Rae's groundbreaking debut album helped to bring the flavour of flossing to wax as well as the use of the moniker among Wu brethren and other prominent emcees. The single "Verbal Intercourse" featured the first appearance of Nas Escobar, Nas' alter ego. Similarly, Raekwon and Ghostface Killah, who served as Rae's partner in rhyme throughout the entire Cuban Linx album, also developed a slew of other identities. Identities like Lex Diamond, one of the flashy, witty and intellectually stimulating personas of the multifaceted Raekwon.
In the years after the release of Cuban Linx, Raekwon continued to record several albums with the Clan including the platinum Wu-Tang Forver (1997) and The W (2000), as well as the gold Iron Flag (2001). He also starred in the critically acclaimed film Black and White, before releasing his second solo album, Immobilarity in 1999. Four years later, it's time for another masterpiece from Raekwon.
The Lex Diamond Story, Raekwon's forthcoming third solo album is that desperately needed effort. This new LP is as much a reflection of his first musical triumph Cuban Linx, as it is a manifestation of the future and what is to come from this great emcee. Raekwon is like the E.F. Hutton of hip-hop: when he speaks, everyone listens. The current void in hip-hop is filled with this rap veteran's
crafty verbal gymnastics and artistic form of storytelling. The Lex Diamond Story takes the top shelf elements of the Wu's first album and the finest sentiments of Raekwon's debut and joins them together to deliver another classic album to the masses.
A lyrical gourmet meal, The Lex Diamond Story shows that The Chef still possesses the recipe to cook up a jambalaya of words with the main ingredient being superior skills. Animated and intense, Raekwon's stealth delivery is filled with emotion, skilled cadence and an array of diverse stories, hooks, and topics. The track, "All Over Again (The Way We Were)" touches on the flavour of "Can It Be All So Simple" with its tale of street survival. Meanwhile, "Pit Bull Fights" is reminiscent of the ferocious lyrical beating inflicted on "Incarcerated Scarfaces." Raekwon is indisputably at his creative beast. Unchained and uninhibited, he is assertive with his music and focused on his goals.
So Long
Raekwon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What's goin' on playboy, how's it lookin' over there?
You know I got me a good one ands all that
Oh ok,ok
Wats up with you
You know I got me something lovely too you know how we do it
You know how like em man, super official right
All day if it ain't official I ain't fucin wit her
Ha ha yea,let's do it
[Chorus]
So many nights I felt like crying (can't get you out my mind)
All this time I felt like dyin
(love's so hard to find)
So I (gotta move on)
Yes I (gotta stay strong)
And I (gotta keep it going)
So long (so long)
It's usually the beauty that attract me
But perhaps she was the right person,
Her personality made me happy and that's why I pursued her
I'm a dude that make manoeuvres
If I choose her then she whipped cause my dick as long as a ruler,
She maybe kind of crazy its cool long as I school her
I'm smooth as Grand Poobah and I can charm a computer,
For us to conversate all it take to make an impression
Like a teacher lecturing when I'm speaking she taking lessons,
But every time we argue and fight I feel like I'm dying,
I feel like trying tell you the truth,
You feel like I'm lyin but I'm a move on cause I'm strong as ever
Without you, I can do better but I can never forget about you girl.
[Chorus]
Ay yo I laced you with the girl braces when you was young,
Doing ya thang I went to amfye and buy you dem benaces,
Queen of the temple with the sent of a Lemon
All of that lenin shit at time I'm just observing your menin with all that long hair,
Sexy, mean walk and your von gear we at the pond you all up
Under my arm when we shopping embracing your re-lock and gloks and tims
Flyin from Africa yo back to the, you just a sadosure that's why your ones is owsed
Up cause when I needed you, you never got flossed up a laced out lady with taste
I gotta just kiss ya face keep ya nigga growned these are the brakes. One!
[Chorus]
Without her being close is depressing,
They say ain't nobody perfect but a honey rosted complexion
Close to perfection plus she got a body that could
Probably turn a gay man straight, to stay in shape mommy started taking karate,
So while she get it done in the gym runnin the treadmill I'm runnin for feds
Still, keep one in the bed still I be reminiscing boo,
Missin you that's dead real cause you nice in the bed
And you nice with the hand skills you awfully fine,
I can't get you off my mind, I ain't frontin yea I lost a dime
But you crossed the line and ain't follow directions you gone, gettin back together is out
Of the question, I moved on.
[Chorus]
The song "So Long" by Raekwon explores the emotions of a man trying to move on from a past relationship. In the song, Raekwon talks to his friend Cass about their respective love lives, explaining that he had found a woman who made him happy, not just in terms of physical beauty but also because of her personality. However, they often argued and fought, which made him feel like he was dying. The chorus repeats Raekwon's resolve to move on and stay strong, even if love seems hard to find.
In the second verse, Raekwon reminisces about his former partner, lamenting their breakup but acknowledging that he had to move on. He lists the things he appreciated about her, from her braces to her lemon-scented perfume to her fitness routine. Despite her flaws and their arguments, he still thinks fondly of her and her skills "in the bed and hand" but concludes that getting back together is "out of the question" and that he's moved on.
Overall, "So Long" is a song about the complexity of relationships, how attraction and personality can draw us in but how conflicts and disagreements can pull us apart. Raekwon's lyrics are also a testament to the human capacity for resilience, choosing to move on and stay strong even in the face of heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
Yo Cass what up son
Opening greeting between friends
What's goin' on playboy, how's it lookin' over there?
Asking about the situation or status of the person being addressed
You know I got me a good one ands all that
Expressing satisfaction with a significant other
Wats up with you
Asking about the other person's situation or status
You know I got me something lovely too you know how we do it
Expressing satisfaction with a significant other
You know how like em man, super official right
Expressing a preference for partners who meet certain standards
All day if it ain't official I ain't fucin wit her
Reiterating the preference for partners who meet certain standards
That's right son
Agreeing with the previous statement
Ha ha yea,let's do it
Expressing enthusiasm for continuing the conversation/activity
So many nights I felt like crying (can't get you out my mind)
Describing a feeling of heartbreak and longing for a past relationship
All this time I felt like dyin (love's so hard to find)
Expressing frustration with the difficulty of finding true love
So I (gotta move on)
Recognizing the need to let go of the past relationship and move forward
Yes I (gotta stay strong)
Encouraging oneself to be resilient and strong in the face of heartbreak
And I (gotta keep it going)
Acknowledging the need to keep moving forward with life
So long (so long)
Saying goodbye to the past relationship
Ay yo I laced you with the girl braces when you was young
Boasting about providing for and taking care of the former partner
Doing ya thang I went to amfye and buy you dem benaces
Further boasting about providing for the former partner
Queen of the temple with the sent of a Lemon
Praising the former partner's beauty and fragrance
All of that lenin shit at time I'm just observing your menin with all that long hair
Appreciating the former partner's style and demeanor
Sexy, mean walk and your von gear we at the pond you all up
Describing the former partner's attractive physical attributes
Under my arm when we shopping embracing your re-lock and gloks and tims
Recounting a happy memory of shopping together
Flyin from Africa yo back to the, you just a sadosure that's why your ones is owsed
Recalling a time when the former partner traveled and expressing affection
Up cause when I needed you, you never got flossed up a laced out lady with taste
Expressing disappointment with the former partner's lack of support
I gotta just kiss ya face keep ya nigga growned these are the brakes. One!
Acknowledging that the past is in the past and moving on with life
Without her being close is depressing
Admitting to feelings of sadness when not with the former partner
They say ain't nobody perfect but a honey rosted complexion
Recognizing that nobody is perfect but appreciating the former partner's physical beauty
Close to perfection plus she got a body that could
Further praising the former partner's physical attributes
Probably turn a gay man straight, to stay in shape mommy started taking karate
Joking about the former partner's ability to attract anyone and discussing their fitness pursuits
So while she get it done in the gym runnin the treadmill I'm runnin for feds
Comparing the former partner's workout regimen to their own criminal activity
Still, keep one in the bed still I be reminiscing boo,
Admitting to still having feelings for the former partner
Missin you that's dead real cause you nice in the bed
Acknowledging that the former partner was good in bed and expressing missing them
And you nice with the hand skills you awfully fine,
Complimenting the former partner's physical beauty and sexual prowess
I can't get you off my mind, I ain't frontin yea I lost a dime
Admitting that they still think about the former partner and lost a good thing
But you crossed the line and ain't follow directions you gone, gettin back together is out
Acknowledging that the former partner did something wrong and that getting back together is not an option
Of the question, I moved on.
Asserting that they have moved on from the past relationship
[Chorus]
Repeating the chorus
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: R. Dean Taylor, Norman J. Whitfield, Edward Jr. Holland
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind