1995 was a wild year. The Atlanta Braves, San
Francisco 49ers, Houston Rockets & New Jersey Devils were the crown holders
for the year in pro sports while the UCLA Bruins were the NCAA Basketball
champions. Johnny Cochran dropped the infamous phrase “if it doesn’t fit, you
must acquit” during the O.J.Simpson murder trial and Timothy McVeigh &
Terry Nichols blew up the Oklahoma Federal building killing 168 innocent men,
women & children. One of Eminems favorite topics, Christopher Reeves took
that fatal leap on his horse leaving him paralyzed, Jerry Garcia from the
iconic rock & roll group Grateful Dead passed away from heart failure &
Tejano pop star Selena was shot & killed by the former president of her fan
club. “Here Comes The Hotsepper” by Ini Kamoze, “Creep” by TLC, “Kiss From A
Rose” by Seal, ‘You Are Not Alone” by Michael Jackson, “Gangsta’s Paradise” By
Coolio & LV & “Fantasy” by Mariah Carey may have been controlling the
major radio stations, but one man from a clan of dope emcees was Cheffing up
his first solo release that would forever change the landscape of Rap Music
& Hip Hop.
Shallah Raekwon aka Raekwon The Chef aka the list goes on
forever dropped what was arguably the best solo release from any of the members
of the Wu Tang Clan on this very day in 1995. From the intro on the album to
the closing serenade, this masterpiece was put together like a movie in the way
it played out. Rae & Ghost telling each other from jump they weren’t gonna
be drug dealers for the rest of their days, mixed with some of the illest
wordplay from the likes of Wu Tangs own version of EPMD of wild samples taken
from John Woo’s “The Killer” movie, this album was designed to do exactly what
it did, take the rap game by storm and f*ck sh!t up. The geniuses over at Get
On Down have released an “18th Anniversary Slipcase Edition”
featuring a fly purple cover with Raekwons logo on the front and the original
tape contained inside. Check it out and order it here: Get On Down
To those out there in the world who fondly
remember the first time they heard the material contained on that Purple Tape,
I salute you and say Enjoy.
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