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''Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...'' is the solo debut album of American rapper and Wu-Tang Clan member Raekwon, released on August 1, 1995, by Loud Records and RCA Records. The album was loosely composed to play like a film with Raekwon as the "star," fellow Wu-Tang member Ghostface Killah as the "guest-star," and producer RZA as the "director."〔Ma, David. (''Cuban Linx'' Revisited (page 1) ). ''Wax Poetics''. Retrieved 2010-07-27.〕 It features appearances from every member of the Wu-Tang Clan and affiliates Cappadonna, and Blue Raspberry. It also features an acclaimed guest appearance from rapper Nas, which marked the first collaboration with a non-affiliated artist on a Wu-Tang related album. Upon its release, ''Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...'' debuted at number four on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart, and number two on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, while selling 130,000 copies in its opening week.〔DeRosa, robin. ''TOPPIN' THE CHARTS''. USA Today. Aug 10, 1995.〕 The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on October 2, 1995, and according to Nielsen Soundscan, it has sold 1.1 million copies in the United States alone.〔Concepcion, Mariel. (Raekwon Announces 'Linx 2' Date, Says Budden 'Copied' Method Man ). ''Billboard''. Retrieved 2010-08-28.〕 Although it failed to acquire the same initial sales success as previous Wu-Tang solo albums, ''Cuban Linx'' achieved greater critical praise, with many complimenting its cinematic lyricism and production. ''Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...'' has received acclaim from music critics and writers over the years, with many lauding it as one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time. With its emphasis on American Mafia insinuations and organized crime, the album is widely regarded as a pioneer of the mafioso rap subgenre. It has been esteemed as being highly effective on hip hop music over the next decade, being heavily referenced and influential on acclaimed albums such as ''Reasonable Doubt'' (1996) and ''Life After Death'' (1997). Along with GZA's ''Liquid Swords'', ''Cuban Linx...'' is widely classified as the best solo Wu-Tang material. In 2012, ''Rolling Stone'' magazine placed it at number 480 on their 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list.〔The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. ''Rolling Stone''. Page 113. Special Collectors Issue (2012). Retrieved 2012-04-24.〕 == Background == Raekwon released ''Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...'' as his first solo album, and the third seen from the Wu after the release of their debut album ''Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)'', with Method Man's ''Tical'' and Ol' Dirty Bastard's ''Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version'' released prior. The song "Can It Be All So Simple," from ''36 Chambers'', marked the first recorded exhibition of Raekwon and Ghostface Killah as a duo, as the two would further establish this alliance on ''Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...''. Much of the content on the album deals with real life topics and situations that both Raekwon and Ghostface Killah commonly encountered and experienced while growing up in Staten Island, New York.〔 In an interview with ''Wax Poetics'', Raekwon explained "I grew up in the street, so I talked about the shit I knew and saw. We did the hustlin’ thing, we did the crime thing; we did all the things that made us feel like mobsters or Mafiosos in some way."〔 In a different article, Ghostface Killah recollected "Back then I was punchin' a lot of rap niggas in their face, and niggas was getting beat up in the clubs. We were banned from everything. They wouldn't even let me in the Tunnel. Niggas was scared to death when I was out there wilding. I was fucking niggas up, robbing niggas, fucking a lot of bitches, just doing dumb shit."〔 In regard to his and Ghostface's partnership, Raekwon later commented "Ghost and me, especially at the time, had this identical-twin effect on each other. We would joke about the same things and laugh at the same shit. We were into the same clothes and shit. We were like the EPMD of the crew."〔 Producer RZA also commented on the duo's congruency: ''Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...'' features a wide array of Wu-Tang members, as well as Wu-Tang affiliates Cappadonna, and Blue Raspberry. It also features a guest appearance from rapper Nas, making this the first collaboration with a non-affiliated artist on a Wu-Tang related album. Regarding this event, Nas later recalled "Rae would come out to Queensbridge, I would go to Staten Island. We'd just ride and hang out all night. We didn't call each other to work. We called each other to hang out. Somehow we wound up in the studio. RZA had a couple of beats. He played them for me. I got on both of them. The other one never came out. I was honored to be asked to be on the album. Raekwon was ahead of his time. I knew Rae was a classic artist and the album was going to be a music classic."〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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