Reason Interview: Built 4 cuban linx

5th Letter- Where are you from?

Built 4 cuban linx- I'm originally from the South Bronx... Right across the freeway from 1520 which is the building were kool herc started throwing his hip hop parties. Now I live in upstate New York. Not that far out. I might move back by the beginning of next year tho

5th Letter- What's it like growing up in the South Bronx?

Built 4 cuban linx- In home everything was great. My mom And step father is a hard workers. So we always had food on the table, never had a problem needing anything. As for the neighborhood it was dangerous. I always got into fights in school, hell even daycare. My mother was anyways strict with me. Ever seen "everybody hates Chris"? She's EXACTLY like Rochelle. Personality is a straight carbon copy lol. Everywhere she went I went. I was honestly not allowed to leave the crib because the neighborhood was dangerous. Homework had to be done etc. She kept me real close to her at all times. Especially when some kid in my daycare had gotten killed. He was walking home with his mother and a shoot out happened and he got shot in his side. Always kids outside doing dumb ? and my moms used to tell me, "I'll be damn if y'all turn out like that". My mother had me when she was 20, worked everyday and did night school. While my ? mother had me a few days. She worked incredibly hard to get were she was at. My stepfather was a hard worker also but he was always out also doing overtime to help provide for us also. Tho he is my stepfather, dude has took care of me since I was 3, like he was my actual pops. I never had to want for anything. Stomach was always full. Alot of weekends we have a night out in Manhattan. Go to a nice resturant over there. They was always there for me. I couldn't ask for better parents

5th Letter- If you don't mind answering what do you do for a living?

Built 4 cuban linx- Technician for cablevision for now. I took alot of NYC test these past few years. My moms told me to take every test I could. "don't put all your eggs in one basket". So I did. I took Firefighter, school security, police officer, bus operator, and also track worker for the subway. I heard that track worker is the start off point for the subway. I passed all so I'm waiting for those to get set up.

5th Letter- What do you ultimately want to do?

Built 4 cuban linx- Firemen mainly then Subway. Ever since I was young I've had a fasination with how the whole subway system work. I just found it amazing how they built all that ? underground. Also when I was in school i used to write scripts and poetry. I'm thinking about getting back into that. Hopefully get published. My father took me years ago to a coffee club in manhattan where people told there their short stories and mainly poetry over live instruments. One comedian who bombed something serious. It was hard to watch. I would love to perform there. I performed in my high school when we had poetry readings and shorts. I always wanted to do that again. Maybe perform in one of those manhattan clubs while someone plays their jazz piece would be cool

5th Letter- How did you get into hip hop?

Built 4 cuban linx- Being in the Bronx, I heard it everywhere. barbershops, playgrounds, cookouts, etc. Getting played out of cars. and for some reason out of towners say theres no cars here its only subways or some ? . idk what the hell they talking about. anyway, I heard alot of biggie, jayz, ruff ryders(the lox, dmx, eve), raekwon. I remember when peter gunz and lord tariq came out with uptown baby, that got played alot in the BX. I just dont understand why the hell its a BX song but the ? video is recorded in queens. Anyway even tho my moms was mostly into old school R&B like luthor, candi staton, anita baker, al green, etc she had a few hip hop cds. Jayz vol2, snoop ? , biggie life after death. she played them a few times. she ended up buying me my own cd player when I was 11 on christmas. got me the jayz dynasty album, nelly country grammar and some source awards cd. she got tired of me raiding her cd collection so Whenever a new album dropped from a great artist she copped it for me such as nas stillmatic, blueprint, marshall mathers, and whenever nelly dropped something. I was a big nelly fan growing up. I get flagged and wacked on here for saying country grammar is a classic but hey, Its apart of my childhood. when life was more simple. no bills and ? , just being a kid. When I got older, my friends just started burning me cds.

5th Letter- Who are your favorite and least favorite rappers?

Built 4 cuban linx- Favorite all time
Nas, tupac, Ghostface killah, biggie, redman, raekwon(hell lets just say all the Wu in general). DMX, Mos def, black thought, chuck d, jayz, the lox, scarface, O.C, Big L, Masta ace, mf doom, Ice cube, ras kass, busta, slick rick, rakim, BDK, kool G, A tribe called quest, Boot camp clik

Favorite out now
Absoul, Lupe fiasco, killer mike, Reks, oddisee, ? jenkins, kendrick, cole, freddie gibbs, banks, 50 cent, pusha T, roc mariano, royce, dave east, Czarface, skyzoo, crooked I, asap mob, fashawn, evidence, yelawolf, yes yelawolf, rapsody, blu, termanology, torae, rick ross, and im actually starting to like some of futures music believe it or not. im sure theres more that im forgetting Dislike Young thug( the only word Ive ever understood him say was "lifestyle"), and a bunch of them ringtone rappers. I hated the snap era with a passion

5th Letter- How did your affinity for the Wu Tang Clan begin?

Built 4 cuban linx- Like everyone I always heard the singles when I was young. Like method Man you're all I need with Mary, ghost all i got is you, and ice cream. When I got older and started to dislike what was going on in the mainstream. I ended up going back to the music that was big before I was born and just a little kid. In the mid 2000s,My friend let me borrow his 36 chambers album and he never got that ? back. He still ? about it till this day. I ended up checking out their solos and I was hooked. Cuban linx, liquid swords, tical, etc are just amazing to me. I love Rza dark gritty production and his soul beats. And I love that all of them have their own styles and Rza adjusted to each of them and made it work. Which is why he's my favorite producer. To make an album like tical and adjust to odb crazy ass for return... Then adjust to liquid swords for the monotone lyricist, and make my favorite Cuban linx then ironman in a short period.. Is just dope. I even like their other albums such as the w, iron flag is underrated. Idk why that got hate from the ogs when that came out. I also like their not so popular albums such as lex diamond, legend of liquid swords, beneath the surface, tical 2000, no said date, the day after, wu massacre, etc... They just make great music to me. Them dudes can spit. And with my grandfather being a 5%er after he taught me the degrees. I just ended up understanding more of their lyrics and loving it more. I love lyricist and that's what they all are, yes even u ? . The disrespect for him is ? up. But I'm not as crazy as these white boys out here getting those wu tats on their face and ? . I'm not on that level. That ? is crazy