Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...
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| Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... | |||||
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| Studio album by Raekwon | |||||
| Released | August 1, 1995 | ||||
| Recorded | 1994–1995 | ||||
| Genre | East Coast hip hop Mafioso rap |
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| Length | 73:34 | ||||
| Label | Loud/RCA/BMG Records 07863-66663 |
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| Producer | The RZA | ||||
| Professional reviews | |||||
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| Raekwon chronology | |||||
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Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... is the influential East Coast hip hop album debut by emcee Raekwon, released in 1995 on Loud Records. It is considered to be one of the best hip-hop albums of the 1990s and a pioneer of the mafioso hip-hop 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. It was a diverse, theatrical criminological epic that saw The RZA move away from the raw, stripped-down beats of the early albums and towards a richer, cinematic sound more reliant on strings and classic soul samples. Lavish living and the crime underworld are referenced throughout, with the mystique of the Wu-Tang Clan deepened by the adoption of crime boss aliases and the crew name Wu-Gambinos. 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, in a way similar to how drug dealers may mark their goods.[1] In 2008 the album was performed live as part of the All Tomorrow's Parties-curated Don't Look Back series, with special guest Ghostface Killah reprising his appearances from the album.
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[edit] Lyricism
Among the album's most notable qualities are its unique production and songwriting. Raekwon, co-star Ghostface Killah and the rest of their Wu-Tang members created vivid images with their lyrics, giving the album a cinematic quality. While continuing Wu-Tang's use of the teachings of the Nation of Gods and Earths’ Supreme Alphabet and the Supreme Mathematics, the album's theme was a notable departure from previous Wu-releases—coupling the group’s traditional use of kung fu flicks with samples of Scarface—resulting in an album that was at once more grounded in the criminal world of the New York streets, while at the same time had the group adopting Mafioso-inspired aliases as the Wu-Gambinos. The effect of Cuban Linx was so profound that, seemingly overnight, many rappers transformed from street-level hoodlums to Godfather-style crime bosses.
The album's many guest appearances are limited to core Clan members and in-house singers, and every contribution only strengthens the song.[original research?] There is, however, one notable guest, Queensbridge emcee Nas, on the song "Verbal Intercourse." Nas would be the first outside artist to appear on any of the Wu's albums, and he would be awarded a Hip-Hop Quotable from The Source for his memorable verse:
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, niggas 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
Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... also expressed Raekwon and Ghostface's dislike of Brooklyn emcee The Notorious B.I.G.. On the skit "Shark Niggas (Biters)," Ghostface points out Bad Boy Records' apparent jacking (copying) of Nas's striking cover art concept for Illmatic, which featured a portrait of the emcee as a child on B.I.G.'s debut Ready to Die, which featured a Black baby. Raekwon also refers to Biggie, also known as the Black Frank White, on "Ice Water," saying: "That's life to top it all off, beef wit White/Pullin’ bleach out tryin to throw it in my eyesight/Yo, what the fuck was on yo mind?" B.I.G. would later respond to Raekwon (among others) on "Kick in the Door," saying, "Fuck that, why try/Throw bleach in ya eye."
[edit] Critical recognition
Deviating from past Wu-Tang efforts and heralding a narrative-driven concept that redefined the gangsta hip-hop 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 sixteen hip-hop albums to be included in Pitchfork Media's Best Albums of the 1990s Redux list, and was listed as one of thirty-three hip hop/R&B albums in Rolling Stone's Essential Recordings of the 1990s list. In addition, Stylus Magazine called it one of the greatest hip-hop albums ever,[2] AllHipHop.com called it "incredible," and fellow emcee Busta Rhymes regarded it as "one of the best albums ever."[3] It was retroactively given a 5-mike rating from The Source Magazine, and, in 1998, the album was selected as one of the Source Magazine's 100 Best Rap Albums, although it was rated 4.5 in the original Source review.[4] It is still remembered by many fans as perhaps the best Wu-Tang solo LP thus far, comparable to Ghostface Killah's Supreme Clientele and Genius/GZA's Liquid Swords (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 thirteen 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,[citation needed] also voted the album as the best record of the last decade (1995–2005). Despite the criticial reception, the album did not sell very well, only reaching Gold certification within the United States for sales exceeding 500,000.
[edit] Influence
Filled with samples from crime thrillers and mob dramas (including the English-dubbed version of the Hong Kong action cinema, The Killer, and Scarface) Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... had an enormous influence on the burgeoning East Coast hardcore rap scene, cultivating the mafioso hip-hop 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 the progenitor of this style. 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 first and second releases).[1] 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, he returned to the theme on his latest album American Gangster. 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.[1]
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 do not look to hip hop for an out-of-body experience—will never fully comprehend all the undying fuss about this album. | ” |
[edit] Wu-Gambinos
The Wu-Gambinos are the mafia-inspired aliases of the Wu-Tang Clan that debuted with Raekwon's 1995 debut, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx.... The name is a reference to the Gambino crime family, one of the Five Families that control New York City’s organized-crime underworld. While early Wu releases were infused with an original mythology that remade hip hop as a Chinese martial art and their native Staten Island as Shaolin, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... was the first to look at it in all its reality. However the album, with its organized crime allusions and Scarface-like aspirations, would revolutionize East Coast hip hop and begin the genre's domination by so-called mafioso hip-hop, with many emcees transforming their image from street hoodlums to mafia dons seemingly overnight.
While these were largely nicknames, for a number of releases the various emcees would be credited by these names. Wu-Gambino names were used for Method Man and Raekwon's appearances on Mobb Deep's Hell on Earth (1996). Nas (although not a member of the Wu-Tang and the first outside emcee to appear on their albums, and as such is regarded a Wu-Gambino) would use the Nas Escobar moniker for a number of years. He would go on to further Mafioso rap with AZ on Doe or Die (released in August later that year) and in 1997 with The Firm.
They were also subject to change: by Raekwon and Ghostface's appearance on Jodeci's hit single "Freek'n You (Mr Dalvin's Freek Mix)" later that year, Rae was referring to himself as Lex (which he maintains to this day, releasing The Lex Diamonds Story in 2003). While Ol' Dirty Bastard did not appear on Only Built 4 Cuban Linx..., his Wu-Gambino name has been on various occasions referred to as Joe Bananas (after Joe Bonanno, the inspiration for Mario Puzo's Godfather), Ol' Dirt Schultz (Dutch Schultz), and Dirt McGirt. Alternately, The RZA modified Bobby Steels to craft his Bobby Digital persona (although it would seem that this would be equally inspired by the name of dancehall reggae producer Bobby “Digital” Dixon), under which he would release two albums in the late 1990s. Among the many affects Cuban Linx made, the alter egos of the Wu-Tang Clan would inspire an already dissociative hip hop world to adopt new names and personas. A known fan of the Wu, Tupac Shakur began to refer to himself as Makaveli and gave his Outlawz crew new names, albeit with a militaristic, dictatorial theme. The Wu-Gambinos are:
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Raekwon Louis Rich "Lou" Diamonds a.k.a. "Lex Diamonds" Ghostface Killah Tony Starks RZA Bobby Steels GZA/Genius Maximillion Method Man Jonathan "Johnny Blaze" Blazini Inspectah Deck Rollie Fingers ODB Dirt McGirt U-God Golden Arms a.k.a. Lucky Hands Masta Killa Noodles Cappadonna Cappachino
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[edit] Track listing
All songs produced by RZA.
| # | Title | Time | Performer(s) | Samples |
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| 1 | "Striving for Perfection" | 1:43 |
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| 2 | "Knuckleheadz" | 4:03 |
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| 3 | "Knowledge God" | 4:24 |
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| 4 | "Criminology" | 3:47 |
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| 5 | "Incarcerated Scarfaces" | 4:42 |
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| 6 | "Rainy Dayz" | 6:02 |
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| 7 | "Guillotine (Swordz)" | 4:22 |
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| 8 | "Can It Be All So Simple (Remix)" | 5:38 |
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| 9 | "Shark Niggas (Biters)" | 1:38 |
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| 10 | "Ice Water" | 3:38 |
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| 11 | "Glaciers of Ice" | 5:21 |
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| 12 | "Verbal Intercourse" | 3:31 |
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| 13 | "Wisdom Body" | 2:38 |
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Dialogue from the movie "The Mack" |
| 14 | "Spot Rusherz" | 3:13 |
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| 15 | "Ice Cream" | 4:12 |
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| 16 | "Wu-Gambinos" | 5:39 |
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| 17 | "Heaven & Hell" | 4:56 |
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| 18 | "North Star (Jewels)" | 3:58 |
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[edit] Credits
- Raekwon - Vocals
- Ghostface Killah - Vocals
- U-God - Vocals
- Inspectah Deck - Vocals
- Method Man - Vocals
- GZA - Vocals
- Cappadonna - Vocals
- Masta Killa - Vocals
- Nas - Vocals
- Blue Raspberry - Vocals
- 60 Second Assassin of Sunz of Man - Vocals
- RZA - Vocals, Arranger, Producer, Engineer, Mixing
- Robert Diggs (RZA) - Executive Producer
- Mitchell Diggs - Executive Producer
- Oli Grant - Executive Producer
- 4th Discipile - Mixing
- Islord from Killarmy - Arranger, Engineer
[edit] Album singles
| Single information |
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"Heaven & Hell"
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| "Criminology" |
"Ice Cream"
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"Rainy Dayz" (Promo Only)
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[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/Criminology" | #43 | #32 | #5 | #2 |
| 1995 | "Incarcerated Scarfaces/Ice Cream" | #37 | #37 | #5 | - |
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Arnold, Paul W., et al (May 2005). Features: May 2005: The Documentary. XXL. Retrieved on 2007-07-02.
- ^ McKeating, Scott (December 18, 2003). Raekwon: The Lex Diamond Story. Stylus Magazine. Retrieved on 2007-07-02.
- ^ Fresh, Remmie (March 18, 2005). Busta Rhymes to Serve as Executive Producer on Raekwon’s Album. AllHipHop.com. Retrieved on 2007-07-02.
- ^ http://pressrewind.files.wordpress.com/2007/06/raekwon_source995.jpg
