The only parts of Raekwon’s personality on his mixtape Unexpected Victory seem to be his tales of violence and the underworld. There is (again) no production from RZA and unlike previous albums and mixtapes, there is not a single feature from any Wu-Tang Clan members. It seems that Raekwon’s main intention for this album was to give exposure to JD Era and Camoflauge, two up-and-coming rappers from Toronto who are signed to his Ice H20 label. JD Era spits some intelligent rhymes on “Soldier Story” while Camoflauge came with that street flow on “Gangsta Cazals,” talking about his violent past growing up in Scarborough.
While most of the mixtape included mediocre and unnecessary songs (just listen to “MTV Cribs”), the 9th Wonder produced track “A Pinebox Story” has Raekwon narrating the tragic story of a fake thug, which leaves fans reminiscing of Raekwon on “Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…” and hoping that one day he may return to that prime.
