Raekwon News

(12/15/99, 1 p.m. ET) - The Wu-Tang Clan's Raekwon has tailored 11 new versions of his "Live From New York" single to different sections of the country, with the new editions targeted at listeners in Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Detroit, Washington, D.C., and other cities.

Other rap artists have also reworked their songs with specific cities in mind. Lord Tariq & Peter Gunz put regional twists on their smash "Déjà Vu (Uptown Baby)," as did Krayzie Bone with his "Thug Mentality" single.

Highlighting different areas around the country makes listeners feel like they have a stronger connection with the artists, a fact Raekwon is quick to acknowledge. "So I wanted to just show everybody that I'm paying homage to all these major cities right here because, you know, I know what it means to motherf--kers when they hear certain type of songs like that. You know what I mean? And I respect your criticism, but that song, like I said, was just me representing where I'm from."

Taken from his new Immobilarity album, "Live From New York" features Raekwon's signature stream-of-consciousness flow and an addictive, piano-driven beat. Raekwon views the original version of the song as an example of hometown pride: "I wanted to make sure nobody don't get this song twisted to where they thinking it's just a New York song...Just because it's 'Live From New York,' you probably might have people in other parts of the town saying, 'Well, he did that just for them.' And that that song wasn't just for New York. That's just me basically stating where I come from. It's like how you hear n--gas talking about the Dirty South. Up in New York, we don't say that song ain't for us because it's the Dirty South. It's just representing they town. And that's all I did."

--Soren Baker, Los AngelesGot news tips, comments, or questions? Send them to newstips@launch.com.