The Lex Diamond Story [Clean]

Track Listings

1. Lex Diamond Intro

2. Pit Bull Fights

3. Hitman Salary Skit

4. King of Kings

5. Missing Watch - Ghostface Killah, Raekwon

6. All Over Again

7. Clientele Kidd - Fat Joe, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon

8. Smith Bros.

9. Restaurant Skit

10. Robbery

11. Pa-Blow Escablow

12. Musketeers of Pig Alley - Masta Killa, Raekwon

13. Ice Cream, Pt. 2 - Cappadonna, Method Man, Raekwon

14. Hood - Raekwon, Tiffany Villarreal

15. Wild Chimpanzees Skit

16. Planet of the Apes - Raekwon, Sheek Louch

17. Wyld in da Club - Ice Water, Raekwon,

18. Once Upon a Time - Raekwon, Tekitha

19. Lex Diamond Story Outro

The Lex Diamond Story,Raekwon,Universal,East Coast Rap,Gangsta Rap,Hardcore Rap,Pop,Rap,Rap & Hip-Hop

The Lex Diamond Story [Clean]

Average customer rating:

ehh

Raekwon - The Lex Diamond Story

Production, Production, Production....

4.8 stars, Pretty Tight

Could've Been A Classic

The Lex Diamond Story
Raekwon
Manufacturer: Umvd Labels
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

East Coast | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music
Gangsta & Hardcore | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music
General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music
Pop Rap | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Immobilarity

The Pretty Toney Album

Bulletproof Wallets

Only Built 4 Cuban Linx

Legend Of The Liquid Sword

ASIN: B0000Z80FM
Release Date: 2003-12-16

Tracks:

The Lex Diamond Intro
Pit Bull Fights
Hitman Salary Skit
King Of Kings
Missing Watch
All Over Again
Clientele Kidd
Smith Bros.
Restaurant Skit
Robbery
F**k You Skit
Pa-Blow Escablow
Musketeers Of Pig Alley
Ice Cream Pt.2
The Hood
Wild Chimpanzees Skit
Planet Of The Apes
Wyld In Da Club
Once Upon A Time
Lex Diamond Story Outro

Amazon.com

Raekwon should be forgiven for his Immobilarity meltdown. Far greater emcees have crumbled under the task of following up near-perfect debuts, and Raekwon's 1995 debut Only Built 4 Cuban Linx remains tough to beat. This time around, Raekwon curiously comes out swinging again without RZA--or any other credible producers to back up his reliable street manifestos. Beat deficiencies notwithstanding, "All Over Again" works as a great signifier of sorts because it lays out the template for future hustler-cum-emcees looking to get over. And certainly, the rhyme chemistry between Raekwon and Wu buddy Ghostface works as well as it always has on "Missing Watch." Sadly, the same can't be said for the bushels of guest rhyme spitters. And why Raekwon would employ the same dated Mafioso motifs he popularized nearly a decade ago is anyone's guess. Likewise, tracks like "Robbery" and "Wyld In Da Club" do nothing to disprove the accepted posse-cut theory, which posits that most homies of A-list rappers would serve better as hype men or security guards, for example, as opposed to collaborators. While Raekwon's original slanguage creations are still amusing, it's hard not to think that he, like most members of the Wu, have overstayed their welcome. --Dalton Higgins

Customer Reviews:

ehh.......2005-12-27

The fact is...the lyrics on this cd are pretty good, and the beats are mediocre at best....oh and the song with masta killa and rebel ins sucks.

Raekwon - The Lex Diamond Story.......2005-12-26

Raekwon comes back in 2003 with another album release. Still only one track with RZA production, and the rest is mostly Ice Water INC. Overall, I think this is Rae's weakest debut, even though its still classic, I think Immobilarity is still better by a bit. There is more appearances and not alot of only Rae tracks. But overall a classic Rae debut. Let me explain.

Lyrics, Raekwon of course is still on top of his game. His lyrics have fallen JUST a bit from his Immobilarity debut, but he is still keeping the lyrics on point. Some tracks with good lyrics are "The Hood", "Once Upon A Time" etc. I thought that Raekwon could have stepped up more lyrically on the album, and definately had less appearances, cause it sort of makes the album seem that way. Raekwon still doesnt spit no bubblegum, keeps it hiphop. But if you keep listening to the album, you can see that the lyrics are all hott.

Production wise, I again love all the beats on the whole album. RZA only produces one song on the whole album if I recall correctly, and the rest is produced by Ice Water, which isnt that much of a bad thing. But Raekwon could have defiantely had better prodution on the album. But overall the production is good on every track.

Overall, if you like Raekwon you will like this album, if you like real hiphop youll like it.

***SUPPORT RAEKWON AND REAL HIPHOP AND BUY THIS***

My Top 5 Songs
1.Robbery
2.Pa-Blow Escablow
3.Ice Cream Pt.2
4.The Hood
5.Once Upon A Time

Production, Production, Production...........2005-07-10

It's true you can get by havin' decent or great beats paired w/ a sh*tty rapper(Chingy, Fabolous, Gucci Mane), but it's NOT the same tryin' to be one of the best lyricists w/ some of the worst beats possible. If you doubt that, than you didn't buy the `Lex Diamond Story'. Raekwon puts some of his best work on this album-LYRICALLY. But th beats...are pitiful. You think I'm lyin', try "Once Upon A Time" w/ Tekitha, "Smith Bros.", "Clientele Kidd" w/ Ghostface & Fat Joe, the opening "Pit Bull Fights", and some other song that I'll just say is a Kanye West-lite. The lyrics are CRAZY on pretty much every song, but lyrics can only go so far w/o at least C+ beats. 99.5 percent of the beats on here run from "hit the fast forward button now" to "oh, that's pretty nice". "Planet of the Apes" w/ Capone & Sheek Louch probably has the best beat on here, but is STILL nothin' that just jumps out at you. "Robbery" is pretty nice too, but Raekwon is not on the track, it's his Ice Water Inc group, which I wonder what they're doin' right now. On his next album, whenever it is, Raekwon needs to gets the original Wu-Producers or somethin', cause this was uncalled for. There's no RZA nor 9th Wonder material on here, just a bunch of no-names who are no names for a reason.

4.8 stars, Pretty Tight.......2005-03-30

In 2003, too many rappers went pop, with overuse of club and sex anthems with whack bubblegum pop beats. "The Lex Diamond Story" is different. Raekwon has some nice beats, a few even reminiscent of the older school mid 90's New York beats like "Clientele Kidd" and "Pa Blow Escablow". He does not go too pop. He does go "Wyld in Da Club," but doesn't overdo it. While his hard core raps like in "King of Kings," "Clientele Kidd," and others are not groundbreaking because gangsta rap has been around for so long, but he executes the songs well. His music sounds more like rap as opposed to pop! I have to give him mad props for that. If you love pop-rap, this one may not be for you; if you love classic rap, this one is definitely for you.

Could've Been A Classic.......2005-03-08

Whereas Only Built 4 Cuban Linx was all bout the music rather than deep lyrics, Raekwon has come with more emotional music on Immobilarity and the new Lex Diamond Story. The problem with Lex Diamond story is the same as the problem Rae had on Immobilarity. He comes out bumpin' with poor, no-name production, not to mention a bad crew. American Cream Team sucked, so what does Raekwon do? He searches for another crew in the dung-pile of mainstream wannabes. This time he comes out with Ice Water Inc. A silly-looking group of Harley-Davidson look-a-likes that can't rap that well. Fortunately, Raekwon has upgraded his lyrics and flow from Immobilarity, but still doesn't match Cuban Linx.

'Pit Bull Fights' kicks the album with the same energy as 'Knuckleheadz' and 'Yae Yo' did on his previous two LPs. The track opens for a down-right crap song featuring some chump named Havoc. He might be a mainstream rapper - I don't know - I'm into the underground scene. All I can tell you is that he is wack, and doesn't fit in with Raekwon and the gambino flow. Next comes 'Missing Watch' with my man Ghostface Killah. The chemistry between these two is as kinetic as ever, as they rap over a Wu-like looped beat. 'All Over Again' is a great track talking about Rae and Wu's longevity in both the rap game and in the streets of NY. "Clientele Kidd' feat. Ghostface Killah and Fat Joe forms a strong trifecta of tracks. This one is strictly gangsta, and Ghostface spits one of his best (and there are so many great ones).

'Smith Bros' begins with a funny interview, where Rae is disgusted with some jackhole's comments about his career, and leads into a dope track. At this point of the album though, the bass and snare is starting to wear thin. Luckily, unlike Immobilarity, it is mixed up a bit more. 'Robbery' would've been a decent track if Ice Water wasn't loaded with crap rappers. The Lox would've been a better mainstream group to put on this one. They would've sounded dope over the beat (Sheek Louch appears later). 'Pa-Blow Escablow' is a cool beat with Rae kicking it Gambino-style.

Now enter the Wu-Tang Clan! 'Muskateers Of Pig Alley' is the first track I listened to on the CD. How could I wait for a track with such an obscure track name featuring the Rebel INS (Inspectah Deck) and Noodles (Masta Killa)? But surprisingly, this track bit the big one. The beat was crazy-like, and distorted the sound of all three MCs. Masta Killa, one of my favorites, totally blew it. He was swearing too much, and didn't flow at all. INS did alright, but this was NOT a Wu-banga. 'Ice Cream Pt. 2' is even more silly than the original on Cuban Linx, but for some reason I dug it. The Ice Cream truck music samples added to the Ice Cream flavor. Method Man drops a nice verse, while my boy Cappadonna dropped the most ridiculous lyrics ever (and he has a lot of silly lyrics). But, that is what makes Cap who he is. To give you a taste of Cap's lyrics: "Yo, I love my d***-size like I love women and shxt, my head grew over the years now I gotta a nice d***." 'The Hood' is a good track lyrically - very deep. 'Planet of the Apes' with Capone and Sheek Louch is bumpin'. Even though Rae's flow doesn't fit with Capone and Sheek (the only member of the Lox I really enjoy), it is still a classic gangsta rap. I don't even want to speak of 'Wyld in the Club'. It IS that bad. 'Once Upon A Time' is a decent conclusion with Tekitha not only on the hook, but singing a verse. She has a purdy voice, and the song ends the album nicely. Overall, Lex Diamond Story is a nice upgrade. If Raekwon would stop being stubborn and get some good production, he could reach the high standards set by old school Wu-Tang clan.