Corey Woods (born January 12, 1970), a.k.a. Raekwon (/ɹeɪˈkwɒn/), is an Ame… Read Full Bio ↴Corey Woods (born January 12, 1970), a.k.a. Raekwon (/ɹeɪˈkwɒn/), is an American rapper, one of the nine Wu-Tang Clan members. Raekwon joined Wu-Tang Clan, a hip hop group based in Staten Island, New York in 1992. When the time came for him to release his first solo album, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... (1995), hip-hop, once again, underwent a momentous transformation. The album moves from track to track like a film moves from scene to scene. With its invigorating instrumentals and dramatic lyrical tales, Raekwon painted vivid pictures and presented powerful imagery through his enchanting verbal expression.

Rae's groundbreaking debut album helped to bring the flavour of flossing to wax as well as the use of the moniker among Wu brethren and other prominent emcees. The single "Verbal Intercourse" featured the first appearance of Nas Escobar, Nas' alter ego. Similarly, Raekwon and Ghostface Killah, who served as Rae's partner in rhyme throughout the entire Cuban Linx album, also developed a slew of other identities. Identities like Lex Diamond, one of the flashy, witty and intellectually stimulating personas of the multifaceted Raekwon.

In the years after the release of Cuban Linx, Raekwon continued to record several albums with the Clan including the platinum Wu-Tang Forver (1997) and The W (2000), as well as the gold Iron Flag (2001). He also starred in the critically acclaimed film Black and White, before releasing his second solo album, Immobilarity in 1999. Four years later, it's time for another masterpiece from Raekwon.

The Lex Diamond Story, Raekwon's forthcoming third solo album is that desperately needed effort. This new LP is as much a reflection of his first musical triumph Cuban Linx, as it is a manifestation of the future and what is to come from this great emcee. Raekwon is like the E.F. Hutton of hip-hop: when he speaks, everyone listens. The current void in hip-hop is filled with this rap veteran's
crafty verbal gymnastics and artistic form of storytelling. The Lex Diamond Story takes the top shelf elements of the Wu's first album and the finest sentiments of Raekwon's debut and joins them together to deliver another classic album to the masses.

A lyrical gourmet meal, The Lex Diamond Story shows that The Chef still possesses the recipe to cook up a jambalaya of words with the main ingredient being superior skills. Animated and intense, Raekwon's stealth delivery is filled with emotion, skilled cadence and an array of diverse stories, hooks, and topics. The track, "All Over Again (The Way We Were)" touches on the flavour of "Can It Be All So Simple" with its tale of street survival. Meanwhile, "Pit Bull Fights" is reminiscent of the ferocious lyrical beating inflicted on "Incarcerated Scarfaces." Raekwon is indisputably at his creative beast. Unchained and uninhibited, he is assertive with his music and focused on his goals.

Guillotine (feat. Gho
Raekwon Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴

(Allow me to demonstrate the skill of Shaolin
The special technique of shadowboxing)

Intro: Inspectah Deck
Poisonous, poisonous (word word word)
I should slap all y'all niggaz for comin in my fuckin face with that shit
Alright cool yeah, go ahead man...
Poisonous

Verse One: Inspectah Deck a.k.a. Rebel INS
Poisonous paragraphs, smash ya phonograph
In half, it be the Inspectah Deck on the warpath
First class leavin mics with a cast
Causin ruckus like the aftermath when guns blast
Run fast, here comes the verbal assaulter
Rhymes runnin wild like a child in a walker
I scored from the inner slums abroad
And my thoughts are razor sharp I sliced the mic from the cord
First they criticize, but now they have become
Mentally paralyzed with hits that I devise
Now I testify, the rest is I, Rebel INS
Ya highness, blessed to electrify
With voltage of an eel, truth that I reveal'll
Crush the amateurs who screamed to keep it real
Caesar black down hoodied up and fatigues
Part time minor leagues receive third degrees
Attack like a wolf pack, once I pull back
The God-U, and bust through like a fullback

Verse Two: Ghostface Killah a.k.a. Tony Starks
Yo, you fourteen carat gold slum computer wizard
Tappin inside my rap vein causes blizzards
Do I like the kills for ice trife like botta digits
Gorillas injected with strength of eighty midgets
The Earth spins ruins, rap exotic blends
Let my peeps in, niggaz gaspin swallowin aspirins
What a dosage, you overdosed in rap
High explosives my post-its hypnotize with hypnosis
I sell goods, my whole Clan is on the run like Natural Born Killers
Record-breaking the album Thriller
Now access the jig who has bombs and rocket launchers
Float like dope killer bees is what I sponsor
Ya entrepeneur, pens and gear like shakespeare
When I fuck I grab hair, collect drawers as souveneirs
Fuck yeah, my crew down German beers
My career is based on guns, throwin cats in wheelchairs
Etcetera, damage any lame ass competitor
Who try to front, get broken and passed like leathers
Whatever hot hardheads get shattered like mirrors
Beretta shots splatter your goose, scatter ya feathers
Say never poetry chumps crumbs deal with graphic
Blew my family overseas in mansions
If rap was crack, fully packed I be tour cats
Tax the kingpin of the rap drug traffickin'
Village niggaz get slapped in Manhattan
For rappin, big Ghost steps off laffin

(Were you just using the Wu-Tang school method against me?
I've learned so many styles, forgive me)

Verse Three: Raekwon the Chef a.k.a. Lou Diamonds
Sit back relax, fake niggaz don't get turns
Watch me massage ya brain with slang that's king
Projects filled with young men cause threats
Who is that? Thousand dollar chains and techs
Focus, the brokest niggaz of life shit
These mics is like cocaine Sun, check the suicidal hype shit
Exchange mad blunts taste the sweepstakes
Keepin up on fakes outta state for cakes
No doubt, plus nobody amount, we making dough off of
Puttin fifty on the Land and Allah, it's like that
Pull ya shoes up black, matta of fact just adapt
Tie up, ya black Nike's and tight hats
Corners, stay surrounded with foreigners, whattup dread?
Feds caught you grudgin for his bread
But regardless, peace to jail niggaz with charges
Unify layin in the guard with La
My Clan done ran from Japan to Atlanta, with stamina
Clingers and gamblers, and gram handlers
Tical like the Isle, so God, let's get steamed
Infrared guard yo' Beem,
so seek nuff respect Rude bwoy you bet,
keep it movin par shallah Pro black like tar
Designin the fly shit and stay shinin and
the RZA pours more beats than Cristal's fine wine
Concrete raps go to black
With 50 other niggaz on the other side of the map
Knew it's all good and all done what, we want some
Mike Tyson of this rap shit, pullin out Macs for fun

Verse Four: The Genius/GZA a.k.a. Maximillion
The nigga don't get mad, I got mad styles of my own
And it's shown when my hands grip the chrome microphone
Verbally I catch bodies with cordless shotties
Intriguin emcees, I keep em trained like potties
I bomb facts, my sword is an axe
To split backs invisible, like dope fiend tracks
Sky's the limit, niggaz are timid, and nobody knows
How we move like wolfs in sheep clothes
Producin data, microchips or software
Undaground and off air, the Land of the Lost

Notorious henchman from the North
Strikin niggaz where the Mason-Dixon line crossed

Overall Meaning

The song "Guillotine" by Raekwon featuring Ghostface Killah and Inspectah Deck is a classic hip-hop track that showcases the lyrical prowess of each member of Wu-Tang Clan. It opens with a sample from Enter the Dragon, and then Inspectah Deck takes the lead with his verse. He boasts about his skills, likening his rhymes to a verbal assault, and rhymes about how he's mentally paralyzed his critics.

Ghostface Killah then takes over, rapping about his excessive wealth, his crew, and his love for German beer. He also discusses his rap career, which he compares to being a drug kingpin. Finally, Raekwon the Chef closes the song with his verse, which discusses his experience growing up in the projects and his success in overcoming adversity. He raps about making money and staying true to himself, and he delivers his rhymes with a distinctive flow.

Overall, the theme of "Guillotine" is one of dominance and power, as each rapper asserts his skills and strength. The lyrics are full of metaphors and wordplay, making it a challenging track to decipher, but one that rewards careful listening.

Contributed by Violet J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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