Seriously.....This album is 14 years old....to me it's the blueprint for coke rap. Kool G Rap started the Mafioso rap, but IMO Rae (with Ghostface Killah being the co-star) just took that type of rap to new heights. Rae was consistent even down to the marketing plan, in which he sold the album in a purple case to differentiate it from other rap albums. This is akin to dealers selling their product with different color tops for customers to differentiate it from rival products.
Spittin' Wu dialect, 5 Percenter slang and the vision of the inner city struggle from his POV, Rae provides a visual canvas. Like most Wu members rap lyrics, Rae's verses take a few listens for you to actually get what he's saying-if you arent already used to his slang. Nas has the honor of being the only non Wu guest on this album. Ghostface steals the show occasionally but by the end of the album, you're tuned in because it's Raekwon's gruff, disgruntled vocals that draw you in. Instead of saying "We could shoot it out for the bread", Rae says "They got guns, got guns too/What up Son Do? Wanna battle for cash and see who's Sun Tzu"....tell me that shit aint genius!!!!!!!
"Incarcerated Scarfaces" has to be one of the most grimiest tracks to have ever been recorded. The beat just makes you wanna put a hoodie and jeans on and just post up somewhere at 4 A.M. RZA produced this album and provided a sonic backdrop that embodied the NYC hoodie/Timbs thug talk of the era. Arguably, Rae/Ghost started the whole Versace/Silk shirt trend. They address cats who bite styles on the scathing "Shark Niggas" skit, where they talk about how B.I.G. bit off Nas' "Illmatic"album cover and used the concept for "Ready To Die" (subliminally). Now, it may seem funny for them so have been so upset, but this was from the era where cats had to develop their own shit to be nice. Nowadays, it's cool to be a dickrider...
I dunno if Rae heard "Kick In The Door" when B.I.G. said "Fuck that, throw bleach in your eye/Now you Braillin' it" but on "Ice Water" he says "That's life, top it all off, beef with White/Pullin' bleach out, tried to throw it in my eyesight". OB4CL was released in '95. Life After Death was released in '97...........
"Ice Cream" is in a class of its own
All in all, I fux with this album....HEAVY. shoutouts to my cousins Oneill and Marlon for puttin me onto hip hop when i was about 8 years old. They had this album and used to wear fronts and all that.
Standouts: "Knowledge God","Criminology","Incarcerated Scarfaces","Can't It All Be So Simple","Ice Water","Glaciers of Ice","Verbal Intercourse", "Ice Cream","Wu Gambinos"
Tracklist:
1. Striving For Perfection
2. Knuckleheadz feat. Ghostface Killah and U-God
3. Knowledge God feat. Ghostface Killah
4. Criminology feat. Ghostface Killah
5. Incarcerated Scarfaces
6. Rainy Dayz feat. Blue Raspberry
7. Guillotine (Swordz) feat. Inspectah Deck
8. Can It All Be So Simple feat. Ghostface Killah
9. Shark Niggaz (Biters)
10. Ice Water feat. Ghostface Killah and Cappadonna
11. Glaciers of Ice feat. Ghostface Killah and Masta Killa
12. Verbal Intercourse feat. Nas
13. Wisdom Body feat. Ghostface Killah
14. Spot Rusherz feat. Ghostface Killah
15. Ice Cream feat. Method Man, Cappadonna and Ghostface Killah
16. Wu-Gambinos feat. Method Man, Masta Killa, RZA and Ghostface Killah
17. Heaven & Hell feat. Blue Raspberry
18. North Star (Jewels) feat. Poppa Wu and Ol' Dirty Bastard
XXL:"Makin of 'OB4CL'"
http://www.ilxor.com/ILX/ThreadSelectedControllerServlet?boardid=41&threadid=39731
The Source album review
http://pressrewind.files.wordpress.com/2007/06/raekwon_source995.jpg
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