The 500 - #480 - Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by comedian Josh Adam Meyer. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

My plan (amended). 

• 1 or 2 records per week & at least 2 complete listens.
• A quick blog post for each, highlighting the important details and a quick background story.
• No rating scale - just an effort to expand my appreciation.

Album # 480

Album Title: Only Built 4 Cuban Linx
Artist: Raekwon
Released: August, 1995
My age at release: 30
How familiar am I with it: Not at all
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix: Rainy Dayz
Great Lyric:
"Back to slinging every 45 minutes
G's fleeing, fiends is in the building OD'ing
The drugs is in the ground, burners on the side of our legs
It's gonna happen so you know we low keying" Canal Street

I had not heard of this album... imagine that? The 53 year old white Canadian had not heard the first solo album by a member of the Wu Tang Clan.

I actually have a story about discovering the Wu Tang Clan, but I'll have to wait until album #386 to share that one.

I learned a lot about this record listening to The 500 Podcast. I learned that it supposed to play like a film - with Raekwon as the star and Ghostface Killer as the co-star. It is highly regarded in the  music world as a pioneer of the Mafioso-Rap sub-genre inside the larger Gangsta Rap Genre.

When this genre was popular with my students it was troubling for me as an educator. I recognize that I am judging from my perspective and that the lyrics were written from the point of view of young men who have an entirely different lived experience. 

Regardless, the lyrics are...

• rife with violence,
• peppered with caustic language (sometimes unnecessarily),
• often misogynistic and troublingly homophobic,
• prone to celebrate materialism & narcissism.    

This record, like many of this genre, present a world where the decision to become involved in criminal activity is the only alternative for a protagonist who is, at his core, a good guy. A man who, through no apparent fault of his own, has been pushed into this situation by an unforgiving society. He wants to pull off one more big money deal and then retire to be a good father.  

At the time, I was teaching in a school where many students embraced this narrative. Some came from homes where significant challenges were commonplace - financial, emotional & criminal hardships were part of their world. In many cases, these students had been raised with a view of society with which I was not familiar - but learned to understand over the twelve years I taught there.  People in authority were villains to these kids because of the way their parents framed the events in their lives. 

• The police were not to be trusted - they "hassled" the family unduly and arrests, when they occurred, were viewed as partisan & arbitrary.
• Landlords were unreasonable, cruel and dishonest. Evictions were often believed to be... "being kicked out because he kept raising the rent" (I knew this was not the case.)
• Lending institutions - particularly Rent-to-Own franchises & cash checking/lending operations - were criminal and discriminatory.
• Lawyers, judges, teachers were all part of a corrupt system and not to be trusted. They were liars, manipulators & invariably let you down.

Consequently, these kids would naturally identify with the primary characters on records from this genre. Raekwon & Ghostface discuss their goals on the first track Striving for Perfection. They are tired of the small time dealing they have been doing and they are going to leverage a better connection to make enough money to retire and get away from the dangers in this neighbourhood. They would finally have everything they deserved ...wealth, power, safety & respect. It is, in its way, the American Dream - just realized through criminal enterprise. This wasn't viewed by my students as a negative proposition - after all, the rest of society is equally criminal - they just get all the breaks.

I tried my best with those students - pointing out the pitfalls of gang culture and encouraging them to see the world through a different lense. I was successful with some. For many, it was just a "phase" and they were experimenting with that persona. I know I also made dubious personality choices at that age. As I've aged, I've learned that many kids explore personalities, temperaments and identities. I've always thought about it like this...

"Have you ever watched a toddler push something off his hightray chair and squeal with delight as it falls. He is experimenting with physics because it is unfamiliar to him. Pre-teens and teens are doing the same thing when they are suddenly uncharacteristically moody or hostile or lazy. They are experimenting with their identities. They are trying on personalities to see which one fits them best. Typically, like the toddler, they will get bored with the game and settle into a groove that fits."

As with many pieces that are "of a time & place" much of the hip hop slang of the 90's has not aged well. In particular, the expression "You know what I'm saying" often phrased without pause "knowwhatI'msayin".  I am immediately reminded of J-Roc, the character portrayed by Jonathan Torrens on the Canadian television mockumentary Trailer Park Boys, who overused the expression to tremendous comedic effect particularly in this clip. Now when I hear it spoken on this record, it makes me chuckle.

Once again, this is intended to be a growing experience for me. I am approaching every record with an open mind and I am trying to expand my understanding of music. The reviews for this record are glowing - particularly the praise for the production work by RZA. I don't suspect it will get further listens - it's just not for me. However, I do like the vocal track by Blue Raspberry on the song Rainy Dazy, which I picked for my Spotify mix.

Things I learned...

• Often called The Purple Tape because it was released on cassette with a plastic cover that was purple.
• The title refers to a style of thick, gold chain that is popular in the hip-hop community because they are expensive and also because they are difficult to pull off in a fight.
• This is the first record to name drop the champagne "Cristal" which, even I know, is omnipresent in hip-hop culture and lyrics.