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There is not an MC on Earth that knows the fall from grace better than Cuban Link. He was once a member of one of Hip-Hop most prominent groups, the Terror Squad.
The glue that held the group together, the great Big Pun, died suddenly, and from that moment on, his life in Hip-Hop spiraled out of control. Fat Joe, the recognized leader of TS, supposedly turned his back on Cuban Linx.
To add insult to injury, Link suffered a cut to his face in a fracas at Jimmy’s Café in the Bronx and reports began to swirl that Fat Joe was the perpetrator in this unfortunate incident.
With claims of being blackballed in major circles of the industry and being left out in the cold by his former family, Cuban Link has re-emerged on M.O.B. Records and he will release his album, tentatively titled Chain Reaction, which is slated for a September, 2004 release.
In a recent conversation with Allhiphop.com, Cuban Link decided to step out of the shadows to silence rumors about recent events involving Summer Jam, his manhood, and his relationship with former friend, Fat Joe.
Allhiphop.com: Let’s begin things by telling the fans how deep Cuban Link has been in the trenches as of late.
Cuban Link: Right now, we are working on our own independent label. It’s called M.O.B. Records, which stands for “Men of Business.” It’s an independently owned company, but it’s moving like a major as far as the power and strength behind the capital. We are trying to do big things. Basically, I’m the first act under that. The album is going to be called Chain Reaction, and should come through sometime in September.
Allhiphop.com: I take it you have the distribution and all the politics of the game worked out so things will go smoothly?
CL: Everything is lined up, man. All the politics and s**t is good. We made sure we had everything lined up before we made a move like that. The album is pretty much done. We probably need about two more cuts. It got some fire this time around, man! The last album never came out due to a lot of bulls**t on the business side.
Allhiphop.com: Who can people expect to make guest appearances on the album?
CL: I got Avant on a joint. I got Syleena Johnson on one of my favorites songs, called “Life Goes On.” Pac’s spirit got in me [on that one] and it’s crazy, man. The pen just went crazy on that one. I also got Mya on a track called “Sugar Daddy,” which is definitely a contender for the singles.
Allhiphop.com: Are you still a heavy contributor to the Source Foundation and everything they had going on?
CL: I’ve lost touch with those brothers. It’s still going, but we’ve lost contact. It’s much love to them. What they had me doing by talking to the kids shined a positive light on me when I had negative thoughts.
Allhiphop.com: Talk about some of the things you were doing with the Source Foundation.
CL: Basically, I went to different schools talking to young kids, kicking that positive message to them. I would tell them to stay out of jail, hit the books, and do positive stuff. Sometimes we forget.
Allhiphop.com: I want to double back on the politics of this industry. How have all the setbacks you have gone through birthed you as an independent artist?
CL: Well, in my situation, what happened to me doesn’t happen very often. I was rolling with what I thought was family, so I put my career into the hands of that. In case anyone doesn’t know, I came up through the Terror Squad with that Fat Joe character. Now, I’m doing my own thing with the cards that have been dealt. I had Atlantic Records behind me, but I wasn’t paying much attention to that side [of the business]. I let Joe handle that, but at the end of the day, it just crumbled in my face. I was busy doing the shows and all of that. I was playing my role as an artist. I got lost when it came [time to do] my album, even though it was ready since ’99. Of course, the bulls**t with Atlantic and Joe coming back with information that was far off made me wonder what the hell was going on. I got the short end of the stick because my album never came out. It soured between me and Joe. At the end of the day, the real comes to the light. I’m happy where I’m at now because I control most of the things that go on.
Allhiphop.com: I want to talk one of my all-time greats in Hip-Hop, and you know who I am talking about. What did Christopher Rios mean to you in terms of being an artist and being a man?
CL: Pun was crazy with everything, man. He was the “vivid poet.” He painted pictures with a million words, man. Pun was incredible. Besides us being best friends, and coming up in this game together, he taught me more than I could ever repay him for. He wasn’t just talented in Hip-Hop, man. He was talented all around. He was a comedian, and he was a genius. He never went to school, but he read encyclopedias and taught himself. He supported a family as well, so there was much respect by just being a man. I was kicking it with Pun when I was 15 and he was 19. There were times when I wanted to quit and he dragged me along with him, even against the wishes of other n**gas. I owe this Hip-Hop s**t to him. He was one in a million.
Allhiphop.com: I know you’ve run this subject into the ground, but I want to touch on the Joey Crack situation. Has there been any attempt at reconciliation? We would like to see that.
CL: Crack is a dude I don’t associate with anymore on any terms, business or personal. Our relationship is gone. He’s already showed me how much of a friend he is. It’s a dead issue at this point. There’s no fixing it up; it’s straight up - I don’t know him anymore. That’s how deep it is. I drop little songs out there and disrespect him because of how s**t was handled when I got my face sliced up at Jimmy’s [Bronx Café]. It was made like a public announcement. It was done in a place where nothing but celebrities and industry people were there. The biggest stars were there, like Mary J. [Blige], TLC, and Eve. Everybody was there. It was such disrespect as a man, on some b**ch a**, behind the back s**t. That’s why I come out and say certain things, because it’s real. He knows I’m a problem. It would be in his best interest to stop me. That’s why the blackballing effect is happening. But I don’t mind, because real is real, and this Hip-Hop s**t would be wack if it wasn’t. Things like that happen for a reason sometimes. He made me into the real Scarface, so now he’s got a bigger problem!
Allhiphop.com: Hip-Hop doesn’t really need any more serious beefs though.
CL: [Well] everything he tried to do to me in a malicious way will turn around on him. God don’t like ugly at the end of the day. Not to make it a spiritual thing, but God shows me certain things without me having to get stupid. I got to continue to do my thing, make people enjoy my music and keep the message alive.
Alhiphop.com: Well at least we can be thankful your both talented rappers, putting out good music. Joe's new joint "Lean Back" is a certified banger.
CL: Man! Joe has had ghostwriters since “Flow Joe” my n**ga! Come on man, you know King Sun wrote “Flow Joe” and “Da S**t Iz Real.” Armageddon wrote his whole second album, and Pun wrote the Don Cartagena album. Everyone has seen the flow change. That shit wasn’t a secret, but n**gas accepted him anyway, because of Pun. Growing up, I was a Kool G. Rap fan, so that gangsta s**t always appealed to me. When I would see him, I would give him props because of what he stood for as far as being Latino and coming out of the same hood. When I realized that this n**ga didn’t even write, I said “Oh hell no!” If he says “loyalty,” he means not loyal. If he says “jealous one’s envy,” he means he’s envying and jealous of everybody. I’ve been through that and I saw it. My experiences with him weren’t all bad; we had some great times together. But when you threaten my life and threaten my manhood by having my face sliced, and when I say you are my brother and you do this to me anyway, I don’t know what to say. He swung at me first, and I rocked his a** right there on the spot. When we see each other again, we are going to knuckle up. I’m a little anxious, so I might snuff his a**. If I was on some killer s**t, I would have went to his house with two guns ready to smoke this n**ga.
Allhiphop.com: What is the deal with these Summer Jam rumors that have been swirling around? It has been said that you showed up with federal agents and security detail.
CL: That’s a new one for me, but I can tell you what happened at Summer Jam. MOB Records bought a spot for me to perform. Three days before Summer Jam, we get a call that Cuban Link has been removed from the show. We had paid already, so we got a spot on the Hot 97 CD, we had the itineraries and everything. They said I have been removed from Summer Jam due to security matters. Later on, I found out this n**ga (Fat Joe) made a phone call. When the World Trade Center came down, him and Russell Simmons gave $50,000 to the cops, so he’s got a little pull with them. He got in touch with Giants Stadium’s security, which are Feds. He sent the word that I was going to be there and there was going to be some bodies dropping. The security called Tracy (Cloherty) from Hot 97, and told her she had to make a choice because they couldn’t have us both under the same roof. Tracy picked Joe, which was a business move, because he had his s**t popping on the radio. He was cock-blocking me at the same time. We called up Tracy, and she said she was sorry, and my partners did the “I’m going to sue you!” type s**t. N**gas was mad. Basically, I know what happened because I know this fat n**ga. I’m a little n**ga, but he knows the strength. He doesn’t want to sound p*ssy when he’s talking about me, but he doesn’t want to bring me out. He doesn’t want to say my name. He tasted the fist, man. He was the wobbling, going backwards, and since I’m a little n**ga, that made him look more p*ssy.
For more information on Cuban Link and MOB Records, please visit
http://www.cubanlinkonline.com.
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