KevinNottingham.com contributer Addi Stewart had the chance to chop it up with Raekwon for an exclusive interview. Check it out
Today, history is officially made. Only Built For Cuban Linx Part 2 is available to the world. It’s been 14 years in the making, a lifetime and a half in hip hop chronology. But the righteous ones live forever in music, and Shallah Raekwon is nothing short of an Older God and Grandmaster MC in these martial/language arts. Fuck the new jacks who don’t know the name brand or game plan. And while you’re at it, fuck all the bullshit that has accumulated in rap culture that people talk about, which essentially has nothing to do with the quality of words, thoughts and visions in an MC’s mind. All that matters is that which helps them manifest destiny’s masterpiece. Some will, some never will come close. Carrying on tradition is the ultimate immortality, and Louis Rich Diamonds is still the motherfucker not to fuck with (ask that former Def Jam rapper who shall remain nameless). Above and beyond all the motherfuckin’ ruckus in modern day rap, peace to everything else the eternally amazing Wu-Tang Clan collective has done, and will continue do. But let it be known: this particular CD is truly special beyond explanation. Considering the cinematic magic of the first ‘Cuban Linx’ album severely influenced more MCs, producers, crimies, drug dealers and bank robbers than almost any album in hip hop history, the fact that this one is now officially done, and ready for the world, and not another one of the infamously mythological unfinished rap fantasies of the Wu-Tang Clan, is nothing short of a miracle.
I have the purple tape. I was there in ’95 when Raekwon released the first album. I remember spending the summer playing it back and forth, from the “Can It Be That It Was All So Simple” remix on side A, to the “Heaven and Hell remix” at the end of side B. Over. And over. And over. (Whatchu know about flipping over cassettes? Auto-reverse? Sheeeit. Do the knowledge, God.) I remember them days. Like ODB said about the ’36 Chambers’ sessions, I don’t remember them very well, due to the all the drugs and alcohol injested, but I remember them. And I’m glad I’m alive to see one of the most anticipated album sequels of all time finally be released to the world. Motherfuckers today need to understand the levels, the chambers, the dimensions and the depths of this artform, and stop fucking around too much. But if they don’t get it, like Raekwon says: fuck ‘em. Your enormous loss, fool. Go play that ringtone hipster rap bullshit and pretend it’s classic material. In two years, when that trend is played the fuck out, you might be ready for this hellafied real and creative martial arts Mafioso rap Shaolin Island genius shit. But if not, it’s okay, Raekwon already knows it’s not for all of you. This sequel was only built for Cuban Linx niggas.
Quick fast, we reflect like the sky be blue, true: Wu-Tang saga continue.
Pop in that purple disc, and enjoy this meeting of the minds.
Politic, ditto.
Mindbender: I saw that thing you did for Caribana weekend, just bigging up the City of Toronto, a lot of people don’t know but some do. What have you seen over the years as you have come here?
Raekwon: I definitely see a community that is like out to grow. People is out here really trying to get their life together and make moves and maneuver for better, you know what I mean? It reminds me of home. One thing I learned about out here, is that you can go to many different parts of Canada and not realize how big it is. But everywhere you go, you got a different place that looks like where I’m from, which is New York. You got spots that look like Chicago out here, that look like L.A. out here. Different places, so that’s what I see out here. The environment is almost identical.
Mindbender: Some cats gotta realize that. Cause they don’t know how good they got it here.
Raekwon: You know, at the end of the day, people is just oblivious to where they have never been. So when you think of Canada, you think of a real strict, strict strict place that may be hard for everybody to get in, depending if you got a criminal record or whatever. But at the end of the day, it’s the same world. The same poverty life, the same strive for perfection, everything.
Mindbender: Hey, do you know if Ghostface will ever be able to make it here? I heard he had a warrant and it breaks my heart, but I know they fuck with Wu trying to get in.
Raekwon: Yeah, I did hear the same thing that he did have a warrant. But you know, at the end of the day he gonna find a way how to get in here and make it happen, so all we can do is just hope they let him in. Sometimes, it depends who you meet up here. But they will let him in eventually, word. I believe they will let him in.
Mindbender: So, let’s talk about the album, cause I have a purple cassette. I been riding with the Wu most of my life. It means a lot for me to see the day where the sequel to Cuban Linx is finally coming true. This is a major event in hip hop history, forget these new school kids who don’t know how big this moment is. The creation process… you put out mixtapes, you been doing nuff songs. How did you choose the album?
Raekwon: Well, you know, first and foremost, I had a lot of stuff that I was holding on to, nah mean. Where I wasn’t really allowed to touch them things cause I knew them was for particular reasons. But I made sure I kept the powerful shit over here and keep the semi-shit over there you know. One thing about me is, with the album, I wanted to come with a powerful beat selection. That’s my thing, I’m the type of MCs that really looks at beats as something important to help the people understand where I want to go with it. and we wanted this shit to just be super hard. So I made sure of that, that we kept it in the street. Made sure we gave y’all the signature storytelling that everybody really love me for, and its just production, man. When you’re sitting around a whole team of producers that want you to win and you know what direction you want to go in as far as taking it back to make a person reminisce and still move forward, it was almost like a gift and a curse situation. Me wanting to go back, but still trying to move forward and give you some kind of production that is different from a lot of cats tho, so. I really think we did a good job and met that criteria right there.
