Video After The Jump
This summer, the Wu-Tang Clan return to headline the heralded Rock the Bells Tour. But unlike the Killer Bees' previous stage ventures for the annual outing, the Clan's set will have a twist. The group will perform their classic debut, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) — in its entirety.
"We never did that before," Raekwon the Chef told Mixtape Daily last week. "We never sung the whole album, the 36 Chambers.
"That's gonna be interesting to see these cats do some of the records that really bust hip-hop's cherry open," Rae said. "I can't wait to see this because I never seen it like that before. The concept is great. It gives fans the opportunity to go back and rewrite their history, go back and check it out, see what made dudes who they are. ... This [tour] is gonna allow races to come together and have fun for one night. This is gonna be the event of events. This is gonna be the Royal Rumble of hip-hop. I'm sure that everybody is gonna come out and represent this. It's gonna be right. I can't wait."
Rae said every time he gets to perform among the legends that Rock the Bells welcomes onto its treks, he feels another year younger.
"It's always good to get out there with my brothers. We going to get money, pay them bills, take care of them kids. Then getting back in front of them fans again and giving them what they want," the MC said. "Nobody can say Wu-Tang is a wack group to get onstage and perform. I really feel that these are some of the best entertainers in the world when it's time to get onstage. You're gonna hear clear mics, you're gonna hear us do it they way it's supposed to be."
Besides the Clan, KRS-One will run through Criminal Minded, his 1987 Boogie Down Production LP; Rakim will perform his Paid in Full opus; and Slick Rick will be rapping The Great Adventures of Slick Rick. Wiz Khalifa and the Clipse are among the featured openers.
"Rock the Bells, it's good," Rae continued. "Rock the Bells is one of the biggest functions when it comes to MCs on one list getting it in. They make it universal where it ain't just about New York or the South or West Coast — it's a gumbo of all that. The fans get to come out and see their favorites and see different sides of every MC. It feels good to be a part of it because hey, I'm still a kid at this sh--. It's about having fun."
Last year, Raekwon was involved in a now-infamous physical altercation with Joe Budden during an August date on Rock the Bells, although the two MCs' camps had appeared to squash their beef on an earlier July stop.
The Chef is finishing up his forthcoming Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang album, which should drop around September.
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