Fly International Luxurious Art

Fly International Luxurious Art
Studio album by Raekwon
Released	April 28, 2015[1]
Recorded	2012–2015
Genre	Hip hop
Length	42:45
Label	Ice H2O, Caroline
Producer	Raekwon (exec.), Jerry Wonda, She da God, Snaz, Scram Jones, S1, Frank G, Scoop DeVille, Bluerocks, Matthew Burnett
Raekwon chronology
Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang (2011) Fly International Luxurious Art (2015)
Singles from Fly International Luxurious Art
"All About You" Released: August 20, 2013 (2013-08-20) "Soundboy Kill It" Released: December 10, 2013 (2013-12-10) "Wall to Wall" Released: March 17, 2015 (2015-03-17)

Fly International Luxurious Art is the sixth studio album by American rapper and Wu-Tang Clan member Raekwon. The album was released on April 28, 2015, by Ice H2O Records and Caroline Records.

Background

On January 1, 2013, Raekwon announced that his next studio album would be titled, "F.I.L.A.", an acronym for "Fly International Luxurious Art", and said it would be released in the second quarter of 2013.^[2][3] On February 15, 2013, Raekwon said the album was almost finished.^[4]

Raekwon said that the album is an ode to his "stylish" side and the album will contain elements of "glamour, lifestyle and fashion."^[5][6] In March 2013, when discussing the album, Raekwon said, "The album is a lifestyle project. It’s gonna be hot. I just got to the level of finishing it up and I’m feeling real good about this."^[7] Raekwon also said that he is attempting to appeal to a broader audience and have this album become a "worldwide success".^[8] He explained that the album is different from his others saying,

"That’s a mirror on the wall with many different colors on it. It’s a good energy because it’s global music. It’s not just music that allows me to sit in one box. I want to make an album where people in London or people in Germany will love it. There are certain sounds I want to explore and not make it just a hardcore album from a hardcore emcee. I just want it to be universal—I want it to have stuff for the radio and for the hardest emcee’s. I want to mix it up and make it global and fly."^[9]

He also said this album would have more features than any of his previous albums so he could reach the global status he is trying to achieve.^[9] On July 22, 2013, he told MTV he was currently still working on the album, along with the upcoming Wu-Tang Clan album with the former due for a release near the end of the year.^[10]

In February 2014, during an interview with B-Real, he spoke about how he wants to cater to every audience with the album, saying: "This album is well-rounded, I wanted to show people that I’m still at my best, but I’m into making now more stadium style music and catering to every audience. I want to give him a slice, him a slice, you eatin'. You over there in the corner that really don't like me, I made something for you. Really just to give everybody that stew pot that is me at my perfected level. You know, cause I feel like I'm perfected because of the fans, the way they salute me, the way they speak of some of my classic albums and shit. They make me feel like the hero. So this album is Fly International Luxurious Art. It's nothing but me just really just showing niggas like, 'Yo, his pen game is right. He's being smart about the records he's making. He's catering to every audience of music.' I have nothing to prove. I'm already in the books, so all I can do is keep giving people quality music. I went out and merged with some killer producers. I don't know if you're familiar with Jerry Wonda, you know, he was a part of The Fugees' project and working with Lauryn Hill and made a lot of bangers. I got a couple of the swordsmen and producers that I been fucking with and some new cats. I'm always looking for that fresh batch."^[11]

Recording and production

The album's recording process began in late 2012. Since then, Raekwon has been in the studio collaborating with artists such as Estelle, Melanie Fiona and Akon. Production on the album was handled by producers such as Jerry Wonda, Roadsart and Frank G. among others.^[12] In a late-February 2014 interview, Raekwon stated that Akon and Snoop Dogg would be featured on the album. He also confirmed that the album was close to being complete.^[13]

Release and promotion

Raekwon announced on November 30, 2012 that he would soon release an EP titled Lost Jewlry.^[14] The EP was released for free by his label Ice H2O on January 15, 2013. The EP featured guest appearances from Faith Evans, Freddie Gibbs, Altrina Renee and Maino, and includes production from Scram Jones, Buckwild and more.^[15]

On March 7, 2013, Raekwon announced that the album would be released in June 2013.^[7] He would say he chose this time to release the album because, "June is like the time when the music has to elevate itself. I felt that that was a good spot for it to be at."^[16] On April 30, he announced that the album would be pushed back until September 2013.^[17] Then once the first single was released he confirmed a pushback until January 2014 during an interview in late August 2013 with ABC News.^[18] In a February 2014 interview with DJ Whoo Kid, he spoke about when the album would be released, saying:

"We shooting for May right now. We got like an early May release. Like May 6 or May 11 or some shit like that. So, I feel good though. It was just all about making sure that the shit is together, you know what I mean? You know how clearances and artist clearances and label—it’s one thing to have a relationship with the artist, but then you gotta deal with these labels…All that shit and really just making sure it’s finesse, man. You know I ain’t gon’ never give niggas something that I feel is half ass. No matter how much I wanted it to come out last year it wasn’t the time though, so I let Allah just say when he felt it was ready."^[19]

Starting June 14 through June 30, 2013, Raekwon toured across Canada on the Canadian leg of his "Fly International Luxurious Art Tour". That legs opening act is the band Masters of Ceremonies.^[20] Following that, he toured the United States and Europe with the rest of the Wu-Tang Clan on their 20th Anniversary Tour.^[10] On June 20, 2014, he announced that the album would be released on September 16, 2014.^[21] However, on October 13, 2014, Raekwon confirmed via Twitter that the album was pushed back to 2015 in order to focus on the Wu-Tang Clan's latest album A Better Tomorrow.^[22]

Singles

The album's first single "All About You" featuring Estelle and produced by Jerry Wonda was released on August 20, 2013.^[23] The music video for "All About You" featuring Estelle had been shot in New York in June 2013. It was released two days after the song's retail release, via Fuse.^[24][25]

On June 6, 2013, "Soundboy Kill It" featuring Melanie Fiona was premiered.^[26][27][28] On December 10, 2013, "Soundboy Kill It" was released to iTunes as the album's second single.^[29] On March 17, 2015, the album's third single "Wall to Wall" featuring French Montana and Busta Rhymes was released.^[30]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	67/100[31]
Review scores
Source	Rating
The A.V. Club	B-[32]
Consequence of Sound	B-[33]
HipHopDX	[34]
NME	8/10[35]
The Observer	[36]
Rolling Stone	[37]
Spin	7/10[38]

Fly International Luxurious Art has received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 67, which indicates "generally favorable reviews", based on 10 reviews.^[39] Michael Madden of Consequence of Sound said, "What F.I.L.A. lacks in overt emotional content is made up for with the pleasure Raekwon takes in listing off his lavish purchases and seemingly constant jet-setting. Still, he lets you know that his darker days aren’t that far behind him, and that those tribulations helped him become the uncompromising artist he is today."^[40] Homer Johnsen of HipHopDX said, "F.I.L.A. had two years of hype for what amounts to an album with little true cohesion. At times the style itself feels like a copy of Rae’s hits instead of an organic creation, but The Chef does a good job of balancing the radio-friendly Rap with material his diehard fans crave. He certainly isn’t at fault for thinking outside the box, but considering the anticipation and buzz generated for any Raekwon product – especially F.I.L.A.— the finished product doesn’t quite match the overwhelming talent and legacy of the legendary emcee."^[41]

Track listing

References