The nine (ten?) man collective out of Staten Island, N.Y. had exploded onto the scene at the tail end of 1993, with the release of their acclaimed debut Enter The Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers. That album would see a long shelf-life on the strength of word of mouth throughout 1994, and successful singles like "C.R.E.A.M." and "Can It All Be So Simple." Both of those tracks prominently featured Clan wordsmith Raekwon, and they set the stage for the fiery rhymer nicknamed "The Chef" to drop his solo debut.

Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... arrived in August 1995 following the well-received single "Heaven & Hell," and the album not only cemented Rae as a star in his own right; it elevated the stature of fellow Clan member Ghostface Killah and heralded an evolution in RZA's production sound. 

"Striving For Perfection" is an example of a time when intros were so engrossing that listeners didn't skip. An album intro evoking John Woo's The Killer. In a pre-Internet era, making those connections wasn't always so easy. "Knuckleheadz is one of several examples that prove Ghost and Rae are like peanut butter 'n jelly. Songs like "Knuckleheadz, "The MGM," Verbal Intercourse," "Fish," and "Bring Da Ruckus" are reminders that their chemistry was unmatched. A lot of what people remember Wu-Tang for is actually Rae and Ghost's chemistry. The coke sniffing intro on "Knowledge God," those elegant-but-ominous strings that give way to weird-ass piano keys and shit. Like you said, a lot of what people associate with Wu is really epitomized on Rae's first album.

"Incarcerated Scarfaces" remains one of RZA's best beats ever and Rae gives one of his all-time greatest lyrical performances. "Morphine chicks be burnin' like chlorine/Niggaz recognize from here to Baltimore to Fort Greene..." And it's another great usage of The Killer. "Rainy Dayz" is a stellar Blue Raspberry showcase. Over the years, her vocals became an indelible part of classic Wu for me. She always brings a sorrowful quality to songs that need that. And "Guillotine (Swordz)" is in an indicator that Deck is one of those rhymers you can't even call "underrated" anymore. But damn -- the dude is wildly consistent and snatches the spotlight on many a Wu track. He throws down the gauntlet and sets a standard. 

The "Can It Be All So Simple" remix is another great example of their chemistry. I've never thought it surpassed the original, but it's a very good sequel. One perhaps can't give it Terminator 2 status; it's more like The Bourne Ultimatum. "Shark Niggas (Biters)" is one of the most "shots fired" moments in mid-90s rap. Sneak dissing Bad Boy while giving props to Nas, it established some bad blood between Rae and B.I.G. that led to an inflammatory verse on Biggie's "Kick In the Door" in 1997.

"Ice Water" is a highlight from Cappadonna; this is definitely one of his best. Ghost's opener steals the show. "Glaciers of Ice" is a masterpiece: "Rap Meyer Lansky, crash your fantasy." I mean, come on. People weren't doing this at that time. I remember you and I were speaking about the influence of the mafia on Hip-Hop. Rae's best single and another high water mark for RZA. Everything about this song is quintessentially Wu. Masta Killa does the damn thing here, in his own unique way. This song could only come from RZA.

And on the perfect "Verbal Intercourse," Nas opens with a verse to end all verses, and Ghost and Rae match him bar-for-bar. This is three supreme lyricists pushing each other to greatness. And gotta love that Emotions sample. The first Wu-Tang joint to feature a non Clan member.

"Wisdom Body" could be considered the song that basically announced Ghost's forthcoming solo career. He had his moments on Enter The Wu... but Ghost really became Ghost on "The Purple Tape." And this is the most traditionally Ghostface moment here. You get Tony Stark in all his glory. "Ice Cream" features Method Man, Ghostface Killah, Cappadonna; a classic single and video. The T-shirts were super popular for a hot second and this song, along with Meth's "All I Need..." duet with Mary, showed that Wu had a somewhat unexpected knack for connecting with women. 

"Wu-Gambinos" is the introduction of the Wu aliases like 'Lou Diamonds," "Starks," "Noodles," "Johnny Blaze" and "Maximillion?" Listening to Wu-Tang was like trying to solve  Rubik Cube. There were just so many parts to try to understand that you couldn't just Google. Mafioso aliases took over Hip-Hop. Within a few months of "The Purple Tape," everybody was adopting crime lord aliases; from "Frank White" to "Escobar." Rae popularized that. 

"Heaven & Hell" is such a mournful track. It's depressing and angry, and shows just how much RZA had grown as a producer since Enter The Wu-Tang. He scales cinematic heights here. Alec: I remember hearing this on the Fresh soundtrack! "What do you believe in, heaven or hell? You don't believe in heaven because you're living in hell?" 

"North Star (Jewels)"is a chance to hear from Poppa Wu! And it should be noted that great Clan albums always have great closers. Every "film" needs an outro song. In Goodfellas, you got "My Way" by Sid Vicious. With OB4CL you get "North Star." It's tough closing out a project, but Rae does it masterfully.