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MTV: What's the significance of the title "Immobilarity?"
Raekwon: I had broke down the initials in "Immobilarity," and to me, my definition of "Immobilarity" was "I Master More Opponents By Implementing Loyalty And Respect In The Youth." That was like my little way of saying that yo, I'm constantly making sure I stay in their face, because they're the future, and I wanted to bring more food to the table. Food for thought.
I'm getting older, you know what I mean? It's like, since my last album, I was like a young cat. I was, like, 24; now I'm, like, 28. So I grew up. This album right here is like a more prosperous album; a growth and development album that I went through, and I just wanted to be able to touch bases with everybody, from young shorties to older people.
MTV: What's the major difference between "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx" and "Immobilarity?"
Raekwon: I'm more like a corporate... I ain't going to say "corporate" like [music industry corporate], but I'm business corporate. I'm thug corporate know. It's like I'm able to still be Rae who people want to see, but at the same time, Rae done did things that Rae didn't do from the "Cuban Linx" before.
On "Cuban Linx," I couldn't say I really had joints on there to satisfy women, young little kids. It's like I was strictly just going after whatever I felt. But this time, I had to take time to cater to the fans, because yo, I got a big crowd that follow me. So on this album right here, you gonna hear joints to where you can play it for your moms. You gonna hear joints that little shorty gonna be able to respect. Then you're going to hear joints to where my average "Cuban Linx" fan is going to be like, "Yo, you repped. I ain't mad at you. I'm lovin' it."
MTV: What's the most difficult part of following up a classic like "Cuban Linx?"
Raekwon: It ain't really difficult. It's only difficult when people try to put it in your head like, "Yo, better do your thing." I always try to make the next thing just as best as whatever I did recently. I really don't get caught up in that, 'cause I know I would never give nobody something that I can't stand. And me, classics ain't nothing to me. 'Cause that's how I get down, you know what I mean? I spit them, like "Pssh, take that." So that's enough.
MTV: You've said your new album is based on the movie "The Godfather: Part III." How did that inspire you?
Raekwon: [In] the movie, it's like [Michael Corleone] wasn't a gangster [that was] all about negativity. He was turning his negativity into a positivity thing. And I think a lot of people who've seen the movie probably was like, "Yo, we didn't like the movie," 'cause it wasn't all this runnin' around, killin' and all of that. But [Corleone] was saying a lot of things that I be saying, like, "Yo, chill out with all that tough guy sh**, because you can't get no money like that." You can't take yourself to the next level, 'cause if you got people that's trying to feel you, they don't ever want to do business with you.
So [Corleone] was more like a business guy, where he catered to everybody and he respected the gangsters at the same time, too. It's to the point where he retired from being a gangster, but he still knew all of them and they loved him to death. So that's how I feel. I feel like, yo, Rae ain't trying to run with that [and] keep talking the same thing, 'cause it's getting played out to me. Too many brothers are saying that, they keep saying the same thing over and over, and to me, I'm an MC. I could go hard, I could go mellow.
That's how the movie was significant to what I was dealing with. It's like [Corleone] had people that loved him just 'cause he was a good man, and then he had brothers that loved him just because they knew how he represent. He ain't no chump. See, he was working for "Immobilarity." He was saying fly stuff like, "Yo, only a few families can control such a company like this." To be able to own "Immobilarity," you got to be able to cater to everybody. They got to love you. It ain't coming from one side. I wanted everybody to know I'm still street, but I got dreams, man.
MTV: Tell us a little about why you didn't work as much with Ghost [Ghostface Killah] on this album.
Raekwon: Well, Ghost['s record] is coming out soon, right after me. We didn't want to say, "I want Ghost all over my album" like that, and why should I be all over his, knowing that when we do the next one, which is six months from now, that [collaboration] was what we were really going to do? We don't always have to lean on each other. It's like, damn, [you] could get an album with Rae by himself, and then you can get an album with Ghost, and then another one with Rae and Ghost. It's like... it's like more of a meal. It's like a better meal, to us.
MTV: Is charting a high concern of yours?
Raekwon: Chart? It's like, I'm not even really caught up in that too much. I just want everybody to be able to get the album and be comfortable with it and not look at me a certain type of way out they face. Have rocks in they mouth... "Rae ain't do his thing." So the charts, that's just the political side.
I'm sure that I'm [going to] do good eventually, but I'm not really caught up into that, because every time I try to get caught up into something like that, I get myself mad, 'cause it's like, damn, I want people to recognize, and they don't be recognizing. [RealVideo] It's like [in] "The Source," a lot of people tell me, "Yo, you deserve [a rating of] five mics." Beat me in the head so hard, it's like, word, you start having me thinking, "Why didn't I get the five mics?" But then I done seen how they do they ratings, it's like, man, I don't know, man. If I sat here and think about that, I'd be gray haired out right now. But criticism is real, and I'm a brother that could take it. I ain't caught up in my own hype like that.
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