© The Wu-Tang Corp.- 2003-10-09
Out from under the bright lights of New York City, Wu-Tang Clan's Chef Raekwon and Definitive Jux's C-Rayz Walz are set to rock Club Congress next Wednesday.
Walz is touring behind his critically acclaimed recent release Ravipops. Raekwon is gearing up � tiger-style� for his third solo release, The Lex Dynasty, a return to lyrical form.
The Wildcat had the opportunity to profile the two very different MCs that share the same metropolis about what's on their mind and what's next.
Wildcat: What can you say about your upcoming album?
Raekwon: The title of it is basically called The Lex Dynasty. It's basically Raekwon giving you another taste of hisself, you know what I mean? Where, you know, I've gone through a bunch of shit, stories or whatever, but for the most part this album is a little bit more gritty.
Wildcat: How much do you work with RZA and the rest of the Wu?
Raekwon: You know right now we're in operation: take money shit right now. Everybody got many different outlets to make money and at the same time tend to their careers so it's like, it's kind of hard for everybody to be in one building.
Wildcat: I've seen you dipping into movies � you, Meth and Ghostface appear in the new "Scary Movie 3." What roles do you guys play in "Scary Movie" and how did that come about?
Raekwon: Naw, Ghost wasn't in that one. It was me, Meth, U-God, and RZA. What I can say about that is it's just us bugging out, having fun, you know what I mean? We was cool about it to do the movie.
It's basically just showing us acting like we're going to kill some aliens or whatever and along the way to kill some aliens we got into a little funny dispute with ourselves. But it was cool, it was a great experience though. Word. We was just having fun though, man.
Wildcat: You got any future plans for movies or acting?
Raekwon: I definitely got a career going with that, but still right now my life is just about this music and until I really get that situation tight, it's like that's enough to speak on it, man. I definitely got a lot of interest in it because this is something I wanted to do too. I can do anything as far as dealing with creativity and being able to paint pictures. Why not paint pictures in the movies? Because I'm going to paint pictures on wax, you know what I mean? So I'm going to be writing some scripts or whatever.
Wildcat: Anything else you want to say?
Raekwon: Yeah, just basically, I got love for all my fans and just know that this album that's coming December 16 is official. Open your mind up to Raekwon and enter my world and you'll understand me even more.
And for all my Arizonian niggas, keep burning that good mother-fucking weed, and I'm going to see y'all niggas and when I see y'all. We're going to get it on.
C-Rayz Walz: 'Definitive'-ly happier now
Wildcat: I read you had a pretty chaotic life growing up, trying to survive and hustling. Now that you found rap music as your career, how has that changed you?
Walz: I grew up with a lot of rage because I ain't had a father. So I had a lot of rage and jealousy of people who did have fathers, on some straight up shit. Hip-hop was always around me, being from the South Bronx. Like it was around me like gang violence to kids in L.A. I think with hip-hop, as I got older and got more serious with it, it just became more of an outlet where I felt as though I could just disperse love.
Wildcat: Have you been able to get over those bumps in the road, like not having a dad? Have you been able to walk past that stuff now?
Walz: I mean, I got over that stuff more or less when I was like 14. I didn't get over it all the way because I was still out robbing and shit. I ain't humbled myself to it yet. And now that I'm humbled to it completely: I'm a father myself. So, that's a whole new experience.
Wildcat: How did having your son change you?
Walz: I feel not more mature, but older. I just feel wiser, like I'm looking and watching things more closely. You notice how a baby, they keep they eyes wide open when they see things? They really learning it and looking at it because it's all new to them. So I'm doing that same thing, but my eyes might look like they low, but they really wide open and I'm just really digging it, staying in tune, because I'm thinking for two people right now. At the same time, I'm learning from my son. So I'm in class, teaching myself things.
Wildcat: When you were growing up, did you ever think you'd be doing this touring, like making a career out of this?
Walz: It was in parts of my brain as a possibility. It wasn't nothing serious. It was always a thought in the back of my mind. It wasn't nothing I was really as serious like, 'Yeah, I'm really going to do this.'
I think it went like, when the last of my friends was murdered or the last of my friends got locked up. I didn't really have no more cats to deal with. And most of them was telling me that I should do this. I think that's what made me do it.
12 Ox'n Productions Presents Raekwon, C-Rayz Walz, Ice Water and Tucson's own Influence at Club Congress Oct. 15. Tickets are $12 for over 21 and $15 for 18-20. Showtime is 9 p.m. |
