinions on the Raekwon/RZA beef have changed in light of Rae dissing the album as "soft" since its release.  I think Rae's a brilliant rapper, from flow to rhymes to style to presence, but I'm not sure about him disapproving of ABT, then appearing on five tracks, then dissing it again.  Then again, I think it's important to have the whole Clan on the album and his appearances are great so I can't say they'd be better off without.

A Better Tomorrow was received with mixed reviews.  Adjusted to a scale of 1 to 10, the album was given about a 6 by The Guardian, Pitchfork, A.V. Club, Spin and Slant Magazine.  Rolling Stone wasn't as kind, rating it as just a 5.  On the other hand, AllMusic, Robert Christgau, The Independent and NME all rated it between a 7 and 9.  I personally think the album succeeds as a whole, with some standout tracks (listed below) balancing out the least impressive songs.  It seems like Wu-Tang's inevitable last record together has been questioned since ODB died between Iron Flag and 8 Diagrams, if not sooner.  I for one hope to see more great albums by each member of Wu-Tang even if A Better Tomorrow (or, optimistically, the odd-release Once Upon a Time in Shaolin) is the last group album we get.  Ultimately their future is up to them at this point.  A Better Tomorrow is not without its cracks in the armor, but it's an armor that can only be pierced by the Wu-Tang sword.

Recommended Tracks:  Ruckus in B Minor, Keep Watch, Pioneer the Frontier, A Better Tomorrow, Ron O'Neal.