Cuban Link: Going All Out
By Damanion Ewell
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 the rest of the members, and the group with so much promise was, all of a sudden, reduced to shrapnel.
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 as owner of his own label, M.O.B. Records,. Cuban 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!
By Damanion Ewell
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 the rest of the members, and the group with so much promise was, all of a sudden, reduced to shrapnel.
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 as owner of his own label, M.O.B. Records,. Cuban 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!
