Sat at a tiny circular table in what was little more than a corridor-like alcove (candle-lit, wood-panelled) off a hotel bar on the afternoon of his gig, Rae was animated and garrulous - he and Rza were, as has been the case for so much of the last decade, still at loggerheads over their different beliefs in the sonic direction the group should be taking - but reflective and shrewd, and above all honest.
We met in Paris, where he was playing a gig, to talk for an article I was writing for Mojo, which was aiming to tell the Clan's story ahead of the release of the fourth group album, 8 Diagrams.
So instead of going over all that old ground once again, I'm going to devote this article to a Q/A with Raekwon from 2007. It has become one of the best documented records of its era, a magisterial 2005 article in XXL effectively the last word in the circumstances of its creation. Nas, who is the only non-Clan emcee to guest on the record, addressed some of these questions of influence, debt and honour in a song ('The Last Real Nigga Alive' on his 2002 album God's Son) while Jay-Z owned up to the Purple Tape's pivotal place in '90s NY rap history in Blueprint 3 track 'A Star Is Born'. The album's impact on the genre was as considerable as it has been controversial, many contending that its impact on the three biggest names in late '90s New York rap (Biggie, Nas and Jay-Z) all took key elements of their signature style from Raekwon's template. The New York shoe emporium Packer even teamed up with Diadora to release a 20th anniversary "Purple Tape" trainer - the limited-edition run, priced at $200 per pair, sold out almost immediately. Tributes have come from obvious sources - Raekwon released Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Part 2 in 2009, a limited-edition box-set re-release of its iconic "purple tape" cassette format arrived in 2012, and the rapper has started talking about a forthcoming third instalment. The decision to recast the group members as Staten Island crack-era mafia dons, each with a new nickname and a distinct on-record character and personality, turned what could have been just another record about crime and drugs into a piece of high-concept art that helped convince those perennially inclined to be sniffy about hip hop that this lot were on to something after all.Īs a result, the album has been accorded a special place in hip hop history and the mythology around it is as extensive as it is largely well known. It included appearances from all the group's emcees and was masterfully choreographed by b(r)and mastermind Rza. Although Method Man and Ol' Dirty Bastard had released their first solo LPs beforehand, it was Raekwon's debut that finally convinced those perhaps a little reluctant to accept the fact that the Wu-Tang Clan were revolutionising rap. Think we screwed up? Left out essentials? Put 'em the wrong order? Bring da ruckus, let us know! But first, check out our picks: The 20 Best Wu-Tang Clan Albums.Right from the day it came out - indeed, perhaps even for a while before that - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx was special.
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These albums are the ones you need to get the best taste-to make a full meal, as Raekwon the Chef might put it. But the thing about Wu-Tang is that they presented so many different approaches to hip-hop, each one with its own distinctive flavor. That doesn't mean they aren't good in their own right. Where is Bobby Digital in Stereo? Where is the first Sunz of Man album? Ghost Dog soundtrack? GZA's Beneath The Surface? What about Shyheim? Grandmasters? There are plenty of great albums that didn't make the list. Now, we know you've got your favorites, too. We here at Complex spent the past few weeks batting our heads together-arguing with each other till we were Wu in the face (sorry)-trying to come up with a definitive list. Needless to say, sifting through the expansive catalog of the entire collective (its members and affiliated artists) and ranking the best of all the albums is a gargantuan task. In the years since, the original nonet (now an octet, following the 2004 death of Ol' Dirty Bastard) has released four more official albums, while each individual member gone on to their own solo career and side projects-and a number of Wu-Tang affiliates have sprouted forth beneath the Staten Island group's banner. One of the best rap albums ever, it laid the foundation for an empire. when the Wu-Tang Clan dropped their seminal debut, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers).