Raekwon reunited with Wu-Tang Clan

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/aug/08/raekwon-reunited-with-wu-tang-clan

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Raekwon has rejoined the Wu-Tang Clan, performing with his hip-hop compatriots on The Daily Show. Despite his recent discord with RZA, Raekwon will appear after all on the album A Better Tomorrow, due out in November.

Speaking to Daily Show host Jon Stewart, Raekwon hinted that his return to the Wu-Tang Clan came down to “business” – aka money. “We doing our job,” the MC explained. “At the end of the day you’ve gotta have your i’s dotted and your t’s crossed in business, because we have families. We go out there and work for our families, so if I’m not gonna see my children and I’m out here doing a job, I think it’s important for me to go out there and do what I say I’m going to do, get back home to them and then hit up Disneyland.”

Raekwon had earlier spoken out against Keep Watch, A Better Tomorrow’s lead single, calling it “mediocre shit”. Tellingly, Wu-Tang Clan didn’t perform that song on Wednesday’s broadcast: the crew instead debuted a new track, Ron O’Neal, as well as bringing back posse classic Triumph. Ron O’Neal has since become available for purchase on iTunes.

The Wu-Tang Clan’s 20th anniversary reunion certainly didn’t always seem like a foregone conclusion. RZA and Raekwon didn’t reconcile until the former had issued a 30-day ultimatum, threatening that the group might release the album without one of their biggest stars. They only made it work when RZA agreed to “understand [my] value”, Raekwon told NME in July. “I got a five-year-old, a 11-year-old and a 19-year-old, so … I’ve got to make money, to feed my family.”

Speaking to Stewart, Ghostface Killah implied that he may have made financial concessions to make sure A Better Tomorrow could move forward: “I’m the one that likes for everything to be right,” he said. “You know, from the stage show to the wardrobes and everything and everybody be on point … I’ll take one for the team. And I’ll continue. I don’t got a problem with that.”

In addition to their conventional upcoming LP, the Wu-Tang Clan are also reportedly moving ahead with plans for Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, their one-of-a-kind musical “art object”, which they hope to tour to galleries and festivals. Recorded over the past five years, the 31-track double-album features guest appearances by Cher and will eventually be sold to the highest bidder.

The Wu-Tang Clan’s last studio album, 8 Diagrams, was released in 2007.