Only Built 4 Cuban Linx

Luv me some wu tang and nas, but 36 chambers was better

i want the cassette

This one was not particularly compelling to me. The beats weren’t super catchy and the lyrics weren’t particularly clever so it just fell kind of flat

I don’t ever need to hear this again.

Just not my thing.

This is a classic yet still incredibly fresh and relevant masterwork of hip-hop. It also serves to show how much we've lost with so much that is out there today. The beats, the music, the rhymes, the stories - everything is top notch and makes something that I do believe everyone should hear to understand what this genre can really do.

Eh never really loved any of the spin off/solo albums from the Wu Tang folks. This one didn’t change my mind.

Not as engaging as some other Wu Tang affiliates albums and certainly not as good as the WUs collaborative efforts but still OL.

90s hip hop. The beats were all pretty basic and repetitive and there weren't really any musical hooks. Listening to lyrics is my least favourite part of music so I didn't find much to enjoy here.

An interesting album, but not as strong as classic Wu-Tang or the solo projects from other members. Solid songs on here though.

It’s not bad for what it is (East Coast Rap being more relevant to me) but still, I can’t stand the hypocrisy game. My no hypocrites rule usually mandates a 1 rating, but I’ll tip my hat and throw em a bonus.

Ok 2/5

Tis te veel rap...

Didn't have time today to write a review for each song. Have never given this album a full listen to. Has some of my favorite Wu-Tang members on it. Has Wu-Tang-esque samples on it, evident with RZA producing the album. Some tracks missed the mark a little but overall has good flow.

I don’t like rap. I tried.

There’s something about this album that isn’t really clicking. Or good. There’s a lot of down time of dudes talking. And they’re not even good skits. Also the mix is bad. Also the beats aren’t great

Yeah, this is some fucked-up shit here. One of the bleakest albums I can think of in hip-hop and gangster rap (only artists like dälek are in the same vein, in my opinion). However, that's what makes it truly great. The mix is heavy and lo-fi, the sampling funky and distorted, and the lyrics and delivery from Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, and the other Wu-Tang guest appearances are truly transportive. You can feel the fear and dread of oppression and marginalization throughout this album. It's a portrait of life for young men, especially Black men, in impoverished America, seemingly doomed from the start, with the system rigged against them. Violence, addiction, incarceration, death, and hard life on the streets are commonplace—in Staten Island, NYC, of all fucking places. Is the American dream accessible to all? Or is it simply given to those deemed worthy of living it? Raekwon et al refuse to accept that this is as good as it gets. This album also has one of the greatest hip-hop verses ever delivered, on "Verbal Intercourse", by none other than Nas: "Through the lights, cameras, and action, glamour, glitters, and gold I unfold the scroll, plant seeds to stampede the globe When I'm deceased, by then the beast arise like yeast To conquer peace, leaving savages to roam in the streets Live on the run, police paying me to give in my gun Trick my wisdom with the system that imprisoned my son Smoke a gold leaf, I hold heat nonchalantly I'm raunchy, but things I do is real, it never haunts me, while Funny style niggas roll in the pile Rooster-heads profile on the bus to Rikers Isle Holding weed inside they pussy with they minds on the pretty things in life Props is a true thug's wife It's like a cycle, niggas come home, some'll go in Do a bullet, come back, do the same shit again From the womb to the tomb, presume the unpredictable Guns salute life rapidly, that's the ritual" Seriously, who can compete with this?! For those of you downvoting this: maybe listen more carefully next time. You might learn something. Yes, it also glorifies gang-related/mafioso content, but that's world and game that this album belongs to. Yeah, it's unpleasant, but it's kind of perfect at it and getting you to confront the dark themes without holding a gun to your face. I rate things according to what they represent in the genre, and this gets a full golden, chain linked 5 stars.

Good samples

5/10

It’s that Wu Tang style. It’s not for everyone. It’s not for me but I get it. You may not if it’s not for you. That’s the difference between us most likely.

I'm a fan of the Wu-Tang clan and much of the solo work from each member but Raekwon is my least fave rap-ninja. Although I prefer the harder, gangsta hip-hop style over weaker pop rap, The Purple Tape is too much of the same over and over. Like the skits, the vocab of the artists is limited to just bangin', you know what I'm sayin? I'll give it props for being an influencer on the genre but also kinda sad that this style of hip-hop has continued to further the thug mentality as cool. Being in the game makes you hard son. Since it feels inevitable, young g's start to look up to this way of life as the rap-game pushes the glory of it. It's a critically lauded piece of work so I'll have to revisit and get into the "movie" style more. Raekwon may have been "Striving for Perfection" with this record but the shadow punch style was no KO...only getting 2.34 stars from me today God.

Becoming less and less surprising every time I see another Wu Tang member pop up on this list. I didn't know much about them when we started this list (still don't really) but definitely have a better understanding of why they are held in such high regard and remain a staple of the rap genre years later. Raekwon's OB4CL (Purple Tape) wasn't bad, but it didn't hit the same way as the prior entries. I liked what he was going for here trying to present this like a film but found most of the rap just alright. There is a pretty clear style that Raekwon and Ghostface stick to. They are competent and maintain pretty good flow but I found most of the songs sounded similar and it got a little played out over an hour. RZA does a good job with production trying to weave stuff in to make it more cinematic which I think plays well with the gangster/mafioso picture it presents. Love that John Woo consulted on this which is nice little note. Method Man was once again the standout for me despite his relatively limited involvement. Wu Tang Clan is becoming a group that I appreciate even if I wouldn't consider myself a core fan. I enjoy some of their stuff and absolutely agree with their legacy and influence on the genre. I can see why this album was acclaimed upon release, it just didn't wow me in 2026. 2.10 stars **I picked up (2) "Tical" drops within this album and honored my pledge from review #531 and took my 2 drinks. Happy to continue to do this moving forward.

Nothing really stuck out to me. May need to revisit.

Bit too long, but the music production is really cool

Yuck

Yes, this is absolutely awesome!

Despised hip-hop. But I will listen to this again.

nah

9.5/10

Every 90s rap album I have listened to from this list has a few things in common. Homophobia, misogamy, and stupid skits that add absolutely nothing to the album. I don't understand what this album did differently from Wu tang or other contemporaries to have it on a list of "must listen" albums. It was mediocre at best.

Not my style at all. Nothing here that I would listen to again. ★★

I'm biased, it's 90s rap

Rap is rap sometimes. I can see how influential this was, but really not my thing.

Good but not great

Hypnotise like a hypnotist

Really wanted to like this one, but it just came off so generic.

No thanks

Yikes. i am not a prude my any stretch of the imagination, but i couldnt get past the third song at work.......this was unlistenable.

I've seen this name a lot and always wanted to know what kind of music it was. Welp, didn't take long for me to realize it wasn't something I wanted to listen to. Only reason I am giving this a 2 is because it is better than most of the other albums I have heard in this genre. The lyrics seemed super honest and not forced. I felt like he actually lived everything he was singing about.

When is think of music in the most general terms I do not think of this garbage

This “Knuckleheadz” would’ve made more money if he got paid for every time he said the N-word and the F word. Pure trash.

Enjoyable. Although a lot of words I can’t say.

This is hip hop I like. A generous helping of Ghostface Killah, always a plus.

I enjoyed it.

Sick beats tho

rap album reviews on this site are like an Onion skit "Grand Wizards Listen to Raekwon for 1st time???" This isn't my favorite wu tang side project but it's inarguably very, very good. Like a lot of these it runs like fifteen minutes too long but that first hour is straight heat.

Arvostan kulturaalisesti tärkeänä teoksena, mutta tää ei oo mun musaa.

Solid production all around, but not as much sway as 36 Chambers

It's the Wu and instead of kung-fu they built a world on the mafia. Telling a somewhat embellished story of the struggles they have to deal with on the day to day in NYC. I would consider this a concept album that is telling a crime story from a street perspective. Classic east coast boom bap and they have a great delivery and cadence. RZA is at the top of his beat game and production. It deserves a more active listen than I could give it to really listen to and appreciate the verses. It is a hip hop album worthy of any collection

You know the albums good when The Avalanches sample it. 4/5

Great beats. Really like the darker atmosphere and the back and forth in the rapping.

Not for me.

4.0/10

Ok but not really my style, someone else’s I’m sure though :)

Not as great as full Wu Tang, but solid stuff.

This is my second time listening to this album in full, and I appreciate it more.

The connection to Wu Tang creates a nostalgic feeling while pushing ahead

2/10 I just can't. I mean what the hell is this doing being 69 mins long? Nothing changes! Tempo is walking pace. Consistently. Cord changes per song averages at 1.8. notes used is 3.4. I try to listen to the lyrics, follow along, but they're so dull and far removed from anything that means anything to me, I literally couldn't care less. I would actually rather hear them rap their shopping list verbatim. That would provide at least some insight.

I will assume this album's for people that have a kickass subwoofer in their car. I do not have one.

I feel very lucky I got assigned this album on a day where I had plenty of time to take it in. It's been a good day. I grew up enchanted by the Wu-Tang Clan without listening to much of their music. I'm happy that this project has gotten me to sit down and listen to this album all the way through. The energy is incredible. The lyrics are so clever. There are certainly some tracks that didn't land as well, and certainly some lines that didn't age well, but as a whole, this album is a treat.

Pretty good production and rapping. Some of the tracks were distasteful though.

It’s so jazzy, and if I don’t pay attention to the lyrics it’s easy to forget it’s gangster rap.

A good Album

Reliable flow. Some loops are annoying. It's a pity that I can't hear the difference between 36 Chambers and Raekwon's debut solo. Overall: 3/10

Feels like I just listened to a section of the rap bible. I see a lot of influence of this album & time in more recent music when I hear action Bronson

Very fun but also very long

Over an hour gets very repetitive. No highs or lows just a monotone rap. However it got better at the death.

Doesn't have the same spark as 36 chambers or liquid swords maybe because of the lack of Kung Fu samples. but it's still a strong album all round. Just barely scrapes a 4

The difference in headspace between the skits and the songs… going from dark and dangerous to bouncy and fun… the duality of man!

ratchet

Bättre än Klanen, här finns fler nyanser och färre rappare. Det finns stunder av nästan renodlad klassisk boom-bap, dom är inte jättebra men åtminstone uppfriskade. Riktigt bra är triphopdoftande "Rainy dayz". Men mest är det långt, tråkigt och med hopplös lyrik. Musik som försöker va tuff och hård är sällan det. Det här är inte min hiphop. Detta trots att Ghostface är jättebra på sitt gebit.

Bäst är de precisa och små samplingslooparna av några få toner pianoklink här eller ett par stråkar där mot ett tungt trumbeat. De skapar ett ödesmättat dramatiskt sound. Reakwon har mycket att säga. Kanske lite för mycket, han är mån om att fylla ut hela CD-utrymmet till max. Några spår hade kunnat strykas till förmån för ett ändå mer intensivt och tajt album. Criminology är bästa spåret.

Som alltid i Wu-tang-land är det fint flow och sköna beats. Som alltid i 90-tals-hiphop är det alldeles för långt och alldeles för många skits. Frasen you know what I’m saying borde bannlysas för all framtid.

Ett favoritalbum för mig. Ghostaface och RZA är i högform. Mängder med högklassig wu-tang hip-hop. Det mesta är redan sagt i recensionen av Enter the Wu-tang. Särskilt bra håller jag Can It Be All So Simple, Heaven & Hell samt Criminology. Den enda plumpen i protokollet är skitsnacksspåren som inte jag gärna hoppar över.

Pretty groovy but a lot of the songs sounded similar

Great! The skits are hip hop’s version of instrumentals though…ugh too many

It was okay not my fave

dis some good shitt

this has RZA all over it. samples from old movies, obsession with the chinese, etc. pleasantly surprised. mid-90s rap can be pretty same-y, but this was good.

The reviewers of this list never fail. If it's Black and they don't understand it, they rate it low. That doesn't mean it's a bad album, though. I will say that the sample selection is not my favorite but the bars are absolutely crazy. The main reason it nets out at like a 3.7 for me is because my favorite bars are from other members of the Wu. Highlights: Guillotine, Ice Cream

Ok but not my thing, all HH sounds the same

While I appreciate the Wu Tang Clan and their style and methods, this one’s not for me. Wu Tang is for the Children.

Some of the beats were good. None of the lyrics hooked me. And the “skits” in between sound like someone stuck a mic in their faces and said “quick have a conversation right now!”

A treat of an album. Back to back ehavy hitting songs, especially near the end.

I didn’t hate it but it’s not for me.

One of the best of those Wu-Side-Quests. Nam‘sayin‘?

36 Chambers was such a perfect creation by just the right guys. Unfortunately, the many solo projects that came from many of their members ride the coattails and that is especially obvious with Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. A release that somehow uses tens of Wu Tang 36 Chambers call backs and samples, but is somehow entirely forgettable. Raekwon is a great leg for Voltron, but doesn't succeed much in this solo project imo. 2.4/5 -> 2/5

Rätt långdragen

Enda som stör mig är sångsamples som låter surt, dissonant och jävligt som i ”rainy dayz”. Otroligt irriterande och alldeles för vanligt i viss 90-talshiphop. Utöver det var det här en solklar rak 4a

I am not the right person to enjoy this.

Still not a rap fan

This is a pretty good rap album, and while enjoyed the flow and lyrics and beats, I also found it strangely unremarkable by the end. I just didn't find any single aspect particularly memorable. I did like the backing tracks, I thought they were pretty unique and didn't really sound like much other rap I've listened to, like the unsettling violin in Guillotine (Swordz). I enjoyed the album and I like the Wu-Tang boys just hanging out and vibing, it just wasn't as good as Liquid Swords or the Wu-Tang albums I've had on the list so far. My favorite was probably Wu-Gambinos, though it's intro is far too long, so I'll add Guillotine (Swordz) to my playlist instead.

There’s an immediacy to RZA’s spare, “raw” beats and production from 36 Chambers until the release of Forever that scanned as authentic, more street level compared to the gangsta rap g-funk sound of the time. I prefer the Wu and it both sounds and feels like what I remember of golden era hip hop, which I was fortunate enough to be around and be a fan of. Moreover, my family is from Staten Island, so I’ve always had a fondness for Shaolin and all that. But, there’s a denseness to Cuban Linx and (especially) Liquid Swords that I find impenetrable at times, alongside not really having much interest in the authenticity/realness concerns of the era. Today, it just sounds kinda samey, if really dang good all the same. As usual, Inspectah Deck comes in off the top rope and makes the most of his feature, much as he would again on Triumph, etc.

🧑‍🍳🧑‍🍳🧑‍🍳🧑‍🍳

This album slaps

Typical RZA production, nice atmosphere, but very repetitive and way too long. The raps are technically great, of course, but they lack substance aside from cursing and mysoginy.

Great stuff. So many good songs and I love this style of hip hop so it worked for me

I really wanted to like this more than I did. 2 stars even feels a little generous.

Mitsy’s gonna hate this one. You’ve got maybe the two best rappers from Wu Tang rapping over prime RZA beats and they’ve decided to disperse roughly 30 mins worth of skits and clips throughout the album. I know this is often considered the best “solo” (it’s really a duo - I think there’s as much Ghost as Rae) Wu effort but I just can’t get through the speaking parts (that aren’t even funny or interesting). The mafioso theme doesn’t really mesh with the samurai stuff either in my opinion. It’s a shame because there’s a great 45 min album in there somewhere. Knuckleheadz (these guys hate the letter s) is one of the sickest RZA beats of all time and there are a few awesome songs in there but it felt like a slog.

Mafioso rap 1995., Wu-tang Clan Knuckleheadz Criminology Wisdom body