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From 2009 Album: "Only Built For Cuban Linx Pt. II"
Raekwon's M...
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From 2009 Album: "Only Built For Cuban Linx Pt. II"
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Raekwon Corey Woods, (born January 12, 1970) better known by the stage name Raekwon (sometimes Raekwon the Chef), is an American East Coast rapper and a member of the Wu-Tang Clan.
In his book, The Wu-Tang Manual, RZA details Raekwons chef moniker, writing, "He was known for cooking up some really good fish. 'Fish' is also a slang term, referring to cocaine.
Raekwon was born in Brooklyn, New York, but moved to Staten Island's Park Hill projects at an early age. He joined the Wu-Tang Clan in time to participate on Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers, the group's massively successful debut. He later signed a solo deal with Loud Records and, working with Ghostface Killah, released his first solo LP, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... (originally to be titled Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Niggaz), which debuted in 1995 to rave reviews and went on to sell 1.1 million copies per Nielson Soundscan. Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... is perhaps the most influential of all Wu-Tang solo projects, thanks to Raekwon's cinematic imagination and his creation of a narrative album format revolving around cocaine trafficking, criminal activity, and a rise through the ranks of the illegal industry. Albums to follow this thematic pattern, and to rely on the Cuban Linx' format for song construction, include Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt, Nas's It Was Written, Notorious B.I.G.'s Life After Death, and even Raekwon's subsequent The Lex Diamond Story, which is organized around Mafia-based narrative progression, and first-person reporting on the drug trade. If the GZA is often described as the Wu's best overall lyricist then perhaps Raekwon is their best storyteller, and here he translates the epic themes and narratives of a Mafia movie into what critics consider a startlingly accomplished hip hop album.
Although Raekwon wasn't the first to make the connection between gangsta rap and the Cosa Nostra, his storytelling abilities on tracks such as Spot Rusherz led to many a comparison with Kool G Rap (who pioneered the idea), and the album as a whole is often credited for popularizing the trend of using Mafia and gangster movie motifs in rap music. Raekwon participated on Wu-Tang Forever with the rest of the group, and then released Immobilarity in 1999, to somewhat more mixed reviews than Only Built 4 Cuban Linx.... Many fans disliked his decision to use inexperienced, up-and-coming producers rather than the Wu-Tang's in-house producers, though the album went gold. Raekwon is also featured heavily on Ghostface Killah's albums Ironman and Supreme Clientele, as well as featuring on high-profile singles from Fat Joe ("John Blaze") and Outkast ("Skew It On The Bar-B"). He also appeared on the subsequent Wu-Tang Clan group albums The W (2000), Iron Flag (2001), and 8 Diagrams (2007).
His most recent released album, The Lex Diamond Story, was released on December 13, 2003 on Universal Records, to mixed reviews (generally lukewarm critical reviews and wildly varying public reviews) and moderate success. His music video for the song "The Hood" featuring Tiffany Villarreal received only few rotations on BET, and nearly none on MTV. Raekwon complained about the lack of promotion and vowed that future releases wouldn't suffer the same fate. Raekwon's steady success has given him the chance to branch into business, become a Creative Officer of a major label and begin the creation of his own hip hop team, Ice Water Inc.
In July of 2009 Raekwon was featured alongside Havoc from Mobb Deep in J Dilla's music video for "24k Rap" off of the Jay Stay Paid album, the video was directed by Derek Pike.
Extended & updated info here: http://en.wikiped...
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