Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… Pt. II
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. II | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
|||||||||||
| Studio album by Raekwon | |||||||||||
| Released | September 8, 2009 | ||||||||||
| Recorded | 2005–2009 | ||||||||||
| Genre | East Coast hip hop | ||||||||||
| Length | 70:52 (US) 77:51 (EU) |
||||||||||
| Label | Ice H2O/EMI Records 50999 9 68794 2 9 E2-68794 |
||||||||||
| Producer | Raekwon, RZA(exec.) Dr. Dre, J Dilla, Necro, Mathematics, Marley Marl, Mark Batson, Pete Rock, The Alchemist, Erick Sermon, Scram Jones, Allah Justice, BT, Icewater Productions |
||||||||||
| Professional reviews | |||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| Raekwon chronology | |||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| Wu-Tang Clan solo chronology | |||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. II is the fourth solo album by American hip hop rapper and Wu-Tang Clan-member Raekwon, released September 8, 2009, on Ice H2O/EMI Records in the United States. It is the sequel to his critically acclaimed debut album, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… (1995).
The album debuted at number 4 on the Billboard 200 and at number 2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, while selling near 68,000 copies in its first week. It received universal acclaim from music critics, based on an aggregate score of 89/100 from Metacritic. Rolling Stone magazine named it the twenty-fifth best album of 2009.[11] It has sold 139,000 copies according to SoundScan.
Contents |
[edit] Background
The album was originally announced in late 2005, when it was stated that Busta Rhymes would be executive producing the album.[12] In January 2006, Raekwon announced that the album was finished, and production was largely credited to RZA, with RZA and Busta Rhymes being named executive producers.[13] In 2006, it was revealed that Wu-Tang Clan members GZA and Inspectah Deck would be featured, returning with their Wu-Gambino personas.[14]
Busta Rhymes' influence on the project became more solidified when it was announced Raekwon had signed a contract with Dr. Dre's label Aftermath Entertainment, to which Busta was signed.[15] The deal was structured so that the released would be a joint venture between Wu-Tang and Aftermath Entertainment. After a period of time and reported delays in the recording process, the two parties eventually separated from the original agreement. The decision came after it was revealed Dr. Dre had reportedly become creatively tied up with his personal Detox record, and had lost interest in working on Raekwon's album.[16] Raekwon stated in an interview that Aftermath isn't the label the album will be released on, stating Dr. Dre is a busy man and may not have the time to give the album his full attention,[17] but that two tracks from the album were produced by Dr. Dre.[18]
A supposed insider from Aftermath spoke about the album and its repeated delays:
| “ | The Raekwon album came in done. It’s finished! It’s a finished record. Dre did two records. We were doing the deal, and during the deal the Christmas break came. We took a break for two weeks—came back—Dre acted like we never spoke! I was like, ‘All right, this Raekwon thing,’ and he’s like, 'Nah, I ain’t fuckin’ with that no more.'[19][20] | ” |
The album, which was still not released by 2007, and was named the #6 most anticipated album of 2007 by XXL Magazine,[21] though it would be pushed back numerous times and numerous changes were made to the release date.
In an interview with HipHopDX.com, Raekwon commented on the upcoming album:
| “ | It’s damn near 200% done. I wanna drop it on a major, but you’re definitely gonna get it by the summer of next year. By hook or crook. If I gotta do it independent, I gotta release it. I did a lot of hard work on this record and I refuse to throw it out and people be like, 'Yo, Rae, I ain’t know your shit was out.' Nah, I can’t afford for that to happen no more. That happened to me on The Lex Diamond Story. That happened to me on Immobilarity. I’m not going for it on this one. I’m not letting the industry control my destiny on this record. People been wanting this record for the last 10 years, so I gotta make sure that this shit is bulletproof.[22] | ” |
Near the end of 2007, Wu-Tang Clan group leader RZA came under attack from members Ghostface Killah[23] and Raekwon[24] over the production of the group's 2007 album 8 Diagrams, with Raekwon even going as far as to say he would not include any of RZA's production on the album.
| “ | [On 8 Diagrams], whatever else he wanted to grow on, we weren’t crazy over it. And that’s the whole thing people took out of context. No one tried to take anything away from RZA as a producer. It was more or less you can’t be selfish, and have to work with everybody’s ears and eyes on something. Him being the dude that he is with mad platinum albums, some n*ggas be super cocky. ‘I don’t wanna hear nothing, I got this.’ That’s what happened in that situation.[25] | ” |
Raekwon and RZA later made up with Raekwon deciding to work with RZA who served as the album's executive producer.[16]
While the album wasn't talked about much in 2008, in an interview with DJ Semtex, Raekwon stated the album was set for release in February 2009, as he stated it could be ready at that point, but he continued to fine-tune and add more material.[26]
The album's first single, originally entitled "Wu Ooh" and later retitled "New Wu"[27], was released for playback on various radio mixshows, including New York's Hot 97, with an official video being released on the internet. The video features Ghostface Killah and Method Man, who rap their verses respectively as well as guest appearances from The Alchemist, The RZA, Cappadonna, Inspectah Deck and other Wu-Tang affiliates including Popa Wu.[28]
In interviews in early 2009, he stated the album will be released through his own label, Icewater Records,[29] with him later confirming EMI as another label the album will be released on.[30]
In April 2009, Raekwon conducted an interview with XXL where it was confirmed that Busta Rhymes would no longer be credited as executive producer on the album.[31] In the same interview it was stated that the album would be released on August 11, 2009.[31] Raekwon later announced that, due to a leak of a song on the album entitled "Surgical Gloves," as well as sample clearance issues, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. II would be pushed back once again to September 8, 2009.[32]
[edit] Structure and lyricism
The album follows a similar crime laced cinematic approach as the original. In keeping with the structure of and concept of OB4CL the loose storyline of a mafioso crime boss is told mainly from the 3rd person. It is combined with carefully placed skits weaved into the beginnings and ends of songs.
In contrast to the first album/story where the main character is attempting to leave behind a criminal life, here he has seemingly embraced the life. The narrative has these older characters taking a look back at their pitfalls and spoils as they have finally risen to the top. "While many of their '90s peers recycle toothless tautologies about bringing New York back or vainly wrestle with advanced age by collaborating with flavor-of-the-minute flotsam and jetsam, Raekwon and Ghostface Killah refuse to stay forever young. Proudly profane, the two come off as salty mafia dons with long memories, too old to change their ways but with the narrative skill and eye for detail of master storytellers in their prime."[33]
The album's final track, "Kiss The Ring" has Masta Killa's narration summarizing the loose concept of the story and closing the album in film-like fashion.
The lyricism displayed on OB4CL2 has been highly praised, especially Raekwon's performances:
| “ | ...on more and more of these Cuban Linx II cuts, Raekwon himself ends up walking away with top honors; he doesn't always nab the big one-liner, but his presence on these songs is irrefutably huge.[34] | ” |
[edit] Recording
Announced producers were confirmed to include RZA, J Dilla, Dr. Dre,[35], Erick Sermon, Mathematics;[36] Marley Marl[37], Scram Jones, Pete Rock and The Alchemist.[31][38]
There was some speculation as to what RZA's role would be on OB4CL2. On the original album, RZA was the only producer to contribute as well as the album's executive producer. Raekwon had commented early on that the sequel would be different in this light. "[RZA] definitely put his two cent in and made his elements, and that’s what it’s about. But I can’t allow one man to lead my destiny no more."[39] Raekwon spoke on the difficulties of working on the project with the legendary producer:
| “ | One thing about RZA is he’s like the Wizard of Oz. He’ll give what he feels like giving you, but he has other shit that he doesn’t really admire too much because it doesn’t represent his growth and development process. I knew he already had it; it’s just hard to get him to go back into his bag of goodies because he’s so used to dealing with another bag right now. So that was the situation with the first album. I felt like ‘yo, I want this sound.’ But he was like ‘this is going to be the new sound!’ So now it happens to be a want situation. RZA is the type where you’ll ask for this, and he’ll give you something else. But he always has what you want [laughs]. You may have to search for a little bit, do some soul searching, but you’ll find what you need. That’s why happened on Cuban Linx II. I got what I needed from him for my shit.[25] | ” |
During Rock the Bells '09, Raekwon spoke on the importance of getting the right producers on board with the project:
| “ | I allowed myself to track down some of the finest niggas in the game that done it and basically get them involved with the project. RZA was always there to do whatever, whatever... but at the same token I wanted more. You know what I mean, I wanted to go out and challenge myself even more with different production and different producers.[40] | ” |
Raekwon spoke on what it was like getting the opportunity to rhyme over the late J Dilla's production:
| “ | He's like a Dre, man. He's like a Dre and a RZA, like a combo. You know what I mean and I think that he didn't really get the full fledged support that he's supposed to get. But, in my book, he's that Nigga. And he came with the flamers![40] | ” |
| “ | Dilla, he’s a musical maestro, a Quincy Jones in his own world. I did not know his power until I listened to his catalog. He played his part in hip-hop. I’m glad to be involved with him. It was a blessing. He stepped his grizzly up for me. He gave the tracks that special blend. Thanks to Busta for making it happen. I got this while Dilla was still alive. I worked with the best, it was bound to happen. I really appreciated his energy.[41] | ” |
Expectations grew high for the album as wide variety of reports attached various guests and producers to the project. An all-star cast of musicians appeared on the record, but many more of these reported collaborations did not come to fruition or did not make the final cut. Reports mentioned Raekwon working with a wide variety of guests as well. Raekwon stated The Game[42] and Travis Barker would be featured on the album,[38] although neither would appear on the final product. Raekwon mentioned in an interview that a track was recorded with Bun B (of UGK) called "Never Used To Matter".[39] Bun B earlier said in a Pitchfork Media interview that he was to be featured in the album, however the mentioned track was not on the final cut.[43] Raekwon stated that rapper Nas wished to be on the album, featured on a song with a familiar style to an earlier collaboration from the two, "Verbal Intercourse".[25] Despite this, a collaboration with Nas was not recorded for the album. According to New York rapper Sean Price, Raekwon had originally planned on putting Nas alongside Jadakiss on the song "Broken Safety"[44].
[edit] Release
On July 22, 2009, a report was published which claimed numerous collaborations, final track names, and producers.[45] A month later on August 27, another report was published featuring the final track listing.[46]. The two reports listed most of the same tracks, but with slight differences in names, producers, and featured guests. The change lead to the perception that there were many tracks cut from the final listing, however it is more likely that the details were transcribed incorrectly as most of the tracks listed were released in some form. The final album differed from the initial report as follows:
- "Godfather" retitled to "Black Mozart" (was previously a solo track called "Secret Indictment")
- "40 Deuce" retitled to "Broken Safety"
- "Wu Ooh" retitled to "New Wu"
- "Nigga Me" retitled to "About Me"
- "Kareem Khan" retitled to "We Will Rob You"
- "Walk Wit Me" was moved to a European/iTunes Bonus track
"Criminology 09" featuring Ghostface Killah and "Rockstar" featuring Inspectah Deck & GZA were the only songs listed in the report that was eventually cut from the final line-up.[45] "Criminology 09" had been earlier leaked and discussed by Raekwon as being included on the effort.[25] An additional song was added to the August report and remained in the final line-up titled "Baggin Crack" and produced by Erick Sermon. It is only available on the explicit version of the album.[46]
[edit] Reception
Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… Pt. II was released on September 8, 2009 and was ranked the number one downloaded album available on iTunes for the first three days of its release[47]. It debuted at number 4 on the Billboard 200 and at number 2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, the same positioning as the original Only Built 4 Cuban Linx..., while selling near 68,000 copies in its first week.[48] Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… Pt. II has sold 132,000 copies in the United States as of November 12, 2009, according to SoundScan.[49]
Upon release, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… Pt. II received universal acclaim from most music critics, based on an aggregate score of 89/100 from Metacritic.[50] Allmusic gave it 4 out of 5 stars and lauded Raekwon's lyrical ability, writing that he is "in top form, spitting out rhymes worthy of the Wu logo", while calling its production "equally magnificent".[1] Los Angeles Times writer Jeff Weiss called the effect of the album's various producers "analogous to the hip-hop version of 'The Departed': filled with virtuosic star-studded performances, heavily indebted to Asian cinema, and tweaking rather than transforming a timeless aesthetic".[3] The A.V. Club's Nathan Rabin it an A- rating and praised the album's "vivid crime-world narratives rich in pulpy detail".[2] Giving it a 4½ out of 5 star rating, Tiny Mix Tapes wrote that Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...Pt. II meets the "charged" expectations of a sequel to the original and called it "dense, dignified" and "flat-out SOLID".[51] Toronto Star writer Corey Mintz gave the album 3½ out of 4 stars and commended Raekwon for his ability as an emcee, writing "Raekwon still simmers with the same confident tempo, as if never breathing in or out".[52] In a rave review of the album, Sobhi Abdul-Rakhman of Sputnikmusic gave Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. II a 5 out of 5 star rating and wrote:
Every cut is worth its weight here; every lyrical performance is equally inspired as its production counterpart … Everything about Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Pt. II demands worship and solidifies Raekwon as one of history's best with a continuation that exceeds his original debut in every way imaginable. This is a more mature and intelligent Wu Tang and proves that one truly does improve their verbal skills with age.[9]—Sobhi Abdul-Rakhman
USA Today's Steve Jones gave it 3½ out of 4 stars and called its cinematic crime narratives "rivetting".[53] Henry Adaso of About.com commended Ghostface Killah for his contributions to the album and gave it 4 out of 5 stars.[54] Spin gave Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… Pt. II 3½ out of 5 stars, writing that its songs "contain some of his most rewind-worthy bars in years".[55] The University of California, Berkeley's student publication, The Daily Californian, applauded the album's diverse but seamless production as its highlight, writing that "Pt. II displays a dizzying roster of 13 producers ... each with well-established and distinct takes on their craft. Rather than playing out as some sort of haphazard compilation, the album flows seamlessly. The myriad of producers didn't work together, but somehow they all managed to end up on the same page. If anything, this is what makes Only Built 4 Cuban Linx ... Pt. II so fantastic".[56]
Pitchfork Media's Nate Patrin gave the album a rating of 8.8/10, commending its guest contributions and calling it "as good as fans have been hoping for".[5] Patrin compared Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… Pt. II to Ghostface Killah's Fishscale (2006), writing that "Like Ghostface's modern classic, this album defies hip-hop's current atmosphere of youthful cockiness and aging complacency".[5] The album also came #5 on the website's Top 50 Albums of 2009. The New York Times's Jon Caramanica called the album "impressive" and stated "That it’s inconsistent with everything in hip-hop that surrounds it only adds to the album’s charm". Paste magazine gave it a rating of 87/100 and called it "a classic, and one of the best albums to come out of the New York rap scene in the last decade".[57] In December 2009, Pt. II was chosen as 'Album of the Year' in the Hip Hop DX countdown, and was described as "...the Hip Hop equivalent to The Godfather 2, with Rae as revitalized as Marlon was." Raekwon himself was selected as Best Emcee of 2009 (fellow New Yorker Nas won in 2008.) The DX staff justified this pick with this description of Raekwon's career in 2009[58].
'Raekwon brought it back to lyrical, dope rap. He released an album that spoke to teens, twenty-somethings, thirty-somethings, and beyond. Without compromising, the Chef made an edgy Hip Hop record that refused to bastardize the catalog he laid down 15 years ago. On top of that, Rae (along with Ghostface) was a go-to for numerous rappers making albums, ranging from the Playaz Circle to Jadakiss to BK One. That's beyond real, as was a year filled with performing in arenas, clubs and even churches. When it came to mastering the ceremony, Rea had 'em all following the leader'.
[edit] Video
A music video was released for "New Wu" months before the release of the album. Two different versions of the video were made, both of a similar style. The first official music video has Raekwon and his fellow Wu's interrogating a suspicious man thought to be a cop.
As the supporting single for the album, an animated video for "House of Flying Daggers" was released including GZA for the chorus. The video was illustrated by 1000styles, animated by Ryan Johnson and Drew Taylor and directed by Erick Sasso and Brian Wendelken. The video seems to be based on the 1978 cult classic Five Deadly Venoms. In the video, RZA and J Dilla (portrayed as monks) are given word of a massacre at Shaolin. They tell the messenger that it was not the work of thousands of warriors or The Hunter; it was only five. The song then starts, depicting Raekwon, Inspectah Deck, GZA, Ghostface Killah and Method Man destroying evil warriors. They then defeat the hunter, who is killed by RZA.
A week before the album's release, the video for "Walk Wit Me" was released. Several other music videos have been made since, such as for "Have Mercy", "Surgical Gloves" and "Catalina".
[edit] Track listing
Album credits extracted from liner notes as shown on Discogs.com.[59]
| # | Title | Performer(s) | Producer(s) | Samples | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Return of the North Star" | BT |
|
2:39 | |
| 2 | "House of Flying Daggers" |
|
J Dilla |
|
3:51 |
| 3 | "Sonny's Missing" |
|
Pete Rock |
|
2:28 |
| 4 | "Pyrex Vision" |
|
Marley Marl |
|
0:54 |
| 5 | "Cold Outside" |
|
Icewater Productions | 4:40 | |
| 6 | "Black Mozart" |
|
RZA |
|
3:24 |
| 7 | "Gihad" |
|
Necro | 2:57 | |
| 8 | "New Wu" |
|
RZA |
|
3:50 |
| 9 | "Penitentiary" |
|
BT |
|
2:35 |
| 10 | "Baggin Crack" |
|
Erick Sermon | 1:58 | |
| 11 | "Surgical Gloves" |
|
The Alchemist |
|
3:24 |
| 12 | "Broken Safety" | Scram Jones | 2:45 | ||
| 13 | "Canal Street" |
|
Icewater Productions | 3:37 | |
| 14 | "Ason Jones" |
|
J Dilla |
|
3:06 |
| 15 | "Have Mercy" |
|
Icewater Productions |
|
3:51 |
| 16 | "10 Bricks" |
|
J Dilla |
|
3:16 |
| 17 | "Fat Lady Sings" |
|
RZA |
|
2:17 |
| 18 | "Catalina" |
|
Dr. Dre, Mark Batson |
|
3:28 |
| 19 | "We Will Rob You" |
|
Allah Justice |
|
3:15 |
| 20 | "About Me" |
|
Dr. Dre, Mark Batson | 3:59 | |
| 21 | "Mean Streets" |
|
Mathematics |
|
4:29 |
| 22 | "Kiss the Ring" |
|
Scram Jones |
|
4:09 |
| Bonus tracks | |||||
| 23 | "Walk Wit Me" |
|
Scram Jones |
|
4:18 |
| 24 | "The Badlands" |
|
BT | 2:30 | |
[edit] Wu-Gambinos
- Raekwon as Lex Diamonds
- Ghostface Killah as Tony Starks
- RZA as Bobby Steels
- GZA as Maximillion
- Inspectah Deck as Rollie Fingers
- Method Man as Johnny Blaze
- Masta Killa as Noodles
- Cappadonna as Cappachino
- Jadakiss as Montega Jada
- Styles P as Styles Pinero
- Beanie Sigel as Mack Mittens
