Today, Dec. 18, is the 44th birthday of Cuban Link, a South Bronx rapper best known for his affiliation with the Terror Squad.

Although his debut solo album, Chain Reaction didn’t hit the streets until 2005, Cuban-born and Bronx-bred Cuban Link first landed on the scene towards the end of the 1990s. An early member of the Terror Squad - alongside Fat Joe, Big Pun, DJ Khaled and Remy Ma - Link made appearances on gold and platinum certified albums like the “All The Way Up” rapper’s Don Cartagena and the “I’m Not a Player” MC’s Capital Punishment, as well as on the group’s joint effort, The Album.

Five years prior to the release of his long-awaited first album, the “Flowers for the Dead” rapper was gearing up to drop his major label debut, 24K. Featuring collaborations with Nore, Ja Rule, P!nk, Angie Martinez, Kool G. Rap, M.O.P. and many others, the project was to be led by the Neptune-produced single, “Still Telling Lies,” but was later shelved due to label politics and crew beef.

As his career was temporarily at a stand-still, Cuban Link attacked the underground circuit by releasing several mixtapes including Broken Chains and Man On Fire. After linking up with independent record label, Men of Business, Cuban’s official solo debut hit retailers with contributions from songstress Mya (“Sugar Daddy”), reggaeton artist Don Omar (“Scandalous”) and Swizz Beatz (“Shakedown”).

Happy birthday, Cuban Link!

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