Raekwon (real name: Corey Woods) is one of the many members of the hip-hop formation Wu-Tang Clan. In 1995 his debut album Only Built 4 Cuban Linx was released, which is widely regarded as a classic, if only because of the then much copied mafia (film) elements. The level of this CD created such high expectations that the follow-up Immobilarity (1999) flopped quite a bit. For his third album The
… Lex Diamond Story, Raekwon therefore returns to the formula of Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, which means that his gangster alter ego Lex Diamond is taken off the stable again. And Ghostface Killah, who was so ubiquitous at Only Built ... is participating again. The main difference, however, is the lack of The RZA, which was responsible for the production of Raekwon's debut album. Despite this lack, The Lex Diamond Story has certainly become a fascinating record and Raekwon gets ample opportunity to show his verbal abilities among the large amount of guest rappers, because they are still present. (IV)more