Latest news with #Raekwon
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Raekwon Explains How an Old Folk Tale Inspired His New Album & Why He's Concerned for the State of Hip-Hop: ‘I Feel Like It Ain't Authentic No More'
Raekwon says he often gets asked to explain what constitutes real hip-hop. As one of the founding members of Wu-Tang Clan, and as one of New York hip-hop's long reigning titans, it's hard not to ask him this question again. Especially considering that as I talk with him, he's on a tour bus with his Wu-Tang brethren — the same brethren who cultivated rap in their gritty, messy image with some of the genre's most seminal releases, the same brethren who crafted one (quite literally one) of the most infamous albums in music history as a means to protest the devaluation of music in the digital age. This DIY nature behind Raekwon and Wu-Tang's legacy is rank with a word the former uses a lot during our conversation: 'authenticity.' Their fame and legacy are merely secondary, what Rae has always sought to do is make the most truthful art he can. More from Billboard Tool Announce First Hawaii Concert in Nearly 15 Years Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham Tease Project With Sunset Boulevard Billboard Ed Sheeran Announces 2026 Australian & New Zealand Loop Tour Dates 'To me, it's like going to the movie theater,' Rae says. His bus is en route to what will soon be two legendary Wu-Tang farewell shows in New York City and California. 'You go there, you go pay for what you wanna pay for — but at the same time it's like, I can't go see something that's supposed to be a horror flick but it feels like a commercial horror flick. At the end of the day, give me what I expect of it and don't allow it to be pushed under the rug, because it may not be as popular as things today is.' As part of a massive rollout with Nas' Mass Appeal Records, Raekwon returned with his eighth studio album The Emperor's New Clothes last week. While we talk about the project, at this point in his career, Rae seems interested more in speaking his mind on the state of hip-hop. 'I see the industry is fouler now, and filled with the greed,' he raps on '1 Life.' 'Controlling narratives, sending wrong thoughts to the seeds. Save our babies, there's nothing else to vibe with the means.' In a quick chat with Billboard, Raekwon elaborates on these concerns he has with the genre he's helped define, and how an old Dutch folk tale inspired his latest LP. Why did you feel now was the time for a new project, and why was Mass Appeal the right vehicle for this next chapter? Number one, the Mass Appeal collaboration was kind of personal. Because me and my brother Nas, we have a 30-year friendship, and we always said that one day we would connect together and do a project together. So the timing was perfect, and I felt that it was time that I release some music that I had ready for the world that I was working on. So I just kinda leave it in God's grace, when the time hits it hits. Right now, it was just dope timing. I'm working on a couple of other different projects, so I wanted to make sure that I take care of everything I needed to do with that. Why did you name your album after a famous folk tale? That title is a reality title to me. Today, everything is being followed by status quo. I'm a person that's a big advocate of authenticity over popularity. Just because tomato is to-mato, that don't mean that you can change the words up. I just think hip-hop is being — what's the word I wanna say? — hip-hop is definitely being punctured right now by elements that really don't hold onto the culture the way we know it to be. I feel like it's our job to stay authentic. This is not to take shots at anybody, but I just feel like hip-hop is not being represented right. There's so many different layers on top of it that makes it not authentic to me that it'll make you question what you know about hip-hop and what you feel. That's something that I don't wanna ever have to sacrifice when it comes to knowing what made me who I am today. The Emperor's New Clothes is an old folk tale that basically describes: 'Don't believe anything you hear.' I just love the title because I know people automatically would think it was about changing clothes. But nah, it's really more about don't get caught up in stuff that doesn't equate the reality of what s—t really is. Can you speak on that a little more? What aspects of hip-hop are being punctured right now? it's not the same anymore. A lot of things are sounding alike. People are emulating each other, [doing] whatever makes sense according to their popularity, and you have these labels that are so much in power they could change the dynamics of what hip-hop really is, you know? Rap music is rap music, but hip-hop is something that to me always had its own flagship. Rap is something I feel like anybody can do. You can learn overnight to do it, but that doesn't make you authentic. That just shows you have the talent and the ability to create something, but a lot of times things that everybody feel are hip-hop is not hip-hop, it's rap. I just think it's a separation gap here. Rap to me sounds like you're wrapping something up. I get it — but I just think that it's a little bit too much to the left when people are still trying to figure out what is really hip-hop. Hip-hop is not only just skills and good production and art, but it's supposed to make you feel a certain way. A lot of times, you got all this other stuff sterilized inside of it that makes it not feel authenticated. It's about if you popular. The bottom line: I just wanted to stay true to the culture. I just feel like hip-hop ain't authentic no more, you know? Still, you have Clipse reuniting and and Drake and Kendrick on top. It doesn't feel like rap is only a young man's sport anymore. You just gotta be genuine with knowing that it can't stray away from what we know it to be. It doesn't make you less of an artist if you don't sell a million, billion records. But if you're authentic, and we feel like at the end of the day it makes sense to do it the way that you feel you wanna do it, and it still feels like something new and fresh… it just can't be something that at the end of the day everybody is yapping that, 'This is it!' When it's really not it. A lot of the times it be like that, it be like, 'Where the f—k did this s—t come from?' But the popularity of it can make things become that, and then next thing you know you start to feel like you have to respect the status quo because that's what they feel. When you know at the end of the day, it's like, 'Hol' up, this is not what I know hip-hop to be.' So its like you said — you got guys like the Clipse, that they have their own flagship with how they do things and they continue to stay where people expect them to stay. That's how I feel about myself. Just stay in pocket with what you know people love about the culture and about hip-hop. We were able to express ourselves and not have to worry about listening to somebody that's trying to capitalize off fame and fortune. Let's make sure at the end of the day it feels like a body of work, that it makes sense for what we all love. Even not having albums and CD's no more in your hand! Now you gotta deal with all these different levels of how music is made. I feel like all of that is just saturating what we all love. To be able to go look at a CD and look at the inside and read the credits and know those sales, whatever they are, are realistic. The way the game is now, you don't know who's really selling! It's a different game, and not only just that, but the only way I can explain it is authenticity versus popularity. Just because you're popular don't necessarily mean that you're giving us what we want. It's a lot of stuff out there that just sounds the same. You connected again with Griselda for this album. You've worked with them multiple times. What is it about Westside, Conway and Benny that appeals to you so much? They take their craft very serious. They know what they're doing — even when I met them, they always paid me respect and paid my team respect and knew what they had to do. They knew they had to walk a certain way to where people were respecting them. I kinda seen them when they was on they mode, really getting to where they gotta go. I seen their future ahead of time, so I kinda knew that they was gonna be great in this business because I felt it. I felt like they was putting the work in. How have you been navigating this landscape now when it comes to making and selling music? Did you feel you had to change your practice at all? I never really felt like I had to change my practice, I only just know I had to become sharper and continue to do what I love and make fresh music and make music that I know moves people. That shows my cleverness, that shows my level of putting my passion into it. That's important, you don't wanna lose passion and you also wanna keep being innovative. I guess maybe coming from one of the biggest rap groups in the world, or the most famous one that really paid their dues, I guess we was just cut from that cloth to keep it the way we know how to keep it, and not just settle for anything. It's like listening to one of my songs. Somebody might listen to it and be like, 'That ain't it, Chef. That ain't your style.' You know what I mean? Sometimes you could be persuaded to do something that you think may fit you that really don't fit you. Having a cult following like we do, we always get criticized and judged according to our sound and things that we create, and all those things right there keep me grounded. I love criticism, I'm not expecting everybody to love what I do, but I gotta stand next to the ones that know what I'm capable of doing and let them know, 'Yo listen, ain't nothing changed.' I'm still going to give you guys a body of work. I'm always trying to make sure each record plays a significant role in the culture and I just feel like that's my duty. Keeping all this in mind, I can't help but think of Drake at Wireless Fest saying that U.K. rappers are better than American rappers now. What are your thoughts on comments like that? American rap is the king, we know that. We know where it came from, not taking anything away from European rappers. I just feel like that might have been just something that he felt at that time, but he has his own opinion and that's cool, you know. To each his own, he may feel that way. He may not feel inspired by what is going on in this side of the world, and he has that opinion. I might beg to differ, but everybody wanna have their moments on what they like and don't… frustration is definitely in the air. When you go back to the title 'Emperor's New Clothes,' that's really a Dutch folktale about a king listening to people that really are following what other people do, and thinking at the end of the day that you could come and bring something over here that's not real. But he wind up taking the word of others until he realize somebody came out of the blue and said, 'Yo, what is that? That's not what the king should be wearing!' Are you familiar with 'The Emperor's New Clothes?' I haven't read it since grade school. Exactly, but it's so real — because at the end of the day, somebody will tell you, 'Yo, wear this shirt,' and it ain't even a shirt, but everybody around you: 'Yo, that s—t is dope, that s—t is that.' But you'll be saying to yourself, 'Yo, where's the shirt at? It's not even a shirt.' Everybody around you in order to please themselves and become a part of what's going on, to just get a merit from that, they may convince themselves that it is a shirt. It's like Nas said a long time ago, 'Y'all appointed me to bring rap justice.' I'm just part of that justice that feels at the end of the day, 'Hol' up, hol' up, hol' up, hol' up — let's figure this s—t out and put it back on track.' That's all, not to take away from anybody else's hip-hop. I just know what kind of hip-hop created this s—t. The minute we lose that, we lose the grip on what we created and what we built. I hope that hip-hop will still be exciting 300 years from now, but if we don't pay attention to certain things that's important… we wanna make sure it's preserved. It feels like what you're saying is it's important to remain a student. To know who Wu-Tang is, to understand who Dr. Dre is, in order to keep the culture grounded. Trust me, I hear a lot of my peers, a lot of times we're always saying the same thing. Like, when we know that there's a person that really does something great in the culture, and created a body of work that influenced the people, I hear a lot of my friends say: 'Yo, I needed a battery.' I needed this or I needed that. Because it's too watery right now for me. We gotta keep this s—t on the right track. That's what I'm aiming to do, to bring that feeling back to the table. It was fun listening to s—t! It was fun hearing, 'Yo, what did he say? Rewind that.' It just felt good. We need that. We need that. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart Solve the daily Crossword
Express Tribune
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Raekwon blames landlord after dispensary closure in NJ
Wu-Tang Clan legend Raekwon is facing business troubles after his New Jersey cannabis dispensary, HashStoria, was shut down over a $540,501 rent dispute. The rapper has pointed fingers at his landlord, BMHC LLC, claiming they breached prior rental agreements tied to construction delays on the property. According to court documents obtained by TMZ Hip Hop, BMHC LLC moved to shut down the dispensary after Raekwon allegedly failed to pay over half a million in rent. In response, Raekwon says the rent was originally agreed to be prorated during ongoing construction, which took far longer than expected. A HashStoria rep claims both parties agreed to pause rent payments until renovations were completed. The situation escalated when the landlord allegedly permitted an unlicensed dispensary to operate next door during this time. 'We were hoodwinked,' Raekwon told TMZ Hip Hop, adding that HashStoria plans to countersue. BMHC LLC, however, insists they gave the rapper ample time to resolve the payments following the 2024 grand opening. Despite the dispensary setback, Raekwon's music career is flourishing. He just released his first album since 2017, The Emperor's New Clothes, under Nas' Mass Appeal label. The album features appearances by Ghostface Killah, Nas, Westside Gunn, Benny The Butcher, and more. In an Instagram post, Raekwon described the project as a 'bespoke creation' and thanked fans for their continued support. Earlier this year, Raekwon also reunited with Wu-Tang Clan for their final New York City concert on the 'Wu-Tang Forever: The Final Chamber' tour. While the future of HashStoria remains uncertain, Raekwon's artistic legacy shows no signs of slowing.
Forbes
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Raekwon Dons ‘The Emperor's New Clothes' On New Album
Raekwon of Wu-Tang Clan Staten Island-bred rapper Raekwon has been a looming figure in hip-hop since the Wu-Tang Clan's debut in the early '90s. In 1995, the 'Ice Cream' rapper showed he can easily stand alone with his platinum-selling debut solo album Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… In the decades since then, Raekwon has continued to release music as a soloist and alongside his Wu-Tang Clan groupmates, though it's been a decade since the last Wu-Tang album and nearly just as long since Raekwon's previous solo effort. Now, eight years after his last album The Wild, Raekwon is back with his eighth solo LP, The Emperor's New Clothes. While the hit-making MC takes center stage on the project, he does so while being joined by other all-star rappers like Nas and fellow Wu-Tang members Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, and Method Man. He balances the old with the new, as rappers who have debuted in the past decade Westside Gunn, Conway the Machine, and Benny the Butcher also hop in on the party on 'Wild Corsicans.' To bring the project to life, he recruited top-tier producers like Swizz Beatz and J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League. The album's release comes the same day as the Wu-Tang Clan performs their final show together in Philadelphia. That follows the group's last-ever joint hometown performance at Madison Square Garden on July 16. Though it might be Wu-Tang's last tour, Raekwon isn't opposed to doing another album together down the road. 'I mean, we tryna get it together, you know? Everybody's spread out. Everybody's doing something great in their life, so when it's time for everybody to get in the room, it just seems like it's the hardest s**t in the world,' he said on social media last year. 'But it ain't like we don't want to. And then you got so many minds. You throw a beat out and a n***a be like, 'I like that, I don't like that.' It's hard. It's real hard, but don't count us out. Don't never count us out.' Wu-Tang Clan takes the stage together one final time in Philadelphia on July 18.
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Raekwon Returns With ‘The Emperor's New Clothes' Featuring Nas, Westside Gunn & Method Man: Stream It Now
The Chef is cooking again. Raekwon is back with his first solo album since 2017's The Wild as the Wu-Tang Clan spitter served up his The Emperor's New Clothes LP on Friday (July 18). The 55-year-old recruited a savvy group of talented MCs to join him on the project, with hard-hitting verses coming from fellow Wu members Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck and Method Man as well as Nas, Westside Gunn, Conway the Machine and Benny the Butcher. More from Billboard Wu-Tang Clan Brings Out Redman, Lil Kim, Big Daddy Kane & More at Star-Studded Final NYC Show Flume Teams With Emma Louise for New Collaborative Album, 'DUMB' Soccer Mommy Covers Pavement's 'Gold Soundz' for 'Like a Version' On the production side, Rae made sure to assemble the right crew to supply heat behind the boards with beats from Swizz Beatz, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League and Nottz throughout the 17-track album. It's a busy and emotional week for Raekwon with the Wu-Tang Clan wrapping up their final tour collectively on Friday (July 18) in Philly. Rae and the Staten Island legends said goodbye to NYC on Wednesday night (July 16), which saw the iconic crew rock Madison Square Garden in front of a sold-out crowd. The Wu treated the hometown show to plenty of special guests, as Redman, Lil Kim, Big Daddy Kane, Slick Rick, The LOX, SWV and Havoc touched the stage. While this is the Wu-Tang Clan's last tour, Raekwon isn't ruling out another Wu album down the line. 'I mean, we tryna get it together, you know? Everybody's spread out. Everybody's doing something great in their life, so when it's time for everybody to get in the room, it just seems like it's the hardest s—t in the world,' Rae said in a video. 'But it ain't like we don't want to.' He continued: 'And then you got so many minds. You throw a beat out and a n—a be like, 'I like that, I don't like that.' It's hard. It's real hard, but don't count us out. Don't never count us out.' Listen to The Emperor's New Clothes below. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart Solve the daily Crossword
Hamilton Spectator
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
Brampton rap prodigy, 12, hits the stage with Wu-Tang Clan during Toronto farewell tour: ‘I was pumped'
' Wu-Tang is for the children,' Ol' Dirty Bastard famously declared at the 1998 Grammys. Over a quarter century later, the mighty Staten Island rap collective proved that they remain a potent cultural force — among both old heads and the kids — during their farewell tour stop at Toronto's Scotiabank Arena on Monday. Midway through the show, Wu-Tang Clan's de facto leader RZA was taking stock of the audience when he spotted Cairo Snow FPTO, a 12-year-old rapper from Brampton. Seeing his enthusiasm, RZA invited Cairo up to the stage, where he bounced along enthusiastically with Masta Killa, U-God and other members of the clan for three songs. 'I was feeling the music and I was pumped,' Cairo told the Star. 'Like, a level of pumped I haven't experienced in so, so long.' At one point, RZA and Cairo encouraged the sold-out audience of 19,000 to jump up and down in unison. 'I wasn't really nervous,' he said. 'I'm a performer, so when I'm on stage, it triggers my adrenaline and releases that dopamine ... it was crazy.' After the show, Cairo got to meet the entire Clan backstage, where he snapped pics with RZA, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon and others. 'To share the stage with legends in front of thousands in my hometown — this is something I'll never forget,' he said. Raekwon gives a hug to Cairo Snow FTPO after Wu-Tang Clan's performance at Scotiabank Arena. But the young artist's moment in the spotlight didn't come out of nowhere. Born and raised in Brampton, Cairo has been rapping since he was five — 'from the crib' he says. Growing up, he didn't have access to YouTube, and he learned about hip hop by listening to his dad's old CDs. 'Since birth, that's all I was listening to: Wu-Tang, Nas, Mobb Deep, Jay-Z — I was all listening to all of those guys.' By the age of seven, he started writing his own songs. A few years later, his lyrical flow caught the attention of MTStreets, a Los Angeles-based producer and beat-maker who has worked with industry heavy-weights like Dua Lipa and Lil Baby. In January, with an assist from producer B3, Cairo released his debut single, 'Cairo Snow FPTO,' a blistering track that showcased the young artist's remarkable charisma and confidence, and racked up thousands of streams on Spotify and other music platforms. When Wu-Tang Clan arrived in town this week, Cairo knew he wanted to try to meet his heroes, even though he didn't have tickets to the show. Just last summer, when he was just 11, Cairo had the chance to rap for Wu-Tang rapper Raekwon at a meet-and-greet prior to his solo show. 'Raekwon was so impressed by him, as many people who were there,' Cairo's father, Omar, recalled. Raekwon gave Cairo his contact information, and the new two stayed in (limited) contact for the next 11 months. A post shared by Cairo Snow | Prod.A3 (@ On Monday afternoon, Raekwon invited the young rapper to meet up before the show, where he also introduced the young artist to Inspectah Deck. 'The love and support that he was shown inside the meet-and-greet was surreal,' Omar recalled. Afterwards, someone from Wu-Tang's crew gave Cairo an extra ticket to the show. His mother bought a second ticket, and they headed into the arena Over the course of the show, Cairo managed to find his way to the front of the stage, where his enthusiasm caught the attention of RZA. 'I just remember RZA started asking (the audience) to shout out who is from different generations, and we he got to the 2000s, and I started waving and was like 'yo wassup!'' Cairo recalled. 'And he was like 'young man, please come up to the stage.' It was just crazy.' A post shared by Cairo Snow | Prod.A3 (@ Less than 24 hours later, Cairo said he feels super inspired to make more music. When asked if he had a message to share with his new fans, he said 'be unrelentingly yourself.' 'My message is to stay true to yourself no matter what anybody tells you. No matter what anyone wants you to do. Stay true to yourself. Stay true to your grind. Because if you stay true to your grind, you're going to get to the places that you want to be, that you strive to be.' Editor's note — July 16, 2025 This article has been updated.
