Raekwon is an original member of the legendary Wu-Tang Clan rap group. In the latest installment of Vevo Footnotes, he and his team took fans behind the scenes of the official music video for his “Ice Cream” single featuring Ghostface Killah, Method Man, and Cappadonna. The song was featured on Raekwon’s 1995 album, entitled, “Only Built 4 Cuban Linx.” The exclusive content is part of Vevo’s celebration to honor the historic 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop.
Raekwon – The Making of “Ice Cream” (Vevo Footnotes)
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 into 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 stylists 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
VEVO CELEBRATES HIP HOP AT 50
Vevo is the world’s leading music video network, connecting an ever-growing global audience to high-quality music video content for more than a decade. Founded by Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment in 2009, Vevo offers fans worldwide a vast array of premium content to choose from, showcasing official music videos alongside a constantly developing lineup of live performances and innovative original programming. From top superstars to rising new talents, Vevo brings incomparable cross-promotional support to artists across the musical spectrum, at every stage of their careers.
Vevo has consistently evolved over the past decade to lead within today’s ever-changing media landscape, embracing partnerships with a number of leading distribution platforms to deliver extraordinary content within ad-supported environments. With more than 25B views across television, desktop, and mobile devices each month, Vevo brings music videos to the world – when, where, and how fans want them.
Raekwon – “Only Built 4 Cuban Linx” album
We recommend adding Raekwon’s “Ice Cream” single to your favorite hip-hop playlist. Also, let us know how you feel in the comment section below. Mel Blanc’s famous catchphrase, That’s All Folks! Thanks for reading another great article on Bong Mines Entertainment – the hot spot for new music and entertainment news. Always remember that (P) Positive, (E) Energy, (A) Always, (C) Creates, (E) Elevation (P.E.A.C.E). Contact us on social media via Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, or Facebook, and let us know what’s going on. Disclaimer: This post contains Apple Music affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking a link on this page, we will collect a share of the sales. This small compensation will be used towards keeping our website up and running.