Raekwon – Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…: A 25th Anniversary Retrospective

The year was 1994. We were in the midst of a Golden Era, but we had no idea at the time. Within it, a new musical continuum began. It started with Nas’s Illmatic, an album that would influence how subsequent Rap albums would be marketed, treated, and approached — not only by artists and the media that covered them, but the listening public as well. The next album in this continuum, Notorious B.I.G’s Ready To Die, would ultimately overshadow the critical acclaim of Illmatic. due in large part to radio airplay of the infectious singles and album sales of Ready to Die. While everyone in New York was looking to be the next artist to take up the mantle and stake their claim to the throne — and this was an impressive field of emcees vying to make the next consensus classic — Wu-Tang Clan member Shallah Raekwon was taking motivation and impetus to make great art from his own crew.

When Raekwon The Chef began work on his debut solo album for Loud/RCA, competition within the Rap world was insanely fierce. Method Man had just dropped his first album, Tical (Def Jam), and Ol’ Dirty Bastard was finishing up his debut, Return To The 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version (Elektra), under the watchful eye of Dante Ross. Next came Rae’s album, then GZA’s sophomore album, Liquid Swords (Geffen). At the time, RZA was locked into a creative zone, cranking out beats for the entire Wu-Tang Clan and their affiliates in the basement studio of his newly purchased duplex in Staten Island. Raekwon knew that he was going to have his co-defendant, Ghostface Killah, featured prominently on his album, and together with RZA they began to devise the concept for it and brainstorm on the project’s overall desired sonic aesthetic.

Raekwon initially modeled his style after an amalgamation of Rakim and Slick Rick, but for his upcoming solo album he also drew on the influence of Kool G. Rap to help execute his vision. In terms of incentive to make a classic album, Raekwon and Ghostface often felt like underdogs even among their fellow Wu-Tang Clan members. They had extra motivation stemming from growing up in Hip Hop culture in the ‘80s.  And being from Staten Island, where they drew inspiration from the Force MC’s (later the Force MD’s), they knew that the other New York City boroughs slept on them. After Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, Nobody slept on Rae and Ghost or Staten Island again.

The single for “Can It Be All So Simple” featuring Raekwon The Chef & Ghostface Killah was officially released in June, 1994 with an accompanying video. Following his involvement with the success of Wu’s previous single “C.R.E.A.M,” by Summer 1994, Raekwon was finally able to strike out as a star member of the Wu Tang Clan. In addition, Ghostface Killah stopped wearing a mask, so now his face was visible. “Can It Be All So Simple” would become instrumental in establishing their identity as a unit while raising their individual stocks as widely celebrated Wu members.

Method Man had labels rushing to sign him; his talent and looks made him marketable.  This was recognized early on by Def Jam A&R’s  Tracey Waples and Drew Dixon (Def Jam snatched Meth up early).  Now, without the mask, Ghostface Killah suddenly became even more of a hot commodity seemingly overnight for the same reasons.

“Can It All Be So Simple” was the single and video that helped to slowly transform the Wu-Tang Clan in terms of their overall group dynamic and the public’s perception of Raekwon and Ghostface Killah.  From this point on, their marketability and their commercial viability had a dual group and individual star-power dynamic. This significantly raised fan expectations for their respective solo albums while letting the industry at large know that these two were breakout stars in their own rights.

The Raekwon/Ghostface dynamic reminded most people of American buddy cop or action films, but I always drew a parallel to Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung or Yuen Biao. They usually worked as a duo with multiple members of their creative circle in supporting roles in their films or as a base trio with a mix of other members filling in wherever was needed. While the Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… was going to be Raekwon’s solo album, it was going to showcase Ghostface Killah while also including an ensemble cast: the Wu-Gambinos. It was here that the concept for the album was formulated. It would be a narrative centered around two individuals navigating the fast life of the drug world and its inner machinations, the dangers of it, and the overall lifestyle.

In order to effectively immerse the listener into this world, it was necessary to not only set the scene for those unfamiliar with the criminal underworld but to represent the game for the cats who either came up during the Crack Era or were actively hustling themselves. For that purpose, the album’s title Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… was, at it’s core, a message that the album was made for the most thorough, official, realest street cats. Whatever Wu-Tang Clan members were available would be included on the project, but it would all hinge on Raekwon and Ghostface’s raw descriptive street tales seasoned with inventive slang and phrasing that appealed to both heads and casual fans as well.

Raekwon and RZA always had a cinematic approach to crafting albums, so they drew material and inspiration from the films that they watched together. One of the films Raekwon gravitated to that seemed to parallel the narrative of Only Built for 4 Cuban Linx… was the 1984 Sergio Leone-directed crime epic, Once Upon A Time In America, a film about childhood friends who enter the world of organized crime. The film was based on two individuals, Maximilian and Noodles, who led the crew and frequently clashed over philosophical differences in their criminal enterprises. Those monikers ended up being given to GZA and Masta Killa respectively within the Wu-Gambinos.

Raekwon took the alias Lou Diamond; Ghostface ran with Tony Starks, inspired by the Marvel Comics character Tony Stark who dons the Iron Man armor. Method Man’s name was Johnny Blaze, the secret identity of Ghost Rider (although based on a few context clues, he was often confused for Johnny Storm who was The Human Torch in the Fantastic Four). Inspectah Deck was dubbed Rollie Fingers for his blunt rolling expertise, also taking the namesake of the Hall Of Fame closer for the Oakland A’s and San Diego Padres. U God was Lucky Hands due to his prowess at the dice game ceelo. RZA chose the name Bobby Steels, and longtime Wu affiliate Cappadonna entered the fold as Cappaccino.

In order for RZA to attain the desired cinematic feel for Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…,  he channeled Isaac Hayes circa 1971 when he pulled the double duty of scoring the movie Shaft and producing the soundtrack; he then released the double album Black Moses months later. The Loud/RCA A&R duo of Matt Life and Schott Free were tasked with keeping everything on schedule even while working closely with Raekwon’s labelmates Mobb Deep on their sophomore album The Infamous….

Now that the plan was coming together and logistics were being worked out, it all came down to getting in the lab, doing the work, and the label handling the marketing and album rollout to perfection. The first phase would come in the guise of an upcoming film soundtrack that would be released on Loud/RCA in the Fall 1994, spearheaded by Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, GZA, and RZA.  Boaz Yakin’s film Fresh was released in September 1994, and Wu-Tang Clan not only raised awareness of the film, they set the stage for it. More importantly where the music was concerned, their contributions to the Fresh soundtrack let heads know what they had to look forward to from them in 1995. The lead single from the Fresh original soundtrack was GZA’s “I Got Cha Back.”  The follow up single was Raekwon’s “Heaven & Hell” featuring Ghostface riding shotgun. The soundtrack led off with “I Got Cha Back,” “Heaven & Hell,” and the “Can It Be All So Simple (Remix).” These songs would sate the appetites of Chef Raekwon fans for the time being while he, Ghostface, and RZA entered the lab to cook up some ol’ marvelous shit to make your mouths water.

 

 

Before quarantining themselves in RZA’s basement to make Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…, Rae and Ghost took a mini vacation to Barbados. While there, they began writing rhymes for the project, oddly enough Raekwon was essentially a studio writer up until this point. Now that inspiration was striking him and the album’s direction had been established, they had a running start for when they returned to Shaolin and hunkered down until the mission was accomplished.

Between RZA, Raekwon, and Ghostface, they culled together a masterpiece from their shared histories and interests. In addition to pulling from the film Once Upon A Time In America, they also drew inspiration from the movies Shaolin vs. Lama, Scarface, The Mack, The Killer, and Carlito’s Way to aid them in fleshing out the album’s narrative. RZA sampled dialogue from each of these films in order help tell the story.

Hanging with Mobb Deep one night in Staten Island, Raekwon told Havoc and Prodigy that he and Ghost wanted to work with Nas.  So Mobb Deep set it up. This discussion led to them meeting and subsequently recording the songs “Eye For An Eye (Your Beef Is Mines)”, which was on Mobb Deep’s debut album on Loud/RCA, The Infamous, and “Verbal Intercourse” which was on Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…. It was then that Nas was given his Wu-Gambino name Nas Escobar.

RZA churned out banger after banger like a mad scientist in his basement laboratory. And after several months of grinding and a collaborative effort between RZA, Raekwon, and Ghostface, they’d created a masterpiece with contributions from every Wu-Tang Clan member, with the exception of Ol’ Dirty Bastard and a limited contribution from U God, who had to serve a short stint in jail during the recording process. Cappadonna was brought in as a utility man in his stead to complete the album, debuting on the songs “Ice Water” and “Ice Cream.” Ghostface Killah was given guest star credit on the album cover; he appeared on 12 of the album’s 17 selections, even getting a solo jawn called “Wisdom Body.” Raekwon didn’t come to the studio that day and when he heard what Ghost had done on the beat, he opted to let it stand and not record a second verse.

RZA took full advantage of not having to move his operation elsewhere and having little to nor interference from Loud/RCA, which he appreciated. Matt Life and Schott Free gave RZA free reign and only stepped in when absolutely necessary. As the album was being sequenced and finalized it was now time to choose singles. By May 1995, it was decided the lead singles would be “Criminology” and “Glaciers Of Ice”.  Promos of “Glaciers Of Ice” and “Criminology” were sent out by Loud/RCA to gauge reactions from club, mixtape, radio DJ’s and heads alike, while a “Criminology”/”Glaciers Of Ice” maxi-single was being readied for commercial release at the end of June. After turning in the album, RZA went right back to work finalizing GZA’s project next which would be Liquid Swords. While the feedback was overwhelmingly positive, they never could’ve anticipated what happened next.

Keep in mind that “Heaven & Hell,” which dropped the previous summer, was still getting played in Walkmans and out of car stereos on June 27th, 1995 when the “Criminology”/“Glaciers Of Ice” single was officially released. “Criminology”/“Glaciers Of Ice” dropped the day after The Infamous… was certified Gold by the RIAA, and Loud/RCA arranged a paintball retreat with its staff, artists, and about 20 radio and mixtape DJ’s to be held on July 8th, 1995 at Paintball Long Island in Medford, NY.

After Raekwon and Ghostface Killah played paintball with Mobb Deep, Schott Free and Matt Life versus the DJ’s, there was an event/reception/party held that night where Mobb Deep were presented with an RIAA Gold plaque for The Infamous… and Rae and Ghost accepted a Platinum plaque for the Wu Tang Clan’s Enter The Wu Tang (36 Chambers). After this night, Raekwon couldn’t wait to receive his own plaque. Exactly one week later, “Criminology”/“Glaciers Of Ice” entered the Hot R&B Singles chart on Billboard as the Hot Shot Debut at #32, it was #2 on the Maxi-Single Sales chart only behind Notorious B.I.G’s “One More Chance,” which had held that position for the previous 3 weeks. The biggest shocker was “Criminology/Glaciers Of Ice” entered the Billboard Hot 100 at #43.

This came as a surprise and was unprecedented because both “Criminology” and “Glaciers Of Ice” weren’t getting much support from Black radio, even with every college radio Rap show and major station with a Rap program occasionally playing them. Their Billboard position was based almost exclusively on the strong sales of the maxi-single that was bolstered by the popularity of the “Criminology” video. At the time, it was getting played on MTV’s “Yo! MTV Raps” and BET’s “Rap City,” where it became the Hip Hop Pick. The “Glaciers Of Ice” video made the rounds on late night cable access programs and promo VHS tapes. Either way, the streets were getting behind Raekwon. They were seeing the vision, and not just the Tommy Hill ice rockin’ niggas were feeling it. Anticipation for Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… was already through the roof less than 3 weeks before the album dropped.

On August 1st, 1995, I remember being with my younger brother and my boys in a car that one of their girlfriend’s owned. We went to the Tower Records at the corner of Mass. Ave and Newbury, and my brother and I decided to cop the CD so as to not chance having the tape pop or get eaten by one of our Walkmans. Our logic was to go for sound quality plus there was a CD bonus track. We got back in the car, stuck it in the CD player and cruised around Boston and Cambridge all damn day with it serving as our personal theme music.

The photography, layout, and graphic design, done by Daniel Hastings’s CARTEL team, matched the visual aesthetic of their gritty videos — the visuals heightened the overall album experience. The songs and skits flowed together seamlessly as the narrative unraveled. From “Knuckleheadz” to “Knowledge God“ to “Incarcerated Scarfaces” to “Rainy Dayz” to “Spot Rusherz” to “Guillotine (Swordz),” which started out as an interlude on Method Man’s album but turned into a posse cut, the audience was transported to the world outlined so vividly by Rae and Ghost. Within a month’s time, there were very few places you could go without hearing Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… blaring out of either some Walkman headphones, a passing car, storefront, or an open apartment window. It was damn near inescapable in the late Summer/Fall 1995 and well into early 1996.

If I copped the cassette instead (which I normally did), I might’ve had the opportunity to own the fabled “Purple Tape,” which was reportedly limited to the first 10,000 cassettes manufactured. Initially, Raekwon requested the tapes be olive green but he was told by Loud/RCA that color wasn’t feasible, after being given options for colors that could release, a compromise was reached on purple. 25 years later, the “Purple Tape” is so iconic it’s referred to and its name is uttered by those who never even played a cassette tape before in their lives.

On August 3rd, 1995, the 2nd Annual Source Awards were held in Madison Square Garden’s Paramount Theater. The show was tense and chaotic, but the Wu-Tang Clan walked away with the Artist Of The Year, Group Award. It was clear by the atmosphere that the Rap world would never be the same again. Lines were drawn in the sand and the East Coast/West Coast beef intensified.  The South felt like red headed stepchildren via the less than enthusiastic reception OutKast received when they won Best New Artist Of The Year, Group Award.  And the fictional race for King Of New York went into overdrive after Notorious B.I.G. swept everything, shutting out Nas, who just over a year earlier was declared The Second Coming Of Rakim by The Source and given the coveted 5 mic rating for Illmatic.

Mobb Deep, Raekwon, and Ghostface knew they would weigh heavily in this competition going forward, especially after everyone heard the skit “Shark Niggas (Biters)” off Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…. They were all already in the game, but they deserved to be major players; they had put in the work and were about to finally reap some of the benefits that came with it.

“Yo! MTV Raps” had its final episode air live on August 17th, 1995. Method Man represented for the Wu-Tang Clan, but it was bittersweet as MTV no longer had anymore Rap-centric programming. Raekwon and Ghostface’s videos would be played as part of MTV medium rotation going forward.  Going forward, video premieres went to BET’s “Rap City” by default. Although MTV thought they were being progressive, they opted to suspend their flagship Rap showcase smack dab in the middle of a Golden Era, just before some of the biggest Rap albums ever were about to be released. Hindsight is 20/20…

Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… debuted at #2 on Billboard’s Top R&B Albums earning the prized distinction of the Hot Shot Debut, simultaneously entering the Billboard 200 at #4 on August 19th, 1995. In only 2 short months, it would become RIAA certified Gold on October 2nd, 1995 and spend a grand total for 44 weeks on the charts thanks to the crossover success of the Cappadonna assisted “Ice Cream” (#5 Hot Rap Singles and #37 Hot 100), with Method Man on the hook. Raekwon didn’t want this song on the album at first, but RZA was adamant not only did this need to make the album, but it needed to be a single. “Incarcerated Scarfaces” was the perfect B side. Turns out The Abbot was right again.

Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… was a commercial and critical success. The mainstream music press sung its praises, Rolling Stone, Spin, Vibe, NME, Mojo, and Entertainment Weekly all gave it highly favorable or outright glowing reviews. The Source gave it 4.5 mics, and when Stress Magazine debuted in October, 1995, they put Raekwon on their first cover. Hip Hop Connection in the UK also heaped praise on it as did Rap Pages. While it was a clean sweep from the press, in reality it was the fans and buyers who really had the final say.

On August 25th, 1995 the Def Jam Hip Hop documentary “The Show” opened in theaters. Without having a vehicle like MTV’s “Yo! MTV Raps” to aid in promoting it, it floundered at the box office. However, the soundtrack still managed to go Gold even though a great deal of the people who purchased it never even saw the film in theaters. The documentary featured Notorious B.I.G., Warren G and Wu-Tang Clan in primary roles.

In “The Show” we got our first look into the brotherly dynamic within the Wu-Tang Clan, as Raekwon and Ghostface Killah chided Method Man for giving what they thought was an overly descriptive answer to an interview question. It then turned into a full blown argument on a Japanese bullet train between Method Man and U God. Either way you looked at it, after August 1995, Raekwon and Ghostface Killah were each certified superstars now in mainstream circles. There was no turning back.

How influential was Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… when it was all said and done? Both rappers and R&B singers alike began using aliases after the album dropped for years afterwards. Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, and Charlie Baltimore were forming The Commission with Big adopting the identity of drug kingpin Frank White from the 1990 Abel Ferrara cult classic film King Of New York. Nas elaborated on his new Escobar persona on his 1996 sophomore album It Was Written, going as far as to introduce his version of the Wu-Gambinos, The Firm alongside AZ, Cormega, and newcomer Foxy Brown on the classic posse track “Affirmative Action”.

2Pac was reborn as Makaveli, Common switched his alias from Petey Wheatstrow to Willie Stargell, Ice Cube became Don Mega, Fat Joe was now Don Cartagena, Jay-Z became Jay Hova, Jermaine Dupri transformed into Don Chi Chi, and even legendary R&B singer Ron Isley was re-imagined as crime boss Mr. Biggs in December 1995. Cats even began sampling the score of Once Upon A Time In America, and tried to flip beats featuring Zamfir, Master Of The Pan Flute. Strange times, indeed.

Master P took it a step further, making an independent film based on his new alter ego tied into his 1998 LP called MP Da Last Don.  Rappers began trying to come up with their own slang and attempting to do skits that sounded like knockoffs of the slang and skits heard on The Infamous… and Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…, which, if you listened to their respective albums closely, you’d know they didn’t appreciate. Imitation might be the sincerest form of flattery, but biting is strictly forbidden. However, when the entire game is talking about “ice” and Cristal to the point De La Soul addresses all the posing on their 1996 classic LP Stakes Is High, it was clear that things had gotten out of hand. Raekwon and Oli “Power” Grant were even able to spin their Wu-Gambino persona off into the 1999 James Toback cult film Black And White, which starred Raekwon, Power, and American Cream Team alongside Robert Downey Jr., Brooke Shields, Ben Stiller, Bijou Phillips, and Mike Tyson.

Here we are now, 25 years later reflecting on the album that not only continued the now legendary run of RZA-produced solo Wu-Tang albums, extended the post Illmatic continuum after The Infamous…, simultaneously setting the table for GZA’s Liquid Swords, plus Jay-Z’s classic 1996 debut album, Reasonable Doubt, which dropped months before Ghostface’s debut album, Ironman.

Now the famed “Purple Tape” is regarded as one of the consensus classic Rap albums and Gold standards of thematic and sonic achievement, to the point every time I watch John Woo’s The Killer or Once Upon A Time In America, I instantly think of Only Built 4 Cuban Linx….