From Cuban Linx To The Wild - Raekwon Ranks All His Albums
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- Опубліковано 6 лют 2025
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HipHopDX’s Editor-in-Chief Trent Clark and Raekwon go through his catalog of albums as he drops stories about the process of making each project.
Interview By: Trent Clark
Shot By: James Kreisberg & Ural Garrett
Edited By: Thereza Pena
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For over 17 years, HipHopDX has been at the forefront of Hip Hop culture online, featuring over 2.7 million readers per month. As one of the longest-standing Hip Hop websites, DX not only stays current on Hip Hop culture, but continues to influence it, encourage it, and simultaneously reflect on its past. Our insightful, honest editorials, unbiased reviews, premier audio and video sections, and original video content, draws one of the most loyal followings online. Check us out at www.hiphopdx.com
True story. I told my girl if I were ever in a coma or something like that, to play The Purple Tape and I promise I'll come out of it. Low and behold 2 months later I was in a car crash and put in a medically induced coma. She played that shit I woke up the next day. I owe the purple tape my life. Thank you Rae.
WOW!!! THATS POWERFUL
Sure it’s a true story 😂
When Rae dropped Cuban Linx Pt II every OG wanted to drop a sequel of their classic
Facts
I remember when OB4CL2 came out during my last year of high school. I love every single song on that album. NO SKIPS!!
As a hardcore wu fan this was soo dope to see! Raekwon has been holding it down like a real vet especially in recent years and it's nice to hear that despite all the bad press the wu still formin like voltron! Mad respect for the chef and hiphopDX, Wutang forever!
I love this channel but sorry that layout on the table is not professional. That's Raekwon, buy his albums, lay them out on the table, show him proper respect. Not this printer paper, arts and craft spread. To the fans his albums are memories in a point of time when they were young and inspired by his work, but from Raekwon's point of view, that's years of pain, struggle, suffering, success, and everything else in between capturing the essence of a man transcending his environment and learning his place in the world.
The chef said himself how his albums are like movies. Movies are hard to make and take a lot of love and time to create properly, he did that and packaged them for us to enjoy, so how about you find a better intern who doesn't go on google and print out his album covers on recycled copy paper. You can tell by his body language, he thinks this looks funny and not legit. Good interview, but I think he deserved a better setup. The Chef is one of the greatest of all time fyi. #WutangForever #KillaBeez
tenzin samphel I agree,,,
DEFINTIELY AGREED.. have the respect to go find copies of the album. youre hip hop dx. the digital voice of hiphop?
i also wouldve like to have this done by another vet, not some random intern.
even worse. this is not an intern, its the editor and chief
disappointing indeed!
I agree with you my man
Brother Raekwon is the realist and he dropped some knowledge for these new rappers when he said it's all about the artistry of hip hop, not sounding the same as every of rapper in the game.HIPHOPDX GET MORE OF THE LEGENDS AND RANK THE ALBUMS.
SERV 5 that's the difference between 90s hip hop and the modern movement. Back then, you had to be ORIGINAL. All the artists had their distinctive sound and angle. Now, most of the artists sound exactly the same. As a result no classic music is being made anymore
HipHopDX is for the fucking culture, for real. #WutangForever
Frandy Brown amen
HipHopDX said that Ether was wack. They lost all credibility in hip hop with that bullshit.
i would love to see Ghostface rank his albums
Ghostface has the better catalog, Rae really only got 4 joints1) OB4CL 2)OB4CL 2 3)IMMORALITY 4)THE WILD
Replace Immorablity with Shaolin Vs Wu-Tang and you're spot on.
ironman
@@PharoahsKingdom Immobilarity is second best Rae album.
@@justinmccall95 Negative, incorrect, wrong... Shaolin vs WuTang, Fila, The Wild, all 3 of them joints are better than Immobilarity. Rae got joints yo, YOU just like a few of'em.
Rae's Picks:
1) Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…
2) Ironman
3) F.I.L.A.
4) Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… Pt. II
5) Wu-Massacre
6) Bulletproof Wallets
7) Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang
8) The Lex Diamond Story
9) Immobilarity
Did they leave The Wild out? I saw it laying on the table.
Yeah, they said they gonna wait to see how it lands with people before ranking it.
F.I.L.A 3rd, thats easily his worst album to me.
The Lexington diamond story takes that crown as his worst material, Filament was dope The Wild is even better!! Peace
how he got ob4cl II below fila? smh. Thats arguably his second best album
The original Bulletproof Wallets is a classic. So creative with The Watch, The Sun, The Hilton, Ice, Maxine, The Forest
Weak presentation pieces of paper on a desk what happened to sealed vinyl copies cds or vinyl. This is a legend and your giving him papers
highfived does it make a difference?
word at least the CD cases for a god lol
I never even looked at it like that but they could have had the CDs forsure. Maybe it was last second, or theyre too broke who knows lol.
You aint gon change it, why think about, its just an interview
@@stratoc9568 lol I like your angle brotha
Everything Raekwon made is Fire!!!! Classic material made by a General!! Salute!!!
I love to watch Rae interviewed by cats that actually listen to his music and don't just dickride cause he's a pioneer. #wutangforever
The wild album is hot!! quality is on point!!
Yea I had get it on cd banger!!
Hip Hop DX putting out dope content! Keep it up for us hip-hop historians
One of the smoothest spitters in the game
Raekwon has always been my favorite wu tang member. The thing that stands out to me the most about him. He's raw. He's so real and you can feel that every time he spits his verses, you can feel that he aint fuckin around, that he actually means the shit he says. Most respect for this man🙏💯💯
The Legend... One of a Kind. #WuForever
❤❤❤
Good shit! Like everybody else is saying... see if you can get Ghost to rank his.
Opening up with Ice Cream... Hell yea.
Raekwon
Albums ranked
1.Only Built 4 Cuban Linx
2. Shaolin vs Wu-Tang
3. Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… Pt. 2
4. The Wild
5. The Lex Diamond Story
6. Wu-Massacre
7. Immobilarity
8. Fly International Luxurious Art
Loving this one thanks for sharing very information blessed love to all knowledge is power hopefully everyone pays attention keep up the good work 🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲
The legendary Raekwon 🔥
I love this brother, definitely my fav Wu MC and in my top 5 ... A real thoroughbred, when he goes on first you know it’s gon’ be a one hell of a Wu banger ... Respect God and much love from Dubai by way of Nu Jerze
That art hanging in the background is dope!
Like Mr. Diggs himself says on "NYC Crack" - "I don't write songs, I create sceneries" - RZA certainly always has, and to get several "picture painter" rappers togehter and convince them to give him a set amount of years to do everything HIS WAY - that's something that hiphop can never br grateful enough for. That synchronicity, bringing those cats together, some of which who had JUST been "beefing" - and then have all of them, in their own ways/styles, "make sceneries" - The Purple Tape captured that not only "Concept album" but "cinematic concept album" idea to it's Zenith, thanks to timing, being hungry, pure talent, obeying RZA, etc ad infinitum. Ironman was VERY much a "sequel" to Cuban Linx. This time Ghost is being backed up by Rae, and we hear our first Blaxploitation film samples, and "known" film samples. Cappadonna was enjoying being part of this so much he's in the middle of the three on the album cover - and, like Cuban Linx, Ironman was full of Wu member appearances. Method Man (and RZA himself) , to use two good examples, are often more likely to "use" the extended family. For example, all that Streetlife, Carlton Fisk, and others added to Tical - and how people from Holocaust (and Black Knights entire) as well as Killarmy guys were used by RZA all Bobby Digital albums, and to give final example, though they are endless, how ODB's first solo was full of bars that MADE the album by ppl like Shorty Shit Stain, 12 O'Clock, and others. Though that album did bring in almost all of the "core Wu 9" - point being, most all Wu/ Wu-affilite stuff is gonna be concept albums. RZA can make singles all day and does all day, to this day, but if a fan isn't going to dig the concepts and only want what they think is "The best "type of Wu" - they will of course be dissapointed - or sleep on stuff they shouldn't ....depending on how one views that. I know that albums from something big like Digi Snacks to something much more cult following like Theodore Unit's album are apples and oranges, but both are great concept albums that were totally slept on. All that said, "some albums put out just to meet the tax code" is a quote from the same "NYC Crack" RZA track - idk how much salt to take that with, and he didn't say "WU albums" - so.... who knows. That brings me to my last point - even had Immobilarity been "exactly what fans wanted" - to use one album as an example - people barely knew about it, from what I recall. It's marketing was not done "well" - I may be mistaken , but if that wasn't a part of Immobilarity's story it surely was for many albums. The bulk of material alone is also overwhelming. I was getting these albums when I was buying the most music I ever have and I'd still find a new Sunz of Man joint or something (this is back when we went to CD stores) that I hadn't heard a word about. At the same time, RZA "had to/chose to" abandonded TONS of albums that were even advertised in the CD liner notes, on the cover art even, in the case of Bobby Digitial in Stereo. I admit I wasn't crushed to not get a Remedy album as promised but I did miss not being able to cop the Bobby Digital Instrumentals album advertised on the CD. So...more projects than even Wu-Head like me could keep track of until it was on my computers/etc. I started in 93, so... yeah. Old. I STILL find shit you have to hunt for and I'm good at hunting - stuff so good (from Wu members) - and even tracks that should be all the "radio song" a person could ask for - right along with stuff as raw as mid 90s.
"Immobilarity" was probably his best album and that's real, no songs on any other album can match "Casablanca"
I really liked Immobilarity too. I was surprised he felt it wasn't well received.
If Immobilarity had better production, it could have easily been just as good as The Purple Tape, real talk. Chef was at his lyrical peak on that album.
WHAT????? It has some joints on there but come on
Really cool to hear what he thinks of every album and the host did a good job.
Much love to the Legendary Chef. Cooking up classic after classic.
I caught it Rae...when immobalarity came out...you were in Lumberton in Bobbys Run...i bumped into you alot...Don P.was cuttin alex...and we kept in the rotation..alomg with cormega the true meaning....the table is a gem..stay golden!!!
great work dx would love to see more stuff like this
Cuban Linx-Godfather
Cuban Linx 2-Godfather 2
#Classics
People don't understand how underrated Raekwon and the rest of the Wu was.
Syed Isamuddin Only Real fans like us do .. Ps I’m from Park Hill Projects 🐝👐🏾🐝👐🏾
I think that Cuban Linx II was really done so late (and I'm sure it had to be, and there was no way to top that album ...fuck no . topping the purple tape? That just couldn't be done without it being something completely different - which is exactly what they DIDNT want. This was supposed to be a sequel, I'm glad they did it, love tracks from it, the track on it that makes me think of the purple tape most would be "Kiss the Ring" - that and "Black Mozart" - that said, it's amazing they could do something anything near a "sequel" to Cuban Linx, when the only real "Sequel" was Ironman. The magic spilling over itself in every direction, AND being heard for the first time, made Cuban Linx unique. Truly unique, yet stood right next to Ironman in every sense. Lots of amazing singing (like you know who suprising us with his voice on Glaciers of Ice, much less all the female vocals) Cuban Linx WAS the BEST example of what RZA was wanting so so badly - to "not write songs...make sceneries" The thing to make sure you get to really appreciate most RZA/Wu albums is to remember that they had a concept in mind - both sonically and thematically - if it's not readily apparent, it will be....and remember that the best music usually takes some getting used to. Fine things often require acquired tastes. We're so ADHD these days that concept albums are hard to get the people to swallow even for Kanye.
simonsickboy word..! Purple tape was dope that gihad joint was flyest
Raekwon one of my 3 favorite MCs. And he shouted out my city. #CMD
Immobilarity was slept on heavenly
Lord of the Jungle and it still went gold 👍
love how you played cream when rae was talking about wu being forever
A lot of times the fans don’t grow with the artist only some of them so you gotta take sum and keep it moving….
only built is the greatest, sickest, most raw album in hip hop. period...
rainy dayz ??? GODDAMN !!! 22 years since i bought it and just this second started playing it and no shit, hairs standing up and goose bumps on my arms.
Immobilarity was one of my favorites lol from the intro to the end.
RaeKwon never made a wack album... my opinion is that coming off OBFCL... his voice and energy was softer like he was speaking to the mic instead of going in with emotion on second release... but all his writings and effort to give different delivery is present in all his albums. But nothing beats that desperate voice on a mic. Plus later albums he had a bad habit of doubling up his voice and too much echo. I like his mic raw, single voice with ad libs... not double tripling his voice. immobilarity... just too different after the first and voice sounded like thursday poetry night reading... when on the first he was coming through to snatch your hood and claim everything you have. But yeah i gotta go through his art in order again. living Rhyme legend. great thing about youtube... can hear the albums in order instead of trying to find my cd case's...and 'Spot Rusherz' is dope. .. but peers I know and myself all wanted the background intro track they was talking over, before it started. went on a music hunt trying to find out what rap song that is. Ghostface killah...-- still waiting for him to close out Supreme Clientele 2.
I'm the biggest Raekwon fan on Earth. Immobilarity was weak as a whole. It had some joints no doubt like Sneakers, 100 Rounds, Real Life and Casablanca, but it had a lot of weak production and features. Rae was lyrically fire and was picture painting with his wordplay and slang. But it wasn't a strong project. It's his least best album. No disrespect to Chef because he's my man. But i'm being honest
Dont know if you found out the track from spot rusherz already but if not its wu tang st ides
The Killer
Man you ripped Spot Rusherz!! That was dope storytelling ability. 🔥🔥
In South Africa we have this old school shoe that looks identical to Wallabies called Grasshoppers. And the grimey Cape Town gangsters were rocking them since the 70s.
Spot rushers was my shit.
(Plus the chain swing like anchors on ships,
Flooded with all diamond chips.
Back pocket.
Two clips,
45's wit rubber grips.)
Rae does have the best flow.. i was debating this with my brother before.. We both love NY Hip Hop.. and we're both products of the 90's era.. it came down to the Queens and Staten flows... eventually came down to Nas, Ghost, Rae and Prodigy (Hav flow crazy too) & Tragedy Khadafi.. I decided on Rae.. it was close.. but his slang (as is Ghosts) is immortal.. could easily have been any of them though
I like Ghost and Kool G's flow better, as well as Doom, Big and Roc Marci
Immobilarity is an album for the REAL Rae fans ;) Beats on that are ridic
Exactly, it's probably one of his best albums; Casablanca
@mike dollars all of his album arw dope
No they r not
I remember really hating Immobilarity! There was only one track I liked and I actually still play it - Live From New York.
Ghost ju3at Crunched on it!!! Wordplay is Serious!!!
Raekwon is an Alien this guy looks exactly the same as when he first came out with the WU back in 1994
So I suppose that Unexpected Victory was considered a mixtape. That one was fire all the way through and one of the best.
imobalarity was ahead of it's time
Awesome video.
Can they do this interview with Ghostface? Dang I wish ghost was in this video.
Trent Clark u subscibed to dj akademiks? damn
Roberto Fernandez they're gonna need a bigger table for his albums. Dude puts a album out every year
I still love the production on 8 Diagrams. Rae was calling it hip-hop hippie shit but I really think its got some of the most layered and darkest beats on a Wu project till today.
Raekwon is one of the best.
Line for line line for line...... spot rushers is dope af with that ironic Rza beat
Thank you for mentioning Sneakers! Does anyone know if he ever did this live?
The Purple Tape! 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Lex Diamond to me is his most underwhelming album, but it got some bangers though, Immobilarity is a fuckin classic too.
The 1st half was dope but it gets 2 Ice Cream 2 smfh dead
I loved the spot rusher track on OBFCL album
incredibly dope wutang forever
I thought he was gonna say Heaven or Hell because even tho it's a dope track it was recorded a year before for the Fresh Soundtrack
U should do more album ranks with more rappers, please
this was nice, well done hip hop dx..more of this please, less of the other nonsense..
they should have just asked him about each album, making him play some game with his albums
Peace to the god Rae, 95 I took my first cuban link chain because of that album still got it today. Virgin Islands🌞
Immobilartiy is my favorite
Wu forever!
A LEGENDARY HEAVYWEIGHT.
interviewer cheesin the whole time is so funny
👐TIMELESSNESS👐
cant believe he picked spot rusherz that's one of my favorite tracks
BEST SEGMENT SO FAR THIS WEEK, THE CHEF.
Crazy.....Immobilarity was fire n definitely slept on,I understood it
Immobilarity is my fav
Immobilarity was DOPE!
ok
1) OB4CL 2)IMMORALITY 3)OB4CL2 4)THE WILD, BTW GHOSTFACE has the better catalog Factz!!
Nahhhhh, a Purple Tape Documentary???? Where the fuk is that @????? I definitely need to see that‼️
Near the end of the interview Raekwon mentioned that Masta Killa just dropped a new album. All I could find is the Therapy single with Meth and Red. Anybody know where to find the new album?
nathan drake it's called Loyalty is Royalty. It's on UA-cam, but you should buy it. It's def worth the CREAM 👐🏾
nathan drake UA-cam fam
Word, Chef.
🐐🐐🐐
One of the best underrated Wu rappers ever one of my personal favorites.
I read an interview and Rae said he didn't know who DIlla was until he passed
Immobilarity is his least favorite? I think it's his second best, easily
And the m&n track with P.U.R.E. takes it back to fly ass beats
See this is what you do when you a LEGEND/GOD! You can reflect back on your work and be able to talk about them and rank your body of work! 20 YEARS LATER.....these NEW CATS these days.....SMDH! They gonna look back on their albums like “what the f**k was i saying?”......”the hell did that song mean?”........SMMFH!
Just seen the chef, ghost, gza. 3 chambers concert last night . Wu tang forever
I love immobalirity bigg album
we have to see a Ghostface one because Fishcale is one to ever come out in 06
All Rae’s albums are great besides the first cd , all his shit bang.
Illest album I've heard out of camp.
looking forwaed to the documentary Raekwon big insperathion.
100 rounds and sneakers came off immobiarity 💵🤩🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
impressive work ethic
We caught the transition between Cuban and Immobilarity. We just didn't like the beats.
Rae greatest compliment is when Nas said he borrowed from Rae and Big on last real nikka alive
I always liked Rae with inspeka dek. I’d love to here an album with Rae, Ghost, & Busta with a lil Nas.
Same build same look this dude dont get old
Raekwon really gonna "rank" FILA near the top like that. Fuck outta here, that was easily his worst record.
Interesting how he credits "Spot Rusherz" as his least favorite cut on Cubin Linx. I love that track. If I had to pick one I'd probably go with Heaven or Hell.
Dang man great minds think alike I thought he would say heaven or hell as well, The Wild is dope af an Immorality is slept on Imo
Man his storytelling on Spot Rusherz is on a whole other Level.
Ill interview