Raekwon and Ghostface Killah recently dropped the trailer for an upcoming documentary, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, Raekwon’s legendary 1995 album.
Titled the Purple Tape Files and filmed over several years, the doc celebrates the album on its 30th anniversary and its ongoing influence.
During the trailer, Raekwon shared the creative zone he was in while putting the album together.
“I put myself into a serious mindframe,” The Chef said. “A serious storytelling album. I had to make this product stand out.
“I knew that purple represents royalty, and that’s exactly what I was looking for,” he continued, referencing its distinctive color palette that led many to call the LP The Purple Album.
Raekwon also shared that he was serious about approaching the album and demanded that those around him live up to the same standard.
“We had to make a conscious decision,” he explains. “Either we want to stay here and keep holding guns and want to run around playing this game, or did we want to go for the American dream and get on this rap shit.”
The documentary also features guest appearances by Kendrick Lamar, Method Man, Nas, and fellow members of the Wu-Tang Clan who share their insights about the impact of one of the most renowned projects in hip-hop history.
“It ushered in the alter egos, the aliases,” RZA says in the clip.
“Still, to this day, it’s flows that you haven’t heard before, saying the most wild shit,” Lamar added.
Snoop Dogg describes Only Built 4 Cuban Linx as a “lesson on style” and that “it was all created from the Wu-Tang movement.”
Released on August 1, 1995, and produced entirely by RZA, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx is renowned for its cinematic, mafioso-rap storytelling, with Ghostface Killah as the “guest-star.” With no skips, some standout songs include “Criminnolgy”, “Heaven & Hell”, “Ice Cream, “Verbal Intercourse”, “Rainy Dayz”, and “Incarcerated Scarfaces.”