Youtube's got the entire thing. Album drops next week. It's weird -- a lot good beats and guys spittin' fire but it doesn't have the coherent feeling I was lookin for. Too many chefs in the kitchen, literally, too many producers. Also some whack hooks (Slick Rick is wasted on the hook for the song above). New Wu/Wu-Ooh is still the joint to beat but the OB4CL-est tracks from the previous mixtapes (State of Grace, My Corner, Criminology 2) are missing.



The early decade Wu renaissance that everyone missed (Grandmasters, No Said Date, Fishscale, 8 Diagrams) seems to be over -- this, the so-called savior album, pales and I scratch my head at what they need saving from. Most of the stuff released this decade was dope.

Thoughts?

I absolutely LOVE this cd so far. I guess it's not "coherent" like part 1, but thats understandable since it wasn't produced entirely by the RZA like the 1st one was. I think this is an excellent progression from the CL1 type vibe of crack selling and crime stories though. But considering this has beats from a range of producers like Dilla, Dre, RZA, Alchemist, Eric Sermon, this still REALLY sounds like a sequel to CL1 to me. The only beats that sound out of place are Dre's, but it's not even that bad of a distraction to the overall quality of this. I'm just glad there was less Dre, Busta and all that, and this came out sounding more "Wu" to me, especially with all these dope kung-fu and samples from "The Killer" again..

Bottom line to me....This cd is fucking hellfire, a couple of these tracks are just jaw-dropping for the beats and rhymes like Surgical Gloves, Gihad, Black Mozart, Broken Safety, Cold Outside, Canal St & The ODB tribute. I like every single track so far honestly, and thats rare for me with a 22 tracks cd. This is just about the best Wu album since Supreme Clientele or The W, and at the very least its as good as Fishscale or Big Dough Rehab if not better.

I'm buying this cd no doubt about it, I haven't been this amped for a cd since the latest Wu cd, and this feels a lot more satisfying to me. Also, I heard that Rae might even drop another Volume before the year ends with many of the other tracks that got cut from this.

Canal Street and 10 Bricks are the only tracks that scream fire to me. The rest either sound too slick or have whack hooks. Rae also sounds asleep on most tracks, none of that hunger I heard on "State of Grace" -- that was the bomb I wanted. I'd take No Said Date, Made In Brooklyn, Fishscale, Big Dough, and 8 Diagrams over this. But maybe it'll grow on me...

Hell, my favorite Wu song of late was Cap's "Life's a Gamble" with it's sick Suspiria beat:

Pyrex Vision samples this classic.



I need to go Dig In My Crates and pull this cd out again now, OC & Big L used to be so raw.

I think Rae sounds "sleepier" on something like this Pyrex track, but its kinda the point of the song, he's high as fuck.
On something like Sonny's Missin he sounds way more amped up, like on the robbin tracks.
Ghost more than makes up for Rae's asleep style, he is amped up and spitting hot fire on everything. Ghost steals the show (as usual) on this cd.

Have yet to listen (i'm waiting for tuesday) but im in awe that it actually dropped maybe there is hope for The Detox after all.

It's funny, I've been on an old school Wu Tang kick lately.

When I say "old school", I basically mean Liquid Swords, Cuban Linx, 36 Chambers and Iron Man. I bought the newer GZA stuff and Supreme Clientele and checked out some newer Raekwon and Clan stuff at the store when they came out, but all of that was so underwhelming that I essentially stopped trying.

I wasn't aware of a 00s "Wu Renaissance"; anyone care to recommend some relatively recent stuff an old school Wu head would enjoy?

The Chamber Music comp was fantastic I thought... not a fan of 8 Diagrams. Both of Ghost's Fish albums were tremendous, GZA's album last year was pretty good as well. EDIT: Also, Big Doe Rehab.

Supreme Clientele is a classic man, you should pull that out and listen to it again if you weren't feeling it originally. All Ghost's cds are excellent honestly...Bulletproof Wallets was dope as hell too, as well as the aforementioned Fish cds and Big Dough Rehab. All Ghost's solo cds are easily better than any other clan members solo efforts.

Like Televiper said, Masta Killa's No Said Date & GZA and DJ Muggs "Grandmasters" cd that came out in like 05 were dope as hell too.

Maybe it's just that I'm a giant GZA mark and find it almost impossible to not like a song he's invovled in, but I really liked Pro Tools.

I liked Chamber Music. Wu Tang + Masta Ace = massive win.

I liked Chamber Music a lot also, the track with Rae, Cormega & Sean Price "Radiant Jewels" is sick as fuck.
Harbor Masters w/ Ghost, Deck & Az & the track Evil Deeds with RZA, Ghost & Havoc were raw too.
And the one with the God, Kool G Rap, MOP & Raekwon is ridiculous
If they woulda had some simple boom-bap shit like this with good guests on 8 Diagrams it could have been a classic


And I'm not afraid to say it....This album is a CLASSIC! I can't wait to buy this Tuesday!

Chamber Music, pretentious asshole RZA interludes aside, was great---> excellent. Good choice of guests, excellent live beats (although why didn't RZA just bring in El Michels? Can't imagine they asked too much money...), only flaw is no Meth.

But OB4CL is another level. And I don't even really LIKE Rae all that much. This slaughters the original. Beat selection is impeccable, guests are perfect, Ghost is so on-point here ("Gihad" ranks up there with the most graphic of Kool Keith sex raps AND the best of Big Daddy Kane crime story raps all at once) that I forgive him pre-emptively for "The Wizard of Poetry". For someone who didn't know who Dilla was a year ago, Rae certainly had a good ear for the best unused Dilla beats.

Favorites: "Ason Jones", "House of 1,000 Daggers", "10 Bricks", "Gihad", "New Wu" (Meth kills that hook DEAD)

I don't like the cracked-out R&B warbler on "Cold Outside" but even he's unintentionally funny. And then Ghost & Rae kill it.

I can't think of one track here I'd drop. For fuck's sake, CAPPADONNA sounds like he's a world-class MC on this. CAPPA FUCKING DONNA. Aside from "Daytona 500" and "Campfire" when has that EVER happened?

Buy this when it comes out. I have no problem throwing $12 down for this next paycheck if it means supporting something that is the antithesis of all the other 'event' rap albums this year (Asher, BP3, et al).

Between this, Mos, DOOM and Blackout! 2, no one has a right to complain about hip-hop in 2009. But no one's buying the albums still.

If you don't like this album, fuck your whole family.

EDIT: Okay, Cappa was amazing through most of "The Pillage". So credit where credit's due. WE GON' MILK THIS COW THE BEST WAY WE KNOW HOW!

OK. I was ready to never listen to this record. The ejaculations of hyperbole on this board bolstered my opinion. But now I'm intrigued. Will have to listen now.

Damn you McGovern!

"Winter Warz"

I haven't listened to this album yet, but I gonna get it when this drops. Can't wait.

Cap destroys Winter Warz (his best verse ever):



Also, Ice Water and I dig the hell out of his run on Triumph:

I twist darts from the heart, tried and true
Loop my voice on the LP, martini on the slang rocks
Certified chatterbox, vocabulary 'Donna talkin
Tell your story walkin
Take cover kid, what? Run for your brother, kid
Run for your team, and your six camp rhyme groupies
So I can squeeze with the advantage, and get wasted
My deadly notes reigns supreme
Your fort is basic compared to mine
Domino effect, arts and crafts
Paragraphs contain cyanide
Take a free ride on my dart, I got the fashion
catalogues for all y'all to all praise to the Gods

Here are some of the illest tracks from that era, gritty real Wu-shit:











EDIT~!



It's the illest of the ill... everyone kills it deader than dead.

Just heard it sipmly amazing while its not the first one(anbd it was never gonna be) it is a very great follow up like Godfather 2. it seems rae knew it wasnt gonna be just like the classic but he and everybody else involed was out to make it as great and as close to the first as they possibly could and they succeded

I think the fact that I can't get my least favorite track on this album out of my head speaks to its greatness.

Album of the year so far, with only Brother Ali and Lupe having albums coming out this year that I can imagine even touching this.

Yeah, it's growing on me. Still some tracks I really don't like though...

For anyone who cares but didn't already buy it, Amazon has the MP3 version of this album for $5 all month. My hip-hop tastes are pretty damn narrow, but the clips sound interesting so I may pick it up.

The more I listen to OB4CL2, the more I dig it. For those who haven't checked it out yet, The Cuban Revolution mixtape floating around right now is excellent as well. Here's a sample:

Best CD of the year so far, between this and BP3 it seems that NY still has a presence in the game, although BP3 was trash. Pyrex Vision, Broken Safety, 10 Bricks, Necro (or whatever they ended up calling it on the CD), House of Flying Daggers, and most importantly the song with Beans are all great.

The new Ghostface is fuckin' whack, just saying. Anyone hear it yet?

I dissagree I think Ghosts storytelling is at the best of his career on that album

His storytelling is strong but the auto-tune is whack, all that crap R&B (it's not like it's Holla), lame guests, etc. I was expecting something more in line with his previous R&B stuff (again like Holla, etc) but this is too mainstream for me and Ghost's storytelling alone can't save it.

Theres only auto-tune o 2 tracks and besides Ron Browz who are the whack guests?

Personally, I can't stand Fabolous or John Legend. Raheem DeVaughn didn't impress either. It's just me really. My least favorite track on Fishscale was 'Back Like That' and this is like a whole album of lesser versions of that song.

Yeah it's pretty terrible. I don't understand why he went this direction.

It's not like Ghost can't do R&B right, in a gritty street style like he has been doing from day one. This just sounds to neutered.

To get back to OB4CL2, it has really grown on me. Cold Outside and We Will Rob you have grown from songs I kinda liked to outright bangas that I can't stop listening to. Rae came correct. I give my belated respect.