then, people ask why there's no rza on this album. rza is the one producer that can't be replaced, but he can;t do everything. there are some other excellent good producers and beat makers. it worked with deck's album, and i think it worked with this one too. people have a tendency to not listen to wu songs that dont say "produced by the rza". the lyrics and rhymes on this one are blazing, raekwon style. raekwon is the same. he hasn't changed for the worse. so people, you buy the albums for rza or raekwon?

i listen to the album all the time, and people criticize the wu too much cause the dont live up to the original albums, but dont forget that those cds are unique and cant be replaced. any album with the "WU-TANG" seal of quality is guaranteed to be better than 95 percent of the stuff you see on the shelves

if you really noe the wu you will get this one, because the production is accurate and complete, the lyrics are masterfully laid over the tracks and its the raekwon we all know. not for commercial people who look for beats like dmx or cashmoney


Not comparing   November 30, 1999
Fax (Tokyo, Suginami-ku Japan)
11 out of 12 found this review helpful

Looking at all the other reviews here they fall straight into two categories: people who uncritically love everything about the Wu and praise them in three-sentences, and people who complain how the new records dont live up to the old. I myself fall closer to the second camp. Comparing this album to Cuban L leaves me knowing it is garbage. BUT: when I compare Nastradamus to Illmatic I feel much much worse. Raekwon doesn't have the beats on this that made Cuban Linx the top of the top, but his lyrics still stand ... and the production isn't as bad as it could be (read: Genius, ODB, except a few tracks. At least this one's got some consistency. Feels like an album not a series of random tracks). I give it 4 stars cause I like it well enough compared to the rest of whats out there recently ... but up next to CL it would limp away with two.


The Chef Cooks Another Hot Plate   February 29, 2000
Purple Gem (Gun Smoke City,CT)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

This album was not Cuban links but thats not what I was searching for. Rae gave another taste for the ear to absorb. Any real street kid got the messages of this album and peeped the jewels with all respect to another Wu classic. Rae proved a great chef does not cook the same old plate all the time. He adds new ingredients and makes a different taste. Although its not as tasty as the 1st album its still hot enough to scorch the tongue of any real cat understanding the music of street science. Respect to the god. I'm looking forward to the next album.


Stop comparing this to cuban links   September 25, 2004
waverace (columbus ohio)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

first thing youll hear most people say bout this album when they talk about it is that.. "ohh its not as good as cuban links" thats just garbage. The album has nothing to do with cuban links and shouldnt be compared to it. On immobilariy raes flow is noticeably improved from cuban links and his lyrics are sharper also. He makes a big leap.. one of the biggest improvements a rapper has ever made from album to album is what rae did on this one compared to his old style. You can tell that hes been workin on his craft.. this album is filled with alot of storytelling tracks done over mob type beats. The subject matter on this cd doesnt change that often, i think he has about 3 or 4 songs that are of a different subject matter than the rest. Also the beats on this are knockin.. if you like those mob "gangster" type beats then you should like the production on this album.. All in all a good effort by rae.. it does have its flaws though in alot of skipable tracks.. not every song on this album is top notch.. but its still a nice album to listen to.. and if your a big raekwon fan like i am you would most likely like this album


WHYYYYYY!   November 25, 1999
Richard (Southern California)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

Raekwon's first album is my favorite album of all time, but when I heard that Rza didn't produce this one, I had my doubts and I was right. After just one listen, I didn't pick it up again. Very mediocre. Not wack, just average, and I am used to very high-quality music from the Wu. When I used to see the Wu-symbol on an album, it was like a seal of quality assuring me that I was getting the best music money can buy, but now it's just used as a money-making tool. The biggest drawback of this album is the weak production and the appearances by the weak American Cream Team. The best track is Sneakers and the collaboration with Masta Killa. By the way, Masta Killa's verse was awesome. I will not let Cuban Linx's reputation be tarnished by this atrocity.