NEWS

Raekwon Rocks The Street Kings DVD Release Party

Earlier this month, Wu-Tang’s Raekwon was in Los Angeles for the DVD release party for Street Kings. Sorry, the only update Rae had on his Dr. Dre-produced album Cuban Linx II is that it’s due in February. But he still rocked the crowd at Hollywood’s Element nightclub, where Complex toasted some JC Cognac to celebrate the release of the 20th Century Fox movie starring Forest Whittaker, The Game and Common.

Check out the video below to hear the party’s special guest spinner DJ Muggs talk about scoring Street Kings, as well as Raekwon’s take on the Officer Rick Ross situation…

When Rappers Break Up With Their Producers

Clipse can still rap their asses off, but there is something noticeably missing from the new Clipse Presents: The Re-Up Gang album, which dropped today. That something? Good beats. You see, we fucking love Pusha T and Malice over Neptunes production. But over Sleepwalkers (very apt name, btw) tracks? Eh…not so much.

Which got us thinking: this isn’t the first time a rap act has carved out a dope sound with a certain producer and then parted ways to dismal effect. After the jump, check out our compilation of those rappers and their respective before/after track records.

Leaders of the Old School

As rappers get older, their fans get younger. This comes as no surprise—Ol’ Dirty Bastard meant it when he proclaimed, “Wu-Tang is for the children.” This ain’t grown folks’ music. Last night, the babies and backpackers came out in full force for a tribute to ’90s hip-hop, coordinated by urban concert producers Livendirect at Times Square’s Nokia Theater. Headliners Mobb Deep, Raekwon, and the Boot Camp Clik gave the thirsty crowd a dose of that New York shit: no snapping fingers or anything hyphy, just raw lyricism. Peep the graphics.

Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx was a certified classic. If he’s pondering what we’re pondering, the forthcoming Cuban Linx 2, executive produced by the Rza and Dr. Dre, will have cash ruling everything around him.

The entire Wu-Tang Clan wasn’t present, but appearances by the Gza, Inspecta Deck and Masta Killa were good enough.

Ol’ Dirty Bastard was remembered with cell phones and lighters.

French vanilla couldn’t make it. So the Butter-Pecan Ricans represented.

The shiny-suit era wasn’t a good look for hip-hop. Why would this be any better?

Prodigy aka VIP and Havoc aka Hollywood Hav still do it the grimey way, just with G-Unit riches.

Mobb Deep affiliate, Illa Ghee sips Grey Goose and orange juice. At the end of the show, he gave the half-full bottle to a lucky fan to have his own after party.