However, Raekwon, despite his purely one-dimensional vision of life, proves himself as the dart throwing master of visuals and imagery. Only Built For Cuban Linx despite its seemingly complex interiors, is a simple record substantially, and discusses Raekwon’s favorite topic the drug trade. But alas, Only Built For Cuban Linx is the second classic record put out by a collective that somehow is steamrolling and still managing to put out decent records even today, and sounds just as relevant, cool, terrifying, and real as it did before, and showed more potential from one of Wu-Tang’s future top members (Ghostface Killah). The sheer focus and visual effort put into the sound via RZA and Raekwon just might be the highlight of a classic record, with every part of Only Built For Cuban Linx sounding smoothly and clean movement to its other parts. With Only Built For Cuban Linx, Raekwon takes Wu-Tang’s sampling tendencies, and re-focuses them from old, dusty Kung Fu movies to 70s Mafioso films, and bases his entire persona and the record around this Mafia thinking. Review Summary: Finely cut crack just ready for the fiends!Īfter Wu-Tang’s eerie martial arts rap that made up their debut and Method Man’s and Old Dirty’s debuts, Raekwon’s obvious thought process was focused on progressing this sound to more majestic and theatrical forms.