While most of the Wu-Tang Clan stop by for Raekwon’s latest album, Rza was a glaring omission heading into the project as he didn’t support the idea of Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang. Originally rumors circulated that Rza and Raekwon had a falling out stemming from members of the Wu not seeing eye-to-eye during the making of 2007’s 8 Diagrams. Rae has gone on record as saying there’s no beef between the two and Rza was a contributor to Raekwon’s Only Built For Cuban Linx II. So that answers that.
What remained uncertain is what a throwback Wu album would sound like without Rza production?
Right from the start, Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang takes you back to the glory days of the Wu with a classic kung-fu sample to get things started. For the most part, Rae keeps it there on his latest.
The album starts with a bang with the title track, followed by the Erick Sermon produced and Method Man assisted “Every Soldier In The Hood,” and “Silver Rings” with Rae’s partner in rhyme Ghostface Killah. Meth brings his “A”-game on “Every Soldier In The Hood,” while Raekwon declares Only Built For Cuban Linx III is in the works on “Silver Rings.”
Estelle and fellow Wu brethren Inspectah Deck assist on “Chop Chop Ninja” which finds Rae in story mode over some more kung-fu samples. Then comes “Butter Knives” the true gem of the album. Bronze Nazareth brings the best out of Rae here as he conjures up a beat that could fit on any early Wu album.
At this point in the album Rza’s absence on the boards isn’t a major issue, mostly because the likes of Bronze Nazareth, Scram Jones and Cilvarings bring beats that would make Rza proud. “Snake Pond” and “Crane Style,” although clocking in at under 4:30 combined, keep things moving along nicely.
The only real mishap comes next as Rae and Ghost are joined by Jim Jones and Kobe for “Rock N Roll.” While the appearance from Jones was the initial turnoff, it’s actually the awful hook sung by Kobe that makes the song unbearable. “Rock N Roll” has no replay value and doesn’t fit in with the rest of the album at all. It’s not just a stumble, it falls flat on its face.
Most fans have found “Rich and Black” to be a standout, but the beat and 1st verse from Nas are recycled from a previous effort. And sorry, but it’s not “Verbal Intercourse” quality. That’s probably not a fair way to judge the track, but it’s impossible not to reference when thinking of Nas-Raekwon collabos.
Meth returns for “From The Hills” and Lloyd Banks makes an appearance on “Last Trip To Scotland” but the last two notable appearances occur on “Molasses” and “Masters Of Our Fate.” The old Wu sound is again strongly represented on “Molasses” as Rae and Ghost bless the horn-heavy beat and Rick Ross stops by for his take on criminology. On “Masters Of Our Fate” Rae is joined by Black Thought who has now made terrific contributions to the last two Wu releases. Hopefully it’s a sign of things to come, because a Roots-Wu partnership would only be great for hip-hop.
With seven tracks clocking in at under 2:30, the album goes by very fast and some of the tracks could’ve brought a little more to the table. But all in all, Rae delivers again with Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang, helping Wu fans feel a sense of nostalgia without sounding stale or dated. Now how about some new Rza beats?
Final Grade: B
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