Opinz

Raekwon – Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II

The long awaited sequel to what is easily one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II delivers about as completely as one could hope for, as evidenced only a few minutes in with the ferocious “House of Flying Daggers” and continually reaffirmed with each track, as Raekwon and a host of Wu-Tang cohorts and guest stars tear through high tension drug narratives atop sweet but undistracting production from the likes of J Dilla, RZA, and many others; while Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II doesn’t sound like a complete throwback, it has the classic energy of Wu-Tang’s best releases, the kind of energy that seems sorely lacking in most hip-hop today.

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Eminem – Relapse

Relapse serves a important purpose in the professional career of Eminem, and that is proving that Encore was not a fluke: Eminem really has lost whatever he had that made him unique…Relapse is completely devoid of imagination and wit; every hook is forced and contrieved and every lyric is vanilla…and the album as a whole just proves that he’s been out of the game too long and probably would have been better served (and caused less of an embarrassment for himself) by taking the Huey Lewis approach and doing small venue tours with guys like Young M.C.
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