Currently representing the flag more than any other member of the group, Raekwon has continued to usher in the return of the Wu Tang Clan.
Fresh off the 09 release of Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II, the Chef is back in the kitchen already preparing his next dish in the form of his fifth studio album, Shaolin vs. Wu Tang.
Being an album that Rae has been speaking on for quite some time, many came to believe it was an effort to go against the RZA after the troubles that brewed during 8 Diagrams.
The Chef, however, while speaking with Entertainment Weekly, assures the fact that the upcoming project looks to revisit his stomping grounds and beginnings.
“Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang is another album that I promised the fans a long time ago. It’s not nothing derogatory towards Wu. It’s just that Shaolin [i.e., Staten Island] is the place, Wu-Tang is the crew that came from that place. It’s like me just going back to my history of being an emcee first, before I actually became part of Wu-Tang.”
He adds that everything has two sides and he plans to showcase where he was before Wu Tang along with after joining the crew.
“I always give RZA that support as far as saying he brought Wu-Tang to the table. It was his philosophy. He picked certain dudes to be part of this group, and he said, ‘This is what it’s going to be called.’ Before that, I was on the block. I was living in Shaolin. So this album just shows the street side of me, challenging the great side of Wu-Tang. Which is almost like how T.I. did T.I. VS. T.I.P.”
In terms of production, the rapper only looks to bring a backdrop that will help narrate his story in the best way.
“You’re going to get sounds that relate to Wu-Tang. You’re going to get sounds that relate to great Rae at his best Shyte, too. You’re going to get a lot of animation as far as the skits are concerned. It’s going to be a hot one. Everyone’s going to love that.”
Without a release date, but Wu Massacre on the way, the W flag is making itself more apparent coming into 2010 with Rae leading the pack.
