Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 23:53, 14 May 2006

Revision as of 22:05, 16 May 2006

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==Influence==

Filled with [[Sampling (music)|sample]]s from crime [[thriller]]s and [[Organized crime|mob]] dramas, many from the [[English language|English]]-[[dubbing (filmmaking)|dubbed]] version of the [[Hong Kong action movie]] ''[[The Killer (movie)|The Killer]]'', ''Only Built 4 Cuban Linx'' had an enormous influence on the burgeoning [[East Coast hip hop|East Coast]] [[hardcore rap]] scene, cultivating the [[Mafioso rap]] phenomenon of the mid-1990s. Raekwon's hypervisual narratives, chronicling the [[crime]] underworld of [[drug trafficking]] and the luxurious pleasures of the high-end illegal business, led many to draw comparisons with [[Kool G Rap]] (considered as the progenitor of Mafioso Rap). Since then, the album is widely regarded as the quintessential [[Hip hop music|hip-hop]] recording of the 1990s, spawning a myriad of imitators and influencing several prominent hip-hop artists such as [[Nas]] (who subsequently adopted the Wu-Gambino inspired alias, "''[[It Was Written|Escobar]]''") and [[The Notorious B.I.G.]] (who made the transition from ''"thug"'' to ''"kingpin"'' between his [[Ready to Die|debut]] and [[Life After Death|sophomore]] releases)[http://xxlmag.com/Features/2005/may/cuban-linx/]. It also influenced Jay-Z, who incorporated several mafioso themes into his debut ''[[Reasonable Doubt]]'', though he largely abandoned this theme on his future releases. Furthermore, the album had a profound impact on contemporary [[hip hop culture]], initiating [[List of slang used in hip-hop music|slang]] terms such as ''"[[politic (slang)|politic]]"'' and ''"butter-pecan Rican"'' into the Urban [[African-American slang]][http://xxlmag.com/Features/2005/may/cuban-linx/].

Adam Heimlich of [[CDNow]] describes the impact and artistry of ''Only Built 4 Cuban Linx'': "For several years afterward you couldn't find a rap thug who wasn't 'politicking', slinging cut-up gangland narratives like a ghetto [[John Woo]] or [[Martin Scorsese]], doling out guest appearances to his crew like loot from a job, and striving all the while to keep it as raw yet richly detailed as Rae did...Raekwon's storytelling evokes senses of rapid motion, kamikaze faith, loyalty, and focus in the midst of high-stakes tumult that, together, convey more about his mindstate than any straight autobiography could have. RZA wanted Cuban Linx's music to transport listeners into Rae's transcendent point of view, and he succeeded so spectacularly that thousands of rap fans --the ones who don't look to hip-hop for an out-of-body experience -- will never fully comprehend all the undying fuss about this album".