Top 10 Albums of the Decade - 8

8. Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Part II

This album deserves to be on the list for a number of reasons. For one, Raekwon maintains his flawless, crime-ridden, mafia don storytelling technique that made the original Only Built 4 Cuban Linx so amazing (mind you, there are differences...). As usual, Rae gets the bulk of his beats from the Wu camp, but also uses some classic J Dilla beats, like on the "House of Flying Daggers." I also feel this album deserves to be listed because it simply lived up to its hype. How many "older" artists do that? 50 Cent has put out a series of flops since Get Rich Or Die Trying and even Jay-Z released some mediocre work (and I'm not downplaying Blueprint 3, more or less B2 & Kingdom Come). OB4CL... II keeps the Cuban Linx trilogy hot. The album also features the majority of the Wu-Tang Clan and also Styles P, Jadakiss, Beanie Sigel, however, Raekwon is the don.