Author Topic: CUBAN LINK interview (shots at fat joe...) (Read 153 times)

Myrealname · « **on:** November 08, 2002, 09:19:18 AM »

A little over a week after sitting down with Fat Joe I got the opportunity to speak with his biggest rival, Cuban Link. Their two names will be forever linked, not just due to Cuban Link's former ties with Terror Squad, but for the unfortunate incident that was the attack on Cuban Link. Most feel that Joe was behind the attack, and Cuban Link has not forgotten. During our conversation Cuban Link spoke about everything from his new label, to his upcoming album, to who's been writing Fat Joe's rhymes. Cuban Link is back, actually, he never left, and he feels like he's got something to prove.

"To me it's personal. I made personal bonds with people, and for them to turn their back on me.... basically I'm out to prove a point." Cuban Link went on, cryptically describing these people a little more, saying "there's a lot of bullshit, a lot of bullshit people who will show you love one day and turn your back on you the next." He goes on, explaining "There's a lot of fake copycats out there who take orders from other people, and those who give the orders are usually the fakest."

At this point it's obvious who he's speaking about, his former associate, Fat Joe. Cuban Link went on to describe the events that led up to their parting of ways, and the incident that came after, "a lot of biz was comin to me and he didn't like that even though I was cuttin 20% as a manager, and I was under his own record company, which is a conflict of interest, but I was doin it for him. I did over 100 shows, paid shows. He was the only oddball that saw it from a distance. Saw me gettin money, gettin with his crew, he just looked at it and said 'this nigga's tryin to take over my shit' when my intentions was 'let's try to get this crew strong' especially after Pun passed. That incident (at the club), I wasn't in the picture no more, and now he takes the shine, he goes platinum. Cuban was left to the dogs, (Joe) got all the artists still there. I'm not hating, that's the truth. Remy (Martin) nice as hell, Tony (Sunshine) is an ill R&B singer, and (Joe's) doin joints with Ginuwine, but your crew still starvin. I seen that comin, that's why I had to break out."

Cuban Link still blames Fat Joe, in part, for his album, "24 Karat," being shelved. Though he says Atlantic's inability to promote the album correctly hurt his chances, he is also quick to say Joe's involvement was also a problem, describing him as a man who "thinks he knows Hip-Hop when he doesn't even write his own rhymes." A claim like that requires further explanation, and Cuban Link provided just that.

"Pun wrote the whole "Don Cartagena" album, before that (it was) Armageddon. At the end of the day he didn't write his own rhymes. Take the Puffy route, say it, you're an entertainer, not a rapper." Cuban Link added that he wouldn't be surprised to hear his own lyrics coming out of Joe's mouth in the future, saying "If I'm hot in the future, I think he'll drop my '24 Karat' ideas. They got the masters for that."

One thing Joe doesn't have any rights to is Cuban Link's new material. Currently preparing "Chain Reaction," on his own label, CLK Entertainment, Cuban Link is taking the independent route. "(I'm) basically runnin the underground railroads, Harriet Tubman style." Though going the indy route, Cuban Link expects major distribution, as his name is still very well known. He says he's already got artists such as M.O.P., DMX, NORE, and Xzibit, ready to do collabs with him, and he's trying to get City High's Claudette Ortiz on a song, as well.

When it comes to "Chain Reaction," Cuban Link describes it as "mostly just lyrical, but at the same time it has a lot of anger and deepness in it," he continued "I'm not screamin on tracks anymore, I use the Barry White voice now." With two hits already under his belt, "Flowers for the Dead" and "Still Tellin Lies," Cuban Link feels "The best is yet to come. Right now I'm even tighter with my rhymes, I'm so focused it's incredible, it feels good. Before I was thinkin of who I gotta please, workin extra hard for the next man, makin sure everybody happy. I would overwork myself. (Now) all that shit is lifted off my shoulders, the only person I'm tryin to please is me. I'm a family nigga, a people person, I write it for myself, so if I'm pleasin myself, I'm pleasin my people."

Incident aside, Cuban Link knows where he has to be, "even though there's a lotta hate, a lotta controversy surrounding my name right now, and that nigga's name, New York is me, New York is where I'm at." Only time will tell how New York reacts to the new Cuban Link.

(hhso)