Return to the Cuban Linx

"See these fans can’t resist the rush, they Wu Tang for life, scarred for life, they can’t forget the cuts” - Method Man

To begin this article I had to go way back to 1994. I went into my CD collection (pictured below) and looked in the stacks for the object, or at least, the reason why I was so amped yesterday. September 15th 2009 saw the release of the LONG awaited “Only Built For Cuban Linx Pt.2”. It has been even longer since I was this amped up for any album. The sequel to one of my personal favorite albums of all time, is finally here. Was it everything it should be? Was it everything it HAD to be? Does it deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as its predecessor? Christ yes!

Let’s roll it back shall we? Flip back to 1995, a year after arguably the best year for hip-hop, everything was dope and everyone was dropping albums that as it turns out would stand the test of time. Near the head of the class was the Clan. The entire Wu-Tang Clan. A group Tom and I never agreed on. Back in those days the Wu could do no wrong and I loved the grimmey dark sound they created. Tom on the other hand, was a fan of a few of their cuts, but hated most of the stuff die hard Wu fans loved, (see: Liquid Swords). It didn’t matter who, if they were from the Wu, I had their album.

In late summer 1995 I remember walking uptown to the local Sam the Record Man store. I went in for an album that escapes me, but I recall being upset it wasn’t there. As I was flipping through the cd’s I remember seeing a lot of stuff I already had, then as I flicked an album by onto the next, something caught my eye. I flipped back, and there in all it’s glory, was Raekwon’s debut album “Only Built for Cuban Linx”. How did I forget this was dropping? I completely missed it. What kind of fan am I that I would forget this album was now available? I hurried to the checkout to pay for my new purple spine CD, as he was counting my change I ripped open the plastic and whipped out my Discman (Tom, remember when a Discman was top of the line, With 3 second anti skip?).

Before I was even out of the store, I was listening to the appropriately titled introduction (Striving for Perfect) to an album that would define and cap a time that will forever be remembered as the best time in hip-hop. Song after song, line after line, Rae, Ghost, and the rest of the Wu unleashed an intricate, masterly sculpted album. Raekwon, as any other musician is an artist, and this was his Mona Lisa. I can’t even begin to tell you how many spins this cd has had over the years, and even today, there isn’t a modern hip-hop album that comes to mind that can go track for track with what Rae gave us all those years ago.

And here we are in 2009, September, almost 15 years since the world had its first listen to that album. Rae followed up his classic with a couple records that had some songs that kept him relevant, but never recapturing the magic of his first release. But for some reason, when I first heard “Only Built for Cuban Linx Part 2” was going to be released, I knew that Rae would once again be unveiling an album that has been sorely lacking in the hip-hop world of today. I didn’t even need to hear it to know he would not call this album a sequel to a classic, unless he knew what he had crafted, was worthy. Let’s be honest here. Everyone knows sequels generally destroy the original, as when you think about the classic, the awful sequel(s) always come up. See Police Academy 2 through 19 or wherever they stopped, American Pie, The Matrix, Batmans (Pre Chris Nolan) and on and on. So the chances realistically that a sequel to one of the best hip-hop albums of all time could be a stinker, were very real. But someone forget to tell Raekwon.

Raekwon must have action planned this whole project, from beginning to end. He must have known the subject matter, the beats, the guests and the vibe before he ever stepped into the booth. To call an album a sequel to such a highly regarded piece of work, he had to do his homework. After first listen, then second...third...forth...and fifth, its very apparent that Rae holds his debut as close to his heart as we the fans do, because he damn near reached the level of perfect he was striving for way back then.

It’s not hard to know that Rae is a fan of film. His songs and albums, personas are all heavily based on themes from popular movies. Scarface, the Godfather, and other movies based around the rise and fall of master criminals. And after listening through OBFCL2 yet again, one sees that he was a student of Francis Ford Coppolas, George Lucas, heck even Kevin Smith. Why these men? There are all examples of people who were able to create a sequel to their original work, without destroying it, and in some cases, if not all, surpassing the original subject matter. The key to making a strong sequel, in my eyes, is to not attempt to RE DO the original work. Rather one should try to maintain the spirit of the original while updating the listener or viewers since we last left off.

In this vein, Raekwon does exactly that. Instead of a collection of songs with no real direction or an album with no flow, we get an album that allows Rae and fam to do what they do best--be storytellers. The original was completely produced by The Rza, this time however Raekwon relies on a collection of tracks from some of the best beat smiths of this and past generations. Dre, Dilla, Rza, Scarm Jones, and Pete Rock to name a few. It’s rare nowadays to see a collection of producers of this caliber on one project, even more signs that this was going to be a great album. The question is, was it all it HAD to be?

For this writer, life long "Hip Hopper", and fan, it exceeded my expectations. I expect a dope album without any doubt, but today’s standards are, well, lessened by the generation we are in. The production that made us all fall in love with the early 90’s hip hop is largely gone, replaced by synthesized nonsense, cuts and scratches replaced with robotic voices or chipmunks. The MC is only part of the equation. Every aspect has to be on point for me to truly love an album. I happy to tell you all, that everyone involved in this project stepped their game up, and helped Raekwon craft an album worthy to be called “Only Built for Cuban Linx Pt 2”.

22 tracks deep +2 bonus on I-Tunes, Only one “skit” being the intro, leaves us 23 tracks that flow and keep the listener engaged and wanting more. THAT is the key, to be able to end a song and want the fan waiting with anticipation for the next track to begin. Many albums today you skip through and find the couple cuts that are the standouts. To deliver an album that demands you listen without skipping forward is a damn rare feat, but in the 23 tracks that create this album, there wasn’t once that I said, “I need to skip this track”. Raekwon, Ghostface, Deck, Method Man, RZA, GZA, Masta Killa, and Cappadonna all do their part to remind fans, why we love the Wu Tang Clan in the first place.

“House of Flying Daggers” is a perfect jump off to the album, continuing with a strong opening posse cut with a wu banger beat. It’s damn nice to hear these cats spit over raw tracks again. “The New Wu” should be getting play on Much Music and MTV as much as any current artist, it’s a return to form for the mighty Clan. Rza dropped arguably his best beat in years, Method sounds hungry again, and ghost flows as if he has to show the world exactly why there are Wu Heads.

“Sonny’s Missing” sees Rae spit a story like only he can over a Pete Rock laced track. It’s tracks like this that Raekwon fans love to hear from Rae, he truly does use his voice and words as a canvas for the world. “Pyrex Vision” is one of the strongest cuts on the entire album, however it’s only 55 seconds long. If EVER a song needed to be remixed, it’s this one. Same beat, same slow tempo, but let it flow for another 2 minutes. In the end however, it is one of the shortest classic cuts I have ever heard. “Cold Outside”, “Black Mozart”, “Mean Streets”, ”Kiss the Ring”, and “Catalina” are all examples of Rae and the Wu continuing with emotional, personal songs that they perfected with songs like “Heaven and Hell”. Ghost was featured on the album way back when, and he continues to be his half brothers strongest supporter, as he is all over this album as well.

Missing from this entire project is obviously Ol Dirty Bastard. One of the most original, funny, and talented members of the Wu, he is remembered on this album. “Ason Jones” is a tribute track by Raekwon told over a Dilla beat. Is there anything more touching then the fact Raekwon chose to remember his fallen brother, over a track produced by a man who died due to health complications? The lyrics and Rae’s emotions are for ODB, but the tone and perfection remind us how talented J-Dilla was. It’s times like this it’s painful to reminisce, and hard to be hip-hop.

In the end however, this album does what I, and I think every fan wanted it to do. Take us back to a time when it was all about showing and proving, almost daring his peers to listen and try to out album him. My only complaints are that “Pyrex Vision” is far too short, and where the hell is U-God? After dropping his surprisingly strong “Dopium” I would love to have heard him go “Knuckleheadz” on a track or two. Sales and support for this album seem to be strong, hitting #1 on I-tunes (not available on I-tunes Canada??) and seeing artists such as NORE and Torre supporting with the wallet, I truly hope this is the start of resurgence in the sound we all grew up loving. Remember, you don’t have to “RE-DO” to win us all back, you just have to "RE-CAPTURE" us. For lessons on how to do this, please listen to “Only Built For Cuban Linx Part 2”. From here on out, artists will be scored accordingly. The Chef is back, and he cooked a perfect continuation to a classic.

Rob

Tom's notes: 

• Liquid Swords just never did it for me.  I think the initial exposure to this album being the "Liquid Swords" track just killed the rest for me.
• Don't forget Speed 2.  It literally killed that franchise on the spot....wtf is this?
• I had a discman with no skip protection.  A rotating disc that is read by a laser constructed to be carted around?  Fail.
• And finally, Raekwon's first Cuban Linx was for me (me being not a big Wu fan) a true classic in the making..as it became.