Hip-hop star Raekwon of the Wu-Tang Clan will tell his life story in a new memoir, Rolling Stone reports.
The rapper’s The Story of Raekwon will be published by Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon and Schuster.
“This is my story, from being a wide-eyed kid full of hopes and dreams, through hard times and sadness and so many situations I’m amazed I survived,” Raekwon said in a statement to the magazine. “This is all of it, the good, the bad, the ugly, the whole truth and nothing but.”
Raekwon grew up on Staten Island, New York, and joined the Wu-Tang Clan in 1992. In addition to his music with the pioneering group, he’s released several solo albums, including the acclaimed Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… and Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang. His latest album, an EP called The Appetition, was released in January.
The memoir will discuss his transition from “drug dealer to hip-hop godfather,” Rolling Stone reports, and talk about the group’s “early growing pains in an industry that wasn’t ready for their success.”
The Story of Raekwon will be co-written by Anthony Bozza, a prolific co-author of books by celebrities including Wyclef Jean, Artie Lange, and Slash. It’s slated for publication in 2021.
Michael Schaub is a Texas-based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.
