Raekwon

Raekwon (born Corey Woods, January 12, 1970, Brooklyn, New York) is an African American rapper and a member of the Wu-Tang Clan. Though not as well known as other Wu-Tang members like Method Man, Ol' Dirty Bastard or RZA, his 1995 album Only Built 4 Cuban Linx is widely considered to be one of the best Wu-Tang solo albums, and one of the finest and most influential hip hop albums of the 1990s.

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Raekwon joined the Wu-Tang Clan in time to participate on Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), the group's massively successful debut. He later signed a solo deal with Loud Records and released his first solo LP, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx (originally to be titled Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...Niggaz) in 1995 to rave reviews, though the album's sales were sluggish. Working with Ghostface Killah, Raekwon's solo album is widely considered to be one of the masterpieces of rap in the 1990s (it was one of 16 hip hop albums in Pitchfork Media's Best Albums Of The 90s Redux list as well as one of 33 hip hop/R&B albums in Rolling Stone's Essential Recordings Of The 90s list, while Stylus Magazine called it one of the greatest hip-hop LPs ever http://www.stylusmagazine.com/review.php?ID=1566, Allhiphop.com calls it "incredible" http://www.allhiphop.com/features/?ID=306 and fellow rapper Busta Rhymes regards it as "one of the best albums ever" http://www.allhiphop.com/hiphopnews/?ID=4201), and it is still remembered by many fans as perhaps the greatest Wu-Tang solo LP thus far (the All Music Guide calls it "a serious contender" for that title). Raekwon's storytelling abilities on tracks such as Spot Rusherz led to many a comparison with Kool G Rap, and the album as a whole is often credited for popularizing the use of Mafia and gangster movie motifs in rap music. Raekwon participated on Wu-Tang Forever with the rest of the group, and then released Immobilarity in 1999, to somewhat more mixed reviews than Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. Many fans disliked his decision to use inexperienced, up-and-coming producers rather than the Wu-Tang's in-house producers, though the album went gold. Raekwon is also featured heavily on Ghostface Killah's albums Ironman, Supreme Clientele and Bulletproof Wallets, as well as featuring on high-profile singles from Fat Joe (John Blaze) and Outkast {Skew It On The Bar-B).

January 12: January 12 is the 12th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 353 days remaining (354 in leap years)....

1970: 1970 was a common year starting on Thursday....

Brooklyn: :For other senses, see Brooklyn (disambiguation)....