Raekwon

Raekwon shrugs off trends with luxe grit on first solo LP in 8 years

Raekwon returns with his first solo LP in eight years, “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” plating up a batch of luxury-rap narratives that pay homage to New York grit without clinging to nostalgia. The Wu-Tang founding figure moves through each track with the calm precision of someone immune to passing fads, anchoring his flow in timeless street logic and archival-level storytelling.

Age doesn’t mellow him so much as it sharpens his eye for quiet power—every line measured, every beat deliberate. The result: rap noir cut against velvet production that refuses to pander or explain itself.

Nas Swaps Verse on Raekwon Track, Dodges a Jim Jones Diss Conspiracy

On Instagram Live, Raekwon clarifies that Nas’ scrapped verse on “The Omerta” was not aimed at Jim Jones, despite online chatter. The track appears on Raekwon’s “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” but an alternate version surfaced that triggered speculation of a diss.

“It was a stray shot,” Raekwon says with typical bluntness, adding Nas replaced the verse last minute to avoid misinterpretation. “He wasn’t dissing him,” Raekwon insists, asserting he wouldn’t feature such a track about someone he respects.