Raekwon - The Emperor's New Clothes

Raekwon serves up classic New York street rap on The Emperor's New Clothes, his 2025 return and his first solo album in eight years.

Released through Mass Appeal as part of its Legend Has It series, the record finds the Wu-Tang Clan's master storyteller sticking to what he does best. Mafioso imagery, sharp slang and cinematic skits drive the show, and the Chef sounds unhurried and entirely at home, as if no time has passed since his imperial mid-1990s run.

"600 School" is the reunion fans hoped for, with Ghostface Killah and Method Man joining over a Swizz Beatz production. "The Omerta" pairs Raekwon with Nas over a Nottz beat, two New York greats trading lines like old friends, and "Wild Corsicans" hands the mic to Westside Gunn, Conway the Machine and Benny the Butcher, linking Wu-Tang's legacy with Griselda's grimy Buffalo revival.

Longtime collaborator Frank G. handles several beats, including the Ghostface-assisted "Mac & Lobster", and the production stays rooted in hard-edged, old-school boom bap.

For anyone who still treats Only Built 4 Cuban Linx as scripture, this is a welcome late chapter from one of rap's great narrators, and a natural next pick for any Wu-Tang shelf worth its salt.