A Brief History Of Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II (1995 - ????)

"This Better Be The Cover..."

For the benefit of those who only started listening to hip hop six years ago, Raekwon’s seminal masterpiece “Only Built 4 Cuban Linx” aka “The Purple Tape” is considered in some circles (some would say the correct circles or the “perfect” circles if you will…) to be the greatest crime rap album ever recorded in the history of mankind…ever. If there is such thing as a perfect rap record than Raekwon and his partners-in-beats-n-rhymes, RZA and Ghostface, perfected it. The record red-defined cinematic crime narratives in rap music and was the perfect culmination of… you know what? You’ve heard the record. I’ve heard the record. It’s awesome. We know this. Let’s move on for a second.

After it’s August 1995 release, Raekwon has spent the next fourteen years doing his best to slowly ruin his legacy after releasing such a seminal record by releasing two massively “underwhelming” follow-up records, making a run at Big Pun’s all-time fattest rapper record and securing the title of the “worst beat picker alive” this side of a Nasir Bin Olu Dara Jones’ record. Rae has promised to rectify his rapidly declining stature in the hip hop world by releasing the uber-anticipated sequel to his debut record, “Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II”. Unfortunately, label politics, Dr. Dre’s legendary laziness, and Rae’s insatiable hunger for Kentucky fried, chocolate covered ham sandwiches have prevented “Cuban Linx II” from seeing the light of day. Every few months, rumors surface of this apparent “Wu-Tang Democracy’s” undeniable genius and murmurs of it’s imminent release leak onto the internets but alas, something inevitably goes awry and another year passes without the record blessing our iTunes. Recently, Rae has released the monster new song, “Wu Ohh!”, allegedly the new single from the record which has raised interest that the record may exist and not be some fantastic delusion in Corey Woods head. I thought in celebration, I would look over a brief history of “OB4CL2”’s existence on this earth and present it to you my loyal readers. Let’s see if we can learn something.

Timeline

- August 1, 1995 – “The Purple Tape” is released to an adoring, amazed public. Celebrations ensue across the world in which Rae, Ghost, and RZA are hailed for their undeniable genius. Biggie gets his feelings hurt. Cheap imitations flourish. Sales Of John Woo’s “The Killer” sky-rocket. Oddly enough, the record only sells about 500,000 copies. Apparently, Napster was ruining records even before it’s own creation. At least, that’s what the RIAA will have you believe.

- June 25, 1996 – Shawn Corey Carter releases “Reasonable Doubt” to a mostly indifferent public. About ten years later, a whole bunch of people deeply infatuated with Jay-Z’s nuts will start frontin’ like they actually listened to Jigga in ’96 and will start erroneously claiming that this record changed the face of hip hop instead of Rae and Ghost. Ignore them, they’re responsible for this monstrosity.

- September 1998– I start high school.

- November 16, 1999 – Raekwon releases his sophomore album, “Immobilarity” (an acronym for something too retarded for words), to the extreme disappointment of every solitary human alive. Apparently, Rae thought it would be a good idea to replace RZA with such surefire “Hall of Shame” producers like the Infinite Arkatechz and Triflyn and Ghostface with the legendary weed carrying force, the American Cream Team. Nobody associated with this record escaped with a career alive.

- January 25, 2000 - Ghostface Killah unleashes “Supreme Clientele” on an unsuspecting public, eventually becoming the consensus “Album Of The Decade”, and leading to the first round of public “Gee, maybe ol’ Raekwon had less to do with Cuban Linx’s success than we thoughts”….

- Nov. 2001 – George W. Bush is “quasi-kind-of-sort-of-maybe-but-not-really” elected to the position of “Our Country’s Glorious Leader” by the Supreme Court.

- 2001 – Rumors about a possible sequel to “Cuban Linx” start to manifest for the first time as the original title for Ghost’s upcoming next album come to light. Ultimately, the album manifests itself as “Bulletproof Wallets” which is probably a good thing since any potential sequel to “OB4CL” that features a Carl Thomas song automatically equals an EPIC FAIL. “The Forest” and “Strawberry” were fuckin’ wicked, though.

-September 11, 2001 - Jay-Z releases “The Blueprint”, the other consensus “Album Of the Decade”. Also, some towers fell.

- 2002 – Tray starts listening to rap music.

- December 16, 2003 – “The Lex Diamond Story” is released to the shock of everybody who assumed Rae’s “Wu-Gambino” name was actually Lou Diamonds like it said in the damn liner notes of the original album. Once again, RZA was apparently too dusted to show up but Ghostface partakes in on some of the action which saves this record from being a complete waste. Only sort-of a waste but not a complete one. An important distinction, folks!

- :Late 2004/Early 2005 – Raekwon announces his intention to release “Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II” to the world! Wu-stans and fanboys rejoices in an orgy of ecstasy and self-delusion! And then nothing happens…

- November 2005 – The “first” “official” “single” for Cuban Linx II, “State Of Grace”, is released to the public. It has Al Pacino samples, it has RZA, it has Raekwon sounding focused. It’s totally awesome in every way, humanly possible. And then nothing happens…

- January 2006 – Raekwon inexplicably announces that RZA and Busta Rhymes will act as executive producers to the confusion of everybody because since when is coke rap and Busta Rhymes remotely synonymous. Five months later, when Busta Rhymes drops a fuckin’ coke rap album to the bewilderment of everybody who owned “The Coming”, this development will seem less strange and more ominous to everybody concerned. And then nothing happens…

-May 2006 – I complete college and move to New York.

-June 2006 – Raekwon signs with Aftermath Records following the less than hallowed footsteps of Rakim, Eve, Bishop Lamont, Joell Ortiz, Stat Quo, RBX, Truth Hurts and Hitmann and promises to drop “OB4CL2” in 2007 under Dre’s supervision. Hip hop fans cream their pants in anticipation but like the aforementioned unfortunate souls, Raekwon proceeds to fall victim to Dr. Dre’s irrepressible need for steroids. And then nothing happens…

- January 2007 – Raekwon drops “My Corner”, the “second” “official” “single” off of the album. The joy this song brings to my ears is immense but as with the first song nothing happens afterwards…

- November 2007 – Ghostface completes his unprecedented run of back-to-back-to-back-to-back classic albums with the release of “The Big Doe Rehab” basically cementing his status as the rightful creative genius behind the original version of the album. Nobody even bothers to complain…

- 2008 – Raekwon is dropped from Aftermath. As if that wasn’t going to happen.

- Late 2008 – Raekwon pinky swears that “Cuban Linx II” exists and is not just a concoction of his own fevered imagination. He promises that it will come out in March 2009. And then nothing happens…

- Nov. 2008 – After 15 years, Guns-N-Roses releases “Chinese Democracy.” It’s mostly mehhh. We also elect a black president. Pigs learn to fly.

- Feb. 2009 – Raekwon releases “Wu-Ohh!”, the third “yes-we-are-serious-this-damn-time-please-believe-us” “official” “single” for “Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II.” It’s awesome as per usual. And then nothing happens…

- And then nothing happens…