The Greatest 50 Hip-hop Albums Ever - #18...

[Twentytwofifty]

Raekwon – Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… (1995) 


    In 1995, hardcore hip hop was dominated by two factions: the gangstas of the West coast, and the gritty thugs that came out of the East.  Suddenly the mink wearing, Cristal sipping, Benz driving drug dealer image was the "in" thing; evicting the 40 drinking, low-rider driving, "rebel without a cause" gangsta from the throne he had held since 1992 nearly overnight.  A serious contender for the title of best Wu-Tang "solo" album, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... is also perhaps the most influential, thanks to Raekwon's cinematic imagination.  If the Gza is the Wu's best overall lyricist, Raekwon is arguably their best storyteller, and here he translates the epic themes and narratives of a Mafia movie into a startlingly accomplished hip-hop album.  Raekwon wasn't the first to make the connection between gangsta rap and the Cosa Nostra (Kool G Rap pioneered that idea), but he was the one who popularized the trend.

    Of course, you have to take the good with the bad when you're influential.  A lot of the people utilizing the Mafia rap style nowadays act like being a big time criminal is nothing but fun and games, neglecting to ever mention the downside of the lifestyle.  But this album is as far as possible from the "I'm a fly thug who doesn't play by the rules because I don't feel like it" attitude that saturates most releases in this genre these days.  During the intro, appropriately titled "Striving 4 Perfection", Rae proclaims "I'm not trying to just be sitting on, motherfuckin’, 200 grand, and acting like I'm gonna be a drug dealer all my life; I got bigger and better plans... Let's keep moving ahead, man, keep our head up, man, take care of our families."

    But content and message alone are not enough to make an album; delivery and beats are also necessities, and this album has each of these to spare.  Raekwon spits multisyllable rhymes that most people would stumble over severely as though there's nothing to it; RZA comes with, easily one of the best produced album he's ever been responsible for.  The first two tracks are perfect examples of the type of versatility RZA is capable of. "Knuckleheadz", featuring Ghostface and U-God, features an uptempo piano loop; it is followed immediately by "Knowledge God," a dramatic backdrop for Raekwon to paint lyrical pictures of crime stories in the listener's head.  "Criminology" featuring Ghostface is another uptempo beat with RZA's distinct flavor, and Raekwon drops some of his trademark dope rhymes over it:

AK's, black, bust back like seventy Macks
I'm all that, street niggas knowin my steez, black
Raw G, you know they go inside with me, see
Marvelous, menace to society
But anyway, let's toast, champagne thoughts with Ghost
Max the most, shotguns through the notes
   
    "Incarcerated Scarfaces" pops up next, complete with one of the RZA's best beats of the album.  Raekwon destroys this track, ripping it as hard as he does on the entire album from the first verse: "Thug related style attract millions / Fans, they understand my plan / Who's the kid up in the green Land? / Me and the RZA connect, blow a fuse / You lose, half ass crews get demolished and bruised."  This is followed by the cinematic classic "Rainy Dayz" with Ghostface speaking of the difficulties of making it in life, be it through the rap game or other methods.  As Ghostface puts it: "Waiting on these royalties / Takes too long, it's like waiting on babies / It makes me wanna slay thee".  The only non-Wu member who shows up to drop a verse is Nas on "Verbal Intercourse."  This verse is lauded as one of the greatest ever, and with good reason.  Nas flips one of his trademark prophetic rhymes, and this one is a true work of art:

Through the lights cameras and action, glamour glitters and gold
I unfold the scroll, plant seeds to stampede the globe
When I'm deceased, by then the beast arise like yeast
to conquer peace leaving savages to roam in the streets
Live on the run, police paying me to give in my gun
Trick my Wisdom, with the system that imprisoned my son
Smoke a gold leaf I hold heat, nonchalantly
I'm grungy, but things I do is real it never haunts me
while, funny style niggaz roll in the pile
Rooster heads profile on a bus to Riker's Isle
Holdin weed inside they pussy with they minds on the
pretty things in life, props is a true thug's wife
It's like a cycle, niggaz come home, some'll go in
Do a bullet, come back, do the same shit again
From the womb to the tomb, presume the unpredictable
Guns salute life, rapidly, that's the ritual

    On "Spot Rusherz" Raekwon goes the Kool G. Rap route and spits a crime story rhyme with a relentless pace and seamless flow.  Aside from the impressive verbal gymnastics present on this track, the images are vivid and the story is easy to understand.  The hit of the album though is "Ice Cream" featuring Ghostface, Method Man, RZA, and Cappadonna. This, the lone playa track on the album, still has the gritty Wu sound but the verses, and in particular particularly  Method Man’s chorus, have mass appeal without being watered down.  The posse cut "Wu-Gambinos" features appearances by Ghostface, Method Man, RZA, and Masta Killa. As the title tells you, it's the Clan spitting some hard-edged Mafioso shit.  The slow paced, somber "Heaven & Hell" is a reminiscing song about losing a friend.  The verses are excellent and the song is a great way to end an album. It isn't the official end though as the CD bonus track "North Star" follows.  But this song has much the same mood and similar message; it, too, is a great way to close the album out.

    There are plenty of good albums; it's not even that hard to find an album you'd call great.  But it is a rarity for an artist to assemble a work that deserves to be called a classic.  Raekwon and Ghostface Killah, with more than a little help from the RZA, created one with Only Built 4 Cuban Linx….  Raekwon's ability to write deep, meaningful, flat out NICE lyrics and then deliver them with impeccable flow and an ill voice paired with Ghostface Killah's passionate delivery of complex lyrics and his very distinct voice makes them a perfect duo of MC's.  You could look for a long, long time, try to find something wrong with this album, and you'd be hard pressed to do so.  Like Gza’s Liquid Swords, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… takes a few listens to reveal the full scope of its lyrical complexities, but it's immensely rewarding in the end, and it stands as a landmark in the new breed of gangsta rap.  This shit is damn near flawless; the beats, the MC's, and the lyrics are weaved so intricately together here, they make you feel like you are there, witnessing the events spoken of, clear as "a 27 inch Zenith, believe it."


50. Dr. Dre – 2001 (1999)
49. Outkast – Southernplayalisticaddicmuzik (1994)
48. Jay-Z – Reasonable Doubt (1996)
47. Kool G Rap & DJ Polo – Wanted: Dead Or Alive (1990)
46. Redman – Whut? Thee Album (1992)
45. De La Soul - De La Soul Is Dead (1991)
44. Fugees – The Score (1996)
43. The D.O.C. – No One Can Do It Better (1989)
42. Common Sense - Resurrection (1994)
41. Makaveli - The Don Kiluminati: The 7 Day Theory (1996)
40. Public Enemy – Fear Of A Black Planet (1990)
39. Ice Cube – Death Certificate (1992)
38. Gza/Genius - Liquid Swords (1995)
37. N.W.A – Efil4zaggin (1991)
36. Main Source – Breaking Atoms (1991)
35. Geto Boys – Grip It! On That Other Level (1989)
34. Brand Nubian – One For All (1990)
33. Scarface – The Diary (1994)
32. Kool G Rap & DJ Polo – Road To The Riches (1989)
31. Beastie Boys – Licensed To Ill (1986)
30. Ultramagnetic MC's – Critical Beatdown (1988)
29. LL Cool J – Radio (1985)
28. 2Pac – All Eyez On Me (1996)
27. Mobb Deep – The Infamous… (1995)
26. Eric B. & Rakim – Follow The Leader (1988)
25. Big Daddy Kane – It’s A Big Daddy (1989)
24. Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth – Mecca And The Soul Brother (1992)
23. Black Moon – Enta Da Stage (1993)
22. Outkast – Aquemini (1998)
21. A Tribe Called Quest – People’s Instinctive Travels And The Paths Of Rhythm (1990)
20. Run-D.M.C. – Run-D.M.C. (1984)
19. Boogie Down Productions – By All Means Necessary (1988)
18. Raekwon – Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… (1995)

[davida.b.]

Yep, Can't fuck with this.

[big mat]

that's my joint

[Low Key]

Never really liked it all that much. A lot of other people do though, so it earned it's spot.

[ecrazy]

One Of My Favorites Of ALL TIME, Props, Cant wait to see him and ghostface perform this @ rock the bells

[Don Jacob]

  dang i'd put this one up higher

[Like A N!gga Say Do]

Already buyed this one. One of the best album i own. The only thing I disliked was the skits before the songs.

[UKnowWhatItIs: welcome to my traps....game over]

^Yeah that was a major let down,there's too many.Anyways,I was scared that this album would never make the list.Probably my favorite album that I got.Whenever I listen to this album I feel like Im watching some movie or somethin.

[We Fly High]

Verbal intercourse with nas.... thats all i gotta say. fucking nuts. criminology, incarcareted, glaciers of ice, wu gambinos all of that shit.

[Elevz]

Easily one of the best hiphop albums ever, there was no doubt this was gonna make it to the list. I personally don't find the skits annoying at all, they play an important part in the storytelling. Pointing out "the best cuts" on this album would be pointless, nearly all of them are 5/5's!

[UAK]

 

[Elevz]

Yes, you're a spammer.

[ImmortalOne]

Arrrgghhh, another album that shoulda been ranked higher.

This is easily in my top 10, maybe even top 5 all time.....definatly my fav Wu related album, and this might have the most beautiful production ive ever heard on an album.

[Diabolical]

I thought it would be higher.

[ToOoOoN!!!]

straight classic