RAEKWON (PART 1)(September 2009) | Interview By:
Javon Adams
The word legendary and classic is overused in today’s vernacular but dare I
say that Raekwon is legendary and his debut opus Only Built for Cuban Linx
is classic? Javon Adams was able to link up with Wu-Tang member Raekwon for
a Dubcnn exclusive. On the eve of his newest release, the follow up to the
aforementioned classic, Rae talks about being his own marketing team and how
he balances the demands of fans with his artistry. I’m sure you all know
about the oft delayed Only Built for Cuban Linx II and the Aftermath
situation. Rae talks about what he learned after going through that whole
deal.
Rae is honest and spits fire on the mic. Not a bad combination for a dubcnn
conversation. We have a Part 2 to follow that looks back on his career -
stay tuned!
As ever, be sure to leave your feedback in our forums or email them to
javon@dubcnn.com.
Dubcnn: Alright, this is Dubcnn sitting with the one and only Raekwon.
So I know you have a busy schedule with the album about to come and
everything. So, how is life for you right now?
How is life?
Dubcnn: Yeah
I mean its still normal though. I’m a grounded fellow you know? I’m
definitely overwhelmed with the fact that everybody is respecting what
I’m putting out right now. So that gotta be the best feeling for me but
I’m just staying grounded though. I don’t wanna get too hyped yet. I
wanna just pay attention and focus and give back to my people, yo.
Dubcnn: You talked about not wanting to get too hyped. Now when
you go into…the way the industry has changed over the last few years
with the sales going up and down even for really talented artists and
really good projects not getting what you would think they would get in
terms of sales…how do you approach that in terms of your expectations
for this project?
I mean, it goes up and down like a scale to me. I want to see all the
people that have been routing for me for years to go get it but then I’m
looking at the young generation taking over as well. So I just sit back
and let it be what it’s gonna be.
When it comes to making music the first thing I want to do is represent.
Outside of the sales I’ve done every number from wood to platinum so
what do I really have to prove? My thing is to be able to make money and
take care of my family and continue to make strong music man.
Dubcnn: You’ve been around for a minute and I follow you on
Twitter so I see you are really active and embracing new media and the
new technology and everything. So what has the response been like from
the folks as you’re staying connected out there?
I mean, it’s been crazy. When you’re on the Twitter and all of that
you’re opening up your house to everybody else. I really took time to
not get too tranquilized by it but use it as a component as far as
opinions and stuff because it’s about y’all right now. I want to be able
to let everybody know to just give me what you want and I’m gonna serve
it to you.
I really make sure that I utilize that because I have no marketing team.
I am my own marketing team. Me, Myself. And I give all this thanks right
here to my brother. My young brother really got me on my toes to where I
was supposed to be and all that goes to him.
Dubcnn: I wanna talk real quick about expectations. Not your
own, but the way fans kinda put expectations on you. Because the same
way that you have an album that comes out..because I bought the purple
tape and I was bumpin’ it. So when you have an album like that and its
classic and everybody wants another one of those but you’ve grown and
you go through different experiences…talk about that struggle that you
go through when fans want one thing and if you give them that then they
complain and if you give them something that you feel that they might
complain about that too. How do you handle that?
I mean, like I said earlier, I go back and forth. There’s times when I’m
like f-ck the game, f-ck everybody and then there are times when my mind
will be like, ‘But you still gotta listen.’ But you can never satisfy
everybody. Then you wouldn’t know what struggle meant if you could do
that. You wouldn’t really know how to handle the struggle if you…its
like for us we feel like certain White people can’t come live in the
hood because they never really witnessed it first hand the way we
witnessed it. And it goes for Black people going over to rich sh-t
because we don’t know how to appreciate sh-t. So that’s just a part of
life. Ups and downs with peoples emotions. But for me, I’m a G and I
know what I have to do.
I’ve been doing it long enough to know the sh-t but at the end of the
day you just take your time and let it be what its going to be man.
We’ve said that on albums, skits and all of that. It’s gonna be what
it’s gonna be.
Dubcnn: You talked about you being your own marketing team and
really taking on the responsibility. So with taking it all on you
shoulders and being proactive about stuff, what’s the biggest thing that
you’ve learned in this whole process? Because this has been a long time
coming with this project with the whole aftermath thing and all
that…what’s the biggest thing you’ve learned in this whole ordeal?
That’s a good question too. And you know what? If nobody don’t believe
in you, then you believe in you. You know what I mean?
Dubcnn: Gotcha
I believed in myself all the way from when I first picked up the pen to
start writing the album. But it was like, honestly, it was like 90% hate
on me and I only had 10% love. Everything else was just not for me. Not
believing in me. I was having certain insecurities inside of my family.
My household was going crazy. But I’m still managing to deal with it the
best way I know how. And I guess that’s all a part of going through pain
sometimes. Because you could be thinking that you are doing the right
thing and then you don’t get a chance to see your kids. And your kids
are really on you like they’re the parents now. Like, “Yo dad! What’s
up? You breaking out again?”
So I’m just going through a lot as a man and I’m learning the business
more and more and I always tell people that I feel like I’m at my best
right now. Whether you see it or not. Anybody that knows Rae, they know
Rae is super boisterous and he’s going to say what he means and mean
what he says. He’s going to approach everything the way he’s supposed
to. The way Rae is always supposed to be.
And that’s how I move man. I’ve been through a lot. My life is a movie
too. I’m just glad that people are able to understand the kind of Hip
Hop that we’re making and still know that it exists as far as being at
the top of the emcee chart, you know what I mean? And I just wanna show
n-ggas that I still know how to do this sh-t. I don’t give a f-ck if I
was f-cking 49 years old. I will take my belt off so fast on one of
these little rappers! *laughs*
You feel me? But at the same token I want to sit down with them and have
some cookies and milk with ‘em and salute them. You know what I mean?
Real talk though. You can’t ever hate on a little ni**a trying to get
his money. From where I’m from, if anybody little was getting money then
we respect you. Its about giving it back and making them feel
comfortable too. But you know the older ones gotta tear that a@@ up if
you get out of place.
*laughs*
Dubcnn: One of the things that I talk about…because I have a
radio show as well…I talk about age in Hip Hop. And the thing is if
you’re a writer (author) as you get older you’re expected to get better.
If you’re in the Rock genre you have the Rolling Stones that are 80 or
90 years old and they are still doing their thing. And in Hip Hop I
think it is so wrong to try to push emcees out the door because they hit
a certain number in terms of the time that they have been on earth.
True story. And I always look at some of the greatest emcees that are
still around and doing their thing and I feel that they walked away more
so than we pushed them out. Only because dudes get to a point where it’s
‘Layback Season’ now. They say to themselves, ‘I already did what I did
and I want to get excited again. But I have nothing to get excited
about.’ You know what I mean? So that how you get sometimes a lot of
famous rappers that do their bid in the game and then just fade back.
But its all about unification. It’s about respecting the new as well as
respecting the old. We have to do that as being artists. So how I look
at the whole thing for Rae is like, ‘Rae, you love this. You live
through it.’ And you have to understand that it’s a new elite in the
building. At the same time show them that you still wanna be here. You
wanna be here, not gotta be here or have to be here. (Show them) you
wanna be here. This is what we do. And we do this for a living man.
I feel like, overall, I wanna put 100 n-ggas on before Rae lets it go.
You dig it? Honestly. You know, Wu-Tang was a stepping stone for each
man. It was something for you to be able to bring your face to the whole
situation and make it work. That’s what it’s all about. So for me to
come from that strong family…why am I not out there providing the things
that I know that I can? Something’s not right if I’m not doing that
Dubcnn: Gotcha. So, Only Built for Cuban Linx II…when is it
dropping? Let the folks know.
It might be in the stores now. I’m getting a lot of calls that it’s out
there for sale, no bootleggin’ or nothing. But it’s all good. I just
want brothers to know that I did it for the world man. I did it for
y’all man. That’s nothing to a G man. For real. I got a feather in my
hat when I say that.
*laughs*
Dubcnn: I appreciate the time. I hope we can hook up again. Thanks
for taking a few minutes.