Raekwon

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search
 This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can. (April 2009)
This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (March 2008)
(Find sources: Raekwon – news, books, scholar)
Raekwon

The cover of Raekwon's first single "Heaven & Hell"
Background information
Birth name Corey Woods
Also known as Raekwon
The Chef
Lex Diamonds
Raekwon Da Chef
Born January 12, 1970 (1970-01-12) (age 39)
Origin Staten Island, New York, United States
Genre(s) Hip hop
Years active 1990 - present
Label(s) Loud Records/RCA (1995-1999)

Universal (2000-2006)
Aftermath (2006-2008)
EMI (2009-Present)
Associated acts Wu-Tang Clan
Ice Water Inc.
Ill Bill

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 Raekwon’s ‘chef’ moniker, writing, "He was known for cooking up some really good fish."[1] 'Fish' is also a slang term, referring to cocaine.[2]

Contents

[edit] Biography

Raekwon in the C.R.E.A.M. music video

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 Genius 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.[3] 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.

[edit] Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II

Raekwon planned to release the long-delayed sequel to his debut, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II, in 2007 through Aftermath Entertainment; it was informally executively produced by Busta Rhymes (who Raekwon described as getting him into the "Cuban Linx mindset")[4] and RZA, with RZA handling most of the production. Dr. Dre, Scram Jones, and J Dilla were other producers that had been mentioned as working with Raekwon on the album. RZA explained the collaboration between he and Dr. Dre as like "yin and yang" when it came to their styles.[5] "The album is gonna attract all the gangstas, nigga; all the thugs and everybody is going to be listening to this shit," says RZA of the album.

Raekwon and EMI both confirmed at one point that Raekwon's Only Built For Cuban Linx II will be released the summer of 2009 (Raekwon's Myspace specifies August 11 as the date) with EMI serving as the distribution label[6] for the album, which will be officially released on Raekwon's ICEH2O label.[7] However, Raekwon and EMI have since announced that the album will be pushed back to September 8, 2009 due to sample clearance issues, and the leak of a song from the album entitled "Surgical Gloves."[8] EMI has also confirmed additional radio promotion support, as well as licensing and synchronization services. The album will feature the likes of Ghostface Killah, Jadakiss, Busta Rhymes, Bun B, Nas and The Game.

[edit] Film and Acting Career

Raekwon got his start in acting when he played 'Cigar' in the 1999 film Black and White, and has played several other smaller roles throughout the years. He has also made cameos in numerous films as himself. In February 2007 he was the focus of a VH1 RockDoc, called Bling, about blood diamonds, where he along with Paul Wall, Tego Calderon and others visited Sierra Leone, West Africa for a hard-hitting look at the illegal diamond trade. During the shooting of the documentary, Raekwon became the first American rapper to perform in Sierra Leone. In 2004 he appeared in the movie Coalition. It remained unreleased until it was finally released on DVD in 2006. Raekwon the Chef is mentioned as endorsing fictional presidential candidate Mays Gilliam in the Chris Rock film Head of State.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

Year Title Chart positions[9][10] RIAA
certifications[11]
U.S. Hot 100 U.S. R&B U.S. Rap
1995 Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... 4 2 Platinum
1999 Immobilarity 9 2 Gold
2003 The Lex Diamond Story 102 18 150,000
2009 Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II

[edit] Mixtapes

Album Name Release Date
Only Built 4 the Streets 2003
Heron Only 2006
R.A.G.U. (Rae and Ghost United) 2006
The Vatican Mixtape Vol. 1 2007
The Vatican Mixtape Vol. 2: The DaVinci Code 2007
The Vatican Mixtape Vol. 3: House of Wax 2007
R.A.G.U. Vol. 2 (Raekwon and Ghostface United Pt. 2) 2008
Blood On Chefs Apron 2009
Staten Go Hard[12] 2009

[edit] Singles and EPs

[edit] Appears on

Excluding albums by Wu-Tang Clan

[edit] References

  1. ^ Diggs, Robert; Norris, Chris (2005). The Wu-Tang Manual. Riverhead. p. 20. ISBN 1-59448-018-4. 
  2. ^ Diggs, Robert; Norris, Chris (2005). The Wu-Tang Manual. Riverhead. p. 127. ISBN 1-59448-018-4. 
  3. ^ Raekwon: Hell's Kitchen | Features > HipHopDX.com
  4. ^ Music.com || Unexpected error
  5. ^ World's Best Source For That Ol' Boom Bap
  6. ^ Raekwon Announces EMI Record Deal - Video. WeLiveThis.com. Accessed March 30, 2009
  7. ^ Raekwon and EMI Confirm Summer 2009 release for Only Built For Cuban Linx II. WeLiveThis.com. Accessed April 15, 2009
  8. ^ "Raekwon pushes back Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II album release date to September 8, 2009". WeLiveThis.com. http://www.welivethis.com/newsfeed/2009/07/01/raekwon-pushes-built-4-cuban-linx-ii-september-8-2009/. Retrieved on July 1 2009. 
  9. ^ Billboard chartings. Accessed October 29, 2007.
  10. ^ UK Album chartings. Accessed November 10, 2007.
  11. ^ Searchable Database. RIAA. Accessed September 9, 2008.
  12. ^ Raekwon - Staten Go Hard Mixtape. WeLiveThis.com. Accessed March 23, 2009

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Wu-Tang Clan
Ghostface Killah · GZA · Inspectah Deck · Masta Killa · Method Man · Raekwon · RZA · U-God
Ol' Dirty Bastard
Studio albums
Singles
Compilations
Related
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raekwon"
Personal tools