As the seasons change in the hip-hop game, some rappers/hustlers find it lucrative to partake in ventures outside of music. For example, Brooklyn icon JAY-Z has developed quite a portfolio of non-music endeavors. Other examples are Queensbridge legend Nas and Houston mainstay Chamillionaire who have taken on roles as venture capitalists, investing in startups and seeing great returns. The Wu-Tang Clan has also diversified its grind. Members of the Clan have been pumping vegan burgers called Impossible Burgers for White Castle. Ghostface Killah has delved into the cryptocurrency and cannabis markets. The Killah Bees have also released their own high-end line of lipstick with Milk Makeup. Now, legendary Wu member Raekwon The Chef has entered the spirits game with a new wine called Licataa.
Raekwon has teamed up with Lambrusco producer Cantine Ceci for the collaborative “fizzy” wine which launched in New York City at the end of November. Rae told Unfiltered that he journeyed to Italy to do tastings in order to concoct the “special potion” for the Lambrusco-based Licataa. “It’s a velvety, smooth taste that still has a little sparkling feeling to it,” he described. “Licataa won’t be something that you feel like is a little too dry, or too fruity; [it’s] right in the middle.”
Rae joked that he could have called his wine “Raekwon The Chef,” but in true Raekwon fashion, he wanted to tell a story with his wine. “Licata [one “a”] is a small [town] in Sicily where a lot of people that were immigrants to America came from,” he said, comparing it to the Wu-Tang Clan’s home borough of Staten Island. “In Staten Island, we’re the farthest out from New York City—you have to go across the water. I love the name; it’s relatable.”
For the design and logo, Rae chose blue chrome bottles and the silhouette of an archer emblazoned on them. “[You shoot the arrow] to make sure it sticks,” he elaborated. “I wanted to be able to have a wine that, when I give to you, it sticks.”
Licataa wine is now available at several locations in New York with a $35 price tag. Soon, it will be expanding into California, Florida, Atlanta and New Jersey. Check out pictures of the wine and the official current vendor list below.
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4 the HOLIDAYS have some #LICATAA …… ‘‘tis the season” #cheersmyfriends #thesmoothestrichest