Raekwon's "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx..." Purple Tape Limited Edition Cassette Sold Out

by Jake Paine

Matt Welch of Get On Down Records reveals to HipHopDX how the label sold out of the 1,000 limited edition box sets in less than 48 hours at retail. For over 17 years, one cassette tape in Hip Hop has received a mythology all of its own. There is a reason that Chef Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... is more commonly referred to as "The Purple Tape" no matter its format. The August 1995 Loud/RCA Records release was originally released to cassette in a distinct purple plastic that made the packaging as unique as its game-changing musical contents. Like color-specific caps on crack viles which sales inspired many of the Wu-Tang Clan emcee's rhymes at the time, the product was one of a kind, and stood out from the basic. In the years since, The Purple Tape has been one of Hip Hop's most coveted pieces of memoribilia. It signifies a veteran purist fan from a bygone time in the music listening experience. Original tapes commonly drawn three figures on eBay as Rae even partnered with Fat Beats to release the vinyl version of his 2009 Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...Pt. II on purple wax. This week, Boston, Massachusetts-based Get On Down Records has partnered with Sony to re-release The Purple Tape in its original format. Expanded liner notes with Rae, 1,000 hand-made lacquer display cases, and additional throwback promotional goodies are available for the cool price of $44.95. "The future of being a good distributor is broadening your base," says Get On Down's Matt Welch, about making a product that will be sold in sneaker and fashion boutiques as well as in mom-and-pop record stores. Matt is leader in the small crew of culture curators (also including former Scratch editor/journalist Brian Coleman) who have previously liberated fan-inspired releases from Ghostface Killah, The Pharcyde, Tom Scott & The L.A. Dreamers and Common. Welch, a veteran decision-maker at both Landspeed Records and later Traffic Entertainment, explains what goes on behind the scenes to liberate the cool, and shifting the paradigm back to physical products in the digital age. On Friday (September 14) HipHopDX spoke at length with Matt about the G.O.D. operation and the color purple. read the full article at: http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.21186/title.raekwons-only-built-4-cuban-linx-purple-tape-limited-edition-cassette-sold-out