Tape 28 years later

e album starts o strong with the track’s harsh sound and vivid narration, and it doesn’t let up for the course of its 70 minutes. “Criminology,” which has a melancholic tempo and highlights Raekwon’s lyrical skill, is one of the album’s notable tracks from the rst half. e song depicts street life and the criminal underground in a realistic manner. Another outstanding song is “Incarcerated Scarfaces,” which has Raekwon and Ghostface Killah describing their criminal actions over a threatening beat.

Additional standouts from this album’s legendary WuTang tracks include “Guillotine (Swordz),” “Glaciers of Ice,” and the epic “Wu-Gambinos.” Exclusively Made for Cuban Linx includes a number of skits that aid in connecting the album’s story.

Hip Hop culture has been signi cantly and enduringly impacted by the album. One of the best Hip Hop albums of all time, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... has impacted innumerable artists in the genre. e Wu-Tang Clan’s storytelling and vivid visuals from the album, as well as RZA’s production, which uses samples from vintage kung fu movies, have come to represent the group’s sound. e fact that the record has been reprinted several times, including a 25th-anniversary version published in 2020, speaks something about its significance.

Exclusively Built 4 Cuban Linx... has cultural importance as well as nancial success. e album received a platinum certi cation from the RIAA a er debuting at number four on the Billboard 200. e song “Ice Cream,” which helped make Raekwon more well-known, reached at number 42 on the Billboard Hot 100. Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... is a signi cant part of Wu-Tang Clan history in addition to its success on the cultural and nancial fronts. e group’s original and artistic approach to Hip Hop, which in uenced the genre in the 1990s and beyond, is re ected in the album. In summary, Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... is a groundbreaking Hip Hop album that richly deserves to be counted among the all-time greats.