At this point, Wu-Tang is about nostalgia. The classic template, from the kung fu samples and RZA production blueprint to the rapper's trademark styles, was well-established more than a decade ago. Staying in that lane hasn't always paid creative dividends for the Clan-- there are a few post-millennial Wu records that are hardly essential-- but Raekwon has managed to avoid the obvious pitfalls. Making sequels to 1990s classics was a risky effort, considering how much the rap world had shifted in the interim. But with Cuban Linx II, it was apparent that Rae's rapping, as flashily dense and intensely percussive as ever, was one of the Clan's renewable resources.
Shaolin vs. Wu Tang is neither as ambitious nor as dark as Cuban Linx II. It's leaner than both Linx records-- many of the tracks clock in under three minutes-- which also frees it from the weighty expectations game that dogged Rae since Immobilarity critically bombed. The production from a slate of lesser-known names caused some fans to balk, but it's a strong choice; the beats seem selected for their function rather than the producer's reputation. It's definitely a reverent record created for Wu fans, with all the requisite cinema samples and minor-key melodies. The freewheeling novelty of last year's Cocainism Vol. 2 mixtape, which even included Rae spitting over the Blackbyrd's classic ode to public sex, is scaled back. But there is enough variation in the production and craft-conscious rhyme construction to make it a worthwhile project, one that unexpectedly stands out in Raekwon's catalog.
The production largely sticks to the RZA's overall approach. Bronze Nazareth's turn on "Butter Knives" hews especially closely to the RZA's more cinematic Cuban Linx moments. But there are twists throughout to keep things interesting. The best beats build on the typical Wu track by adding some new ideas. Evidence's "The Scroll" and Scram Jones' "Crane Style", for example, play with some unusual drum loops, which provides a good counterpoint to Rae's choppy, rhythmic approach to rap. "Crane Style" and Selasi's "Snake Pond" also use some great melodic samples that expand on the Wu's co-opting of "Oriental" cinematic tropes.
The record's biggest weakness is the unfortunate "Rock N Roll", which is doomed by its unappealing chorus, generic production courtesy the generally unimpressive DJ Khalil, and a guest verse from Jim Jones. Guest verses in general are all a tier below previous Raekwon records. Although Wu alumni work well enough throughout, Nas' verse on "Rich and Black" does nothing to help his recent artistic slide. Busta Rhymes sounds ridiculous on "Crane Style". Rick Ross doesn't bring much to the table on "Molasses", and Lloyd Banks verse is well-written but his voice sounds strangely strained.
Raekwon, though, is on point throughout, and in the end it's his rapping that carries the LP. From his reinterpretation of the "Broken Language" rap style for the title track to the densely detailed reminiscence "From the Hills", his verses never seem underwritten, interlock in interesting ways and convey moods and concepts with gripping style. Few rappers could bring such an engaging sense of energy to a project so focused on preaching to the converted.
