So we forgot who was number 4 in our wu tang member rankings...we checked...and we had some controversial shit right there...not the gza, not odb...but...RAEKWON: THE CHEF!!!...i was kinda shocked actually...because i had no recollection...which means i must've been drunk when we initially did this list...which means we have some explaining to do!!!!...
What brings rain hail snow and earthquakes
The beat breaks, cause all my niggas to break son
Styles is similar to criminals locked up
With gats, ghetto tabernacles is fucked up
I live once though, the mind stays infinite
Traveling to touch nine planets, in my midst
While I carry, to earn a decent salary
Soon get married, raise a family, but the plan'll be
Real great, to sit up in the loft, count stacks and max
And real cats cold watch my back
But listen to the Wu son, and maintain
It's all real, starving individuals kill
I puff what's only right, leave the poison alone
Projects, infested with rats cats and crack homes
Half of us'll try to make it, the other half'll try to take it
So many fake half real freedom-build
Born to science my alliance analyzes
Wild surprises, keeping my eyes wide to this
The unfortunate, laying in mountains counting
With jewelry on, can it be the next team house the horn
Chill dun, just for real ones, light the lye up
I hate to have to tie the next guy up
Pay attention to 1010 WINS, Wu blends
Now I'm steering you to truth, buckle up
Now who's a legend?
CHAMBER # 4: Raekwon recorded classic verses on Enter.
The Clan hook man. He came up with the phrase C.R.E.A.M first solo
album was a classic. Recent resurgence after two pretty shit follow ups to
Only. OBCL 2 and Shaolin vs Wu-Tang were both well received.
WILLIAM BROWN
Fuck it...let's get hyped!...new rae shit...
DRAMA EN SABAH
It's a tough one having Rae up so high. There
was a long drought after Forever, but
it speaks to how highly regarded Only
Built for Cuban Links is. It's easily the most influential album
the Clan ever put out. We can argue the unrecognized brilliance of Liquid
Swords but OBCL was recognized brilliance and pretty much unanimously at that.
I think the question we have to be able to answer in the affirmative to be able
to justify having Shallah Raekwon up as high as #4 is, whether or not OBCL is
justifiably called a Raekwon's album?". Ghost is on nearly every song. Some
of the best songs like Ice Cream and Wu Gambinos featured appearances from the
other members of the Wu. So is OBCL Raekwon's album?
WILLIAM BROWN
It is raekwon's album in a sense...i think of wu tang as a team...like an nba team...if you think of the miami heat...you think that's lebron's team right?...but they wouldn't have won two championships without wade or bosh or allen or even lesser members like battier, mike miller, mario chalmers, birdman...and so with wu tang solo albums it was still a team album...at least in the early days...when method man album dropped...yes it was a solo album, but you also thought of it as a wu tang album...i mean, they just approached "solo" albums in a different way then most rapper/groups do it...and i think cuban linx is rae's album...i think it was dope that someone recognized that ghost would go well with rae...instead of being...this is my album...rae let some of that ego go and that's what made that shit classic...i don't think of it as a fault that rae doesn't go completely solo on cuban linx...i'd like to focus a bit on raekwon's work on enter the 36 chambers too...because he was very prominent on that album...he was on 8 or more tracks out of the 12...i actually forgot that he was a very big presence on that album...and a very good presence...
It is raekwon's album in a sense...i think of wu tang as a team...like an nba team...if you think of the miami heat...you think that's lebron's team right?...but they wouldn't have won two championships without wade or bosh or allen or even lesser members like battier, mike miller, mario chalmers, birdman...and so with wu tang solo albums it was still a team album...at least in the early days...when method man album dropped...yes it was a solo album, but you also thought of it as a wu tang album...i mean, they just approached "solo" albums in a different way then most rapper/groups do it...and i think cuban linx is rae's album...i think it was dope that someone recognized that ghost would go well with rae...instead of being...this is my album...rae let some of that ego go and that's what made that shit classic...i don't think of it as a fault that rae doesn't go completely solo on cuban linx...i'd like to focus a bit on raekwon's work on enter the 36 chambers too...because he was very prominent on that album...he was on 8 or more tracks out of the 12...i actually forgot that he was a very big presence on that album...and a very good presence...
DRAMA EN SABAH
I agree. I think Rae's energy and personality really shaped the theme of that album. I think he carried off the gangster aesthetic in such a way that it had creative weight. None of the other members on the album really went with that sort of vibe on their solo albums so I really think they knew to take it there on OBCL because of Raekwon's influence. Recently Method Man responded to comments that the Clan members might be growing apart because their changing as they grow older and he more or less said that they're pretty much the same as they always were; as he's a big kid with a lot of video games. RZA is still into kung-fu movies which was proven as he had just made Man with the Iron Fist and he said "Rae is living that mobster lifestyle." So you can tell from that Rae's been on that shit for awhile.
I agree. I think Rae's energy and personality really shaped the theme of that album. I think he carried off the gangster aesthetic in such a way that it had creative weight. None of the other members on the album really went with that sort of vibe on their solo albums so I really think they knew to take it there on OBCL because of Raekwon's influence. Recently Method Man responded to comments that the Clan members might be growing apart because their changing as they grow older and he more or less said that they're pretty much the same as they always were; as he's a big kid with a lot of video games. RZA is still into kung-fu movies which was proven as he had just made Man with the Iron Fist and he said "Rae is living that mobster lifestyle." So you can tell from that Rae's been on that shit for awhile.
Rae was really important. He gave the group
some heavy New York street vibe that was big at the time Rae had the same type
of vibe as Mobb Deep and Nas and that was the hottest thing in East Coast
street rap. He really anchored Staten Island as part of the New York scene. Who
know what the perception of the Wu would have been like without Rae. They could
have went all Fushnickens or something (for arguments sake).
Raekwon also stood out
enough to get songs where he got an entire verse. I think maybe the way he
wrote narratives helped with that. Instead of just being one of nine guys on a
song he was one of two or three guys.
Funny that on Tearz
and C.R.E.A.M Rae brought so much social introspection to his rhymes and
he never really did it quite like that again. He didn't really focus on the
why's of criminal activity or the weaknesses like smoking weed laced with crack
or getting shot like he did on Enter. Who knows how big his career would of
been if he had? I know with Immobilarity he was trying to move away from the
nihilism of OBCL but he didn't hit it like he did at the start of his career.
When you listen to
Enter is a Raekwon the break out star for you? Like you said he puts a lot of
work on that album.
WILLIAM BROWN
And that's one in the chamber
And that's one in the chamber
Wu-Tang banger, 36 styles of danger
...i didn't think he
was a break out star like method man or ghostface...it wasn't until i heard
"incarcerated scarfaces" that i actually thought that he could hold
his own on a song solo...but i really like his raps on 36 chambers...he really sticks
out...nobody was rapping like that back then...i love that bit of acapella
break that he does on 7th chamber part 2 and then bang the beat drops and it
sounds soooo dope...
Champion gear that I
rock, you get your boots knocked
Then attack you like a
pit that lock shit down
As I come and freaks
the sound
Hardcore, but giving
you more and more, like ding!
Nah shorty, get you
open like six packs
Killer Bees attack,
flipping what, murder one, fat tracks a'ight
I kick it like a Nike
Flight
Word life, I get that
ass robbed on spite
Check the method from
Bedrock, cause I rock your head to bed
Just like rocking
what? Twin Glocks!
Shake the ground while
my beats just break you down
Raw sound, going to
war right now
So, yo, bombing
We usually take all
niggas garments
Save your breath
before I bomb it
...what i forgot was
how much energy he brings to his verses on 36 too...i'm used to a pretty laid
back rae these days...but in da mystery of chessboxin he's
bringing some cold heat...some long ass sweater new york winter type raps!...
Rough like Timberland
wear, yeah
Me and the Clan in
'Yota Landcruisers out there
Peace to all the
crooks, all the niggas with bad looks
Bald heads, braids,
blow this hook
We got chrome Tecs,
nickel plated Macs
Black Ac's, drug
dealing styles in phat stacks
I only been a good
nigga for a minute though
Cuz I got to get my
props, and win it yo
I got beef wit
commercial-ass niggas with gold teeth
Lamping in a Lexus
eating beef
Straight up and down
don't even bother
I got forty niggas up
in here now, who kill niggas fathers
...and of course cream
which is a classic...but he's coming with some personal shit on this
too...wearing secondhand clothing...robbing white boys on basketball
courts...struggling with drugs and thugs...running up fire escapes...ducking
and robbing...chickachickPOW...luckily he got with the wu or else...
I grew up on the
crimeside, the New York Times side
Staying alive was no
jive
Had secondhands, Mom's
bounced on old man
So then we moved to
Shaolin land
A young youth, rocking
the gold tooth, 'Lo goose
Only way I begin to G
off was drug loot
And let's start it
like this son, rolling with this one and that one
Pulling out Gats for
fun
But it was just a
dream for the teen, who was a fiend
Started smoking
woolies at 16
And running up in
gates, and doing hits for high stakes
Making my way on fire
escapes
No question I would
speed for cracks and weed
The combination made
my eyes bleed
No question I would
flow off and try to get the dough all
Sticking up White boys
in ball courts
My life got no better,
same damn 'Lo sweater
Times is rough and
tough like leather
Figured out I went the
wrong route
So I got with a
sick-ass clique and went all out
Catching keys from
across seas
Rolling in MPV's every
week we made forty G's
Yo nigga respect mine
or anger the TEC-9
Ch-chick-POW, move
from the gate now
How were you feeling
about rae out of the gates?...did you overlook him at all?...were you thinking
he was deserving of a solo album after his performance on 36th?
DRAMA EN SABAH
Out the gate I didn't really consider Rae a breakout star. He was huge on Enter but I really thought of him as a team player. I remember early on. over here before there were Wu videos to go with the music people always confused Rae, Deck, and Ghost with each other because of Cream, Tears and the Tears remix. They had the most similar subject matter as well. But after CREAM blew up I guess Rae had to be signed to a solo deal by Wu-Tang's record label Loud. There was no way they could have let someone else sign Rae after that. It's funny but I think if Deck could have put out an album sooner things might have gone differently for Rae. They both had a shot at solo success based on the the numbers CREAM did but Deck just never got a project out quick enough to capitalize on the buzz. All in all I thought Raekwon was one of the better Wu-Tang emcees but I can't say I thought Cuban Links was going to be great as a solo album based on his work on Enter the Wu-Tang 36th Chambers, I can't say I expected that masterpiece from Raekwon. Method Man was the one everyone was paying attention to. GZA was awarded the Source magazine Hip Hop Quotable of the Year for his verse on Protect Ya Neck. RZA was getting press for his production and people were beginning a bizarre love affair with Old Dirty Bastard. And on a personally level when I think Enter I think Bring Da Ruckus and "Ghostface catch the blast from a hype verse/My Glock burst/Leave in hearse/I done worse".
Out the gate I didn't really consider Rae a breakout star. He was huge on Enter but I really thought of him as a team player. I remember early on. over here before there were Wu videos to go with the music people always confused Rae, Deck, and Ghost with each other because of Cream, Tears and the Tears remix. They had the most similar subject matter as well. But after CREAM blew up I guess Rae had to be signed to a solo deal by Wu-Tang's record label Loud. There was no way they could have let someone else sign Rae after that. It's funny but I think if Deck could have put out an album sooner things might have gone differently for Rae. They both had a shot at solo success based on the the numbers CREAM did but Deck just never got a project out quick enough to capitalize on the buzz. All in all I thought Raekwon was one of the better Wu-Tang emcees but I can't say I thought Cuban Links was going to be great as a solo album based on his work on Enter the Wu-Tang 36th Chambers, I can't say I expected that masterpiece from Raekwon. Method Man was the one everyone was paying attention to. GZA was awarded the Source magazine Hip Hop Quotable of the Year for his verse on Protect Ya Neck. RZA was getting press for his production and people were beginning a bizarre love affair with Old Dirty Bastard. And on a personally level when I think Enter I think Bring Da Ruckus and "Ghostface catch the blast from a hype verse/My Glock burst/Leave in hearse/I done worse".
That being said you're
right. Raekwon had a high amount of energy on that album. Even when he's not
rapping very quickly he's rhyming in a style that adds an aggressive energy to
his rhymes. On both C.R.E.A.M and the 7th Chamber remix you mentioned
previously Rae is rarely putting more than 5 words in a bar, it has the effect
of hitting you with rhyme after rhyme, combined with the type of subject matter
he raps about it really makes for an aggressive/high energy style.
Before we go indepth
with discussing OBCL which is a must. I think we should touch on his work on
Forever. It came out after OBCL did you feel he did as good a job on Forever as
Enter?
WILLIAM BROWN
MACHINE GUN RAP FOR ALL MY NIGGAS IN THE BACK…i've been listening to forever heavily…and i don't have the same feelings with raekwon on forever as i did on "enter…"…not sure it's his fault but i feel that he needs a certain backdrop, a certain environment for his lyrics…like some analog shit, some tape "hissing" type shit for his lyrics to work and forever doesn't really do that for him…how do you feel about forever and raekwon?
MACHINE GUN RAP FOR ALL MY NIGGAS IN THE BACK…i've been listening to forever heavily…and i don't have the same feelings with raekwon on forever as i did on "enter…"…not sure it's his fault but i feel that he needs a certain backdrop, a certain environment for his lyrics…like some analog shit, some tape "hissing" type shit for his lyrics to work and forever doesn't really do that for him…how do you feel about forever and raekwon?
On a side note: i think if i could look at some
kind of listening statistic in my head, i'd have to say i've listened to
"forever" more than "enter" in my lifetime...not saying
forever is better...i mean, if you made a best of "forever"...combining
the best of both discs you would have a fucking classic album right there...
DRAMA EN SABAH
I agree with you. I think with Forever we're looking at the double edged sword of success. All the money they needed to make an album but the beats got a little glossy and didn't sound as dirty. I can only imagine the jump in the quality of equipment RZA had access too. That combined with the Clan members admitted lack of focus makes for a strange LP. I really liked most of Forever but content wise it didn't match the early Wu records. Rae was no where near as strong a presence on Forever as he was on Enter. The social commentary and introspection just wasn't there. Also Forever is just too long. The double LP craze that had taken over Hip Hop at the time turned out to be a bad idea for most artists the Wu included. Forever was an LP that I thought Deck shined on and Ghost as well but most of the other guys who already put out solo records didn't seem that focused. Meth maybe being another exception. Don't get me wrong Older Godz is probably my favourite song on that LP and Rae was big on that but I think Forever is where we really see the beginning of his downward slide toward Immobilarity.
I agree with you. I think with Forever we're looking at the double edged sword of success. All the money they needed to make an album but the beats got a little glossy and didn't sound as dirty. I can only imagine the jump in the quality of equipment RZA had access too. That combined with the Clan members admitted lack of focus makes for a strange LP. I really liked most of Forever but content wise it didn't match the early Wu records. Rae was no where near as strong a presence on Forever as he was on Enter. The social commentary and introspection just wasn't there. Also Forever is just too long. The double LP craze that had taken over Hip Hop at the time turned out to be a bad idea for most artists the Wu included. Forever was an LP that I thought Deck shined on and Ghost as well but most of the other guys who already put out solo records didn't seem that focused. Meth maybe being another exception. Don't get me wrong Older Godz is probably my favourite song on that LP and Rae was big on that but I think Forever is where we really see the beginning of his downward slide toward Immobilarity.
WILLIAM BROWN
...a downward slide for sure...immobilarity in 1999 and lex diamonds story in 2003 were fucking wack...i honestly thought he was done making solo albums...
...a downward slide for sure...immobilarity in 1999 and lex diamonds story in 2003 were fucking wack...i honestly thought he was done making solo albums...
before we get too far ahead...you wanted to
touch more on only built for cuban linx...on a personal note...that was a big
album for you and i in ottawa!...
DRAMA EN SABAH
Man OBCL was a megaton bomb for me. One of those albums where I can remember where I was the first time I heard it. Pretty sure it was at Caribana in Toronto. Myself and some friends were walking down you Yonge Street near Gerrard and this white Lexus was parked on the west side of Yonge. A little crowd was gathering around the car listening to music. We realize that it's new Wu and walk down to HMW to see if they have it. Those were the days when HMW was open real late. Everything about that project seemed to scream classic. You ever read an album cover and feel you have a masterpiece in your hands just by the name of the song titles? I mean by the time I read the words "Wu-Gambinos" I knew it was on and poppin.
Man OBCL was a megaton bomb for me. One of those albums where I can remember where I was the first time I heard it. Pretty sure it was at Caribana in Toronto. Myself and some friends were walking down you Yonge Street near Gerrard and this white Lexus was parked on the west side of Yonge. A little crowd was gathering around the car listening to music. We realize that it's new Wu and walk down to HMW to see if they have it. Those were the days when HMW was open real late. Everything about that project seemed to scream classic. You ever read an album cover and feel you have a masterpiece in your hands just by the name of the song titles? I mean by the time I read the words "Wu-Gambinos" I knew it was on and poppin.
I just thought that
album was a really incredible evolution of the Wu sound. They added audio
samples from the John Woo classic "The Killer" which flowed nicely
with their previous staple of Kung Fu movie samples. Really helped sell the
gangster vibe without taking away from Kung Fu vibe they had established
previously. The beats still sounded like RZA but with a lot of new twists and
turns. OBCL sounded different from Enter, Tical, Liquid Swords, and The Dirty
Version. They all sound like RZA's work but with enough differences to not make
them sound stagnant. Still OBCL is the one that jumps out the most in terms of
how different it sounded from the other first wave of Wu albums. If you
think about it there were a lot of martial arts themed acts coming out after
Wu-Tang you had the Venoms and you had Jeru. But the martial arts thing became
kind of gimicky with those other acts. I think OBCL really added to Wu mythos
and prevented that Kung Fu angle from becoming gimicky. OBCL added a lot of
sophistication to their catalogue and really gave them a firm grip on that New
York street music that people wanted at the time.
You and I loved this
record. What are some of the fond memories you have of it?
WILLIAM BROWN
I really liked how the tape was purple too...i still have that tape downstairs...one of the few that i kept from my tape collection from back in the day...memories of OBCL...i remember having really good sex to that album for some reason...making sure i peaked durning ice cream!...taking it slow during rainy dayz...chilling out with a joint to heaven and hell and then drifting off to sleep...nothing like a cuban linx album with sex and weed thrown into the mix you know...good music, good times...fuck man it used to be all so simple didn't it!?...
I really liked how the tape was purple too...i still have that tape downstairs...one of the few that i kept from my tape collection from back in the day...memories of OBCL...i remember having really good sex to that album for some reason...making sure i peaked durning ice cream!...taking it slow during rainy dayz...chilling out with a joint to heaven and hell and then drifting off to sleep...nothing like a cuban linx album with sex and weed thrown into the mix you know...good music, good times...fuck man it used to be all so simple didn't it!?...
again...i was pretty
shocked that rae delivered on this...i really didn't think he had it in
him...i mean like you said the rza took shit to the next level...having ghost
on it was genius and everyone else that guested on it was bangin...i was
probably even more shocked when OBCL pt.2 was as good as it was...the lead up
to that was toilet water...raekwon had nothing going on...and then all the
delays...how were you feeling about pt.2?
DRAMA EN SABAH
I'm actually one of the few people who thought the OBCL 2 was really overrated. I actually find Rae's entire resurgence kind of baffling. I didn't think Shaolin vs Wu-Tang or the Wu Massacre were that memorable. OBCL 2 I liked maybe 3 songs. The two by Dr. Dre and the bonus cut Walk With Me. Which I though saw Rae in fine form. I will say OBCL 2 was credible as sequel as most times artists do a sequel album they don't really harken back to the original. It's just a publicity grab. However OBCL 2 was definitely in the same vein as the original.
I'm actually one of the few people who thought the OBCL 2 was really overrated. I actually find Rae's entire resurgence kind of baffling. I didn't think Shaolin vs Wu-Tang or the Wu Massacre were that memorable. OBCL 2 I liked maybe 3 songs. The two by Dr. Dre and the bonus cut Walk With Me. Which I though saw Rae in fine form. I will say OBCL 2 was credible as sequel as most times artists do a sequel album they don't really harken back to the original. It's just a publicity grab. However OBCL 2 was definitely in the same vein as the original.
I didn't know you were
into OBCL 2. Did it take you back or did it stand on it's own?
WILLIAM BROWN
It stood on its own...i remember OBCL 2 and big boi's album coming out that year and both pleasantly surprising me...we've had this run of rap artists doing sequels to their classic albums...i think even nas is reportedly working on a sequel to illmatic right now...most of the time it seems like a publicity grab for sure...and i don't usually understand how the sequels are related to the original alot of times too...it's been a trend that's hit or miss and usually miss...but OBCL 2 had that vibe that the first one had...it felt like it was crafted...some care went into it...but i don't think it should've been a sequel though...it should've just been a quality stand alone project...i mean, i agree with you that rae's resurgence is baffling...but i feel like his whole solo career has been baffling...he's hit such highs and lows...he's just all over the map which means his new solo project could either be good or wack...in the end then we have raekwon as the number 4 wu tang mc of all time because of?...his enthusiasm on enter the 36 chambers...and the classic OBCL...for his unique rhyme flow...imagery, slang, imagery, slang...anything else...
It stood on its own...i remember OBCL 2 and big boi's album coming out that year and both pleasantly surprising me...we've had this run of rap artists doing sequels to their classic albums...i think even nas is reportedly working on a sequel to illmatic right now...most of the time it seems like a publicity grab for sure...and i don't usually understand how the sequels are related to the original alot of times too...it's been a trend that's hit or miss and usually miss...but OBCL 2 had that vibe that the first one had...it felt like it was crafted...some care went into it...but i don't think it should've been a sequel though...it should've just been a quality stand alone project...i mean, i agree with you that rae's resurgence is baffling...but i feel like his whole solo career has been baffling...he's hit such highs and lows...he's just all over the map which means his new solo project could either be good or wack...in the end then we have raekwon as the number 4 wu tang mc of all time because of?...his enthusiasm on enter the 36 chambers...and the classic OBCL...for his unique rhyme flow...imagery, slang, imagery, slang...anything else...
DRAMA EN SABAH
Should we touch a little on Imobilarty and Lex Diamonds? Immobilarty was terrible but Rae was trying to move away from the image he'd crafted on OBCL. It didn't work out but it was noble in concept. I remember Snoop tried to do the same thing on the Dogg Father. Move away from violence but that didn't work out either. Too bad the quality of the either album wasn't better. It would have been interesting to see if Hip Hop would have allowed for two of their most loved street emcees turn a new leaf.
Should we touch a little on Imobilarty and Lex Diamonds? Immobilarty was terrible but Rae was trying to move away from the image he'd crafted on OBCL. It didn't work out but it was noble in concept. I remember Snoop tried to do the same thing on the Dogg Father. Move away from violence but that didn't work out either. Too bad the quality of the either album wasn't better. It would have been interesting to see if Hip Hop would have allowed for two of their most loved street emcees turn a new leaf.
WILLIAM BROWN
...hip hop let snoop change...he changed into a loveable teddy bear that raps about pizza pockets...i mean, maybe hardcore rap fans didn't continue with snoop too much after his earlier stuff but a shit load of other people did...and i enjoy snoop now just as much as i did then...i think he transitioned perfectly...man's making reggae albums, funk albums...and for the most part i still check him out...and like i said nobody in the beginning liked his transition but he managed to find a way...raekwon didn't or hasn't been successful with transitioning to other shit...he tried but failed and didn't really find a way like snoop did...so he's gotta stick to the street slang imagery to be successful...and luckily for him he seems to be in demand these days...seems to fit in with alot of these new cats like roc marciano, action bronson etc...he's gotta stick to what he does best at this point...i mean, look at big boi...he's switched his stuff up too...gotten more into the experimental electronica side of music to go with his raps...it hasn't been entirely smooth but he's had some success with it...again raekwon's gotta stick with that same kind of vibe with his beats that got him there...whenever he guests on others songs, they're kind of like nostalgic OBCL type beats...but at this point if he sticks in his own lane, that will probably give him the most longevity...but it seems he wants to do this album and then be a background guy with his label...so his resurgence at the moment is pretty much a swan song...
...hip hop let snoop change...he changed into a loveable teddy bear that raps about pizza pockets...i mean, maybe hardcore rap fans didn't continue with snoop too much after his earlier stuff but a shit load of other people did...and i enjoy snoop now just as much as i did then...i think he transitioned perfectly...man's making reggae albums, funk albums...and for the most part i still check him out...and like i said nobody in the beginning liked his transition but he managed to find a way...raekwon didn't or hasn't been successful with transitioning to other shit...he tried but failed and didn't really find a way like snoop did...so he's gotta stick to the street slang imagery to be successful...and luckily for him he seems to be in demand these days...seems to fit in with alot of these new cats like roc marciano, action bronson etc...he's gotta stick to what he does best at this point...i mean, look at big boi...he's switched his stuff up too...gotten more into the experimental electronica side of music to go with his raps...it hasn't been entirely smooth but he's had some success with it...again raekwon's gotta stick with that same kind of vibe with his beats that got him there...whenever he guests on others songs, they're kind of like nostalgic OBCL type beats...but at this point if he sticks in his own lane, that will probably give him the most longevity...but it seems he wants to do this album and then be a background guy with his label...so his resurgence at the moment is pretty much a swan song...
DRAMA EN SABAH
You know I'm not sure Hip Hop let Snoop "change" so to speak. Snoop always had a lot of humour in his work. The Chronic had some funny moments and the "What's My Name?" lead single off of Doggystyle had that great line in the video. "You don't love me. You just love my doggystyle." I'm not saying that foreshadowed future pizza pocket sales but in music as long as you give people a couple different angles early on they tend to accept swings in your musical direction a little easier. We see it with dancehall artists all the time. They can have records filled with violent, or sexual content but they still throw in a morally upright tune or a song about God and no one blinks because they show you all those looks early on.
You know I'm not sure Hip Hop let Snoop "change" so to speak. Snoop always had a lot of humour in his work. The Chronic had some funny moments and the "What's My Name?" lead single off of Doggystyle had that great line in the video. "You don't love me. You just love my doggystyle." I'm not saying that foreshadowed future pizza pocket sales but in music as long as you give people a couple different angles early on they tend to accept swings in your musical direction a little easier. We see it with dancehall artists all the time. They can have records filled with violent, or sexual content but they still throw in a morally upright tune or a song about God and no one blinks because they show you all those looks early on.
I agree with you on
Raekwon. He never really showed that type of range early on. Even the torture
skit on Enter which was kind of funny was still about torturing someone. So
yeah Rae is pretty firmly street. That's the way he's accepted best.
I don't see Rae around
T.O too much but others who spend more time downtown see him once in awhile.
Apparently the success of OBCL 2 put him a really good space financially and
it's allowing him to take on more of an executive role.
I briefly like to talk
about Rae on Ironman. I really liked him on that album. I've been listening to
it a lot lately and I think Rae was fantastic on that.
WILLIAM BROWN
JESUS, YOU AND IRON MAN!!!…i have absolutely no recollection of raekwon on that album!…is he on it?…hehe...fuck i think of cappa on that shit more than rae…i'll give it a listen for raekwon specifically...
JESUS, YOU AND IRON MAN!!!…i have absolutely no recollection of raekwon on that album!…is he on it?…hehe...fuck i think of cappa on that shit more than rae…i'll give it a listen for raekwon specifically...
DRAMA EN SABAH
For fuck sakes Brown. That shit is classic. Iron maiden, 260, after the smoke is clear. Rae is great on that.
For fuck sakes Brown. That shit is classic. Iron maiden, 260, after the smoke is clear. Rae is great on that.
Two hours later,
scheming like DeNiro in Casino
Son better have more
coke than Al Pacino
Kiana ain't telling no
lies, last year she did a sting and a half
With Tymeek bought him
a aircraft
But anyway, yo,
Daddy-O home, we need the shotties nid-ow
When we get back,
throw you a thid-ou
Later that night, stay
mesmerized yo
Go get the green 5,
meet you on the corner of Marriot
You ready, you got the
E&J and the machete?
We going upstairs, I
hope one nigga is heavy
We walked in, both of
us, looked like terrorists
Masks on, second
floor, dun yo, I handle this
Kick in the crib, the
whole shit looked graphical
Natural, fucking a
white bitch, actual
Fiends chanting,
"Do your thing Chef, handle it"
I shot him in the
neck, it ricocheted and hit Carolyn
Ran to the back
analyzing, much disguising
Surprise is coming in
their eyes and tranquilizing
Bugging, throwing the
twin cousins at his nugget, fuck it
Meet shottie waddy slug
body hobby
Where the drugs, where
the ounces you be bouncing
Fake cats announcing
on the block, you lounging
Where the blow at, I
ain't got shit, stop fronting
(Yo Chef, throw the
joint in his mouth, money'll start stunting
Bitch, hold that pit,
before I push your wig back
Chef stop waving that,
show him where the paper at)
Come here Valerie, you
know the God he need a salary
Put down the pipe
here's two tickets to a coke gallery
It's in the kitchen in
the ceiling
(Baby girl kept
squealing
Only found a white
block of cheese from New Zealand
Ohhh shit! Yo, yo
where that shit at yo?
Yo Chef, where that
shit? What? What? Aiyyo...)
WILLIAM BROWN
Rae's on point no doubt...that's why he's number 4 yo!
Rae's on point no doubt...that's why he's number 4 yo!
DRAMA EN SABAH
IRON MAN WINS AGAIN!
CHEF'S PICKS
with your host
DRAMA EN SABAH
Raekwon's big songs are so well known I think I'll throw up some dope tracks that might not be the obvious choices. Still if you haven't heard C.R.E.A.M, Ice Cream, etc. you NEED to check those out.
Big song right here. Proved that Rae could walk the line between the streets and smooth shit for the ladies.
Really cemented the fact that Raekwon could be a successful solo artist with the ability to hold down an entire song by himself.
Not one of the better known Rae joints but I love it.
Off of OBCL 2.
Blood Missiles
A song that was reportedly recorded for OBCL 2 but didn't make the final cut. Not sure what the true story is but I think Rae is dope as hell on this.
Stop the Breaks
You know how big Rae and the Wu were in the 90's when Ron J calls him up to be on a track with Krs-One and B.I.G.