Such is the nature of the Internet that though it only leaked last night, you’ve probably already heard the first single from that Lost City of Atlantis of albums, OB4CL2. Still, this one is so good, I can’t help but be redundant and post. I figured Rae would eventually come through with the record after interviewing him–but like everyone else–was understandably wary. “Back from the Slums” might be an overstatement–after all, Rae is currently staying out in the deepest recesses of the San Fernando Valley, a far cry from Shaolin. But this is the first real contender for rap song of the young year.
Download:
MP3: Chef Raekwon, Method Man, Ghostface Killah-”Back from the Slums”
15 comments
Abe Beame says:
February 1, 2009 at 12:04 pm (UTC -7)
Oh man, so glad I broke my policy of not listening to songs off albums I’m looking forward to. When I read the last sentence of the post I rolled my eyes but you’re dead on. That fucking beat. What if this thing somehow manages to live up to expectations?
Passion of the Weiss says:
February 1, 2009 at 12:28 pm (UTC -7)
I don’t think it can live up to expectations but if there’s a handful of tracks as great as this, I’ll be a happy man.
thissongisfuckingawesome says:
February 1, 2009 at 12:39 pm (UTC -7)
a rza beat?
Tray says:
February 1, 2009 at 1:20 pm (UTC -7)
It can easily live up to expectations, no one expects anything from it. I mean, who even expected there’d be a single song on the album this good? I thought it was going to all be this State of Grace-ish mediocrity, especially after Rae’s half-asleep performance on 9 Diagrams.
Passion of the Weiss says:
February 1, 2009 at 2:48 pm (UTC -7)
Tray when you say “no one,” you forget that you live in an alternative reality only inhabited by you and The Fader.
douglas martin says:
February 1, 2009 at 4:34 pm (UTC -7)
goddammit, tray. you sure know how to kill a party you weren’t even invited to.
Daniel says:
February 1, 2009 at 5:40 pm (UTC -7)
That song is fire! I swear the crappy rip almost makes it sound better, like it’s a dubbed cassette playing on an old boombox.
Tray says:
February 1, 2009 at 7:18 pm (UTC -7)
I’m just realistic. When you put out back to back albums like Immobilarity and the Lex Diamond Story, it’s a little hard to believe that you’re magically going to put out a great album just because you’re calling it the sequel to one. Especially when you hook up with Dre, whose latest big contributions were on albums like Curtis, Kingdom Come, and Buck The World, and they weren’t exactly standouts either (though I have a weakness for ‘Fire’). But see, my cynicism was proven wrong!
Sach says:
February 1, 2009 at 8:26 pm (UTC -7)
Is there a script that can make it so whenever Tray posts, it comes out under the name “Buzz Killington”?
Deen says:
February 1, 2009 at 10:12 pm (UTC -7)
Ban him. This ain’t no democracy!
douglas martin says:
February 1, 2009 at 10:13 pm (UTC -7)
daniel: as a baby-faced noise nerd (i stole that from jeff, but i don’t think it’s bitin’), i naturally and wholeheartedly agree with you.
tray: “realistic” and “noone is expecting anything from cuban linx II” should never be placed in the same sentence. i understand that you’ve barely (if even) been listening to hip-hop for seven years, so you probably don’t understand the magnitude that the original had when it first dropped, and– if you haven’t noticed– the nearly fifteen years after.
whether it turns out to be another classic or not, cuban linx II is a big deal to those of us who’ve been listening to hip-hop before dipset’s heyday. which is to say, everyone except you.
Disco Vietnam says:
February 1, 2009 at 10:17 pm (UTC -7)
Your negative expectations are based on weak assumptions, Tray. That’s not a healthy way to approach new music. You can call it cynicism or realism or cautious optimism: you’re missing the point. It’s simply not interesting to base your opinions on your expectations because then it’s about you and not the song. Frankly, the song never seems to stand much of a chance. Fix that.
Dart_Adams says:
February 2, 2009 at 1:38 am (UTC -7)
This is a banger in every sense of the word. THIS is the aesthetic that Wu fans crave, This is the kinda shit we wanna hear from Rae, Ghost & Meth. This reminds me of the old days of Amazon.com: More like this!
April 7th it drops. Mid to late March I’ll hear it. LOL.
One.
Drewski says:
February 2, 2009 at 12:58 pm (UTC -7)
Hell of a beat. If that’s not the RZA, he’s at least done his homework.
wu ooh | GORILLA VS. BEAR says:
June 29, 2010 at 12:36 am (UTC -7)
[...] and it’s the best Wu-related thing I’ve heard in years, Ghostface solo joints excluded (Weiss seems to agree). Method Man sounds like he’s back on his Tical-era game, and more importantly, that beat is [...]