★★★★★
After a universally acclaimed debut album and a lengthy period of career doldrums, Raekwon is enjoying a critical renaissance almost wholly predicated on his decision to play squarely into the expectations of his fans. Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. 2 and Shaolin Vs. Wu-Tang were a pair of traditionalist correctives that established him as the reigning torchbearer for the kung-fu-and-rare-grooves ethos that vaulted the Wu-Tang Clan into prominence 20 years ago...
- pitchfork.com
2013-04-01
★★★★★
The avalanche of mixtapes that accompanies every new year has positively blanketed 2012 in rap music, with seasoned veterans and hungry newcomers alike sending 2011 off with one last test of the DatPiff download limit. While Rick Ross' grandiose Rich Forever mixtape, on sheer size alone, has threatened to blot out a lot of its Q1 competition, solid efforts abound for hip-hop fans-- this has been the single best month in what seems like years...
- pitchfork.com
2012-01-16
★★★★★
This is what we feared the Only Built 4 Cuban Linx (1995) sequel would sound like: a mish-mash of worn out Wu-isms. Perhaps "feared" is overstating it, but many Wu disciples would have felt an uncomfortable twinge in their chests had the Cuban Linx tag been applied to something so resolutely average. In other words, Rae claims his latest release, Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang is the proper follow-up to Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II (2009), but I'm going to pretend it's not...
- www.cokemachineglow.com
2011-05-11
★★★★★
Release Date: March 9, 2011 Originally intended to be a full Wu-Tang album minus production from the group's de facto leader RZA, Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang was eventually announced as a solo Raekwon project as production began. Unhappy with the overly experimental sound RZA crafted on the group's last collaborative album 8 Diagrams, Raekwon brought together a slew of various producers to help return to the gritty sound that made the Wu-Tang Clan so famous in the first place...
- absolutepunk.net
2011-04-11
★★★★★
One of the few rappers to have successfully forged a critically validated solo career, Corey Woods aka Raekwon has been riding a fresh wave of respect since to his acclaimed 1995 debut, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. Shaolin vs Wu-Tang, the man's fifth LP in total, lacks the consistency and truly focused lyrical content of its predecessor, but should be considered another success amongst so many mundane releases in the Wu-family catalogue...
- www.bbc.co.uk
2013-04-23
★★★★★
Summary: To every soldier in the hood, go in. Shaolin Vs. Wu-Tang is a legitimate cure for any Lupe Fiasco Lasers-induced cancer. His third record in as many years, Raekwon defines expectations for golden era rappers in the 21st century with his own breed of timeless hip-hop. There are no cheap synths or lame choruses to be had, just classic east coast hard shit about generally epic street concepts...
- www.sputnikmusic.com
2011-03-28
★★★★★
Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx ... Pt. II was a success in every sense: it made money, the critics loved it, rapheads both young and old embraced it and it did more to repair the somewhat tarnished Wu reputation than the tepidly-received 8 Diagrams could. Perhaps most importantly, it established Raekwon as the most consistently reliable member of the Clan...
- www.noripcord.com
2011-03-28
★★★★★
After the shockingly decent Cuban Linx Part 2 (2009), it's less of a surprise that Raekwon's Shaolin vs. Wu Tang can stand up to any of the full-patch Wu rapper's five prior solo studio efforts. What is unsettling, however, is the album's apparent indication of a rift within the clan...
- www.hour.ca
2011-03-21
★★★★★
I live in Tokyo, a crucial, safe-ish distance from the earthquake. But I didn't know that yet on Friday, when I stood braced under the door to my porch, watching electric cables slap like double dutch ropes. I had never felt anything like it, tremors as deep as ocean waves, like snowboarding standing still...
- tinymixtapes.com
2011-03-21
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