31 years ago today. The Purple tape. the tape was purple to distinguish the album from other albums, the same way dope dealers tag their products to separate their product from other dealers. Raekwon wanted to stand out, and he did. his album spearheaded a wave of mafioso rap from major artists like Nas (It Was Written), Jay-Z (Reasonable Doubt), and B.I.G. (Life After Death). Rae and Ghost wanted to record in Barbados but once they arrived there the racism (at the resort) was so crazy that they decided to come back to the United States and they did the album in RZA’s basement studio in Staten Island. one of the best records of the 90s and arguably the best Wu-Tang solo album. art.

12 never-before-heard unreleased joints. jmtstore.com