Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang is the fifth studio album by American rapper and Wu-Tang Clan-member Raekwon, released March 8, 2011, on Ice H20 and EMI Records. Guests for the album include Black Thought, Busta Rhymes, Ghostface Killah, GZA, Inspectah Deck, Lloyd Banks, Method Man, Nas, and Rick Ross, among others.
The album debuted at number 12 on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 29,000 copies in its first week. It produced three singles, "Butter Knives", the title track and "Rock n Roll". Upon its release, Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang received positive reviews from most music critics, who complimented Raekwon's performance and commended him for his musical direction.
Background Due to the 8 Diagrams controversy, which took place in late 2007, Shaolin Vs. Wu-Tang was initially planned to be a Wu-Tang Clan group album, minus production from RZA.Miss Info Exclusive: Raekwon reveals the turmoil within the Wu-Tang Clan . missinfo.tv. Retrieved 2010-09-09. Raekwon later revealed that it would instead be his fifth studio album, and as originally intended, would not feature contributions from RZA.Murphy, Keith. Raekwon On New Album: Ghost, Meth, Black Thought In; No RZA. Vibe. Retrieved 2010-09-06. In regards to this decision, Raekwon clarified in an interview with Vibe "RZA doesn't have to be on every album. I wanted to give some other producers a chance. It's not about beef."
When Raekwon was asked about the album in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, he explained "It's not nothing derogatory towards Wu. It's just that Shaolin (i.e. Staten Island) is the place, Wu-Tang is the crew that came from that place. It's like me just going back to my history of being an emcee first, before I actually became part of Wu-Tang. I always give RZA that support as far as saying he brought Wu-Tang to the table. It was his philosophy. He picked certain dudes to be part of this group, and he said, 'This is what it's going to be called'. Before that, I was on the block. I was living in Shaolin. So this album just shows the street side of me, challenging the great side of Wu-Tang. Which is almost like how T.I. did T.I. vs. T.I.P. You're going to get sounds that relate to Wu-Tang. You're going to get sounds that relate to great Rae at his best shit, too. You're going to get a lot of animation as far as the skits are concerned. It's going to be a hot one. Everyone's going to love it."Vozick-Levinson, Simon. Raekwon on 'Wu-Massacre,' the future of the Wu-Tang Clan, his label dreams, and more: The Music Mix Q&A. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2010-09-09.
Recording Writing and recording for Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang began in early 2010, and finished later that year, with the album's completion being announced on December 7, 2010, on the Shade 45 Morning Show. Unlike Raekwon's previous album Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. II, Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang contains more collaborations from non Wu-Tang members, such as Nas, Havoc, Black Thought, Lloyd Banks, Rick Ross, Raheem DeVaughn, and Estelle. In regards to their collaboration, Lloyd Banks explained in an interview with Vibe magazine how he had Raekwon as a guest on his song "Sooner Or Later" (from the H.F.M. 2 album), stating "I had the beat for a minute, just rocking, vibing with it. I wrote about three verses to it and the sample, the beat—everything just reminded me of the Wu-Tang sound… So I was like, it's gotta be somebody from the Wu. And I really respect what Rae's been doing recently. He killed it."Lloyd Banks Talks Raekwon With Vibe Magazine. EastExclusives.com. Retrieved 2011-01-15. Soon after this collaboration, Raekwon offered Banks a spot on the Scram Jones produced track "Last Trip to Scotland". Banks explained "Soon as I heard Raekwon's verse it was on some storytelling shit, so I already knew what I had to do with it. Rae is one of the best at that, so his verse opened up my mind. It wasn't like I had a blank beat to go off of."
Although a number of artists such as Scoop DeVille,Roa, Ray. Chef Raekwon brings Nas, Eminem into his kitchen for new album. Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 2010-09-06. Pete Rock,Concepcion, Mariel. Pete Rock 'Surprised' to Hear Kanye & Jay-Z Will Use His Beat. Billboard. Retrieved 2010-10-11. and Kanye WestAhmed, Insanul. Raekwon Talks Justin Bieber Collaboration & Kanye's New Album. Complex. Retrieved 2010-10-11. were reported to have worked on the album at one time or another, their contributions did not surface on the final version. In spite of Erick Sermon being inaccurately credited for production on the track "Every Soldier in the Hood", Oh No was later reported to be the song's producer.Alchemist (March 6, 2011). Twitter / ALCHEMIST: RT @acehustle: yo everybod .... Twitter. Retrieved on 2011-03-09.
Release and promotion In November 2010, Raekwon confirmed the album's March 8, 2011 release date.. Retrieved 2010-11-29. On December 7, 2010, Raekwon announced on the Shade 45 Morning Show that Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang is completed.Columnist. New Music: Raekwon “Butter Knives”. rapradar.com. Retrieved 2010-12-08. Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang was released by Raekwon's Ice H2O imprint label and distributed through EMI,Jacobs, Allen (March 16, 2011). Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 3/13/2011. HipHopDX. Retrieved on 2011-03-16. on March 8 in the United States and on March 7, 2011 in the United Kingdom. The album's first single, "Butter Knives", was produced by Bronze Nazareth and released on December 8, 2010.Chandler, D.L. (December 9, 2010). Raekwon Releases New Single 'Butter Knives'. MTV News. Retrieved on 2011-03-09. The album's title track was released as the second single on January 11, 2011.IFWT Exclusive Premiere: Raekwon – Shaolin vs Wu-Tang. inflexwetrust.com. Retrieved 2011-01-12. The song "Rock n Roll", featuring Jim Jones, Kobe and Ghostface Killah, was released as the album's third single in February. In March 2011, Raekwon promoted the album with a five-date concert tour in the United Kingdom.Murray, Robin (February 18, 2011). Raekwon Adds UK Tour Dates - 18 Feb 2011. Clash. Retrieved on 2011-03-16.
Reception
Commercial performance The album debuted at number 12 on the US Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 29,000 copies in the United States. It also charted at number three on Billboards Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and at number two on its Rap Albums chart. In its second week, it sold 9,400 copies and dropped to number 45 on the Billboard 200.Jacobs, Allen. Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 3/20/2011 . Cheri Media Group. Retrieved on 2011-03-23. As of April 2015 the album has sold 79,000 copies in the United States. In the United Kingdom, it entered at number 21 on the Top RnB Albums chart.Top 40 R&B Albums Archive – 19th March 2011. The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved on 2011-03-16.
Critical response
Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang received positive reviews from most music critics.Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang by Raekwon Reviews and Tracks. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2021-07-31. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 73, based on 21 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". Los Angeles Times writer Jeff Weiss commended its producers for "faithfully re-creat[ing] the RZA's sword-swinging and bell-ringing aesthetic" and dubbed it Raekwon's "successful quest to return to the days when it was simple, blessed with the wisdom to know which philosophies work".Weiss, Jeff (March 8, 2011). Album review: Chef Raekwon's 'Shaolin Vs. Wu-Tang' | Pop & Hiss. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 2011-03-09. John Kennedy of Vibe wrote that his "dense storytelling veers from Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2s powder-white tales", concluding that "RZA's dark instrumentals are missed, but copious kung fu paraphernalia provide enough hard kicks and sample chops".Kennedy, John (March 8, 2011). The BIG Review: Breaking Down Raekwon's 'Shaolin Vs. Wu-Tang' | VIBE. Vibe. Retrieved on 2011-03-09. Rolling Stone writer Jody Rosen commented that he "sounds at ease — as loquacious as ever, unfurling martial-arts-movie allusions and street-crime narratives in a weave of internal rhymes".Rosen, Jody (March 22, 2011). Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang by Raekwon | Rolling Stone Music | Music Reviews. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2011-03-22. BBC Online's Mike Diver praised his "typically dense and detailed wordplay", adding that "the sinister string samples and mystical talk of fantastical warriors is as good here as it's been on any previous Raekwon album".Diver, Mike (April 1, 2011). BBC - Music - Review of Raekwon - Shaolin vs Wu-Tang. BBC Online. Retrieved on 2011-04-04.
However, Miguel Cullen of Clash expressed a mixed response towards its production and called it "patchy with flashes of killer bee sting".Cullen, Miguel (March 10, 2011). Raekwon - Shaolin Vs. Wu-Tang | Clash Music Latest Album Review. Clash. Retrieved on 2011-03-10. Ailbhe Malone of NME panned it as a "cringe worthy attempt at old school revival".Malone, Ailbhe (March 2, 2011). Wu Tang Clan - Album Review: Raekwon - Shaolin VS Wu-Tang (ICEH2O/EMI) - Album Reviews - NME.COM. NME. Retrieved on 2011-03-09. Slant Magazine's Jesse Cataldo commented that Raekwon "sets out to co-opt and ape the signature Wu-Tang sound, a chop-socky blend of martial arts sound clips, gang-feud lyricism, and materialist nihilism", but viewed that "the scattershot collection of new names and old hands inevitably has mixed results" and concluded, "by attempting to break free from his group's guru, Raekwon inevitably only proves how vital RZA has been to nearly everything its members have produced, and how Raekwon has been unable to break free from his influence".Cataldo, Jesse (March 6, 2011). Raekwon: Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang | Music Review. Slant Magazine. Retrieved on 2011-03-09. Despite noting "some really awful bits, particularly 'Rock n' Roll'", David Morris of Tiny Mix Tapes gave it three-and-a-half out of five stars and complimented its "paranoid and high-tension" beats, as well as Raekwon's performance.Morris, David (March 15, 2011). Raekwon - Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang | Music Review. Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved on 2011-03-15. Drowned in Sound's Kyle Ellison gave it a seven out of 10 rating and also viewed that it "is by no means perfect [...] 'Rock 'n' Roll' leaves me a little cold despite strong production, but the hits easily outweigh the misses".Ellison, Kyle (March 14, 2011). Raekwon - Shaolin Vs. Wu-Tang / Releases / Releases . Drowned in Sound. Retrieved on 2011-03-15.