OB4CL2

Yo, the wait is finally over and RAEKWON’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…II has hit the streets… I love the album already but it is actually growing on me, I can’t get these new classics out of my head. To celebrate I have done some digging in the archives so travel with me as we go back 4 years to a classic night…

Date: 13^th October 2005. Venue: Coco, London. In Attendance: Me, Tes.

Occasion: Harry Love’s Birthday Bash/Only Built for Cuban Linx… II Tour.

Can I get a “Suuuuuuu”!?!

A sweet day off proved that I have the best Dad/Boss in the world and it was with leisurely pace that I made my way to Mordor.

“Everything Tes rocks is Topman / doesn’t do washing, goes shopping when Tom lands”

Tes “every other day my whole dress code change” Odigie was low on clean clothes so we went to buy some new ones in a shop full of meterosexual fashion victims, then we went to buy mixtapes. After eating a lot of Chinese food in a short time we headed to Camden to experience the Saga continue…Wu-Tang, Wu-Tang.

We were kept waiting outside the spot for a long ol’ time and the only entertainment was a police raid on a nearby bar but none of us could work out what was going on. Needless to say if they had crossed the road they could have seized enough funk to give them munchies till Christmas.

When we eventually got inside we got a John Smith’s and checked the place out, it was pretty impressive. In addition to the usual standing area there were 3 or 4 steep tiers of balconies and the place was lavishly decorated.

Quality control was high as the DJs spun a catalogue that Premo would have been proud of (including lots of Preme tracks), Shimmy Shimmy Ya gets an early run out and goes on to be dropped at least 4 times. On the 1s and 2s are DJ Mk, Harry Love and Sarah Love.

After Harry’s first set host Mystro introduces Chester P and Ramson Badbones, neither of them look like much – Chester is slightly chubby and dresses like Tes whilst Badbones is a skinny little guy. However there is a reason why Chester P is basically a God in the eyes of Rufff (he is simply one of the nicest on these mic devices) and so when he announces that Ramson is the best MC in the country you listen up. He’s not wrong either, with Harry Love spinning his own beats Ramson Badbones starts out ok before hitting full stride with confident battle lyrics and an easy swagger you can’t teach. The highlight is an a cappella run that name drops every cartoon character you ever heard of, if you are imagining a bite of Ghostface’s ‘The Forest’ you’d be right, and wrong, this is no rip off. Every other line has the crowd open, there were too many to remember but he ended with something about smoking weed with the white Rastas on Rosie and Jim. Bluh-Bluh!

Chester was backing Ramson on the tracks and was actually reading the lyrics off of some note paper which was quite a funny sight, then when Badbones was done Chester spat an incredibly boisterous freestyle in which he even named dropped his mans he’d spotted in the front row.

The Taskforce lads were not to be the only surprise guests on the evening – after they were done Mystro spotted Jeru the Damaja on the sidelines so he called him up to say hi. Jeru was in town for a concert the next night but telling Harry to keep playing the beat (one of Harry’s) he did a couple of verses, an a cappella and a quick freestyle. Harry was to be seen mouthing that that was his birthday present right there.

DJ MK took over the decks for a while, interrupted only by a DJ Cash Money cameo, before Terra Firma took to the stage.

This was exactly the sort of crowd that Terra Firma deserves – loud, excited and rowdy – and it is quite a sight to see them on stage. With all the main sayers present (Klashnekoff, Kyza Smirnoff and Scriblah) and a gang of cru backing them I knew it was gonna be special. This was confirmed when Klash started things off having “been on the Southern Comfort”.  The new joints from the mixtape were done well (still can’t find that damn tape!) and for once Klash kept the long talk short, didn’t turn the beat down and didn’t forget the lyrics – but his man possessed performance was intact. I haven’t seen Kyza and Scriblah for a while but there was mic time for all tonight, Kyza is an absolute monster when doing ‘Lights Out’ and ‘Real’ and Scriblah hasn’t lost a step as the trio perform ‘B4 U Die’. This and other songs ‘Daggo Mentality’ and (of course) ‘It’s Murda’ get bigger with every performance, also the Marley dub ‘They Call It…’ has to be added to that list, out in the streets they call it Fiiirmaaa!…

It’s a dangerous game having the Firma Fam as a “warm up” act, everyone has been giving it all they got and Sarah Love was not about to stop anyone dancing with her set. As it turns out, I had a little in reserve…

Clan in the front, let your feet stomp… my excitement reached crescendo as familiar notes started up… “I grew up on the crime side/the New York Times side”…

As I lost my head like I had failed to Protect My Neck Raekwon, decked in the fly Wu-Wear garments, tells us about the times when he was stuck with that same damn ‘lo sweater. Rae was a one man Clan as he flowed through the chambers, bringing us jewelz from the far flung corners of Shaolin Land. Taking us from staircase to stage, from Enter the Wu-Tang to the Gravel Pit via verses channelled from GZA, Deck and Method Man that were joined by a strong chorus, the Chef cooked it up somethin’ marvellous.

“This is what I love to do; this shit is like drinking water to me”

The most heartfelt Shimmy Shimmy Ya of the night came for fallen Clansman Ol’ Dirty Bastard. Tonight however was to be all about the …Cuban Linx era, as Lex Diamonds played out the famous scenes. He explained how the situation with him and Ghost was all love and support, to demonstrate he held an imaginary phone conversation with his partner in crime that was realer than reality.

Long talked of and speculated about, the Only Built for Cuban Linx…II album has finally reached fruition, the man tells how he gave us his whole life in his rhymes but for this one he was going back to the cracks in the staircase. Hopefully this new epic will answer Rae’s question to us, as fans: “What is up with Rap music at the moment?”

His concern was real but on this night, Wu-Tang…that’s what’s up.

Before it came time for us to be cast out we were treated to a precious gem from Outkast that kept it jumpin’ like Kangaroos.

Yes this shit is raw comin’ at ya door/start to scream out loud “Wu-Tang back for more”!

We barely had enough energy left to give him a send off but having somehow managed that we made moves into the night that contained a little chicken and a little kickin’ tales over herbs on the Double Decker.

PEACE

- Wise