Fly International Luxurious Art

Fly International Luxurious Art is the sixth studio album by American rapper and Wu-Tang Clan member Raekwon. The album was released on April 28, 2015, by Ice H2O Records and Caroline Records. The album was supported by the singles "All About You", "Soundboy Kill It" and "Wall to Wall".

Fly International Luxurious Art
Studio album by Raekwon
Released	April 28, 2015
Recorded	2012–2015
Genre	Hip hop
Length	42:45
Label	Ice H2O, Caroline
Producer	Raekwon (exec.), Jerry Wonda, She da God, Snaz, Scram Jones, S1, Frank G, Scoop DeVille, Bluerocks, Matthew Burnett
Raekwon chronology
Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang (2011) Fly International Luxurious Art (2015) The Wild (2017)
Singles from Fly International Luxurious Art
"All About You" Released: August 20, 2013 "Soundboy Kill It" Released: December 10, 2013 "Wall to Wall" Released: March 17, 2015

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.[1][2] On February 15, 2013, Raekwon said the album was almost finished.[3]

Raekwon said that the album is an ode to his "stylish" side and the album will contain elements of "glamour, lifestyle and fashion."[4][5] He said he is attempting to appeal to a broader global audience and have this album become a "worldwide success".[6] On July 22, 2013, he told MTV he was still working on the album, along with the upcoming Wu-Tang Clan album with the former due for a release near the end of the year.[7]

Recording and production

The album's recording process began in late 2012. For the album, he collaborated with artists such as Estelle, Melanie Fiona and Akon. Production on the album was handled by producers such as Jerry Wonda, RoadsArt and Frank G. among others.[8] In a late-February 2014 interview, Raekwon stated that Akon and Snoop Dogg would be featured on the album. He also confirmed that the album was close to being complete.[9]

Release and promotion

Raekwon announced on November 30, 2012 that he would soon release an EP titled Lost Jewlry.[10] The EP was released for free by his label Ice H2O on January 15, 2013. The EP featured guest appearances from Faith Evans, Freddie Gibbs, Altrina Renee and Maino, and includes production from Scram Jones, Buckwild and more.[11]

On March 7, 2013, Raekwon announced that the album would be released in June 2013.[12] On April 30, he announced that the album would be pushed back until September 2013.[13] Then once the first single was released he confirmed a pushback until January 2014 during an interview in late August 2013 with ABC News.[14]

Starting June 14 through June 30, 2013, Raekwon toured across Canada on the Canadian leg of his "Fly International Luxurious Art Tour". That legs opening act is the band Masters of Ceremonies.[15] Following that, he toured the United States and Europe with the rest of the Wu-Tang Clan on their 20th Anniversary Tour.[7] On June 20, 2014, he announced that the album would be released on September 16, 2014.[16] 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.[17]

Singles

The album's first single "All About You" featuring Estelle and produced by Jerry Wonda was released on August 20, 2013.[18] 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.[19][20]

On June 6, 2013, "Soundboy Kill It" featuring Melanie Fiona was premiered.[21][22][23] On December 10, 2013, "Soundboy Kill It" was released to iTunes as the album's second single.[24] On March 17, 2015, the album's third single "Wall to Wall" featuring French Montana and Busta Rhymes was released.[25]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[26]
The A.V. Club	B-[27]
Consequence of Sound	B-[28]
HipHopDX	[29]
NME	8/10[30]
The Observer	[31]
Q	[32]
Rolling Stone	[33]
Slant Magazine	[34]
Spin	7/10[35]

Fly International Luxurious Art received positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 63, which indicates "generally favorable reviews", based on 17 reviews.[36] Michael Madden of Consequence of Sound 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."[28] Homer Johnsen of HipHopDX 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."[29] Corbin Reiff of The A.V. Club 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."[27]

Jesse Cataldo of Slant Magazine 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."[34] 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."[37]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Intro"	Corey Woods, Jerry Duplessis	Jerry Wonda	1:09
2.	"4 in the Morning" (featuring Ghostface Killah)	Woods, Marc Shemer, Dennis Coles	Scram Jones	3:21
3.	"I Got Money" (featuring A$AP Rocky)	Woods, Rakim Mayers, Larry Griffin Jr., Duplessis	S1, Jerry Wonda	3:21
4.	"Wall to Wall" (featuring French Montana and Busta Rhymes)	Woods, Karim Kharbouch, Trevor Smith, Ashley Bannister, Rene Hill	She da God, Snaz^[a]	5:02
5.	"Heated Nights"	Woods, Frank Guastella	Frank G	3:02
6.	"F.I.L.A. World" (featuring 2 Chainz)	Woods, Tauheed Epps, Shemer, Duplessis	Scram Jones, Jerry Wonda	4:21
7.	"1,2, 1,2" (featuring Snoop Dogg)	Woods, Calvin Broadus, Jr., Elijah Molina	Scoop DeVille	3:20
8.	"Live to Die"	Woods, Griffin, Jr.	S1	3:12
9.	"Soundboy Kill It" (featuring Melanie Fiona and Assassin)	Woods, Duplessis, Kasseem Dean, Arden Altino, Angela Hunte, Jeffrey Campbell	Jerry Wonda, Swizz Beatz, Altino^[a]	3:07
10.	"Revory (Wraith)" (featuring Rick Ross and Ghostface Killah)	Woods, Jamie Frank, William Roberts II, Coles	Bluerocks	3:24
11.	"All About You" (featuring Estelle)	Woods, Estelle Swaray, Duplessis, Shama Joseph, Altino, Akene Dunkley	Jerry Wonda, Joseph, Altino^[a], Dunkley^[a]	3:25
12.	"Nautilus"	Woods, Schemer	Scram Jones	2:39
13.	"Worst Enemy" (featuring Liz Rodrigues)	Woods, Matthew Burnett, Edward Supo, Liz Rodrigues, Michael "DZL" Holmes	Burnett, DZL	3:43
Total length:				42:45

Fly International Luxurious Art — Best Buy deluxe version

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
14.	"Internationalism"	Woods, Shemer	Scram Jones	2:56
Total length:				45:48

Notes

• ^{^a} signifies a co-producer producer.

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, and "Make the Music with Your Mouth, Biz" performed by Biz Markie.
• "Live to Die" contains a sample of "Pity For the Children" performed by Zulema.
• "Revory (Wraith)" contains a sample of "Where Can I Go" performed by Marlena Shaw.

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

Chart (2015)	Peak position
US Billboard 200[38]	60
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[39]	7
US Top Rap Albums (Billboard)[40]	6
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[41]	4
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[42]	14

References

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2. "Raekwon Announces New Album Title". Complex. 2013-01-01. Retrieved 2014-06-21.
3. "Twitter / Raekwon: Fly International Luxurious". Twitter.com. Retrieved 2014-06-21.
4. "Raekwon Shares His Love For Sneakers With WWD, Wu-Tang Rapper Owns Over 1,000 Pairs". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2014-06-21.
5. Ramos, Dorkys. "Raekwon's Love for Sneakers Inspired New Music". BET. Retrieved 2014-06-21.
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11. Ryon, Sean (2013-01-15). "Raekwon "Lost Jewlry" EP Download". HipHop DX. Retrieved 2014-06-21.
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