Raekwon – Fly International Luxurious Art

After a protracted will-he, won’t-he saga dragged on for much of last year, Raekwon eventually did contribute verses to Wu-Tang Clan’s A Better Tomorrow, albeit begrudgingly. On the day it came out, though, he actually seemed more interested – if his Twitter page is anything to go by – in continuing to promote his well-overdue new solo record, Fly International Luxurious Art, and he’s finally made good as it sees the light of day.

Usually, if you take a look at his track record, when The Chef aims for universality on a record, it’s bad news; the turgid Immobilarity is probably the best example that he’s best when he sticks to the mafioso stylings of Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. Collaborations with Akon and Snoop Dogg set the alarm bells ringing here, but F.I.L.A. finds plenty of space to showcase Rae’s legendary flow, too – the fine Estelle collaboration All About You has the Chef on almost chart-friendly form, whilst A$AP Rocky’s lively turn on I Got Money and the brooding solo cut Live to Die prove that one of the Clan’s most mercurial talents still has plenty in the tank. [Joe Goggins]