Raekwon Interview w/ VladTV [Video]

Wu-Tang Clan emcee Raekwon the Chef sits down with Vlad for a candid interview.

In this clip, Raekwon talked about the title of his book coming from Vlad’s favorite song of his “Incarcerated Scarfaces,” and went into detail about his upbringing in New York during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Raekwon recounted his father being a “stone cold crook” and drug addict while also recalling how crack transformed his community as a whole.

In the latest clip, Raekwon described the impact crack had on his community. He claimed crack dealers didn’t enter the drug trade as a career goal but as a “phase” in order to make a few extra dollars. Raekwon recalled crack not being considered a damaging drug at first and experimenting with it as a 13-year-old. The Wu-Tang member also talked about being locked out of his house and having to stay with a crack fiend. Check out the above clip to hear more.

In this clip, Raekwon opened up about witnessing his first shooting, and he explained that it all started over him getting bullied and telling his cousin about the situation. Raekwon explained that his cousin went to defend him, and he ended up getting in an argument with a friend, who was related to the bullies. From there, Raekwon detailed how his cousin shot the friend, who he later worked things out with.

In this clip, Raekwon details being shot in the legs while trying to escape a shoot-out. He explained that he walked into a tense situation, as he didn’t see anyone trying to stop it, and after gunfire erupted, Raekwon was caught in the middle. He spoke about how he had to crawl out to avoid being directly hit, but Raekwon added that the bullets ricocheted and hit him in the legs.

In this clip, Raekwon discussed the dynamics of Wu-Tang coming together and the different constitutive parts that went into the group forming. He also talked about Ghostface being part of that mix of characters and how he was from a part of town that had a longstanding beef with his side.

In this clip, Raekwon recounted a situation between his friend Jamie and Ghostface. According to Raekwon, after tensions boiled over between the two they ended up shooting up one another’s homes in what could’ve been a deadly situation. However, Raekwon said things were eventually squashed and now they’re all close friends.

In this clip, Raekwon recounted how Wu-Tang would go to clubs 300 deep and how they had guys in the entourage ready to go to jail if they were denied access to the club. Raekwon explained how they felt the need to make their presence felt coming from the forgotten borough of Staten Island. Eventually, this mentality led to Wu-Tang finding trouble getting booked places because they knew the type of people and energy they brought along with them.

In this clip, Raekwon recounted the situation when U-God’s son was shot and apparently it was by an associate of Ghostface’s from Stapleton. While Raekwon was clear that U-God’s son wasn’t targeted, he recalled how tense and heavy the situation was for U-God and the group, in general.

In this clip, Raekwon detailed giving Ghostface half of his advance from his debut solo album. Raekwon talked about how close of a bond they have and why their chemistry was something unique among the rest of Wu-Tang Clan.

In this clip, Raekwon talked about Ghostface dating Aaliyah at one point. He said the two were crushing on one another but didn’t reveal how serious of a relationship it was. Raekwon also detailed how the Ghostface skit dissing Biggie for biting Nas’s album cover came about and discussed Ghost apologizing to Big before he was tragically murdered in 1997.

Raekwon spoke about Ghostface dissing Biggie over Nas on ‘Cuban Linx,’ and revealed that Ghost was able to squash issues with Big prior to his passing. Along with that, Raekwon spoke on how the situation came about.

In this clip, Raekwon spoke further about apologizing to Biggie from the skit aimed at him over biting Nas’s album cover aesthetic. Raekwon recounted Biggie’s reaction to the apology and why the other connections between Wu-Tang and Bad Boy were key in keeping things from turning into something more serious.

In this clip, Raekwon gave his take on why the Wu-Tang Forever double album wasn’t the best representation of the group’s work despite the commercial success domestically and internationally. Raekwon believes the album was good but ultimately wasn’t a cohesive body of work and didn’t reflect the entire group’s input like their debut album. Overall, Raekwon rated the album a 79 out of 100.

In this clip, Raekwon talked about how things soured between himself and RZA (and by extension Wu-Tang management). One of the issues that arose was the problem over Wu-Wear where members of the group invested in the launch of the clothing brand that made millions. However, Raekwon reveals no one got paid despite putting up the seed investment funds.

In this clip, Raekwon discussed his complex relationship with RZA and why he characterized it as a love/hate kind of thing early on. Raekwon talked about how RZA had the qualities of a cult leader in his ability to get people to think and do what he wanted of them, but how that also kept him from taking account of his role in things, particularly Wu-Tang falling apart at one point.

In this clip, Raekwon opened up about coming to RZA and telling him that the system is messed up, and he revealed that RZA told him that it was the rest of the group that is the problem. Raekwon explained that he took issue with RZA pointing fingers because he was part of the group too. From there, Raekwon spoke about trying to see the bigger picture, but smaller problems turning into bigger problems.

In this clip, Raekwon recounted Wu-Tang performing inside Rikers Island for the inmates during one of Ol Dirty Bastard’s stints at the county facility. Raekwon discussed how the show was organized and what the energy was like among the inmates during the performance.

In this clip, Raekwon discussed how impacted Wu-Tang was by the passing of Ol Dirty Bastard and what he meant to the formation of the group. Raekwon detailed how integral ODB was to the creation process and talked about his knack for developing songs and producing which proved invaluable for the group. He recalled ODB being one of the few people that could get him to redo a verse because of the love they had Raekwon knew ODB’s criticism was coming from the right place.

In this clip, Raekwon detailed what happened with the Wu-Tang film project he was pursuing that was to be produced by Leonardo DiCaprio. However, Raekwon explained how RZA already had the Hulu series deal in place and wouldn’t renege on the agreement. Ultimately, Raekwon felt he was forced into signing onto the Hulu series though he acknowledges the success it’s been.

In this clip, Raekwon continued to explain why he preferred going the biopic route as opposed to a series. He also agreed with Vlad about the actor in the Hulu series playing RZA overdid it with the accent to the point that he doesn’t accurately portray him.

In the latest clip, Raekwon revealed that his classic album, “Only Built 4 Cuban Linx,” was originally titled, “Wu-Gambinos.” However, the Gambino Crime Family shut down the title idea. Raekwon explained that Steve Rifkind’s father had contacts in the mafia, so when Raekwon approached Steve Rifkind with the title, he later came back to the rapper and said the album could not have that title. To hear more, check out the clip above.

In the latest clip, Raekwon admitted that he and the Wu-Tang Clan considered giving “Only Built 4 Cuban Linx” its original “Wu-Gambinos” title despite the Gambino Crime Family being against the title. Later in the clip, Raekwon explained why he named his debut “Only Built 4 Cuban Linx” and detailed the inspiration behind the album. To hear more, check out the clip above.

In the latest clip, Raekwon spoke about his initial reaction to Wendy Williams labeling him “the new king of New York” after the release of “Only Built 4 Cuban Linx.” Raekwon noted that, at the time, Nas and Biggie were hot and Jay-Z was starting to emerge. Although he was flattered and excited to be praised for his work, he stated that he never asked to be considered one of New York’s elite artists at the time. To hear why Ghostface Killah was heavily featured on his debut album, check out the clip above.

In the latest clip, Raekwon opened up on past frustrations with the Wu-Tang Clan. He admitted that his album, “Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang,” was his way of separating himself from the group after feeling unappreciated and frustrated by the group’s later albums. He also explained why he said Wu-Tang co-founder Divine had “a heart of gold, but is a piece of s***.” Raekwon also described his previously turbulent relationship with RZA and being the member that doesn’t hesitate to call out discrepancies within the group.

In this clip, Raekwon talked about some of the difficulties the group faced during the recording process of their second album. He talked about some of the harsh criticism they leveled at one another and how the entire vibe at the time wasn’t reminiscent of the energy that went into their debut album.

In this clip, Raekwon opened up about being at the Source Awards when Suge Knight took shots at Diddy while accepting an award, which led to VIBE magazine declaring it an East Coast vs West Coast beef. Raekwon explained that the East and West Coast had nothing to do with the situation, which he pointed out was between Death Row and Bad Boy. To hear more, including Raekwon speaking about Wu-Tang members working with 2Pac amid the beef, hit the above clip.

In this clip, Raekwon opened up about the possibility of Wu-Tang members reuniting despite their differences, and he explained that while he can see it happening, Raekwon added that he doesn’t know when that will be. From there, Raekwon explained that he takes some responsibility for the differences he has with certain people, and he added that he still loves all of the Wu-Tang members like brothers. To hear more, including why he doesn’t recommend people putting together large groups like Wu-Tang, hit the above clip.

In this clip, Raekwon opened up about Wu-Tang’s brand being strong as ever, and he pointed out that when they said, “Wu Tang forever,” they meant it. Raekwon went on to speak about people like 2 Chainz and Kanye West being extensions of the Wu-Tang family, and he shared a story about Jay-Z showing them love pre-fame. To hear more, including Raekwon speaking about being proud of the success of people like Jay-Z, hit the above clip.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *