Guests for the album include Black Thought, Busta Rhymes, Ghostface Killah, GZA, Inspectah Deck, Lloyd Banks, Method Man, Nas, and Rick Ross, among others.

"[3] Writing and recording for Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang began in early 2010, and finished later that year, with the album's completion being announced on December 7, 2010, on the Shade 45 Morning Show.

"[5] Although a number of artists such as Scoop DeVille,[6] Pete Rock,[7] and Kanye West[8] were reported to have worked on the album at one time or another, their contributions did not surface on the final version.

[14] The song "Rock n Roll", featuring Jim Jones, Kobe and Ghostface Killah, was released as the album's third single in February.

[22] Los Angeles Times writer Jeff Weiss commended its producers for "faithfully re-creat[ing] the RZA's sword-swinging and bell-ringing aesthetic" and dubbed it Raekwon's "successful quest to return to the days when it was simple, blessed with the wisdom to know which philosophies work".

[24] John Kennedy of Vibe wrote that his "dense storytelling veers from Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2's powder-white tales", concluding that "RZA's dark instrumentals are missed, but copious kung fu paraphernalia provide enough hard kicks and sample chops".

[30] Rolling Stone writer Jody Rosen commented that he "sounds at ease — as loquacious as ever, unfurling martial-arts-movie allusions and street-crime narratives in a weave of internal rhymes".

[27] BBC Online's Mike Diver praised his "typically dense and detailed wordplay", adding that "the sinister string samples and mystical talk of fantastical warriors is as good here as it's been on any previous Raekwon album".

[23] However, Miguel Cullen of Clash expressed a mixed response towards its production and called it "patchy with flashes of killer bee sting".

[25] Slant Magazine's Jesse Cataldo commented that Raekwon "sets out to co-opt and ape the signature Wu-Tang sound, a chop-socky blend of martial arts sound clips, gang-feud lyricism, and materialist nihilism", but viewed that "the scattershot collection of new names and old hands inevitably has mixed results" and concluded, "by attempting to break free from his group's guru, Raekwon inevitably only proves how vital RZA has been to nearly everything its members have produced, and how Raekwon has been unable to break free from his influence".

[28] Despite noting "some really awful bits, particularly 'Rock n' Roll'", David Morris of Tiny Mix Tapes gave it three-and-a-half out of five stars and complimented its "paranoid and high-tension" beats, as well as Raekwon's performance.

[32] Drowned in Sound's Kyle Ellison gave it a seven out of 10 rating and also viewed that it "is by no means perfect [...] 'Rock 'n' Roll' leaves me a little cold despite strong production, but the hits easily outweigh the misses".

[33] Despite noting that "nothing quite comes close after 'Every Soldier'", Sputnikmusic's Sobhi Abdul-Rakhman gave the album four out of five stars and wrote that its guest rappers "all lend some of their best bars in recent history [...] these featured artists and nearly all of Raekwon's performances emphasize the lyrical focus of the record".

[34] Pitchfork Media's David Drake called it "a reverent record created for Wu fans, with all the requisite cinema samples and minor-key melodies", writing that "there is enough variation in the production and craft-conscious rhyme construction to make it a worthwhile project, one that unexpectedly stands out in Raekwon's catalog".