Raekwon goes behind-the-scenes of “Ice Cream”

RAEKWON MUSIC VIDEO “ICE CREAM”

EXCLUSIVELY FOR VEVO FOOTNOTES

THE INSPIRATION, CHALLENGES AND FAVORITE MOMENTS FROM THE

‘ONLY BUILT 4 CUBAN LINX’ CLASSIC

WATCH HERE

“We needed something soft but heartfelt for the album. I wanted to make sure women were incorporated in the concept, they played such a huge part in hip-hop culture…I had to make it happen.”

– Raekwon

Download Hi Res / Photo Credit: Vevo

Wu-Tang Clan rapper Raekwon and his team take fans behind the scenes of the official music video for “Ice Cream,” featuring Ghostface Killah, Method Man and Cappadonna from his Only Built 4 Cuban Linx album in the latest installment of Vevo Footnotes, premiering today. The exclusive content is part of Vevo’s celebration to honor the historic 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop.

In the episode, Raekwon stresses the importance of the song in celebrating women in hip-hop and showcasing the diversity of beauty in its music video. He also shares he was looking for something “soft but heartfelt” for the album and that the RZA-produced track and ice cream truck sample was perfect to inspire the lyrics and make it happen. Director Ralph McDaniels notes that filming in Jamaica, Queens posed challenges with crowd control once word spread of their location and that his favorite moment was the impromptu casting for the scene with Ghostface Killah. While Raekwon’s manager, Rashida Watler, further discusses how the music video influenced hip-hop fashion and discusses the instant impact of “Ice Cream” on the hip-hop community.

Below is a complete outline of “Ice Cream” I Vevo Footnotes:

00:18 – The writing and recording process of “Ice Cream” was fun! The song’s focus was to highlight and represent beautiful women of all colors by describing them as flavors of ice cream. The sound from the ice cream truck was a perfect way to put us in the pocket, and the hook really made it easy to attack the song – Raekwon

00:48 – The most challenging thing about shooting “Ice Cream” was controlling the crowd once the public found out the group was in Jamaica, Queens. My favorite moment was Ghostface in the Jamaica Colosseum Mall rapping to a home girl. That was a classic, because we cast her on location. – Ralph McDaniels (Director)

01:18 – RZA produced the record. We needed something soft but heartfelt for the album. I wanted to make sure women were incorporated in the concept, they played such a huge part in hip-hop culture…I had to make it happen. – Raekwon

01:38 – I wanted women to love the video. “The Ice Cream man is coming” was the first thing that caught my ear. We had to have a kid yelling that part, and the reference to the flavors. Butter Pecan Rican, Chocolate Deluxe, French Vanilla and Caramel Sundae. We had to have women that represented that complexion. The T-Shirts on the women in the video are collector’s items. – Ralph McDaniels (Director)

02:04 – We really didn’t get super fresh because of the fast timing of the shooting. We didn’t have any stylist at the time; that’s what made it so authentic. There were a few celebs there, and they were just chilling with us, having fun. – Raekwon

02:33 – “Ice Cream” was inclusive, bringing women to the conversation of hip-hop and highlighting the ethnicity of complexion and emergence of hip-hop “fashion” culture as we know it today. – Rashida Watler (Manager)

03:04 – The impact of “Ice Cream” on the hip-hop community was immediately noticeable. Creatively, it shook up the genre with its inventive beat and melodious storytelling, revolutionizing beats and flows from then on. – Rashida Watler (Manager)

03:33 – We shot two music videos that weekend. We also shot “Incarcerated Scarface.” – Ralph McDaniels (Director)

03:43 – This was my first video ever. It was insane, I didn’t know what to do. – Cappadonna

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