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'''Corey Woods''', better known by the [[stage name]] '''Raekwon''' (sometimes '''Raekwon the Chef'''), is an [[United States|American]] [[East Coast hip hop|East Coast]] [[rapper]] and a member of the [[Wu-Tang Clan]]. His 1995 album ''[[Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...]]'' is widely considered to be one of the best Wu-Tang solo albums, and one of the finest and most influential hip hop albums of the 1990s.
'''Corey Woods''', better known by the [[stage name]] '''Raekwon''' (sometimes '''Raekwon the Chef'''), is an [[United States|American]] [[East Coast hip hop|East Coast]] [[rapper]] and a member of the [[Wu-Tang Clan]]. His 1995 album ''[[Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...]]'' is widely considered to be one of the best Wu-Tang solo albums, and one of the finest and most influential hip hop albums of the 1990s.


In ''[[The Wu-Tang Manual]]'', RZA explains that Raekwon also derives the "chef" [[moniker]] from his experience in food service ("He was known for cooking up some really good fish.") The Wu-Tang Manual also defines "chef" as a cocaine cook. {{Fact|date=February 2009}}
In ''[[The Wu-Tang Manual]]'', RZA explains that Raekwon the Chef derives the "chef" [[moniker]] from his experience in food service ("He was known for cooking up some really good fish."). Raekwon the Chef is known to refer to 'fish' in his lyrics, e.g. "... yeah, yeah, you don't even know; that's the fishy word up in the town, you heard? Yeah, that's the fishy shit, kid" (Yessir!, DOOM). 'Fish' is an American English slang term, a linguistic substitution for the word 'cocaine;' American English slang 'fish' is, most likely, a corruption of the term 'fish scale.' 'Fish scale,' an American English slang term, refers to the shiny appearance of high-quality cocaine. The Wu-Tang Clan member Ghostface Killah's fifth solo album, Fishscale, often mentions cocaine. The Wu-Tang Manual defines "chef" as a cocaine cook. {{Fact|date=February 2009}}


==Biography==
==Biography==

Revision as of 22:09, 24 March 2009

Template:Infobox musical artist 2 Corey Woods, 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. His 1995 album Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... is widely considered to be one of the best Wu-Tang solo albums, and one of the finest and most influential hip hop albums of the 1990s.

In The Wu-Tang Manual, RZA explains that Raekwon the Chef derives the "chef" moniker from his experience in food service ("He was known for cooking up some really good fish."). Raekwon the Chef is known to refer to 'fish' in his lyrics, e.g. "... yeah, yeah, you don't even know; that's the fishy word up in the town, you heard? Yeah, that's the fishy shit, kid" (Yessir!, DOOM). 'Fish' is an American English slang term, a linguistic substitution for the word 'cocaine;' American English slang 'fish' is, most likely, a corruption of the term 'fish scale.' 'Fish scale,' an American English slang term, refers to the shiny appearance of high-quality cocaine. The Wu-Tang Clan member Ghostface Killah's fifth solo album, Fishscale, often mentions cocaine. The Wu-Tang Manual defines "chef" as a cocaine cook. [citation needed]

Biography

File:Wu-tang-cream.jpg
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, though the album's sales were sluggish. 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) and Iron Flag (2001).

His most recent 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 had few rotations on BET and nearly none on MTV. Raekwon has complained about this lack of promotion and vows that future releases won't suffer the same fate.[1] 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.

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")[2] and RZA, with RZA handling most of the production - including the first street single - as well as tracks from Dr. Dre. Raekwon was very reluctant to let other producers on the album, however there were talks of tracks produced by Scram Jones and the late J Dilla. He has said more recently that Marley Marl and Erick Sermon would be involved with the album in a production capacity as well.

Raekwon was rumored to have signed with Dr. Dre's Aftermath label in mid-2006 to distribute Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II. According to an interview with Busta Rhymes, Dr. Dre was amazed by what he heard when he met up in a studio with RZA and had to get in on the Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II project in some way.

On October 2, 2006, Raekwon's signing to Aftermath Entertainment was confirmed. RZA explained the collaboration between he and Dr. Dre as like "yin and yang" when it came to their styles.[3] "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 is also working on a mixtape/album with underground rapper Ill Bill entitled Weed Vs. Cocaine. Raekwon and Ill Bill have recorded 5 tracks together thus far which were released on some of Ill Bills mixtapes and his latest album, The Hour of Reprisal, which are "Enemy", "Thousands 2 M's", "Brazil", "Cocaine World" and "Coka Moshiach". It is rumored to feature production from Scram Jones, Q-Unique, RZA, Necro, Ill Bill, 4th Disciple & DJ Premier.

In an interview with Billboard.com, Raekwon said that though the album was "99% complete", he had put everything on pause to work on the Wu-Tang album 8 Diagrams. On November 12, 2008, Raekwon stated that he would release the long anticipated album in March 2009.

Film & acting

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.

Discography

Albums

Year Title Chart positions[4][5] RIAA
certifications[6]
U.S. Hot 100 U.S. R&B U.S. Rap
1995 Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... 4 2 Gold
1999 Immobilarity 9 2 Gold
2003 The Lex Diamond Story 102 18 150,000
2009 Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II
  • Released: June/July 2009 [7]
  • Label:

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

Singles and EPs

Appears on

Excluding albums by Wu-Tang Clan

References

  1. ^ Raekwon: Hell's Kitchen | Features > HipHopDX.com
  2. ^ Music.com || Unexpected error
  3. ^ World's Best Source For That Ol' Boom Bap
  4. ^ Billboard chartings. Accessed October 29 2007.
  5. ^ UK Album chartings. Accessed November 10 2007.
  6. ^ Searchable Database. RIAA. Accessed September 9 2008.
  7. ^ http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.8062/title.raekwon-promises-cuban-linx-2-in-march

2009 "Yessir!" (from the DOOM album Born Like This)

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