Raekwon

Since his debut solo LP went platinum, Raekwon The Chef has solidified his place as a certified rap legend. Now with the release of the sequel, this long standing member of the Wu Tang Clan brings the raw side of hip hop to the NZ masses — with support from Mareko and DJ Sir Vere.

In 1993, hip-hop would be forever changed by the emergence of the gritty, Shaolin-style of the seminal rap clique, the Wu-Tang Clan. Straight from the streets of Staten Island, New York, a unique conglomerate of nine individually exceptional lyricists flourished — Method Man, Raekwon, RZA, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, GZA, U-God, Masta Killa, and Ol’ Dirty Bastard.

The Wu-Tang style was soon imitated. Their grimy, sparse beats and incredibly diverse lyrical flows, became the musical blueprint for many hip-hop cliques. To this day, the Wu-Tang’s impact on hip-hop culture is unyielding. Wu-Tang Clan not only influenced the state of music as a group, but also as individuals. Each member possesses his own exceptional characteristics, which has attracted a cult following worldwide.

Raekwon (the Chef), shined as the purist of the Wu-Tang lyricists. When the time came for him to release his first solo album, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… (1995), hip-hop, once again, underwent a momentous transformation. This classic album went gold in three days. With its invigorating instrumentals and dramatic lyrical tales, Raekwon painted vivid pictures and presented powerful imagery through his enchanting verbal expression.

In the years after the release of Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…, Raekwon continued to record several albums with the Clan including the platinum Wu-Tang Forever (1997) and The W (2000), as well as the gold Iron Flag (2001), while at the same time working on his second solo album, Immobilarity, released in 1999 followed by 2003’s The Lex Diamond Story.

September 2009 saw the release of the long-awaited sequel to his debut album Only Built 4 Cuban Linx … Pt. II with executive producers Busta Rhymes and RZA at the helm and contributions from Dr Dre, Ghostface Killah, Erick Sermon, Scram Jones, Pete Rock, Method Man, Jadakiss and J-Dilla, among others.

In December 2009 the 2009 HipHopDx Awards chose Only Built 4 Cuban Linx … Pt. II as their Album Of The Year and crowned Raekwon Best Emcee Of The Year.

“Raekwon brought it back to lyrical, dope, rap. He released an album that spoke to teens, twenty-somethings, thirty-somethings, and beyond. Without compromising, ‘the Chef’ made an edgy Hip Hop record that refused to bastardise the catalogue he laid down 15 years ago … a go-to for numerous rappers making albums.” — HipHopDX.com

When Raekwon speaks, everyone listens. The current void in hip-hop is filled with this rap veteran’s crafty verbal gymnastics and artistic form of storytelling. The Chef still possesses the recipe to cook up a lyrical meal, a jambalaya of words with the main ingredient being superior skills. Animated and intense, Raekwon’s stealth delivery is filled with emotion, skilled cadence and an array of diverse stories, hooks, and topics.