Additional personnel: Q. Fickling (vocals); Pimp C., Flo, Jagged Edge, Method Man, Raekwon, Remy Ma, Rick Ross, Three 6 Mafia, Busta Rhymes.
After Raekwon's first crew of rap prodigies, the American Cream Team, went south (due to the tragic gunshot death of crew-member Chip Banks in 2000), the Chef regrouped with a new incarnation of Staten Island upstarts, Icewater. Five years after their first appearance on Rae's THE LEX DIAMOND STORY, the four-man team (made up of Polite, Stomach, P.C. aka Paulie Caskets, and D.C. aka Donnie Cash) brings 17 tracks of raw killa bee flavor.
Repping S.I. to the fullest, Icewater evokes the best of thuggish East Coast street-hop on the rugged album-opener, "Animal," and their manifesto track, "Icewater (We Still Runnin')." The crew also stirs up Rae's signature reminiscing style (a la "Can It Be All So Simple") on "Mercy Me" and "Hip-Hop Tribute"--an ode to the Wu and the old school artists who inspired them. POLLUTED WATER features production from Scram Jones, EZ-Elpee, Dready, Jagged Edge, and Trife as well as appearances from industry heavyweights such as Busta Rhymes, Three 6 Mafia, Pimp C, Rick Ross, and Raekwon himself.
