First released in 2009, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… Pt. II stands as Raekwon’s celebrated sequel to the Purple Tape, expanding his cinematic mafioso rap universe.

This newly designed instrumental edition removes the vocals to place full focus on the album’s production, featuring beats by J Dilla, Dr. Dre, RZA, Pete Rock, The Alchemist, and more.

For the first time ever on vinyl, the instrumentals are presented as a standalone listening experience, revealing the album’s grit, mood, and layered sound design.

Pressed on classic black vinyl and housed in a heavy matte-finish jacket with spot gloss text, the Shaolin Noir Edition keeps the spotlight on the music itself, serving as a clean, essential companion to one of Raekwon’s most acclaimed releases.

TRACK LISTING

1. Return Of The North Star (Produced By BT)
2. House Of Flying Daggers (Produced By J Dilla)
3. Sonny's Missing (Produced By Pete Rock)
4. Pyrex Vision (Produced By Marley Marl)
5. Cold Outside (Produced By ATL / Ice Water Inc)
6. Black Mozart (Produced By RZA)
7. Gihad (Produced By Necro)
8. New Wu (Produced By RZA)
9. Penitentiary (Produced By BT)
10. Baggin Crack (Produced By Erick Sermon)
11. Surgical Gloves (Produced By The Alchemist)
12. Broken Safety (Produced By Scram Jones)
13. Canal Street (Produced By Ice Water)
14. Ason Jones (Produced By J Dilla)
15. Have Mercy (Produced By MoSS)
16. 10 Bricks (Produced By J Dilla)
17. Fat Lady Sings (Produced By Ice Water Inc)
18. Catalina (Produced By Dr. Dre And Mark Batson)
19. We Will Rob You (Produced By Allah Justice)
20. About Me (Produced By Dr. Dre And Mark Batson)
21. Mean Streets (Produced By Allah Mathematics)
22. Kiss The Ring (Produced By Scram Jones)
23. Walk Wit Me (Produced By Scram Jones)
24. Badlands (Produced By BT)

The long-awaited follow-up to the Wu-Tang Clan classic, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. II arrived in 2009 as a triumphant return to the mafioso rap blueprint Raekwon helped pioneer. More than a sequel, the album cemented Rae’s legacy as one of hip-hop’s sharpest storytellers, pairing vivid narratives with cinematic production from legends including J Dilla, Dr. Dre, RZA, Pete Rock, and The Alchemist.

A spiritual continuation of the Purple Tape legacy, OB4CL2 delivers gritty crime tales, street wisdom, and Wu-Tang brotherhood, with standout appearances from Ghostface Killah (who recently released his , Method Man, Inspectah Deck, GZA, and more. Hailed as one of the best hip-hop albums of the 2000s, the project balances nostalgia with evolution — connecting the past to the present.

The packaging has also been revisited to highlight Danny Hastings’ original photography with updated design elements, creating a fresh presentation that honors the aesthetic of the 2009 release. To further connect back to the lineage of the OG Purple Tape, it also features a new “Shallah Raekwon” signature, a subtle nod to the tag first seen on the original Only Built 4 Cuban Linx.

TRACK LISTING

1. Return Of The North Star (feat. Papu Wu)
2. House Of Flying Daggers (feat. Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killah, Method Man)
3. Sonny's Missing
4. Pyrex Vision
5. Cold Outside (feat. Ghostface Killah)
6. Black Mozart (feat. RZA, Inspectah Deck)
7. Gihad
8. New Wu (feat. Ghostface Killah, Method Man)
9. Penitentiary (feat. Ghostface Killah)
10. Baggin Crack
11. Surgical Gloves
12. Broken Safety (feat. Jadakiss, Styles P)
13. Canal Street
14. Ason Jones
15. Have Mercy (feat. Beanie Sigel, Blue Raspberry)
16. 10 Bricks (feat. Cappadonna, Ghostface Killah)
17. Fat Lady Sings
18. Catalina (feat. Lyfe Jennings)
19. We Will Rob You (feat. Slick Rick, Masta Killa, GZA, About Me)
20. Mean Streets (feat. Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killah)
21. Kiss The Ring (feat. Inspectah Deck, Masta Killa)
22. Walk Wit Me
23. Badlands (feat. Ghostface Killah)

Raekwon’s 'The Emperor’s New Clothes' is a sharp return to form, showcasing the Wu-Tang veteran’s lyrical precision and timeless street wisdom. The album is powerful with equal parts - high-quality bars and carefully sculpted production.

Raekwon recruits a stacked lineup of guests, including Nas, Griselda, Method Man, Inspectah Deck, and Ghostface Killah, injecting the project with gritty energy and legacy chemistry. Marsha Ambrosius and Stacy Barthe provide smooth, soulful hooks, adding emotional layers to the hard-edged verses.

Production comes courtesy of Nottz, Swizz Beatz J.U.S.T.I.C.E League and more.

The LP is a reminder of Raekwon’s enduring power as a lyricist and curator. A veteran artist showing that mastery doesn’t need excess. 'The Emperor’s New Clothes' is regal, streetwise, and sharply tailored for those who value craft.

TRACK LISTING

1. Intro
2. Bear Hill
3. Pomogranite
4. Veterans Only Billionaire Rehab (SKIT)
5. Wild Corsicans
6. 1 Life
7. Barber Shop Bullies (SKIT)
8. Open Doors
9. 600 School
10. The Guy That Plans It
11. Da Heavies
12. Officer Full Beard (SKIT)
13. The Omerta
14. Get Outta Here
15. The Sober Dose Gift (SKIT)
16. Debra Night Wine
17. Mac & Lobster

For fans of: Nick Hackim, D’angelo, Dijon. "Steven is the sound of me holding a mirror up to and critically reflecting on who I am: the good, the bad, the ugly. It's about trying to understand the multitudes within me." - S. Raekwon. Steven Raekwon Reynolds performs as S. Raekwon, but his second LP is simply called Steven. Across ten tracks of furious and subtly strumming guitars, plodding bass riffs, and whispering revelations, S. Raekwon's newest album strips back sonic and personal layers to present his most vulnerable, yet authentic self.

Born in Buffalo and now based in the East Village of New York City, Steven wrote, produced, engineered, and mixed everything on the record, in addition to playing every instrument except the drums. He packed up a rental car with all his gear and returned to his fiancée's parents' home in Southern Illinois, where they rode out the pandemic and where he recorded half of Where I'm at Now. The house proved to be a nontraditional recording space, but one that provided plenty of physical space as well as spiritual room for experimentation.

Steven and drummer Mario Malachi, longtime friends since their days at college in Cleveland, Ohio, spent a week in July 2023 transforming the living room into a make-shift studio, rearranging furniture, sitting face-to-face in front of a mic, and taping songs in single takes. It was a new way of working together, with no demoing or pre-production; Mario hadn't even heard the songs before getting there, which created a sense of spontaneity and improvisation. Where his debut explored his past - longing for a connection to his father and the Black side of his family and wrestling with his identity while being raised in a household by a single, white mother - Steven looks inward. Steven is loosely structured in three parts: Part 1 is fast and energetic, exploring the concepts of rage, anger, jealousy. Part 2 is slow and dynamic, with themes of ugliness, disappointment, embarrassment. Part 3 is something gentler, a moment of contentment and clarity. Steven is a portrait of strengths and weaknesses, flaws and fulfillments. 

TRACK LISTING

1. Steven’s Smile
2. Old Thing
3. Winners & Losers
4. The Fight
5. The Camel
6. If There’s No God…
7. Does The Song Still Sound The Same?
8. It’s Nothing
9. What Love Makes You Do
10. Katherine’s Song 

S. Raekwon, born Steven Raekwon Reynolds on July 10, 1995, is a singer / songwriter and producer from New York City by way of Buffalo, NY. The S. Raekwon project finds Reynolds documenting traces of a life both affected and infatuated by the power of difference. Reynolds’ journey began as a biracial Black boy in working-class Buffalo. He never met his father and grew up with a white mother who loved musical theatre and playing piano. He didn’t cut his teeth via a DIY scene, or in bands with neighbors and classmates; the isolation gave him space to channel his guarded nature into a freedom forged by the noises in his head. After graduating from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Reynolds moved to the East Village in NYC, an area he’s been fascinated by since family trips as a teenager. In Spring 2018, as he worked a day job and sought connections with others, Reynolds wrote and tracked the first S. Raekwon demos in his dingy studio apartment.

Rather than self-releasing, Reynolds shopped the demos around, leading to the release of his 2020 debut single "Parts Towards Whole" b/w "A Crow’s Smile" via Saddle Creek’s Document Series. Recorded between New York City and a six-month stint at his girlfriend’s parents’ home in Edwardsville, IL during the pandemic, "Where I’m at Now" is the album S. Raekwon made for himself with a clarity that arrived as he located his missing pieces in the world. Delicate as his approach may be, chaos truly underscored the two working years as Reynolds not only moved to lift the weight of the world off his spirit but connected with his roots. In a serendipitous turn of fate, Edwardsville was not only the same town Reynolds’ father once went to college but is also in close proximity to St. Louis where most of Reynolds’ Black family members are located. When he didn’t work on music, he protested against police violence in Missouri, and eventually reconnected with this family for the first time since his childhood. Upon leaving Edwardsville in September 2020, Reynolds quickly finished the rest of the album, charged by a new fire in his spirit and the light of his blood driving him towards a new beginning. Completely self-produced and self-recorded (save for drums on two songs,) the music’s driven by the relentlessness of the East Village and the quiet serenity of Edwardsville. The abstractions of his earlier musings transform into a warm wave of genreless coherence, drawing influences from across R&B, rock, folk, and pop to build a record that shines in its quiet spaces as much as its sweeping movements.

”Darling” is awash in Phil Collins-y guitar licks, angelic harmonies, a gleaming, pulsating synth line. It builds to a point that’s almost overwhelming until, in its final moments, everything drops away. Never overstaying its welcome, it’s an appealing exercise in romantic restraint.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: S. Raekwon forms beautiful synthy melodies imbued with a psychedelic sensibility and outsider pop influence, all topped with his wonderfully effective vocals and off-piste production elements. It's a heady and exciting mixture, and one that surprises at every turn.

TRACK LISTING

1 Darling
2 Do You Feel The Same?
3 Kissing Behind Your House
4 Anywhere 4 U
5 It's No Thing 6 T.D.T.K.A.
7 After The Party
8 Forever
9 Darling (Reprise)
10 Don't Leave