| | Raekwon Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... CD Raekwon Discography of CDs
 (33 Customer Reviews)
The topics on CUBAN LINX are all Chef-centered braggadocio, and the beats constantly reflect the hip-hop underground. Raekwon defines the politics of the rap game on "Incarcerated Scarfaces," and invites any non-believers to test his skills. ... Full DescriptionJoining Raekwon on just about every cut, fellow Clan-man Ghost Face Killer gives a great solo effort on "Wisdom Body."
In fact, CUBAN LINX bares closer resemblance to an actual Wu-Tang Clan album than any solo record by a Wu-Tang member. The backing track for "Guillotine (Swordz)" was previously introduced on Method Man's solo album TICAL, and Raekwon and his crew expand on it for a quick flashback. "Can It Be All So Simple" also returns--this time in a remixed form. These two songs, along with "Ice Cream" and "Wu-Gambinos" (both of which feature Method Man), should feed the habits of hungry Wu-fiends. Raekwon's chamber briefly escapes the Clan's musical borders on "Verbal Intercourse," and though the track evokes other Wu-Tang material, Nas' lyrical presence adds a different dimension to the album's haunting reality.
As usual, The RZA dominates the production on each razor-sharp cut, and with appearences from just about every Clan MC, ONLY BUILT 4 CUBAN LINX... could easily be a Raekwon-sponsored Wu-Tang reunion.
The Wu-Tang saga continues. Raekwon "The Chef" is already an irreplacable part of rap music's largest breed, the Wu-Tang Clan, but his debut proves him also capable of standing on his own two feet. On ONLY BUILT 4 CUBAN LINX..., Raekwon's street-tough lyrics spotlight the roughness of his everyday life and, combined with short story interludes, shape the plot for this gangster movie of an album.
Personnel includes: Raekwon, 62nd Assassin Of Sunz Of Man, Lucky Hands a/k/a Golden Arms, Cappachino, Noodles a/k/a Master Killa (rap vocals); Blue Raspberry (vocals).
Rolling Stone (5/13/99, p.74) - Included in Rolling Stone's "Essential Recordings of the 90's."
Spin (9/99, p.162) - Ranked #83 in Spin Magazine's "90 Greatest Albums of the '90s."
Spin (12/95, p.63) - Ranked #14 on Spin's list of the `20 Best Albums Of '95.'
Spin (11/95, p.125) - 8 - Very Good - "...the sonic equivalent of a John Woo movie; tales filled with gunshots...assassins with their own special codes of morals...and a beautiful woman mourning the loss of a lover caught up in the drama....Raekwon paints pictures so vivid you smell the gunpowder and wipe the blood on your shirt-tails..."
Entertainment Weekly (8/18/95, p.57) - "...rapper Raekwon at his lightning-quickest and producer RZA at his razor sharpest....Underneath the meaty rhymes are RZA's spooky, discordant keyboards and wailing female vocal samples..." - Rating: A-
Q (8/00, p.120) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Thrillingly malevolent...and surprisingly melancholy...with RZA's dense sample collages as labyrinthine as the lyrics....[It] remains one of the milestones of '90s hip hop."
The Wire (10/01, p.46) - "...Irreducibly New York, smeared and self-referential, like a neighborhood that feels familiar but isn't....An album of sense and sensibility..."
Vibe (9/95, p.180) - "...Raekwon rips through rhymes like no other lyricist exists--he looks at every other MC like dinner. Not quite a solo debut, Rae puts his man Ghost...down on practically every cut....since practically every MC who knows...something was itching to get...on this album, those who made the cut...are cream..."
The Source (9/95, p.97) - 4.5 Mics - Superior - "...Raekwon...sprays out lyrics like gunfire....On CUBAN LINX, a barrage of sound effects, screams, samples and dialogue conjure up images of a gangsta movie....another success for Shaolin's finest..."
Melody Maker (8/26/95, p.37) - Recommended - "...frequently excellent....the offshoots [of the Wu-Tang Clan] have been phenomenal....If ONLY didn't outstay its welcome by about 10 minutes, it'd be sharing a pedestal with [Method Man's] TICAL..."
Rap Pages (10/95, p.31) - 9 (out of 10) - "...Much like the main character of Cain in MENACE II SOCIETY and Biggie in his READY TO DIE odyssey, Rae is threatening, funny, calculated, arrogant, charismatic, talented, so on and so on..."
Village Voice (2/20/96) - Ranked #15 in Village Voice's 1995 Pazz & Jop Critics' Poll.
New York Times (Publisher) (1/6/96, p.C16) - Included on Neil Strauss' list of the Top 10 Albums of `95 - "...an intricately worded, copiously produced disk that unravels with the delirium of an action film..."
NME (Magazine) (12/23-30/95, pp.22-23) - Ranked #29 in NME's `Top 50 Albums Of The Year' for 1995.
NME (Magazine) (8/19/95, p.51) - 8 (out of 10) - "...a serious depth charge of an LP....When you hear the rough street-edged voices, spouting gritty rhymes over heavy beats, you hear the word from the `ghetto' as if handed down from the mount..." Hide Description Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Music | Category | Rock/Pop Albums, R&B CDs, Rap, Urban Soundtrack, East Coast Rap | | Label | Loud / RCA | | Orig Year | 1995 | | All Time Sales Rank |  3467  | | CD Universe Part number | 1111641 | | Catalog number | 66663 | | Discs | 1 | | Release Date | Aug 01, 1995 | | Studio/Live | Studio | | Mono/Stereo | Stereo | | Producer | RZA | | Engineer | RZA | | Recording Time | 73 minutes | | Personnel | Raekwon
Also: Nas, Method Man, Ghostface Killah, Rza, Inspectah Deck, Ghost Face Killer, Genius, Blue Raspberry, 62nd Assassin Of Sunz Of Man, Cappachino, Golden Arms, Master Killa |
Raekwon Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Songs Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Music Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Music Review Average Rating: (4.7 out of 5 stars)   List All Reviews Pretty good
Liquid Swords IMO is RZA's best work and the best WU solo release and this would be second after looking at all the others, they are in no way that good compared to this and Liquid Swords. Raekwon should of got help from GZA on how to make a god damn album because there is too many tracks on here with a lot of unnecessary talking. other than that its dope no doubt.
Submitted by Esteban (Land of real hip-hop)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No 1 of 2 found this helpful.
 SHOULD GET 10 STARS
THE BEST OUTPUT FROM THE WU CAMP, DON'T GET ME WRONG THE WU HAS PUT OUT ALOT OF CLASSIC JOINTS, BUT THIS IS THE VERY, VERY BEST, RZA WAS IN A ZONE WITH THIS ONE... THIS ALBUM IS UP THERE WITH THE PAID IN FULLS, ILLMATICS, READY TO DIE. ONE OF THE TOP TEN HIP HOP ALBUM EVER MADE, 14 YEARS LATER IT STILL BANGS AS IT, IT CAME OUT YESTERDAY.
Submitted by CLONGS (BROOKLYN, (East NY))
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No
CLASSIC
EVARY SONG ON HERE IS CLASSIC WU MATERIAL. THIS WAS WHEN THE WU WAS IN THEIR PRIME BACK IN THE MID 90S. CAN'T WAIT THIS SUMMER IN ROCK THE BELLS HIM AND GHOSTFACE ARE PERFORMING THE WHOLE NEW CUBAN LINX 2 ALBUM.
Submitted by REY (MIAMI, FL, USA)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No The king CHEF!
this cd is a must have! wu-tang would be nothing without raekwon the chef cooking up some good songs!
Submitted by ghettolbc23 (Long Beach, California)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No CLASSIC
THE BEST ALBUM OUT OF THE WU-TANG CAMP... HAND DOWN.... TOP TEN HIP HOP ALBUM OF ALL TIME...
Submitted by CLONGS (BROOKLYN, NY (East NY))
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No List All Reviews | Have you heard this album? |  |
Purchase Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... CD To buy, Click on price to add to cart
|
|
 |
|
|
buttons below to play song samples
Adobe Flash
Email a Friend
