Let’s talk about the progression between “Built 4 Cuban Linx” and “Immobilarity.”
R: Number one, when I made “Cuban Links” I was kind of a young cat. My mind was basically street mentality. That’s all I knew everyday. When I made that album, I was basically talking about life stories. At the same time, if you listen to the narration, in the beginning of the album, me and Ghost was just saying ‘yo, we tryin’ to get money, we got to get money. We gotta get out of here. It’s not happening for us over here. So whatever we do, it’s got to count for something’. That was where we were at in real life. It’s about being confident in your self. That album was just full-fledged confidence right there.
So now, when that album is dealt with we reached “Immobilarity” it’s like I grew up as a man. I went from being a young man to being a man now. It’s like the whole game changed in front of my face. I matured after six years later. . at the same time it’s business, as well as it’s still fun to me, but it’s business now. I could have been getting jerked…I didn’t care at that time. Through the years, I always thought, when I finally get a chance to do a personal album it’s really gonna feel like, I gotta put my work in. I wanted brothers to be knowing that I can do it and do it with no problem. At the same time I knew what I was doing it for…it was about basically taking care of my family. When I’m in the street I get love from everybody. Not only drug dealers. But it could be from drug dealers down to somebody that work at a church.
Rza has hundreds of beats. But what makes me and Rza classic at what we did was the time that we had to share with one another… business gets so real that you don’t see brothers a lot. At the time I can’t be responsible for letting another man control my destiny when it’s time for me to do what I got to do. ..I’m one of them cats that’ll give a brother a try because that’s how we got our try.
What were your sales for “Cuban Linx”?
R: “Linx” did platinum. “Linx” is more like a street bible. It went platinum through the years.
What has your relationship been with Rifkind?
R: Being a part of his family for years. I always kinda play the background a little bit. And have men go in there and deal with the situation for me…it’s not really good for artist be businessmen because you can’t see all the sh*t that people who do that sh*t see. He kept me a millionaire…but at the same time I didn’t see a lot of results being taken care of. Even on “Immobilarity” really had no promotion. At the same time the label didn’t really want me to drop it. This is my career, this is my life, the people have to hear me.
Why didn’t the label want you to drop it (the album)?
Because they was talking about the time. It wasn’t that the project wasn’t a good project…Steve has many companies. Coming to a label that you’re not always there, you have so many different things to do. Everybody is doing everything else except doing what the f*ck they gotta do for me. You gotta take care of your racehorses. You don’t put racehorses in the same stable with regular horses. The ones that wins golds and championships have special trainers. At the end of the day I didn’t receive any type of promotion or marketing.
Why do you think they were sleeping on you at that time?
R: I don’t think they were sleeping. I just think they were doing a lot of other sh*t. You know how people are. They think they can get money from every different thing but don’t really realize where the real sh*t is at.
What is your current relationship with Rza?
R: It’s all gravy. We do a lot of phone tag…other than that I know when I really need him he’ll come through for me.
It seems as though Wu Tang has been having less interaction musically, is that true?
R: It is true. We do have less interaction…it’s like being on a baseball team, you have these famous men and they all have different interactions, you know, when it’s time to get out there and play ball. They play ball. The chemistry is different now, guys got endorsement deals, gotta deal with movies…we just trying to explore our horizons. We just don’t get a chance to say, ‘yo we wanna do a joint’.
When you were on Loud, were you signed directly to Loud or were you signed to a production deal through Rza?
R: It was done through a production deal situation. Being signed to Wu Tang and being Wu Tang that was always like the guidelines to it…it was like I am always going to be Wu regardless, before RaeKwon.
Do you feel that Wu Tang Clan’s fame was used to launch so many offspring groups that is also diminished the name- watered it down in the minds of the fans?
R: …People tried to call it something that it wasn’t. It wasn’t Wu Tang, it’s just it had a Wu Tang stamp on it automatically people assume that this is what we about. .. People never separated it. ..people might have felt like that’s mediocre or that’s wasn’t classic, top classic sh*t. They had every right to feel like that cuz why you call it something that it’s not. I’m not frontin’ on you, yeah… At the same time, I guess we was so comfortable with what we was dealing with at the time. We didn’t look at it to be a problem. Until later on in the years.
How did the “W” album do?
R: The “W” album is a platinum album.
When Loud disappeared, did that basically make you a free agent?
R: When Loud’s situation happened, yeah that made me a free agent. Which was good for me, cuz I had a long contract I was still in with Loud.
How does it feel to be a hip-hop millionaire?
R: I am millionaire only because of the assets. I’m not a millionaire with the cash in my pocket. But it’s still a struggle because I got people around me that I look out for… I am constantly giving.
Talk about Ice Water.
R: I think as an artist I owe myself to bring up other brothers in the same way. I’m not gonna be here rhyming forever…I’m trying to recreate what I came for. What I created. What I was a part of at the time.
What is the most valuable lesson you have learned in all of these years?
R: The most valuable lesson is to love yourself. And to be appreciative…without that I couldn’t be doing it the way I’m doing it.
