Raekwon

Before Woods joined the Wu-Tang Clan his rap name was Sha Raider. Woods joined Wu-Tang Clan, an originally nine-member hip-hop group that later added rapper Cappadonna, based in the Staten Island and Brooklyn borough of New York City, in 1992. He performed under the stage name Raekwon The Chef as well as the aliases Shallah Raekwon, Louis Rich and Lex Diamonds.[11] Wu-Tang Clan debuted one year later with Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). Singles from the album included "Protect Ya Neck" and "C.R.E.A.M.", the latter of which reached #8 on the Billboard rap chart.[12] Wu-Tang Forever followed in 1997 and was certified four times platinum by the RIAA, quadruple the certification given Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers).[13] Alongside other solo albums by its members, Wu-Tang continued recording as a group, releasing The W in 2000, Iron Flag in 2001, and 8 Diagrams in 2007.[11]

In 1994, Raekwon signed a solo deal with Loud Records and released his debut single "Heaven & Hell" for the soundtrack to the movie Fresh. His first solo LP, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx..., was released August 1, 1995 to rave reviews, though not to as much commercial success as fellow Wu-Tang member Method Man's Tical.[14] Nonetheless, the album was immediately deemed a hip-hop classic.[15] According to Steve Huey of AllMusic, "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... contained a narrative album format revolving around cocaine trafficking, criminal activity, and a rise through the ranks of the illegal industry." RZA added, "It was always like a crime mafia story for me."[16] Wu-Tang member Ghostface Killah appeared on over half of the album's tracks, with Wu-Tang member RZA producing the album in its entirety.[17] Apart from working alongside RZA on Staten Island, Raekwon and Ghostface went to Barbados and Miami to write lyrics for the album.[8]

Raekwon insists Only Built 4 Cuban Linx was aimed at listeners who could relate to the underground, street culture. In an interview with HipHop DX, Rae said, "This album was just the definition of everything that was in front of us. So where we was trying to go, we was trying to get out the hood. We wanted to buy the most expensive cars and jewelry and different things like that. So that’s why I guess I always call the album...Only Built 4 Cuban Linx because it was only built for a certain lifestyle or people that understood that language. But eventually, it would break off to people looking at it as a movie and respecting it saying, ‘Yo, wow! This is authentic. This is something that never been done before’...So, I just wanted to give the world something that they could feel is brand new, it's different, but it's real." Cuban Linx debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 chart and No. 2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It sold roughly 130,000 copies the first week - eventually certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in October 1995, two months after its release.[18]

On August 1, 2020, Elliot Wilson, of TIDAL and Rap Radar, announced Raekwon will be releasing Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 3 soon.[18]

After Only Built 4 Cuban Linx..., Raekwon appeared on a track by the R&B group Allure from the group's self-titled debut in 1997.[19] He also appeared on Fat Joe's song "John Blaze" alongside Nas, Jadakiss, and Big Pun; "John Blaze" also had a music video.[20] Raekwon's next effort, Immobilarity, came out in 1999 to mixed reviews, which were mainly attributed to the absence of RZA and Ghostface Killah.[14] The Lex Diamond Story followed in 2003 on Universal Records, to mixed reviews as well (generally lukewarm critical reviews and wildly varying public reviews) and moderate success. Raekwon later voiced his distaste for the album's lack of promotion and budget and vowed that future releases would not suffer the same fate.[21]

Raekwon in 2008.

Raekwon planned to release the long-delayed sequel to his debut, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. II in 2007 through Aftermath Entertainment. The album was informally executively produced by Busta Rhymes, whom Raekwon cited as getting him in the "Cuban Linx mindset", and RZA, with RZA handling most of the production. Dr. Dre, Scram Jones, and J Dilla were other producers that were announced early on as working on the album. RZA explained the collaboration between him and Dr. Dre as "yin and yang" when it came to their styles.

Raekwon and EMI both confirmed at one point that Only Built For Cuban Linx... Pt. II would be released in the summer of 2009 with EMI serving as the distribution label for the album, which was officially released on Raekwon's ICEH2O label. However, Raekwon and EMI later announced that the album would be pushed back to September 8, 2009 due to sample clearance issues, and the leak of a song from the album entitled "Surgical Gloves."[22]

On September 8, 2009, Only Built For Cuban Linx... Pt. II was released after many delays. The album features many Wu-Tang members and affiliates, as well as Slick Rick, Jadakiss, Busta Rhymes, Beanie Sigel and more. On September 28, 2009, Raekwon was named the #10 Hottest MC in the game by MTV. He also converted to Islam in 2009.[23]

In December 2009, major hip hop site HipHopDx released their 2009 Awards, with Only Built For Cuban Linx... Pt. II being chosen as 'Album of the Year'. Dx described it as "...the Hip Hop equivalent to The Godfather 2, with Rae as revitalized as Marlon was...". In addition, Raekwon was selected as 'Emcee of the Year' (fellow New Yorker Nas had won in 2008). Their staff justified this pick with this description of Raekwon's career in 2009:

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 bastardize the catalog he laid down 15 years ago. On top of that, Rae (along with Ghostface) was a go-to for numerous rappers making albums, ranging from the Playaz Circle to Jadakiss to BK One. That's beyond real, as was a year filled with performing in arenas, clubs and even churches. When it came to mastering the ceremony, Rae had 'em all following the leader.[24]

— HipHopDX

After the critical and relative commercial success of Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. II, Raekwon collaborated with Method Man and Ghostface Killah for Wu-Massacre, a short trio album designed to showcase unity within the group. Following this release, Raekwon resurrected talk of Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang, a project announced in 2007, originally planned as a Wu-Tang album, minus RZA, due to his response to the previous group album 8 Diagrams. Raekwon forwarded his projects continuously through his growing label Icewater. He both worked on his own project while signing other underground artists.

Although not a Wu-Tang Clan project, Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang was released in March 2011, serving as Raekwon's fifth solo LP. As originally planned, RZA did not participate on the project,[25] however, several other Wu-Tang members made appearances, as well as Black Thought, Nas and Rick Ross,[26] among others. Raekwon revealed that he intends on eventually releasing a third installment to the Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… albums.[27][28]

In 2012, Raekwon launched his own record label, Ice H2O Records. Raekwon announced on November 30, 2012 that he would soon release an EP entitled Lost Jewlry.[29] On December 20, he released "Never Can Say Goodbye",[30] which did not end up on the EP. Lost Jewlry was released on January 15, 2013. It featured guest appearances from Maino and Freddie Gibbs, as well as production from Scram Jones, among others.[31]

On January 1, 2013, Raekwon announced that the title of his next album would be F.I.L.A., an acronym for Fly International Luxurious Art, and that it would be released during the second quarter of 2013.[32][33] He would later specify a release month of September 2013.[34] Following the release of the first single "All About You", Raekwon intimated that the album would be released in January 2014; it finally saw release on April 28, 2015. In November 2016, Raekwon announced that a new album was complete.[35]

On March 24, 2017, Raekwon released a studio album, The Wild, his first not to feature collaborations with fellow members of the Wu-Tang Clan. Critical reception was positive, with Pitchfork saying the album was stronger than Fly, which it alleged had a "bloated roster".[36] Consequence of Sound agreed, saying The Wild was largely understood as a return to form by Raekwon, with fewer guest appearanced by other artists than usual and more focus on Raekwon's long-established style, albeit with the "maximalist modern production" he had employed on Fly.[37]

As of 2020, Raekwon's most recent appearance was as a featured guest on the intro to the WWCD compilation by Griselda.[38]

• Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… (1995)
• Immobilarity (1999)
• The Lex Diamond Story (2003)
• Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. II (2009)
• Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang (2011)
• Fly International Luxurious Art (2015)
• The Wild (2017)
• Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. III (2021)

• Wu-Massacre (with Method Man & Ghostface Killah) (2010)