Raekwon the Chef.

CHILLING OUTSIDE FATBEATS on the bench overlooking Melrose Avenue blazing a blunt with the Chef, an audience of young cats is gathered around us as we rap about last night's little experience at the club. But we keep getting distracted by the hoards of beautiful chicks walking by on the street below--mad panani. Rae is about to break out with some new solo shit. He has an EP joint dropping about now on his own new label Icewater Inc, called The Lex Diamond Story. He is also finishing up the final touches to his new solo album. These days the Chef is wanting to spend more time working on his own shit, getting back in touch with the time he first got into hip-hop, a place right before and around the time Shaolin exploded. A time when hip-hop held it down for the street, representing the street and its culture.

What's crackin' with the new Raekwon joint?

I started a new label company called Icewater, Inc. I'm gonna give the world a chance to hear some of the new artists I got coming out. I got this EP The Lex Diamond Story I'm dropping to basically heat up the set, heat up the scene. I got an LP coming out around fall this year. So I got various situations about to occur.

Tell us about the Lex Diamond EP.

I'm just trying to give people more of me right now. Being a part of the Clan--I'm always Clan, I love Clan--but as Raekwon the artist, I didn't get a chance to drop as much material as I liked to.

Any of your Wu faml on there?

Right now I'm trying to establish myself as an artist--I feel I like have been too far from the people. This project consists of me. Right now I am trying to reach all of my fans, period. This album is about getting to all your peoples; like I said, ain't no limits in hip-hop. I represent all walks on Earth, niggaz that represent the music. Period. I represent them. So yeah, it's going out to the skateboard crew, it's going out to the yacht crew, the Polo club. Everything baby.

Who's producing?

I got RZA. I got a couple of live producers and at the same time a couple of new dudes. I got a lot of talent where I feel they deserve a chance, so you gonna' here various producers. You won't even know the giant producer from the hungry producer; that's how it's going down. Basically it's me going back into time-how I was getting down in my younger days, how I felt and moved to the next level.

The shit I just heard in Fatbeats sounds like you're going back to the Cuban Links vibe.

More or less; I slowed it down so people could understand it more. I'm more of an emcee that likes to keep creating new, different things, but I took it back to the early '80s when the hunger was more there. I'm just an artist who, number one, likes to make shit that keeps you intrigued. There's a lot of cats coming up now that are younger that can't even acknowledge the shit I'm throwing out--this shit is too raw. It's like if you give a fiend real cocaine, he can sniff it, but his nose will start bleeding, 'cause it's too raw. My shit was making niggaz' noses bleed.

Cats are only hungry for money now?

Yeah. In this business you got different types of artists who are trying to get to the level of success; everybody graduates to where they are trying to get the finer things in life. That's a reward they just like to have. Some people choose materialism. Some people choose to live a nice life and just be who they are. So whatever you gotta do to get wherever you gotta go to be happy is what you've got to do. That's it. Some artists such as myself will always be a part of the underground scene, and at the same time I do work at the level where mainstream is a must. A lot of people, the way they got the game right now, you gotta have a fucking Bentley, and all this. I am not that type of artist; I balance shit out.

Do you feel that there is a new wave of harder street hip-hop coming?

It's definitely going back to hard, 'cause people are really tired of hearing all that commercial shit. I feel the same way. Really, you've just got to work harder and be the best at what you do. You wanna make a name for yourself. You know it's always gonna be a rough struggle but you gotta stay on top of it. People realize this rap shit makes billions of dollars. Automatically people, their eyes, see what they see but they don't recognize the origin of hip-hop-where it don't have to be mainstream. It's up to you as an artist to be real with yourself and do what makes you comfortable. If you on the underground for three years, that's gonna make you a stronger artist. You can't just come out and make a radio record. You gotta be an emcee before you're an artist. Go through that struggle.

How do you feel about conscious acts like Dead Prez?

I feel them. They came from the same struggles that we came from. For them to get recognized is real, because they are definitely part of the medicine of hip-hop.

Did you know KRS has taken hip-hop to the UN, and got it officially recognized in 68 countries as a global culture? That's a lot of power right therer, wouldwide.

That man is so well respected in my book. When I look at him, I look at him like some Commissioner Gordon-type shit. I would have never been able to do shit like that. So it's only right that I should be aboard everything that,s going on in the world, if that's what it takes for our people to reach each other and to communicate with each other. Hip-hop should be in Braille too.

In Braille?

Yeah, I'm serious.

Braille hip-hop? Is anybody doing that?

Somebody's doing it. I bet you there are 10 people out there doing it.

A Braille Raekwon hip-hop album coming soon?

Just on rhyming shit. That's some 2009 shit. It's there for all walks of life.

How does a Braille emcee rock the mic?

Somebody would dig it and understand it. Hip-hop is glorious, rap is something that's limited. Rap can end, 'cause rap is something that is built up to be right now. But hip-hop goes from breakdancing to graffiti to bombing trains to poppin' to freestyling. All that shit ain't going nowhere; to the kids today, that's a beautiful thing. Hip-hop is about balance right now and hip-hop ain't going nowhere if there's balance.

KRS is inspring?

Yeah. Real rappers understand and that's why hip-hop will never fall. Hip-hop will never fall to anything that's going on in the world. We make music for our people, and this is the language we use. Whatever goes on in the political world, if it has to be spoken about then somebody will kick it in one of their rhymes and straighten it out; it's only right to talk about it. There are real rappers that don't just talk about the bling lifestyle. They talk about the hunger. Me personally, I was one of the original cats to start the bling-bling thing off. I am being apologetic, just to let everyone know: Don't get caught right there because it's bigger than that.

What have you been up to with the Muska?

I met him through a couple of cats and they told me he does the skateboard thing. I didn't know how important he was with it, but we just hooked up and he said he was doing his thing. Being that I liked his vibe and I liked his style and he had production, which is important, I was feeling him. So we fucked around and did a thing-thing.

Shouts and Blessings?

Yeah, everybody out there doing their thing, whether it be music, arts and crafts, swimming, snowboarding, skateboarding...keep doing your thing because people look up to us. We role models even though we don't want to be role models. We just believe in ourselves. Keep doing what you do best. Love your family and trust the people who love you in life. Try to be on the up and up with people because that's going to be your blessing right there. You never leave a good person on a bad note with you. You be good to the people coming up and they gonna' be good to you coming up. Make money, man, flick that. Take care of your family. When you're struggling it makes you work 10 times harder.