Raekwon has achieved solo stardom with his fellow Wu-Tang Clan mates Rza,Method Man,Ol’ Dirty Bastard (RIP), but along with Genius/GZA and his longtime partner in rhyme Ghostface Killah, he’s done some of the most inventive, critically acclaimed work outside the confines of the group. Born Corey Woods and also nicknamed the Chef (because he’s “cookin’ up some marvelous sh*t to get your mouth watering”), Raekwon joined the Staten Island, NY-based Wu-Tang collective in the early ’90s and played an important role on their groundbreaking late-1993 debut album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers).
Although the group’s contract allowed its 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; while it didn’t sell on the level of Method Man’s Tical, singles like “Ice Cream” and “Criminology” earned him a reputation in the hip-hop underground. 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). Raekwon returned to the Wu-Tang fold for the group’s 1997 sophomore effort, Wu-Tang Forever. That LP was followed by a second round of solo albums, and Raekwon’s Immobilarity was released in late 1999, this time on Epic. This time around, neither RZA nor Ghostface Killah contributed to the album at all and perhaps as a result, reviews were more mixed. Raekwon recorded with the Wu on their subsequent albums The W (2000) and Iron Flag (2001), and returned in 2003 with another solo album, The Lex Diamond Story. He also released a sequel to his solo debut, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, Pt. 2, in 2009,and in 2011 the release of the Wu Tang vs Shaolin, this will be his second appearance in Nashville in the past 2yrs, if you miss last years concert you definitely do not want to miss this show. opening acts R&B artist Kofi Black and Toronto Emcee JD Era.
If you never been to a Wu Tang show here is your chance to experience the Wu Tang mania that has millions of fans world wide see it first hand watch the 20 year veteran in rare form preforming all his classics.
I first saw Wu Tang Clan in Nashville at the Starwood Amphitheater back in 1996 they were on tour with Rage Against The Machine, me & the Rza connected (he did the score for the movie ghost dog)around 1999 he gave me the name Ghost Dogg and the rest Wu Tang history. Ive seen Raekwon live a dozen times and I still get hype when I hear him do Criminology and Ice Cream.
For tickets or concert info go www.exitin.com doors open at 8:30 show starts at 9:00
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