Raekwon > Time to rebuild

By Paola “ZKR” Zukar

AL 39 September 1999

Almost a year ago, in a dark and smoky studio in Atlanta, ...

Outkast and Raekwon are cooking for good their next dish to be served, fragrant and flavorful like no other, to be put on the table along with “Aquemini,” one of the undisputed masterpieces of end-of-millennium Hip Hop (and donʼt try to tell me itʼs still missing from your collection...). The track is “Skew It On The Bar-B,” and the dialogue preceding it already says everything about its sounds and the artists in production...

Raekwon: Weʼre handling the land right now, and ʻyou other ne*rs donʼt even know it ... Big Boi: Everybody. North, south, east and west. Weʼre doing this for Hip Hop, absolutely... Rae: If it wasnʼt for us trying to enlighten ʻyou ne*ri with all kinds of flows and flavors,ʼ rap wouldnʼt be the same... Big Boi: People donʼt want to hear the same stuff over and over again, for hours and hours... Rae: Thereʼs no doubt about it. You have to be provocative, guys! You know? Mah... Other people donʼt even get it anyway... Now letʼs play some thrill stuff for you all. Big Boi: From East Point (Atlanta) to Shaolin (Staten Island), you better realize it!

Fast forward. To the present day: another studio, not at all dark or even smoky, in the heart of New York City, paved with gold and platinum records, with the appropriately smiling faces of Mariah and Madonna looking back at you from behind the frames. The Hit Factory is the recording studio that stands for exactly what its name evokes: a hit factory. In the meantime that you enter its recording rooms, you get a glimpse of the names in the hallway that have passed through here to warble through these studios and sell millions of copies of records. Now, a good portion of the artists who make the Hit Factory pocket thousands of dollars an hour (!) no longer warble. Many of those who rent the space, by trade, spit into the microphone for days and make it rhyme. Raekwon, moreover, does it better than many, many others. But so many, I mean. I don't know... It may be the perennial salivation beyond natural limits, it may be the golden cages in which he has locked his teeth, it may be the all-too-particular concepts that come out of his head, pass through his hand, and end up falling on paper and finally still on the records that fill our ears... What defines a good mc also depends a lot on his listeners and the degree of originality they are able to accept and assimilate; while retaining a strong ‘wu-tang’ trademark, Raekwon has always challenged his followers a lot, trying to bring to the attention of his supporters a way of flowing on the beat that did not resemble any of his Wu compatriots let alone other mcs on the record market. The project worked, everything proved him right, and his supporters continued to find in him what no one else has.

And, for example, among his most devoted fans are the Roots. The very Philadelphia supergroup that was in concert four years ago in Switzerland interrupted the sound check because a woman working for Swiss BMG had brought a promo CD of Raekwon's new solo work, “Only Built 4 Cuban Linx.” The sound system then began to play “Starving For Perfection,” the album's intro, and by the time we had reached track 4, “Criminology,” the Roots were already bouncing around the stage, incredulous. “Linx” was simply living proof of the supremacy of Wu-Tang, and each of its affiliated singles, in the Hip Hop of the year 1995. After several years and several ‘flavors of the month’, (translatable as: ‘the eras of sound that mark the unfolding of time in rap’), today there seem to be ‘iron laws of production and listening for Hip Hop’ in force, and it would seem that Wu-Tang have had to cede the scepter to other experts. You hear people saying that their sound is no longer super-cool, a lot of the stuff they've come out with lately is too repetitive, they don't put that grit they used to, etc., etc. Not Raekwon. Anytime, he's ready to rip the crown off anyone who nails it on his head, pull out the most absurd sounds and rhymes imaginable. Even in 1999. Four years after his last solo work, after quite a few fulsome appearances on other colleagues’ works in debt, Chef again has another menu of hypercaloric courses at the ready, and disbelievers may as well bow their heads and take notes. “With this stuff here, with this stuff you're listening to now, I'm about to show and prove to the world who I am and what I've learned over the years... For the second time, I'm ready to give you what you want. And even more of what you want, that you demand from me. Because once you understand what people want from you you automatically become a ‘soul controller,’ a guide for souls...” What do people want from you Rae? “They want ‘this stuff here! They want ‘this ne*ro! Because they understand how I am, they understand that I can give them what they want. There are a lot of people around today who have studied our path and know us very well-they know how we think and they know how we say things, so they kind of look at us as godfathers in this business... All I have to do is feed them, I have to feed the urban and the suburbanites at the same time, Americans and Europeans. I have to become a master in the art of feeding.’

What I feared has happened. The interview has been going on for exactly two minutes and I am already totally in his possession; Shallah Raekwon is like a snake charmer. He paces back and forth around the noisy room, underlining catch phrases by repeating two, three, even four times a word that sounds particularly good to him, and there seems to be no difference listening to him on a record. It is in fact as raw and appealing as sushi. “All I'm doing is feeding, feeding, feeding the urban and feeding the suburban at one time...” Rather strange and peculiar still is the fact that the Chef in question does not even so need the questions to complete an interview because communicating is what he does best and talking represents his natural dimension. He is the living dream of any music journal, however, who manages to reach where many do not. We come out of the recording studio after hearing a track from the new album on loop several times and, damn, if ‘this sound still flips. Elevated beats, stanzas set to perfection like diamonds, a chorus you won't forget even if you want to: it's all wrapped up in a harmony that can make you dance or even start a fight. If you have an idea for an adjective that encapsulates this concept, please e-mail it to me... “This time I'm going to hit them from every angle because I studied them well; I sat down and thought about juggling the events I'm dealing with. I saw that people had been fascinated by “Cuban,” so I added some more of that ingredient, but I also tried to take it to the next level and strengthen the flavor a little bit. Because ’Cuban“ was infused with drug stories, street tales and stuff like that. But my mind has evolved, and there's not much left in me of that guy who wanted to get people out of my way by using a gun; now I'm mostly about lyrics, rhymes and lyrics chock-full of truth and reality. As for the basics--well, you know beats are my specialty.”

It's no mystery to anyone that Raekwon's nickname is really apt: to everyone who knows him, he is the Chef, the fancy cook who prepares all the ingredients nicely, patiently mixes his pasta, and leaves you salivating in style as you hold your tongue dangling in front of his display case. “I'm sure the Italians will like my stuff, too, and do you know why? Because I know their stories, I've studied them. Staten Island is inhabited at 75% by Italians and they're all out there listening to my stuff... And also because Italians get along pretty well with black people, did you know that? As far as I've seen, they get along better with blacks than they do with other whites. This happens in part because you Italians also understand the struggles we have experienced and experience on a daily basis. We have a variety of principles to share, such as the importance of family--and Italians never tire of stressing the importance of this foundation of our lives. This reconfirms what I was saying earlier: “Cuban” was built on these concepts taken up in part also by the Italian attitude with which we handle life events: the strength of being united, as in a real family. You can take a beating one day, but in no way the next day can they give it to you if you have the strength of your family behind you. You have to respect these principles because they are sacred; I learned them by living day after day, watching a lot of gangster movies, learning from the strongest, referring to the strongest... That's how I built the links in my chain. You know what “Cuban Linx” looks like? That's powerful stuff, you can't break it, and it's built specifically so that you can't break it.”

“I'm sure the Italians will like my stuff too, and do you know why? Because I know their stories, I've studied them. Staten Island is inhabited at 75% by Italians and they're all out there listening to my stuff... And also because Italians get along pretty well with blacks, did you know that? As far as I've seen, they get along better with blacks than they do with other whites. This happens in part because you Italians also understand the struggles we have experienced and experience on a daily basis. We have a variety of principles to share, such as the importance of family....

At this point, if in doubt one can access track 15 of “Only Built 4 Cuban Linx,” the informative “Wu-Gambinos,” so as to clarify any gaps. Also, again for the “Maybe Not Everyone Knows...” column: so-called ‘Cuban linx’ are those chains and/or bracelets made of flattened links of beaten gold or silver, tightly chained together, practically indestructible that homegrown jewelers call ‘grumette’ and which, in Raekwon's case, represent an obvious metaphor with his concept of unity and continuity. Built to last... Because longevity is the most sought-after element in today's Hip Hop. Along with originality. When I heard the introduction to Outkast's track seasoned by Chef, the whole thing seemed clearer to me than ever before, and I am increasingly saddened by the paucity of certain artists who cover themselves in ‘keep it real’ and ‘real Hip Hop’ just because they have no new concepts to develop or other boom-cha to loop to the bitter end... “My cooperation with Outkast has a lot to do with today's music business. There are a lot of people out there who look at us with respect, who see us as founders, as people who brought back a certain taste in making music. And I feel that you always have to respect those who existed before us, I respect all the people who belonged to the Old School, black people who are not even on the crest of the wave anymore, but who I greet with my deepest respect saying ‘thank you, man’; if it wasn't for them I wouldn't be here, Hip Hop wouldn't be here. The problem today is that no one recognizes those who came before, because it's a matter of self-centeredness. Some people don't want to see others doing well because they are just envious and jealous of what they don't have and can never have. Today's society is weirdly constructed; I bet if you come from a certain neighborhood, the people who live next door to you will have certain opinions about the fact that you are dealing with black people, right? Unfortunately, that's what they have built, and that's what the society that locks us up is like: it revolves around envy, lust, avarice and hatred, constantly. But you have to make it known that you don't deal with this crap and that you're a ne*ro who looks at the substance or, as far as you're concerned, you're a woman who looks forward and doesn't lose sight of her goal...”

And I feel that you always have to respect those who existed before us, I respect all the people who belonged to the Old School, black people who are not even on the crest of the wave anymore, but who I greet with my deepest respect by saying ‘thank you, man’; if it wasn't for them I wouldn't be here, Hip Hop wouldn't be here. The problem today is that nobody recognizes those who came before, because it's a matter of egocentrism.

While using a hodgepodge of inspirations from dozens of science fiction films, “The Matrix” nevertheless got at least one of its delusional visions right: the society that locks us in, as Raekwon has already said, really does seem to be purpose-built to float our minds inside a virtually endless series of surreal images in which chaos attempts to take on a logic, in which madness must be acceptable. Cities like New York, Paris, São Paulo, and Milan are seriously unlivable, but man, like the cockroach, has a truly uncanny capacity for adaptability and exploitation of territory, whatever it may be. From the Arctic ice to the Saharan desert, man has adapted to all kinds of existence, and our metropolises are no exception. But survival is not easy. One of the absolute most significant Hip Hop tracks of all time goes like this: ‘What do you believe in? Heaven or hell? You don't believe in heaven ‘cos we're living in hell...’ (‘What do you believe in? Heaven or hell? You don't believe in heaven ’cos we're living in hell...“ ”Heaven & Hell“ from ”Only Built 4 Cuban Linx“). Thus, Rae explains, ’As far as modern civilization is concerned, it seems we are split down the middle between those who love money and those who have no future; all I can show is that we are trapped between heaven and hell... We can glimpse the existence of a heaven and we can even try to build it, but we are always trapped in this hell, because, after all, we still have to go back home and to the fucking mess they put up before us. I would like to emphasize that I speak for everyone, but the 80% of my wheezing is for the people on the street, for all those who didn't get a chance to make it. Learn from the tape, son...”

Yeah... For many of those who grew up on the road, rap is a survival course on tape, to be memorized and learned. Lesson 1: Listen and repeat... “I have in the past really dreamed of becoming who I am today, but I assure you that I never cease to be amazed at the endless possibilities that open up before me every day of my life. There is so much love around me that I feel led to love in turn. This love, for me as an artist, makes me realize that people feel what I say in their hearts, people feel my pain through my music and my words; this means that if one day I got lost, even in Italy, I could wander around until someone would take me in.” Imagine now a little Raekwon, a brat on a bicycle like the one in the video for “Can It Be All So Simple,” looking around to figure out which way he should go... Fifteen years of struggling on the road has given him the confidence not often found in the eyes of those who become artists by choice rather than necessity. “The bottom line is that you always have to be yourself...Forget about the things you can't get to. My chance now is to be able to stay myself, to be able to choose to simply be myself. Obviously there are ups and downs connected with having a certain kind of success, but at the same time you have to learn to balance ‘this situation, you have to learn to control these elements. I can say that I have learned to manage these emotions because of my past as a ne*ro on the street, and, for me, the key word is ‘gangster.’ I learned how to do what I had to do, beating my hands to be able to eat, the small trades, until I completely changed my existence. I realized that, once upon a time, I used to build negativity, whereas now I'm destroying it, but that doesn't mean that I'm not always myself; it was the life I was living that had led me to build all this negativity around me, because nobody was giving me anything then... Sometimes you have to go through bullshit to get to something positive.”

The bottom line is that you should always be yourself -- forget about the things you can't get to. My chance now is to be able to stay myself, to be able to choose to simply be myself.

When “Cuban” came out, a section of American society was shocked by the pictures on the inside cover depicting the Chef, in the kitchen, painstakingly dosing ingredients to prepare ‘something’... Of course, the conclusions were very quick: there was in circulation a rapper photographed in his underwear on his solo album preparing crack, the poorest and most powerful drug the ghettos have ever known... “When I used that photograph, I wanted to send an ambivalent and controversial message: it wasn't about saying ‘hey, guys, I'm a badass, look at me going about the business of preparing drugs with extreme tranquility’... What was pictured in the photo was me stewing whatever I wanted to stew! This was something I had had to do some time ago that gave me my nickname, Chef. I constantly cook thousands of ideas, but people who met me on the street thought that was crack, although it could have been anything else. At that moment it was not crack, no, but the reason was the same -- in that picture, on my album, I was cooking everything I believed in. It was about making a new potion and that was exactly what I was doing. But of course people who knew me from before put two and two together... Everything I do in music depends on the realization that there is positive energy and negative energy in the world; all that remains is to separate them and strive for improvement. I cannot risk getting into trouble again, and if I happen to realize that the place I am in is dangerous for me, I should move away. I have to think and focus my mind on what I'm feeling, inside, and I have to think about why I'm doing this stuff: and the answer is that I'm doing it so I can take care of my mother, my sisters, my brothers, my friends and family, all the people who support me...”

And just as four years ago, Raekwon was not left alone in the conception of his first album thanks to the support of Ghostface Killah, this time Chef even brings on the road a full group of battle mc's who answer to the name American Cream Team... “They are my new alliance of destruction... They are a fucking reincarnation of what Wu-Tang Clan is, you know what I mean? They all have their own image and they're all real ne*ers to the core. They can certainly tell their side of the story. If you know me a little bit you already know how I feel about music and about the fact that I try to burn anything I touch: so you should automatically know that these ne*rs will get where they need to go. But I still would like people to take their time to listen to them, without immediately taking my word for it... I am, let's say, their coach, in this case I'm playing the Pat Riley of the situation, to get them to the necessary level they need to get to. They definitely have good potential and I am just the ne*ro showing them the blueprint, the starting design...”

To put it in a nutshell, Shallah Raekwon is certainly the absolute best-known and, at the same time, most humble character I have ever met: he has the enthusiasm of a beginner and the experience of a veteran, and he is a young old man who charms you with his affable manner and his style-filled speech that you have heard over and over again on vinyl. Damned if it's true that Hip Hop is a passion that you inexplicably carry inside you; and it's equally true that it's people like Raekwon who rekindle the flame when it tries to fade... But where does he get this inspiration that gives him the energy to give others certain feelings? “Do you want to know where I get my greatest inspiration from? I get it from people who can inspire me. From people like you, people who give me the energy to go back into the studio after an interview like this with a huge desire to create and to raise the money. I want you to have the same enthusiasm next time I see you to look at me and talk to me, I don't want you to come back here next time and say, ‘oh Rae, I'm so disappointed...’. I want you to tell me one more time ‘Rae, you really know how to do your stuff right, we have to meet again.’ Rap is a job that I love, I realize that I can do it well, and I really don't feel like running around picking baggies off the ground anymore, you know what I mean? I've already been through a lot of bad stories. It's time to rebuild... When I started writing I was thirteen years old, I was a fan of other bands and I took it very slowly; I knew I wasn't going to get success in a week and at first I took rap as a hobby. That's what rap should be for most kids: a hobby, as well as an avenue for education. Only later, over time, do you learn to educate yourself through music... I dropped out of school pretty early and I recognize the power rap had on my education. Hip Hop really did a lot for me and now the time has come to rebuild. To pay back with interest what I borrowed. Other than what you've heard, I don't want to tell you anything about the new record because I want it to discover itself. I can tell you that the title will be “Immobiliarity.” While everyone understands the term as capitalizing on one's investments, for me it means ‘I Master More Opponents By Implementing Loyalty And Respect In The Youngsters,’ I control my opponents by using loyalty and respect in the youngsters. It is proof that the strength and power I gained from my first record should be shared with others, now I want to break bread with everyone who loved me. If you are a part of me, you will get a part of my stuff. This is about expanding together. About investing in rap in earnest. As I said, it's time to rebuild -- together.’