At the end of GZA/Genius’s “Duel Of The Iron Mic” from 1995′s seminal classic, Liquid Swords, a vocal sample states “At the height of their fame and glory, they turned on one another / Each struggling in vain for ultimate supremacy / In the passion and depth of their struggle / The very art, that had raised them through such Olympian heights was lost / Their techniques, vanished….”. The brilliance in this sample was that RZA foresaw what was to come, as these words, taken from some random kung fu film, were a true case of art imitating life, mirroring the eventual undoing of the Wu-Tang Clan. 

     It’s 2004, and after two very disappointing LP’s (The W and Iron Flag, disrespectfully), it’s argued that the Wu-Tang Clan has lost the shine that carried it through some 10 solid releases, with perhaps Ghostface Killah left as the only member generating excitement anymore. His partner in crime, Raekwon, could be in the same position, however after Immobilarity, his horribly spelled, disastrous follow-up to the groundbreaking classic, Only Built For Cuban Linx, the nail in the coffin was only driven further, for the rest of the Clan, as well as for his solo career. So when The Lex Diamond Story was announced, boasting not one single track from RZA, it seemed like there was nobody left to care anymore. After all, what good can come out of a RZA-less Raekwon album at this point? 

        Surprise motherfuckers! With The Lex Diamond Story, Raekwon has taken it back to basics, and crafted one hell of a sneak attack with one of the most surprising comebacks of the year. Granted, the news is true, RZA did not do any of the beats on this album, so the flawlessly knit together sound, bridged with classic Kung Fu samples that were found on the Wu’s early releases is dead and gone. So while there are no dirty RZA drums ringing through the 36 chambers on Lex Diamond, the element of rawness has returned, with hard hitting beats that help us easily forget the synthpop garbage of Immobilarity. 

     Lex Diamond’s intro is cheesy and poorly read, but once the descriptive “Pit Bull Fights” breaks the door down, it’s officially on. The classic Wu flavor is then injected to “Missing Watch”, an “MGM” style narrative where Rae and Ghost literally tear the club up trying to find Raekwon’s stolen timepiece over more classic, rugged production. Taking a cue from Kanye West, on “All Over Again”, producer Mercury freaks the sped-up vocal style, while Raekwon recalls the glory days of the Wu: “RZA had a vision / instead of cookin’ coke in the kitchen / he told the god hit the booth and start spittin’.” Best part is, is that Rae’s not simply just reminiscing about the good old days with The Lex Diamond Story, he is still living in them, as if nothing changed. Tracks like “Pablow Escablow”, “Smith Bros.”, “Musketeers Of Pig Alley” bring back the true raw production that Raekwon rocked so well over in the late 90′s, while high powered collabos like “Clientele Kidd” (feat. Fat Joe) and “King Of Kings” (feat. Havoc) act as if the millennium never struck yesterday’s generation of top emcees. 

      The album does take some strange left turns towards the end, as the last few tracks Rae attempts to gain commercial appeal and speak to today’s audience. The forgettable “Ice Cream Pt. 2″ is an insult to the original, while the album’s lead single “The Hood” is syrupy radio garbage. Rae then transforms into superthug for both “Wyld In Da Club” and “Planet of the Apes” (feat. Capone and Sheek Louch), two less than outstanding moments that help close the album out. 

     However, while the end of the album detracts from the rest of it, most core fans won’t be too upset considering that the first 10 tracks are incredibly (and unexpectedly) solid – which in itself is a feat these days. No, this isn’t Cuban Linx 2, and while Immobilarity may have spoiled Rae’s chances of people even checking for The Lex Diamond Story, this is an otherwise amazingly impressive comeback, and easily one of the best major label releases of 2003. Hopefully, it won’t be slept on too hard.