Spin (3/04, p.96) - "[T]he beats are top-shelf, and the Ghostface Killah collaboration 'Missing Watch' is clever and kinetic enough to spark a Shaolin renaissance." - Grade: B+
Entertainment Weekly (1/9/04, p.80) - "...The Staten Island MC's rhyme skills are as sharp as ever..." - Rating: B
Personnel: Raekwon, Havoc, Fat Joe, Ghostface, Method Man, Cappadonna, Capone, Sheek Louch, Tiffany Villarreal, Masta Killa, Water Inc., Ultra, Inspecta Deck (rap vocals).
Producers include: Mizza, Crummie Beats, Mercury, Andy C, Smith Brothers.
Wu-Tang Clan founding member Raekwon resurrects his Wu Mafia Lex Diamond persona for this long-awaited sequel to his solo debut, 1995's ONLY BUILT 4 CUBAN LINX. The focus is still stridently gangsta-obsessed, the samples sharply chosen, and the reappearance of Ghostface Killah adds an extra air of menace, particularly on the convincingly violent "Missing Watch." Time and again, Raekwon highlights the facts of thug life on tracks such as "Musketeers of Pig Alley," "Pit Bull Fights," and "Planet of the Apes." The litany of drugs, guns and violence builds unremittingly over the length of THE LEX DIAMOND STORY. By the time the almost gentle, lyrical "Once Upon a Time" rolls up, with Tekitha's coolly regretful vocals contrasting Raekwon's hard-edged delivery, the change of pace makes the album's intensity all the more apparent.