Stanisland Magazine

The Wu-Tang icon’s new album is set to release through Mass Appeal

Last updated: 12th July 2025

Part of the ‘Legend Has It…’ series brought to you by Nas’ Mass Appeal Records, the rapper has finally revealed new promotional material for Raekwon’s new album — The Emperor’s New Clothes.

What We Know So Far

This is billed as a flagship release for Raekwon who hopes to reinforce his status as one of hip-hop’s elite rappers.

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It’s a statement of intent and has potential to showcase his ability to sculpt new rhyme schemes against the backdrop of classic Wu sounds and fresh compositions.

The lyrical maestro released a statement of confidence on social media, which further adds to fan excitement. He said:

“A year of growth and development. Let’s win 2025, THE EMPERORS NEW CLOTHES. Time to serve the masses, this carefully sculpted sh**!”

Guest Features

We have been promised appearances from the entire Wu-Tang Clan, including Ghostface Killah, Method Man, and Inspectah Deck.

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We will also see Westside Gunn, Conway The Machine, Benny The Butcher, Stacy Barthe, and Marsha Ambrosius take the microphone as well as Nas, who is overseeing the project.

Producers involved include: Swizz Beatz, Nottz, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, Frank G, and RoadsArt.

Album Themes

The Chef explained that the project will come from a place of personal growth. Expect a fresh approach to the rapper’s sound, one reframed onto a contemporary canvas buoyed by the rapper’s lyrical mastery.

This long play comes at a time when the culture feels deprived of depth and nuance. With the normalisation of auto-tune and mumble rap taking precedence, Mass Appeal’s new series hopes to galvanise a dry scene in need of wordplay, but more importantly — music.

Fan Reactions

Fans are equally excited by the announcement, with many looking forward to the prospective of both a Wu reunion and a Nas feature. One fan said: “f****** iconic” while another exclaimed: “It’s going to be fire for sure!”

Others jokingly made references to some of the features: “You know you’re gonna have some coke rhymes whenever Benny and Conway are involved.”

One thing all listeners have in common, are high expectations as evidenced by social media users who remarked: “Ok, this is the feature list I been begging for,”… “July looking like a solid month.”

Release Date and Vinyl Copies

The Emperor’s New Clothes is due to drop on the 18th July 2025 and will be available to stream via Spotify and Apple Music. You can also pre-order it on vinyl in the run up to its release.