''Fly International Luxurious Art'' is the sixth

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

and

Wu-Tang Clan Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Close affili ...

member

Raekwon Corey Woods (born January 12, 1970), better known by his stage name Raekwon The Chef, or simply Raekwon (), is an American rapper. He rose to prominence as a founding member of the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan, which achieved mainstream success ...

. The album was released on April 28, 2015, by Ice H2O Records and

Caroline Records Caroline Records is a record label originally founded in 1973. Initially founded in the United Kingdom to showcase British progressive rock groups, the label ceased releasing titles in 1976, and then re-emerged in the United States in 1986. ...

. The album was supported by the singles "All About You", "Soundboy Kill It" and "Wall to Wall".

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. On February 15, 2013, Raekwon said the album was almost finished. Raekwon said that the album is an ode to his "stylish" side and the album will contain elements of "glamour, lifestyle and fashion." He said he is attempting to appeal to a broader global audience and have this album become a "worldwide success". On July 22, 2013, he told MTV he was still working on the album, along with the upcoming

album with the former due for a release near the end of the year.

Recording and production

The album's recording process began in late 2012. For the album, he collaborated with artists such as Estelle,

Melanie Fiona Melanie Fiona Hallim (born July 4, 1983) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario.Akon Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam (; born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon, is a Senegalese-American singer, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of " Locked Up" (featuring Styles P) ...

. Production on the album was handled by producers such as

Jerry Wonda Jerry "Wonda" Duplessis (born 9 August 1975) is a Haitian music producer, film score composer, entrepreneur and philanthropist. His first major success was as a producer for the Fugees' 1996 album '' The Score''. He also played the bass guitar w ...

, RoadsArt and Frank G. among others. In a late-February 2014 interview, Raekwon stated that Akon and

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...

would be featured on the album. He also confirmed that the album was close to being complete.

Release and promotion

Raekwon announced on November 30, 2012 that he would soon release an EP titled ''

Lost Jewlry ''Lost Jewlry'' is the twelfth mixtape by American rapper and Wu-Tang Clan member Raekwon. It was released on January 15, 2013 for free. The mixtape features guest appearances from Faith Evans, Freddie Gibbs, Altrina Renee and Maino, and includes ...

''. The EP was released for free by his label Ice H2O on January 15, 2013. The EP featured

guest appearance In show business, a guest appearance is the participation of an outsider performer (such as a musician or actor) in an event such as a music record or concert, show, etc., when the performer does not belong to the regular band, cast, or other p ...

s from

Faith Evans Faith Renée Evans (born June 10, 1973) is an American singer and actress. Born in Lakeland, Florida, and raised in New Jersey, she relocated to Los Angeles in 1991 for a career in the music business. After working as a backing vocalist for Al B ...

Freddie Gibbs Fredrick Jamel Tipton (born June 14, 1982), better known by his stage name Freddie Gibbs, is an American rapper from Gary, Indiana. After initially being signed to Interscope Records in 2006, Gibbs recorded his debut studio album under the label ...

, Altrina Renee and Maino, and includes

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

from

Scram Jones Marc Shemer, (born November 5, 1977), better known by his stage name Scram Jones, is a producer, DJ and rapper from New Rochelle, New York. He has produced music for Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Styles P, Tragedy Khadafi, Jadakiss, Saigon, Dipset ...

, Buckwild and more. On March 7, 2013, Raekwon announced that the album would be released in June 2013. On April 30, he announced that the album would be pushed back until September 2013. Then once the first single was released he confirmed a pushback until January 2014 during an interview in late August 2013 with

ABC News ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast ''ABC World News Tonight, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include Breakfast television, morning ...

. Starting June 14 through June 30, 2013, Raekwon toured across

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

on the Canadian leg of his "Fly International Luxurious Art Tour". That legs opening act is the band Masters of Ceremonies. Following that, he toured the United States and Europe with the rest of the Wu-Tang Clan on their 20th Anniversary Tour. On June 20, 2014, he announced that the album would be released on September 16, 2014. 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 ''A Better Tomorrow'' () is a 1986 Hong Kong crime action film directed and co-written by John Woo, and starring Ti Lung, Leslie Cheung and Chow Yun-fat. The film had a profound influence on Hong Kong action cinema, and has been recognised a ...

''.

Singles

The album's first single "All About You" featuring Estelle and produced by

was released on August 20, 2013. 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 Fuse or FUSE may refer to: Devices * Fuse (electrical), a device used in electrical systems to protect against excessive current ** Fuse (automotive), a class of fuses for vehicles * Fuse (hydraulic), a device used in hydraulic systems to protect ...

. On June 6, 2013, "Soundboy Kill It" featuring

Melanie Fiona Melanie Fiona Hallim (born July 4, 1983) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario.iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...

as the album's second single. On March 17, 2015, the album's third single "Wall to Wall" featuring

French Montana Karim Kharbouch (Arabic: æɾiːm χɑɾbuːʃ born November 9, 1984), better known by his stage name French Montana, is a Moroccan-American rapper. Born and raised in Morocco, he emigrated to the United States with his family when he was 13. ...

and

Busta Rhymes Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after NFL and CFL wide receiver ...

was released.

Critical reception

''Fly International Luxurious Art'' received positive reviews from

music critic ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' defines music criticism as "the intellectual activity of formulating judgments on the value and degree of excellence of individual works of music, or whole groups or genres". In this sense, it is a branch of mus ...

s. At

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an

average In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7, ...

score of 63, which indicates "generally favorable reviews", based on 17 reviews. Michael Madden of

Consequence of Sound ''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook ...

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." Homer Johnsen of

HipHopDX ''HipHopDX'' is an online magazine of hip hop music criticism and news. The website's current president and publisher is Sharath Cherian and the Head Of Content is Jerry L. Barrow. ''HipHopDX'' is the flagship publication of Cheri Media Group. ...

said, "''F.I.L.A.'' had two years of hype for what amounts to an album with little true cohesion. The finished product doesn’t quite match the overwhelming talent and legacy of the legendary emcee." Corbin Reiff of ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...

'' said, "For all its unintended sonic drawbacks, ''Fly International Luxurious Art'' goes a long way to remind everyone of why Raekwon is one of the greatest to ever wield a microphone. His flow is masterful, his lines are sharp, and his verbiage is as dense and intricate as it’s ever been." Jesse Cataldo of

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...

said, "''Fly International Luxurious Art'' maintains some level of general interest through a stacked guest list, with visitors as varied as Snoop Dogg, A$AP Rocky, Busta Rhymes, and 2 Chainz, but none of them do more than distract from the overall atmosphere of paltry unevenness." Justin Ivey of '' XXL'' said, "''Fly International Luxurious Art'' ultimately suffers from its inability to connect with any particular audience. It makes for a very uneven listening experience as the album is unable to find any cohesive sound or theme."

Track listing

;Notes * signifies a co-producer

producer Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

. ;Sample credits * "Wall to Wall" contains a sample of "Let Me Be Your Angel" performed by Stacey Lattisaw. * "1,2 1,2" contains a sample of "Ike's Mood I" performed by

Isaac Hayes Isaac Lee Hayes Jr. (August 20, 1942 – August 10, 2008) was an American singer, actor, songwriter, and composer. He was one of the creative forces behind the Southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songwri ...

, and "Make the Music with Your Mouth, Biz" performed by

Biz Markie Marcel Theo Hall (April 8, 1964 – July 16, 2021), known professionally as Biz Markie, was an American rapper, singer, songwriter, DJ, and record producer. Markie was best known for his 1989 single "Just a Friend", which became a Top 40 hit in ...

. * "Live to Die" contains a sample of "Pity For the Children" performed by

Zulema Zulema Cusseaux (January 3, 1947 – September 30, 2013),Biography)))">Allmusic (((Zulema>Biography)))Accessed May 25, 2010 and attended Howard W. Blake High School. She and her school friend Brenda Hilliard joined a local group called The ...

. * "Revory (Wraith)" contains a sample of "Where Can I Go" performed by

Marlena Shaw Marlena Shaw (born Marlina Burgess, September 22, 1942) is an American jazz, blues and soul music, soul singer. Shaw began her singing career in the 1960s and is still singing today. Her music has often been sampled in Hip hop music, hip hop mus ...

Personnel

*2 Chainz – Featured Artist *Arden "Keyz" Altino – Composer, Keyboards, Producer *A$AP Rocky – Featured Artist *Assassin – Featured Artist *Ashley Bannister – Composer *Stacy Barthe – Vocals *Alex Bartnett – Assistant *BlueRocks – Producer *Matthew Burnett – Composer, Producer *Busta Rhymes – Featured Artist *Dragan "Chach" Cacinovic – Mastering *Jeffrey Ethan Campbell – Composer *Mel Carter – A&R, Product Manager *Sheldon Clarke – Assistant *Kasseem Dean – Composer *Scoop DeVille – Producer *Akene "the Champ" Dunkley – Producer *Jerry "Wonda" Duplessis – Composer, Executive Producer, Producer *DZL – Producer *Tauheed Epps – Composer *Estelle – Featured Artist *Melanie Fiona – Featured Artist *Justin Forsley – Guitar Engineer *Jamie Frank – Composer *French Montana – Featured Artist *Frank G – Engineer, Producer *Ghostface Killah – Featured Artist *Larry D. Griffin, Jr. – Composer *Frank Guastella – Composer *Jessica Harley – A&R *Koby Hass – Assistant *Rene "Snaz" Hill – Composer *Michael Holmes – Composer *Garnik Hovannesian – Assistant *Angela Hunte – Composer, Vocals *Scram Jones – Engineer, Executive Producer, Producer, Vocals *Sham "Sak Pase" Joseph – Composer, Producer *Kelly G. – Vocals *Karim Kharbouch – Composer *Christina Lessa – Art Direction *Deborah Mannis-Gardner – Sample Clearance *Robert Megeehan – Assistant *Elijah Molina – Composer *John Newsom – Art Direction, Artwork *Kris Peterson – A&R *Lance Powell – Assistant, Engineer, Vocals *Brittney Pressley – Vocals *Raekwon – Art Direction, Executive Producer, Primary Artist, Producer *Régine – Vocals *Ralph Rhim – Vocals *RoadsArt – Engineer, Mixing *Andrew Robert – Assistant *William Roberts – Composer *Andrew Robertson – Assistant *Liz Rodrigues – Composer, Featured Artist *Natalie Rosario – Vocals *Rick Ross – Featured Artist *S1 – Producer *Marc Schemer – Composer *She Da God – Producer *Snaz – Producer *Snoop Dogg – Featured Artist *Edward Supo – Composer *Estelle Swaray – Composer *Serge Tsai – Engineer, Mixing *Eric Wiley – Graphic Design Layout *Kevin "Kev-O" Wilson – Assistant *Donperrion Woods – A&R, Executive Producer

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2015 albums Raekwon albums Albums produced by Jerry Duplessis Albums produced by Scoop DeVille Albums produced by Scram Jones Albums produced by Symbolyc One Albums produced by Swizz Beatz