Raekwon (followed by 117 users)

Raekwon Biography by Steve Huey

A core member of the Wu-Tang Clan since they began, Raekwon has recorded some of the most inventive, critically acclaimed work made outside the confines of the group. Raekwon's 1995 solo debut Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... was one of several Wu-affilitated records that firmly established Wu-Tang as a pantheon of rap superpowers that went much deeper than their collective efforts. Along with his contributions to the group, Raekwon's solo discography is built on sporadically released but consistently strong work, such as 2009's exceptional sequel to his debut, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. II, and 2025's The Emperor's New Clothes.

Born Corey Woods, Raekwon joined the Staten Island, New York-based Wu-Tang collective in the early '90s and was crucial to the success of the group's groundbreaking 1993 debut, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). Most notably, he delivered the first verse of "C.R.E.A.M.," the group's breakthrough, gold-certified single. Although Wu-Tang Clan's contract with the then BMG-distributed Loud Records allowed Wu-Tang's individual members to sign with whatever label they chose, Raekwon stayed with Loud when the first round of Wu-related solo projects began to appear. Following his 1994 debut single, "Heaven and Hell," his own solo debut, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx..., appeared in 1995. The RZA-produced set peaked at number four on the Billboard 200 and went gold, pushed by the singles "Ice Cream" and "Glaciers of Ice." Moreover, the album received near-unanimous critical praise for its evocative, image-rich storytelling and cinematic Mafia obsession (on some tracks, he adopted the guise of gangster Lex Diamonds). Also notable was Raekwon's crackling chemistry with heavily featured collaborator Ghostface Killah, who enjoyed something of a coming-out party with all the exposure (he hadn't been nearly as much of a presence on Enter the Wu-Tang).

After Raekwon was featured throughout Ironman, Ghostface's 1996 debut, Wu-Tang regrouped for the double-disc release Wu-Tang Forever in 1997. That LP was followed by a second round of solo projects, including Raekwon's Immobilarity, released on Loud in late 1999. Due perhaps to the four years that had elapsed since Cuban Linx, combined with the absence of RZA and Ghostface Killah, reviews were comparatively mixed, but it debuted in the Top Ten and also went gold. Raekwon was on subsequent Wu-Tang albums The W and Iron Flag and returned in 2003 on Universal with The Lex Diamond Story, an album he felt didn't receive the proper budget or promotion. A series of delays, including sample clearance issues and a change of distributors, pushed the EMI-supported Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. II back to 2009, two years after the release of the fifth Wu-Tang album, 8 Diagrams. Unlike Raekwon's debut, the sequel featured productions from several major players, including J Dilla, Pete Rock, Dr. Dre, and the Alchemist, rather than RZA alone. It entered the Billboard 200 at number four.

During the following decade, Raekwon continued to build the discography of his Ice H2O label with numerous mixtapes and occasional proper albums, along with continued work with Wu-Tang and Wu affiliates. In 2010, he joined Method Man and Ghostface Killah on the collaborative Def Jam album Wu Massacre. Busta Rhymes, Nas, and Rick Ross all appeared on his 2011 album Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang. The EP Lost Jewelry followed in 2012, then in 2014 he reunited with the Wu-Tang Clan for the album A Better Tomorrow and a supporting tour. The conceptual solo effort Fly International Luxurious Art arrived in 2015, followed two years later by The Wild. The three-song EP The Appetition appeared in 2020. Raekwon's eighth studio album, The Emperor's New Clothes, was released in 2025. The album was part of the Mass Appeal label's Legend Has It series, a string of releases focused on rappers who had formative influences on the genre. The album featured guest spots from Nas, Westside Gunn, Benny the Butcher, and many other high-profile stars of the rap game.