Disgraceland is a production of Double Elvis.

The stories about Wutang Clan's Rayquan are insane.

As a child in New York City, he saw dead bodies hanging from street poles, their

throat slid open. His own father was reportedly stabbed to death. As a teenager, he was

addicted to the style, sounds, and crimes of hip-hop street culture. He stole gold chains and nightclubs.

He sold weed and cocaine and later became a successful crack dealer.

He was shot four times and nearly killed

when he found himself caught in the crossfire.

And this is all before Rayquan made great music,

cooking up undeniably great rhymes with the

legendary Wutang Clan.

Unlike that clip I played for you at the top of the show, that wasn't great music.

That was a preset loop from my Melotron called Atomic Frog MK2. I played you that clip because I can't afford the rights to

Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley. Why would I play you that specific slice of Rick Rollin' Cheese

could I afford it? Because that was the number one song in America on March 14, 1988.

And that was the day that the NYPD launched a street-level anti-drug task force

that targeted low-level dealers, dealers like Rayquan, who found life as he knew it,

was suddenly about to change.

On this episode, dead bodies, stealing gold chains, dealing crack, a near-deadly shooting,

and Wu-Tang Clan's Rayquan.

I'm Jake Brennan, and this is Disgraceland. Bodies.

They were packed inside the club, dancing to the music.

...