Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...

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Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...
Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... cover
Studio album by Raekwon
Released August 1, 1995
Recorded 1994–1995
Genre East Coast hip hop
Mafioso rap
Length 73:34
Label Loud Records/RCA
Producer(s) RZA
Professional reviews
Raekwon chronology
Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...
(1995)		 Immobilarity
(1999)


Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... is the influential East Coast hip hop album debut by rapper Raekwon, released in 1995 on Loud Records. It is considered to be one of the best hip-hop albums of the '90s and a pioneer of the Mafioso rap genre.

A member of the The Wu-Tang Clan, Raekwon released Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...—originally to be titled Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...Niggaz—as his first solo album. As with most Wu-Tang solo records, however, a lot of collaboration was involved, in this case with RZA and Ghostface Killah. Throughout the album, Raekwon recasts the Wu-Tang Clan as an Italian mafioso family dubbed the "Wu-Gambinos", while rechristening himself as "Lex Diamond" in the process.

This album is commonly referred to as "The Purple Tape", because the original cassette's plastic was entirely purple. Raekwon made this decision because he wanted to make sure people knew his album, similar to how drug dealers may mark their goods[citation needed].

Contents

[edit] Music

The album featured Queensbridge-based rapper, Nas, on the song "Verbal Intercourse" — becoming the first non-Wu-Tang artist to appear on the group's solo albums.

[edit] Lyricism
The neutrality of this article is disputed.
Please see the discussion on the talk page.

This album is held in high regard not only for its flawless production, but also for the incredible lyricism that it contains. It is apparent that Raekwon and his other Wu-Tang brethren (most notably Ghostface) tried to not only show-off their incredible mic skills and presence, but also their magnificent ability to create visuals. All of which gave the album an almost "cinematic" value.

"Now that could be the Wu-Tang production/ Start to knuckle up and, gun shots start to click the block's duckin/ Could it be, and would it be, that we was babies/ Catchin, rabies, niggaz seem to act crazy/ Day one, in my spot July the tenth/ I had a mint, stickin up Devines hittin them with nines/ I was toxie, from layin up in Roxie's all night/ This nigga bust a shot, lick my man's wife"-Raekwon on "Northstar Jewels"

And the many guest appearances also serve their purpose and are way more than just "track-fillers". One of the most high-profiled appearances is by rapper Nas in the song "Verbal Intercourse" in his lyrical imagery and style shines through the track.

"Through the lights cameras and action, glamour glitters and gold/ I unfold the scroll, plant seeds to stampede the globe/ When I'm deceased, by then the beast arise like yeast/ to conquer peace leaving savages to roam in the streets/ Live on the run, police paying me to give in my gun/ Trick my Wisdom, with the system that imprisoned my son/ Smoke a gold leaf I hold heat, nonchalantly/ I'm grungy, but things I do is real it never haunts me/ while, funny style niggaz roll in the pile/ Rooster heads profile on a bus to Riker's Isle/ Holdin weed inside they pussy with they minds on the pretty things in life/ props is a true thug's wife/ It's like a cycle, niggaz come home, some'll go in/ Do a bullet, come back, do the same shit again/ From the womb to the tomb, presume the unpredictable/ Guns salute life, rapidly, that's the ritual"-Nas on "Verbal Intercourse"

[edit] Production

In terms of production, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... marked a major stylistic change that saw RZA move away from the raw, minimalist, stripped-down beats of the early Wu-Tang albums, towards a richer, cinematic sound more reliant on strings and classic soul samples.

[edit] Critical recognition

Deviating from past Wu-Tang efforts and heralding a narrative-driven concept that redefined the Gangsta rap genre, Raekwon's solo album is widely considered to be one of the most influential albums of hip hop in the 1990s. In fact, it was one of the sixteen hip hop albums to be included in Pitchfork Media's Best Albums Of The 90s Redux list, and was listed as one of thirty-three hip hop/R&B albums in Rolling Stone's Essential Recordings Of The 90s list. In addition, Stylus Magazine called it one of the greatest hip hop albums ever,[1] Allhiphop.com calls it "incredible"[2] and fellow rapper Busta Rhymes regards it as "one of the best albums ever"[3]), it was retroactively given a "5 Mics" rating from The Source Magazine, and in 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source Magazine's 100 Best Rap Albums. (It was rated 4.5 in the original Source review.) It is still remembered by many fans as perhaps the best Wu-Tang solo LP thus far (the All Music Guide calls it "a serious contender" for that title). Cuban Linx... also helped launch Ghostface Killah's solo career, as he appeared on twelve of the album's eighteen tracks; his future solo work on albums such as Ironman and Supreme Clientele has received notable critical acclaim. Hip-Hop Connection, the world's longest running hip-hop magazine, also voted the album as the best record of the last decade (1995–2005).

[edit] Influence

[edit] Mafioso rap

Filled with samples from crime thrillers and mob dramas (including the English-dubbed version of the Hong Kong action movie, The Killer, and Scarface) Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... had an enormous influence on the burgeoning East Coast hardcore rap scene, cultivating the Mafioso rap phenomenon of the mid-1990s. Raekwon's hypervisual narratives, chronicling the crime underworld of drug trafficking and the luxurious pleasures of the high-end illegal business, led many to draw comparisons with Kool G Rap (considered as the progenitor of Mafioso Rap). Since then, the album is widely regarded as the quintessential hip-hop recording of the 1990s, spawning a myriad of imitators and influencing several prominent hip-hop artists such as Nas (who subsequently adopted the Wu-Gambino inspired alias, "Escobar") and The Notorious B.I.G. (who made the transition from "thug" to "kingpin" between his debut and sophomore releases)[4]. It also influenced Jay-Z, who incorporated several mafioso themes into his debut Reasonable Doubt, though he largely abandoned this theme on his future releases. Furthermore, the album had a profound impact on contemporary hip hop culture, initiating slang terms such as "politic" and "butter-pecan Rican" into the Urban African-American slang.[5]

Adam Heimlich of CDNOW describes the impact and artistry of Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...:

“ For several years afterward you couldn't find a rap thug who wasn't 'politicking', slinging cut-up gangland narratives like a ghetto John Woo or Martin Scorsese, doling out guest appearances to his crew like loot from a job, and striving all the while to keep it as raw yet richly detailed as Rae did... Raekwon's storytelling evokes senses of rapid motion, kamikaze faith, loyalty, and focus in the midst of high-stakes tumult that, together, convey more about his mindstate than any straight autobiography could have. RZA wanted Cuban Linx's music to transport listeners into Rae's transcendent point of view, and he succeeded so spectacularly that thousands of rap fans—the ones who don't look to hip hop for an out-of-body experience—will never fully comprehend all the undying fuss about this album. ”

[edit] Later Raekwon albums

[edit] Track listing

The entire album was produced by RZA.

# Title Songwriters Performer (s) Samples
1 "Striving For Perfection" C. Woods, R. Diggs Raekwon
2 "Knuckleheadz" C. Woods, R. Diggs Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, U-God
3 "Knowledge God" C. Woods, R. Diggs Raekwon
4 "Criminology" C. Woods, R. Diggs, D. Coles, P. Adams, L. Burgess, S. Bascombe, R. Patterson Ghostface Killah, Raekwon
5 "Incarcerated Scarfaces" C. Woods, R. Diggs Raekwon
6 "Rainy Dayz" C. Woods, R. Diggs Blue Raspberry, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon
7 "Guillotine (Swordz)" C. Woods, R. Diggs Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, GZA
8 "Can It Be All So Simple (Remix)" Wu-Tang Clan Ghostface Killah, Raekwon
9 "Shark Niggas (Biters)" C. Woods, R. Diggs Raekwon, Ghostface Killah
10 "Ice Water" C. Woods, R. Diggs Cappadonna, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon
11 "Glaciers Of Ice" C. Woods, R. Diggs, D. Coles, E. Turner 60 Second Assassin, Blue Raspberry, Ghostface Killah, Masta Killa, Raekwon
12 "Verbal Intercourse" C. Woods, R. Diggs, N. Jones Ghostface Killah, Nas, Raekwon
  • Contains sample from "If You Think It (You May As Well Do It)" by The Emotions
13 "Wisdom Body" C. Woods, R. Diggs Ghostface Killah, Raekwon
14 "Spot Rusherz" C. Woods, R. Diggs Raekwon
  • Contains movie excerpt from "Carlito's Way"
15 "Ice Cream" C. Woods, R. Diggs Cappadonna, Ghostface Killah, Method Man, Raekwon
16 "Wu-Gambinos" C. Woods, R. Diggs, C. Smith Ghostface Killah, Masta Killa, Method Man, Raekwon, RZA
17 "Heaven & Hell" C. Woods, R. Diggs Ghostface Killah, Raekwon
  • Contains sample from "Could I Be Falling In Love?" by Syl Johnson
18 "North Star (Jewels)" C. Woods, R. Diggs Poppa Wu, Raekwon, Ol' Dirty Bastard
  • Contains sample from "Mellow Mood Pt 1" by Barry White

[edit] Credits

[edit] Album singles

Single cover Single information
"Heaven & Hell"
"Criminology"
"Ice Cream"
  • Released: 1995
  • B-side: "Incarcerated Scarfaces"
"Rainy Dayz" (Promo Only)
  • Released: 1996
  • B-side:

[edit] Album chart positions

Year Album Chart positions
Billboard 200 Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums
1995 Only Built 4 Cuban Linx #4 #2

[edit] Singles chart positions

Year Song Chart positions
Billboard Hot 100 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks Hot Rap Singles Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales
1994 "Heaven & Hell" - - - #4
1995 "Heaven & Hell" - - #21 -
1995 "Glaciers Of Ice/Crimonology" #43 #32 #5 #2
1995 "Incarcerated Scarfaces/Ice Cream" #37 #37 #5 -

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.stylusmagazine.com/review.php?ID=1566
  2. ^ http://www.allhiphop.com/features/?ID=306
  3. ^ http://www.allhiphop.com/hiphopnews/?ID=4201
  4. ^ http://xxlmag.com/Features/2005/may/cuban-linx/
  5. ^ http://xxlmag.com/Features/2005/may/cuban-linx/
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