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Top of the Line Sound, Over-the-Top Design for Wu-Tang’s Raekwon “The Chef”

Top of the Line Sound, Over-the-Top Design for Wu-Tang’s Raekwon “The Chef”

Nearly 30 years after Wu-Tang Clan blazed out of Staten Island to change hip-hop forever, its influence—and that of its members—is seen around every corner of the industry and in modern media. It started in 1993 when nine MCs supercharged Wu-Tang's debut, "Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers),” with the gritty, immaculate flow and kung-fu-infused riffs that would immortalize the group among generations of hip-hop artists and fans forever. So, recently, when the time came for one of Wu-Tang's founding members, Raekwon “The Chef,” to unbox his own pair of custom-crafted speakers by Leon Speakers, the moment was a surreal and proud one for the Ann Arbor custom audio leader’s own Wu-Tang fans.

“Raekwon's main desire was to have something nobody else had—something one of a kind,” said Noah Kaplan, owner and founder of Leon Speakers. “He was looking for speakers for his home recording studio. The design had to be super unique and, of course, the speakers had to sound great.”

The Chef wears many hats these days; he’s a platinum-selling artist, an influential collaborator, and a record exec, among other roles. Consequently, not just any speaker system could make its way into his own home studio. The team at Leon rose to the occasion, first choosing two Timbre SEVEN Bookshelf speakers to set the stage for custom detailing that pushed Leon’s design capabilities to new levels.

“These are our top of the line, audiophile-grade speakers,” said Paras Rajput, inside sales representative and lead organizer of the project.

To match a custom walnut soundboard table recently made for Raekwon’s studio, the team designed both speakers with black grilles, walnut hardwood cabinets, and slicked the baffles with snakeskin for a rich and totally unique accent. To top it off, Raekwon’s Timbre SEVENs arrived in a custom purple crate inspired by the purple cassette pressings of his 1995 solo debut, which would quickly become a collector’s item for discerning hip-hop fans across the country. The whole package is one Raekwon described as “one of a kind” after opening.

Though the style of the speakers shows Leon’s fearless approach to customizing audio design, the star of the project is the orchestration behind the Timbre SEVEN bookshelf series itself—Leon’s flagship series. 

The tight design and audio quality of Timbre SEVEN are testaments to the company’s nearly 25-year history as an acoustic pioneer merging high design with American craftsmanship. Each speaker features handmade aluminum cone woofers and cloth-dome tweeters fixed in a three-quarter inch Baltic Birch baffle. Raekwon’s Timbre SEVEN’s cabinets are handcrafted from 1-inch solid hardwood, hand finished to bring out the material’s natural character. Contemporary, classic, and high output, “these high-fidelity speakers are perfect for a studio type space,” Kaplan said.

In 2022 Leon celebrates its 25th anniversary, reinforcing its vision of mixing art with audio, design with technology, and business with bohemia. To mark the occasion, the team will be creating a 1997 tribute remembering the top artists, albums and other notable events of its founding year. Among the selection is Wu-Tang's second studio album, “Wu-Tang Forever,” a summer release that went four-times platinum the same year. With another defining custom audio project wrapped and an iconic figure in hip-hop satisfied, Leon looks to the New Year with pride and eagerness for what comes next.

Leon Announces Winners of 2021 Install of the Year Contest

Leon Announces Winners of 2021 Install of the Year Contest

Leon marks its 25th anniversary by building a custom set of Timbre SEVEN speakers for one of Wu Tang Clan’s founding members.

Leon marks its 25th anniversary by building a custom set of Timbre SEVEN speakers for one of Wu Tang Clan’s founding members.