A self-described ancestor in the rap game, Raekwon’s colossal Only Built for Cuban Linx… alone guaranteed that he would never have to worry about extinction.  With an uncontested legacy that secures him a place in rap annals, some might think the Chef has nothing more to prove.  But as his leadership in the controversy surrounding the Wu-Tang Clan’s 8 Diagrams demonstrates, the forerunner of criminology rap refuses to stray too far from the aesthetic origins of Hip Hop’s unmatched super group. 

It seems appropriate that while most rap infighting is centered on money, Raekwon’s most ardent criticisms of RZA are concerned with art.  After all, the Clan represents a now bygone era when creativity appeared to trump financial motives, and when the closest the Wu came to being political was with Rae’s slang rap democracy. Claiming to be a spokesperson for the group’s collective grievances, Raekwon is dismayed at what he sees as RZA’s self-motivated stylings, and is planning a counter-offensive to put the embattled leader in his place.  Regardless of whether or not a new generation of listeners will grant this artistic debate the attention it deserves, Raekwon is faithful that true Wu fans will follow its evolution closely.  And if the lukewarm reception to 8 Diagrams is any indication, many disappointed listeners will be turning to Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang and the perpetually delayed Only Built for Cuban Linx 2: The Return of the Purple Tape as potentially more desirable alternatives.  In a conversation with HipHopDX shortly after his memorable performance at the Jam Master Jay Awards show in New York City, Raekwon reveals his motivation behind the new projects and reflects on his influence in Hip Hop.

HipHopDX: Is the Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang album still coming out?
Raekwon: Yeah, it’s going to be coming out.

DX: How will this album separate itself musically from 8 Diagrams?
R: It’s just gonna be fire. You got 8 Diagrams or whatever, it sounds aight; I mean I’m on it, I came to work and do what I have to do. But I feel like dudes got a stronger ear for what they want right now. RZA gotta step his production up, and he probably gonna see what we dealing with and realize we not gonna play no games- it’s on, he know what it is.

DX: Is it true that the entire clan is down with the idea to exclude RZA?
R: I really don’t like when people try to sit here and say we trying to assassinate RZA’s character. At the end of the day, RZA ain't doing no production on it, because he’s not with it. It’s like we representing what we representing, and he representing what he representing.  So it’s not to incriminate him but it’s just to teach him a lesson, and let him know that that “Yo, you The Abbot and all that but we the backbone, so watch what we do. We gonna show you how to make a crazier album,” that’s all. RZA is being selfish right now with his ears and he gotta understand: as an artist coming up under the family, it ain’t no higher team. And he’s still caught up in his ways, so therefore we have decided to move forward and do a project. He can be mad or whatever whatever, it is what it is. It’s just to let the world know that we not having it and we not going out like no "yes men" niggas, so that’s what it is.

DX: One of the most remarkable things about the Clan is how well you all understood each other creatively, on so many levels.  When did that understanding start to break down with RZA?
R: You know a lot of shit been going on for years, we just haven’t really been exploding off of it because we have a lot of respect for one another.  At the end of the day, we all brothers still. But by the same token, if I feel like my brother is fucking up and he ain't on point the way he supposed to be and he not listening anymore, then it’s like “You know what? You gotta sit in the corner for a little while and do what the fuck you feel like you gonna do.” I’m so surprised you can sit here and try to speak for all of us, and you know we all don’t feel like you feel.  But you disregarding brothers’ feelings and you just can’t do that, that aint what it’s about. It’s about us coming together for one common cause and working together. I don’t work for RZA- I come together to do business with RZA and when the hands are pointed at you from mad different people saying, “Yo, step your game up my nigga,” and you’re not stepping it up, then we’ve got a problem.

DX: Were the tensions apparent when you were recording the album, because according to RZA they evaporated in the studio?
R: It's been tension, it been a lot of tension. It been to the point where it’s like RZA feel like he know everything, and at the end of the day we not agreeing with his ways of handling the situation. We came up working together- if I’m telling you it ain't right, the shit is weak, come on. It’s like yo, that ain't how we supposed to work if we family. It’s a lot of other shit though, but it is what it is.

DX: You mean the money situation, what is the deal with that?
R: It’s normal shit, we feel like we’ve been getting played for a degree of time and right now nobody having it. I’m too old for that shit, for a nigga to be trying to hold my hand wit' some bullshit mysteries. RZA and his brother and their company…

DX: Divine?
R: Yeah. Divine. I don’t trust Divine. Divine say one thing and do the next. And Divine act like they don’t know what’s going on. I’m not having that. They represent each other, so if I’m feeling like I can’t get certain information because of whatever reason, and you don’t want to step to me like a real dude and let me know fully what’s going on… you telling me in other words you don’t gotta answer to me and you playing me like a son, and I’m not your son.

DX: In response to your accusations, RZA said he pays all his bills. So are you contesting that statement?
R: He can say that he pays all his bills or whatever, whatever. At the end of the day- I know what I know, he know what he know. So he paid his bills? If you paid your bills and you feel like that then that’s what you feel like. I know it’s more to it and all that shit. We gonna get to the bottom line of everything sooner or later, when it’s time. So of course he gonna say whatever he wanna say. Somebody got they hand in the cookie jar and trying to do that Tom and Jerry shit to niggas, and we ain't stupid.

DX: You and Ghost have been the most vocal about your issues with RZA, so why haven’t we heard from the rest of the clan?
R: I just think some people get souped up when they become somewhat successful. And it gets to the point where their head gets so swelled up, that they think they’re going to win every time because they felt they won with a couple other things. But my whole thing is when we won what we won, we won together. It’s like you don’t try to act like you did it by yourself, cause I never act like I did it by myself. So when you try to hit me with shit like that, you talking stupid to me man, straight up. Cuban Linx, the first one is a Clan collective thing, man, I never tried to take credibility for it on my own. I always stood for the crew. And at the end of the day, since you the RZA, you think that you can’t ever be wrong? Get the fuck outta here, man. Everybody could be wrong, I could be wrong but at the end of the day I seen the faces on everybody when mothafuckas was asking how they feel about this album, and a lot of hands wasn’t up the way they would normally be up. So you know me saying what I mean and meaning what I say, I said what I said and you know I speak for the crew. Everybody don’t gotta necessarily get in front of the cameras and talk all that shit, we don’t give a fuck about it like that. We want the people to know about it but we ain’t stressing that. It’s more or less about us getting our family back together and dealing with each other like real niggas. It’s like, “Yo, you ain’t do it by yourself man, so therefore you gotta listen sometimes, man.”

DX: With the effort you’re putting into the Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang album, are you concerned that Cuban Linx 2 is going to get derailed some more?
R: Cuban Linx is on the market, baby- that project is coming out the second quarter of ’08 so that right there is already in the glass casket. Like I said, we just going to show and prove and let niggas know the fire that we bring to the table. It’s like you know if you liked the 8 Diagrams, that’s your business. For those who know we stronger than that, we gonna show niggas how it’s done and it’s called Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang, period. I’m repping Shaolin right now: Wu-Tang forever, but right now, Shaolin.

DX: So you’re taking it back to that vintage Wu?
R: Yeah, I’m going back to square one on it, where I’m just a hungry emcee again, you know what I mean? My whole thing is “Yo, just watch the plays, just see what happen.” It’s probably people that want to see it go down, it’s probably people who don’t want to see it go down. At the end of the day, it’s still respect towards each other but right now we ain't playing the same game like we wanna play.  When you hear some joints, we gonna give y'all a taste of what we dealing with, it’s going to be us showing y'all the best of us. 'Cause if I feel like a nigga is drunk driving, and you with the driver and I’m in the passenger seat, and before you made me get over there I was safe and now I feel like you drunk driving, I’m getting out the car, man. You not running me into a wall man, that’s the bottom line. Like I said, we just ain't respecting that Wu Music Group family and the way they do business. So right now there ain’t no love going on now, it’s real tough love going on right now.

DX: At this stage in your career, what do you want Cuban Linx 2 to achieve?
R: I'ma rep that album regardless, 'cause that’s all I know how to do. I’m making that music for the niggas that I know is waiting for it.  It’s like yo, it may be a lot of people that can’t relate to where I’m coming from because it’s a new generation. But you know what? At the end of the day, the die-hards know what I’m capable of doing. I’m not letting nobody down, I'ma show niggas how to make another classic. And being that it’s Cuban Linx- added on to that one and coming with the second one- I know what I gotta do and I’m very confident right now.

DX: So it’s not Aftermath?
R: No, it’s not Aftermath.

DX: Who is it now?
R: I can’t even tell you who it is right now, you just gotta wait until it drops.  Everything is in my court right now, I’m still looking for where I’m gonna be comfortable and feel like attention is being given to me like I need it.

DX: You can’t really repeat moments in history and circumstances. So do you get frustrated when people always hold you to that Cuban Linx standard?
R: No, because that was the best era of Hip Hop, if you asked me anyway. That was when you had more creativity going on. Now you got too many fucking mimics going on, it’s like it ain’t real. Niggas don’t got no crafts right now, niggas is playing games with this Hip Hop. My whole thing is to continue to make art and continue to be the best that I can be. I ain’t lose no beefs, I’m good. I still know how to do this.  If I’m classified as one of the dudes from the '90s that’s going strong, I’m holding that flag up.

DX: Do you think Hip Hop is still capable of making cinematic albums?
R: It is capable of making cinematic albums, I been doing it. You sit there and check out what I’ve been doing, you’ll know the seriousness of where I come from. Through my whole career, I did nothing but make cinematic albums. Check The Lex Diamond Story, I been doing cinematics. I don’t think nobody could fuck with me on that level anyway, when it come to that type of album.

DX: Do you feel like you’ve been misunderstood in your post- Cuban Linx career?
R: No, I think people just ain't on my level. They feel like they don’t see me on TV enough or whatever whatever, but you gonna have that. Like I said- I may be loved by few and hated by a lot, but I’m respected by all. I’m always going to be respected. I’m a big giant in this, I’m doing this for the real niggas. And at the end of the day they gonna know how Chef get down, so I feel good about it.

DX: Do you think the quality of the fans has declined along with the quality of the music?
R: I think fans ain't buying shit that they feel that they don’t like, and the people that are buying records may not be buying them at the velocity that the world is saying that they are.  It is so much crooked shit going on, I’m not going for that. It could be whatever it is, but like I said the rich run shit, the poor gotta deal with. It’s about rich and poor man. The rich make shit happen, the poor still gotta struggle to get to the top.

DX: How often do you hear things in rap that wouldn’t be there if it weren’t for you and your crew?
R: I mean I know we got a lot to do with the whole movement of Hip Hop today. At the end of the day, it’s just about moving forward. I feel like an ancestor anyway. But at the same token it’s like I still gotta do what I gotta do and represent. So it’s all good, we aint mad. We teach people anyway, we trend-setters so that’s what we been doing. I’m content with that.

DX: Do you think that any of the music that’s being made today, including yours, has the potential to be timeless?
R: Oh it’ll definitely be timeless, my shit won’t be no puppy shit that niggas is already hearing. My shit is always going to be authentic, it’s going to be something to listen to and enjoy. It’s all about making strong records though, so I think I'ma show and prove my formula and let it prevail. 

DX: On the Ice Water Polluted Water album, you worked with Pimp C. Are there any words you want to say on his passing?
R: Oh yeah, definitely- I’m gonna miss my brother, he was a good dude. He always used to call me every now and then. When I heard the news, I was hurt, another good brother. I just send my condolences on the real though, outside of just this interview I already did that. And it’s sad in Hip Hop right now, it’s a sad day man, word.