WORDS BY KHALID STRICKLAND a.k.a. BLACK PACINO
On September 9thRaekwon The Chef finally released his oft-delayed, highly-anticipated album, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2 and it was worth the long wait. Turns out The Chef didn’t sell wolf tickets by claiming he cooked up another classic; from a quality standpoint the LP has exceeded expectations. I interviewed Raekwon for the second time a few months before Linx 2 dropped and stashed it in my vault. Now that the album has arrived, the time is right to reveal it. Indeed, I’m on CPT with the release of this exclusive interview but it’s a good piece to read in retrospect because it explains a lot. In the music industry, the term “artist” is used too loosely. When the word comes to mind I think of someone who cares about their craft or, as the dictionary defines it, “a person whose work exhibits exceptional skill.” In the music industry, however, the word means “a slouch who manufactures thoughtless bullshit to line their pockets.” So Raekwon deserves respect for bypassing this mentality and creating a masterpiece for his supporters.
Reflecting on my conversation with The Chef, I appreciate Cuban Linx 2 even more. And I can only hope that so-called “artists” understand there’s nothing wrong with satisfying the fans who made them what they are, rather than bowing to a machine that will ultimately chew them up and spit them out. With that said, I now present a Spizzy exclusive. My second interview with the man himself: RAEKWON THE CHEF.
New York City stand the fuck up.
Black Pacino: What‘s your message to fans who say, “There’s another delay. Is this album ever going to drop?”
Raekwon: My thing is, keep your shirt on, na’mean? Have a little bit of faith in a brother and really just understand that sometimes things happen, na’mean? Everything ain’t always concrete when it comes to dropping an album. And then the climate of today’s (music industry), the way things are going on, artists got to be a little bit more strategic and really be cautious on how they’re promoting their project. I don’t have a situation where… you know… I don’t get the proper promotion or the proper marketing. I had run across a couple of times where a lot of people ain’t know it was coming. You know what I mean? So I just want to really make sure we’ve got enough time to really get it out there to the masses. And make sure that they know we really got it poppin’ right now. I had to go through a couple of technicalities with situating the labels and doing certain things. Things just happen, man. But if you a real fan it’s like, you waited this long. I feel that another month ain’t gonna hurt nobody, na’mean? It’s here, though. That’s the most important thing. Right now we definitely feel good and confident about what we got and we just want to make a grand entrance, you know?
Pacino: Now that the album is prepped and ready to drop, do you feel like a weight is lifted off of your shoulders?
Raekwon: It gets to the point to where it’s gonna always be me still sitting there thinking about everything because anything can happen. And I already know that September is definitely the day it’s got to come out. September is the month for sure. We’re just going to let the play develop and keep our fingers and all of that crossed and put our best foot forward to make sure the people get it.
Pacino: Everybody seems to want exactly what you gave them the first time: RZA-only production, Ghostface and Nas cameos… everything. That may not be possible, and understandably so. What do you think about that?
It’s constructive criticism, you know what I mean? People are gonna say whatever they’re gonna say. But I know myself, like anybody who really knows what time it is, that you can never duplicate a classic that you’ve already made. All you can do is just try to move forward and give people a new modern-day classic, na’mean? At the end of the day it’s a classic in my eyes because we took our time and really made a certain kind of cake that we know that people… you’ve got to respect it. However you feel, like it’s not duplicated like the other one, at the end of the day it’s about growth and development. I’m an artist that just tries to move forward. I can’t sit here and tell you that I’m going to make something that’s gonna come out directly the same way as that. Nobody can do that. I don’t care what artist you point at, ain’t no nigga gonna duplicate an album the same way he made his first album or whatever.
So all I can do is put my foot forward and just really give you the heat that I feel it’s time for. And on top of that, two is different from one. That’s why they call one “ONE” and two “TWO.” You know what I mean? So people just got to open up their eyes and ears to real Hip-Hop. My shit is gonna be real regardless of whatever so you’re gonna have people that’s gonna respect the growth; you’re gonna have people who want what they want. To me, you can’t satisfy everybody. You can’t. There’s no way to satisfy everybody all of the time. I notice that a lot of times people want what they want but then if you give them something they want, you got people saying, “Yo, he didn’t grow from the music.” Then when you give them something where you grow, it’s like, “Yo, we wanted the old shit.” So it’s like you can never satisfy muthafuckas all the way. So my thing is just to give you a classic album, man… that you can enjoy and you can play without having to touch the tape deck and I feel that we accomplished that.
Pacino: At the end of the day, what are your hopes for Cuban Linx 2? It’s been a long time coming.
Raekwon: I just want people to look at it for what it is and respect it and know he ain’t change who he is as a person on the mic. He didn’t give us nothing we wouldn’t expect of him to give us, na’mean? People have to really open up their minds and understand that I’ve been in this game a long time so I’m not going to stop being who I am just to get up to date with today’s Joneses. All I can do is go back to being the Rae that I once was when I first started; the hungry artist that basically didn’t care about sales or care about none of that shit, it was just about representing… reputation. I’m a lyrical cat and today’s Hip-Hop don’t really accommodate niggas that’s lyrical. I guess that’s why I’m in the box that I’m in. So I’m just wanting the real fans that really get down for me to go out there and support me and play my shit loud and get open of it.
Pacino: I was at the video shoot for “New Wu” the other day, man. The song’s fire. I got to meet you on the set, which was definitely a highlight for me. Is it safe to call that the first single for Linx 2?
Raekwon: It’s a Link record that we definitely want people to know this is what you can expect and more. It’s guess it’s cool to call it what you want to call it. We just want to wet people’s teeth and let them know that this is a piece right here, take a taste. It’s like a fiend getting his first blast before he knocks that whole crack off, na’mean? (Laughs) He gonna take a lil’ piece right quick and just hit it real quick, BONG! Just gonna space him real quick. He gonna be like, “Riiiight, I’m good.” So that’s my thing, that’s just a portion of what you’re getting ready to expect. (Laughs) I sounded like a fiend real quick saying that. Like, “Yeah, we in space, man. We in space.” You know what I mean?
Pacino: (Laughs) Word. So what happened with Aftermath? We thought that would be home to your Cuban Linx 2.
Raekwon: Aftermath was really a situation that got blown out of proportion. I just fell back and let people think whatever they want to think because at one point it could’ve been a situation but we didn’t come to the proper terms of what we needed to with the label situation. And you know Dre is a man that has many things that he had to do so we kind of figured that it wasn’t gonna happen. So we fell back. So a lot of people did think that it was gonna happen but it didn’t work out. So my thing is, I put too much time in this business to just get being treated like a regular artist, you know what I mean? I want to able to have that dignity when I give my project to a label. I want to know that they understand it and they know what it’s about more or less than they just try to sit here and tell me, “Yo, this will big” and it don’t feel genuine. After a while I just started feeling like I got to move forward… I got to move on. Whether it’s Interscope or wherever, at the end of the day it’s about me feeling comfortable. I wasn’t comfortable. Me and Dre still remain friends. He gave me his word like, “Regardless of whether or not it pop off, I still want to be part of this project.” And me, where I come from, your word is everything. We just kept it genuine on that level. Wasn’t really no love lost, you know? Just some things ain’t always meant to happen. But at the end of the day he came through and he delivered on the project. He gave me his word that he was gonna be down for me and all I can do is run with a nigga’s word.
Pacino: Speaking of words, I’ve been reading online that Busta Rhymes left Aftermath partly because of what happened with you. Is that a misinterpretation of words?
Raekwon: Definitely. Whatever Busta left Interscope for that’s his business, that ain’t really have nothing to do with me. Busta is a good friend of mine so at the end of the day his business is his business. I would never come in between his situation and I’m sure he wouldn’t let me come in between his situation regardless because one don’t have nothing to do with the other. If he feels not comfortable with how they’re treating him, then that’s his business. So… nah, it definitely ain’t it. I guess he felt like he had to do what he had to do. That’s that shit.
Pacino: As the saying goes, “Once you know everything, you know nothing.” Are there any lessons you’ve learned since your last album dropped until this point now?
Raekwon: I learned a lot. Like I said, just being in the business so long you demand a certain kind of respect when you’ve paid the dues that you’ve paid in the game for so long. My thing is to really be more hands-on business-wise, na’mean? That’s what I learned; how these labels really make money off you. They really try to control you to where… it’s like a muthafucka gonna try to jerk you before they actually treat you fair. So I feel like I been through my days of getting jerked and going through certain shit but now you can’t do it to a nigga that already knows what it is. I think I just gained more knowledge this time and really understand that marketing is about putting money in the right places right now to promote the album. That’s what I have to really understand. Like, “Okay, we got to do it this way now because this is what is.” A lot of artists just stay in artist mode and don’t pay attention to the business side and see how these labels is doing shit. But I definitely had to open my eyes this time. I went with my heart this time and pay attention. And that’s what I did… focus more on the business side. Then I’m in a situation where I can make sure that I have the final word on something that’s better for me and better for my career, other than just somebody telling you what it should be and you don’t fully agree, na’mean?
Sometimes a muthafucka will tell you something and if you don’t know better you’ll be like, “Yeah, yeah, yeah” or whatever. But when you know better you’re like, “Hold up. Freeze. Let me think that one over. Let me go back to my camp and we have a sit-down and really delegate this issue.” And at the same token still have the power to really demand what we want. What I’m trying to say here is when you’re an artist that’s basically being controlled by your label, you and really don’t have nothing to say. But when you’re an independent artist doing your shit from your label side, they got to respect it. They got to agree to certain things because you’re the owner of your masters. A lot of time artists don’t own their masters so they really don’t have no say-so. But me now, I own my masters and I have more input now to say and stop them if something ain’t right. That comes with time and demanding what you feel you’re worth. I wouldn’t expect a new cat to come in and actually dictate what it is because he don’t know but so much. But when you’ve been in the game as long as me, they got to play with us a certain kind of way. We know all of the tricks and all of the bullshit.
Pacino: So whatever happened to that Wu-Tang vs. Shaolin album you were going to do?
Raekwon: It’s still gonna go down though but right I’mma focus on the main course right now, which is Cuban Linx 2. We’re gonna give you update on that in a minute but right now we got to finish this project. This is very important right now and I wanted to give this 200%. As far as the Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang, it’s still in the making. It’s 40% done and at the end of the day you’ll get that shortly.
Pacino: So that record has nothing to do with your past disagreement with RZA over the 8 Diagrams album?
Raekwon: Nah, not at all. No static. Like I said, we’re entertainers as well as dudes that do this kind of music. I think it’s just another one to add to the catalog and basically have fun with it.
Pacino: Any parting shots for The Spizzy viewers?
Raekwon: Yeah, I would say just relax and get ready for this classic album. You’re gonna get all the essentials that you want to get on this album, the formula you really want it to be. And we want ya’all to enjoy it, man. Play it loud. Open your mind up. And just constantly think about saving real Hip-Hop. If you respect real Hip-Hop, you’re going to definitely appreciate this shit. Get ready, get your blunts, get your liquor whatever. If you don’t even do none of that shit, listen to shit and take your time and don’t let people discourage you when it comes to what you like. Open your eyes.
Pacino: Cool. Thank you for your time, Rae.
Raekwon: You got it, man. No doubt.
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