Raekwon - Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang (15th Anniversary) [2LP]

Raekwon the Chef serves up Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang again with this upcoming 15th anniversary double LP, bringing his 2011 kung fu epic back to wax.

Arriving two years after Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. II, the album found Raekwon in a rich vein of form, steering towards the gritty, cinematic street tales that made his name. The title borrows from the martial arts film lore that has always fuelled the Wu-Tang mythology, and the beats lean on soul samples and dusty drums with plenty of kung fu atmosphere.

The guest list is stacked. "Rich And Black" pairs him with Nas for a slick, smoky exchange between two of New York's finest storytellers, and Black Thought brings his razor-sharp flow to "Masters Of Our Fate". Busta Rhymes erupts all over "Crane Style", while Ghostface Killah slides into "Silver Rings" like the old partner in rhyme he is.

Method Man and GZA also stop by, and this anniversary edition carries the two extra cuts that close the record, rounding out the full sequence across four sides.

Fifteen years on, it holds up as one of the strongest late-period Wu solo albums and a reminder that Raekwon's eye for detail never dulled, even as the Wu-Tang story kept expanding around him.