Lines sprawled an entire downtown Manhattan block and hundreds waited to be let into Santos’s Party House as Raekwon and a slew of guests gathered for a release party in honor of Only Built for Cuban Linx…Pt. II, last night (September 8).
While on the red carpet before entering the venue, The Chef admitted it was a relief to finally release the album and receive overwhelmingly positive feedback. “We did a lotta work [and] we paid a lot of dues,” he told XXLMag.com. “So, at the end of the day, it’s a good feeling.”
Once he graced the stage with a host of guests by his side, Rae performed classic solo and Wu-Tang material such as “C.R.E.A.M.” and “Verbal Intercourse,” as well as “House of Flying Daggers,” “Catalina,” [Watch Below] and other cuts from his new album. He also took time to acknowledge another rap heavyweight whose album dropped yesterday (September 8). “Shout out to my man Jay-Z. Good luck on your album, sir,” he said, then telling the fans to “go support both albums, cause we real New York niggas that paved the way.”
Many of Rae’s collaborators for the much anticipated album, including Ghostface Killah, Cappadonna, and Erick Sermon, were on hand for the event. Redman, Diddy, DJ Premier, Eric B and Ice-T were also at the club to show their support for the project, which is Rae’s fourth solo effort and a follow up to 1995′s successful Only Built for Cuban Linx… Busta Rhymes, Method Man, Lyfe Jennings, Talib Kweli, and Beanie Siegel were slated to be on the bill but did not perform. –Adam Fliescher
[video:http://www.xxlmag.com/uploads/video/files/9.9.09_raekwon_performs_catalina.flv l]
