Only Built 4 Cuban Linx

Raekwon

Loud Records, 1995

http://www.raekwonchronicles.com

REVIEW BY: Sean McCarthy

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 09/17/2006

Solo albums from iconic bands are an iffy lot to say the least. The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Fugees, The Pixies...the list is endless when it comes to solo projects that yield mixed results. For every Lauryn Hill or Frank Black solo project, there’s a James Iha, Gene Simmons, Billy Corgan or even the occasional Mick Jagger and Paul McCartney solo album that gives the “solo album” concept a bad name. It could be that these artists have enough inspiration for one or two great solo albums, but they need their creative counterparts, as hated as some are, to challenge themselves.

A noticeable exception to the rule is the Wu-Tang Clan. Yes, Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers is a certified classic in every sense, but the solo output for the Wu-Tang members has created a series of classics unto themselves. Ghostface Killah’s Ironman, Genius/GZA’s Liquid Swords and Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx are three classics. However, these artists, along with Method Man and Ol’ Dirty Bastard, have released a large number of near-classics as well. True, the Wu-Tang Clan has a bigger roster of members than most bands, but the sheer level out great output from their solo albums is unsurpassed not only in hip-hop, but in popular music. my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250

Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx is regarded as the best or second-best Wu-Tang Clan solo album (running neck and neck with Liquid Swords). The album doesn’t depart from the Wu-Tang formula: listeners are greeted with a ton of kung fu soundtrack effects, minimalistic piano chords and cautionary tales of drugs and violence. Raekwon recruits the RZA and gives Ghostface Killah second billing to make Only Built 4 Cuban Linx more of a “Raekwon featuring members of the Wu-Tang Clan” album than a pure solo album from Raekwon. He even goes as far as putting a remix of the Wu-Tang Clan’s seminal “Can it Be All So Simple” onto Only Built 4 Cuban Linx.

Only Built 4 Cuban Linx has a grand, cinematic layout, featuring snippets of crime and kung fu movies. Mere months after Only Built… was released, a slew of other hip-hop albums began flooding their albums with Scarface samples. In addition, the album, though primarily a minimalist masterpiece, had at least two dance hits with “Heaven & Hell” and “Glaciers of Ice.” Much like the power ballad in heavy metal albums, scores of hip-hop artists have been mindful of incorporating at least one or two songs fit for the dance charts into an otherwise hardcore hip-hop album. The only problem is that few artists have Raekwon’s talent in seamlessly flowing these dance songs into their albums without making it seem contrived.

Those looking for a song sample before purchasing Only Built… would be wise to sample “Rainy Dayz.” It may not be the best song on the album, but it contains all of Raekwon’s strengths. The song begins with an air organ/xylophone arrangement that’s straight out of a kung fu movie, but the song shifts to a mournful string arrangement  that’s straight-up film noir, then B-grade horror effects creep into the mix.

While Only Built… more than justifies its “must-have” status, the album does drag toward the end. At 17 songs (18 with the addition of the unnecessary “North Star (Jewels),” the album runs a bit long, making some of the second-half of the album suffer from a bit of “sameness” with a few tracks. Patient listeners are rewarded with an amazing finish with “Ice Cream,” “Wu-Gambinos” and “Heaven & Hell.” It’s a lot to digest, but it’s an album that even ten years after its release continues to reward listeners.

Rating: A-

User Rating: Not Yet Rated


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© 2006 Sean McCarthy and The Daily Vault. All rights reserved. Review or any portion may not be reproduced without written permission. Cover art is the intellectual property of Loud Records, and is used for informational purposes only.