Trailer Released For ‘The Purple Tape Files’ Documentary About Raekwon’s ‘Only Built 4 Cuban Linx’
The album, featuring Ghostface Killah was released 30 years ago
As the Staten Island/Brooklyn collective Wu-Tang Clan is on the road for its last tour, two of its members, Raekwon and Ghostface Killah, have released the trailer for one of the group’s more popular albums, Raekwon’s Only Built 4 CubanLinx, titled The Purple Tape Files.
As each member of Wu started to release solo projects at the inception of the collective’s recording career, an unexpected solo project bubbled up throughout the hip-hop streets. And although it was a Raekwon project, the album felt more like a duo with his selected henchman by his side, Ghostface Killah. The album became an instant classic amongst hip-hop heads 30 years ago, in 1995.
Dubbed “The Purple Tape Files,” a documentary has been filmed to reveal the inner workings of Raekwon’s first solo project. The project is being released through Third Eye Films.
“A Story 30 Years In The Making. Coming soon.
“Third Eye Films is proud to announce the upcoming release of The Purple Tape Files, a powerful new documentary chronicling the making and legacy of Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, the groundbreaking solo debut by Raekwon of the Wu-Tang Clan.”
According to Complex, some of hip-hop’s biggest names are featured in the doc with their takes on the classic hip-hop recording that still resonates with true hip-hop fans worldwide. Hip-hop luminaries such as Method Man, the RZA, Ghostface, as well as Kendrick Lamar, Busta Rhymes, The Alchemist, DJ Premier, Charlamagne Tha God, Nas, 9th Wonder, Fat Joe, N.O.R.E., Peter Rosenberg, and Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, to name a few.
Raekwon talked about his mindset while recording the album, “I put myself into a serious mind frame. A serious storytelling album. I had to make this product stand out.
“I knew that purple represents royalty, and that’s exactly what I was looking for.”
A release date has not been mentioned, but the album debuted on Aug. 1, 1995.
Growing Violence Forces South African Parents Of Black Students To Seek Education At ‘White-Only’ Schools
Sibahle Mbasana described said her children and school administrators feel “powerless.”
Violence and growing gang activity are prompting Black parents in the city of Cape Town, South Africa, to make the difficult decision of sending their children to “white-only” schools out of fear, BBC reports.
While it’s been 30 years since apartheid ended in South Africa, white-only establishments still exist. As the violence increases, there are limited options for parents to count on a safe learning environment for their children, prompting long trips to outside areas.
Sibahle Mbasana has three kids who attend a school in Khayelitsha, Cape Town’s largest township.
“Thugs would go into the school carrying guns, threatening teachers, forcefully taking their laptops in front of the learners,” Mbasana said. “Imagine your child experiencing this regularly. There’s hardly any security at the school and even if there is, they are powerless to do anything.”
The issues forced her to transfer her 11- and 12-year-old sons to a state school nearly 25 miles away in Cape Peninsula, known for its picture-perfect views and South Africa’s navy base. Mbasana’s daughter, 7, also attends the same school, which has better facilities and smaller class sizes.
She feels for her children, who sees as victims of inheriting a legacy of Black students facing racial bias and inequalities embedded due to the laws of apartheid. One law was the Bantu Education Act of 1953, targeting the prevention of Black children being able to be educated the way they should. The law resulted in schools being segregated—the way American schools were during the Jim Crow era—with fewer resources and diminished funding for underprivileged communities.
South Africa still suffers from the legislation, causing a domino effect of schools being overcrowded and plagued with high rates of crime, drug use, and violence.
While families like the Mbasanas admit they would like to move to the areas where their children are forced to go to school for a better life, they admit to it not being financially feasible.
However, some of these “white-only” schools, often state schools, come with a cost. Although they are subsidized, parents have to pay school fees, which range between $60 (£45) and $4,500 (£3,350) a year in the Western Cape area.
Teachers are also victims of the growing violence in Cape Town. Teachers at Zanemfundo Primary School in Philippi East were allegedly extorted out of 10% of their salaries from gang members.
“It is not safe at all. We are in extreme danger,” one teacher mentioned on the website GroundUp. “These gangs come to the school gun-wielding. Our lives are at risk. Teachers at the school are asking for transfers because they don’t feel safe.”
A number of similar incidents took place at five other schools in the surrounding areas of Nyanga, Philippi, and Samora Machel. However, administrators with the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) are working to make things better— and safer—by providing private security decals at schools in addition to police patrolling the targeted areas.
Fashion Family Talks Opulence And Harlem Haberdashery
The Harlem Haberdashery's 2025 Opulence Gala will take place June 28. All proceeds will benefit the #TakeCareofHarlem campaign.
A night of grandeur is coming to Harlem. The self-proclaimed “First Fashion Family” presents “Harlem Haberdashery’s 2025 Opulence Gala: An Evening of Elegance and Excellence” on Saturday, June 28.
All proceeds will benefit the #TakeCareofHarlem campaign. The night’s honorees are Harlod Espinal, a six-time marathoner and Emmy-Award-winning storyteller, who will receive the Man of the Year award. Woman of the Year will go to Lucinda Cross, founder and CEO of Activate Your Life Inc., and Jahkeen “Jah” Washington, founder of the Laurence B. Smith Scholarship Foundation.
Members of the fashion family, Sharene “Shay” Wood and Kells Barnett, spoke with BLACK ENTERPRISE about being diverse entrepreneurs, giving back to the neighborhood that raised them, and what’s next for the Harlem Haberdashery boutique and fashion house turned lifestyle brand.
What have been some of the “Take Care of Harlem” initiative’s most meaningful successes?
Barnett: The first official program of “Take Care of Harlem” was a “Feed 500” program where I made lunches and fed just the homeless, fed anybody who was hungry.
Community is built around people helping each other. I think people think help is like when someone looks homeless, and I’m like, ‘NO,’ it’s anybody who needs something. It has since grown to toy drives, school supply drives, and a prom drive. We’ve launched a pilot, the College Shower.
Tell the BEaudience more about the Harlem Haberdashery brand.
Harlem Haberdashery is our boutique. It’s kind of the hub for our fashion family. We have a custom clothing line, 5001 Flavors. We’ve worked with artists and entertainers for over 30 years.
The Harlem Haberdashery brand has many branches, including Bespoke Alkaline Water and HH Bespoke Spirits. What motivated you to expand beyond fashion?
Barnett: I don’t think we’ll ever stop trying to expand into other categories. That’s what all fashion houses do, but we’ll never get into something that we’re totally not into.
Wood: Lifestyle makes sense when it comes to fashion. We haven’t reached the top of the fashion world, but we kind of conquered that as much as we can. When there is an opportunity that aligns, it’s kind of easy. The HH Bespoke Spirits were definitely easy. When you have celebratory events where people dress up, it’s those same events where our spirits are served, the same thing with Bespoke Alkaline Water.
This marks the ninth annual Harlem Haberdashery Gala. What inspired the launch of the event?
Wood: We have a social responsibility. So, we had to have a philanthropic arm. The gala is a love letter to Harlem. To pay homage to how we were raised, the style, the architecture. So, it really became a party with a purpose.
Barnett: It’s an honor to be a Black entrepreneur in the community that raised you. [Harlem] does not have a lot of Black galas. Galas where you don’t feel like a visitor in the room.
What does growth and scaling look like for the Harlem Haberdashery Brand?
Barnett: We have such a diverse group in our family that we could get into categories that people never even thought Black people would venture into.
Wood: I always envisioned a lifestyle brand. We just recently started our podcast, Family Style. We have diverse personalities, brands, and products. What we’re bringing to the table is a little bit of diversity and creativity, just like a family-style meal.
Barnett: At first, we were looking for podcast networks. But we have our own videographer and production team, and we shoot in the Harlem Haberdashery boutique. For years, we tried to get people to do what we could do for ourselves. We just decided to pool our resources together and do it ourselves.
***
Kells and Barnett are only two entrepreneurs in a family of many. Each new venture strengthens its presence in business and leaves a lasting impression on Harlem.
Check out all they have to offer. First, take out your finest and funkiest garments to attend Harlem Haberdashery’s Opulence Gala. The event is taking place at the Harlem School of the Arts. A pre-gala rooftop party will take place on Friday, June 27. BLVD Bistro will also host a fundraiser brunch on Sunday, June 29.
Goodr Is Bringing Food Sustainability And A Free Grocery Store To A Chicago Hospital
The company has already established two other free groceries stores across Metro Atlanta.
Goodr, a Black woman-founded tech startup focused on hunger relief and food sustainability, is expanding its efforts to the Midwest with a free grocery store in Chicago.
The venture will follow the company’s previous and current endeavors to ensure food does not go to waste, while also addressing food insecurity in vulnerable communities. Located at Trinity Hospital in Chicago’s South Side, the free grocery store will be its first permanent location in the city.
“This week, @goodrco opened our FIRST-EVER Free Goodr Grocery store inside a hospital on the South Side of Chicago,” wrote Goodr’s founder, Jasmine Crowe, on Instagram. “It’s our first permanent location in the city, and I honestly can’t describe how much this one means to me.”
Although based in Atlanta, Goodr aims to help those in Chicago and throughout Illinois who fall outside the margins of food assistance. Its location will also better serve essential workers employed at the medical center, before expanding these resources to patients as well.
She added, “Here’s why this matters: in Illinois, nearly 60% of food-insecure households don’t qualify for SNAP because of the income cliff. That means people who are working and still struggling to put food on the table fall through the cracks every day.”
Previously covered on BLACK ENTERPRISE, the free grocery stores initially began in 2021. Partnering with Gunna, Goodr built its first free grocery concept inside the rapper’s former middle school in metro Atlanta. Its success led to the establishment of another one at Martin Luther King High School on the city’s east side this year.
Given ongoing inflation and a layoff-filled job market, Goodr’s mission alleviates the burden of putting food on the table. Furthermore, its work addresses the persistent issue of food, waste while keeping communities fed. Now, Chicagoans can feel the impact of tech-infused solutions for food relief.
“I could never overstate the true need for Goodr, especially at a time like this,” continued Crowe. “And no matter how hard it has been for us, every new store launch, every new customer, every delivery, reminds me that the work we do matters so much.”
Ex-Minnesota Vikings Player Jack Brewer Blames Gov. Tim Walz For Lawmaker Slayings
'I am heartbroken to see one of the most amazing states in America completely turned around under Gov. Tim Walz. Minnesota is confused,' Brewer said.
Former Minnesota Vikings player Jack Brewer had some harsh criticism for Gov. Tim Walz following the tragic killing of a state lawmaker and her husband, saying he has allowed the state to become the “capital of chaos,” Fox News reports.
Brewer, who also played at the University of Minnesota, pointed the finger at the former vice presidential candidate for turning it the state into a “liberal hub.”
“We need to start calling this what it is. These people have lost their minds. I am heartbroken to see one of the most amazing states in America completely turned around under Gov. Tim Walz. Minnesota is confused,” Brewer said.
On Father’s Day weekend, a gunman, Vance Luther Boelter, killed Minnesota State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, in addition to injuring State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife. Disguised as a police officer, Boelter allegedly had other Democratic leaders in mind for assassination. Law enforcement found a “hit list” with other names, including Rep. Ilhan Omar and Attorney General Keith Ellison.
Walz was said not to be on the list. That didn’t stop Brewer from adding him to the list of people he blames for the turn of events.
“I played for the Vikings. I played for the Gophers. I lived in Minnesota for years. It was not like this. People were respectful. People could disagree and still have conversations. I still have a lot of family there, and it hurts to see what they’re living through,” Brewer said.
“Minnesota has become the capital of chaos in America,” he added. “That’s not right. It’s not a reflection of the true people of Minnesota. There are a lot of good people there. But the liberal hub around Minneapolis and St. Paul has taken over, and it’s dangerous. Tim Walz is the leader of that. His attorney general, Keith Ellison, is right there with him.”
Brewer, who made an appearance at the 2016 Republican National Convention, has been an outspoken critic of Democratic leadership, including Walz and former Vice President Kamala Harris. After the state pushed back against a lawsuit from a Texas-based nonprofit accusing it of violating Title IX and undermining fairness and safety for female athletes, Brewer sided with the company.
“The state has veered so far off course that it’s doing the exact opposite of what it once stood for,” he said. “It used to be a national leader on Title IX and women’s rights. Now, it’s destroying women’s sports, degrading women, and promoting situations where men are physically dominating women.”
After Walz labeled the attack as a “politically motivated assassination,” the CEO of The Jack Brewer Foundation took some time to say the killings reveal a motion for a “return to masculinity,” according to the New York Post.
“On this Father’s Day, I wish Minnesota would focus on restoring fatherhood — protecting women, protecting families,” he said. “Tim Walz is the example of a weak, emasculated leader. That is not what God made fathers to be. It’s pathetic.”
Couple Claims Starbucks Denied Them Emergency Help Since They Didn’t Stand In Line
Thankfully, a competing coffee shop, Capital One Café, was able to save the day.
A Virginia couple alleges they were denied assistance during an emergency from a local Starbucks because they didn’t wait their turn in line, WABI 5 reported.
Kevin and Nelisa Key were in the Short Pump Town Center in Richmond when Kevin, who is battling stage 4 kidney failure, suffered a scary medical episode. Kevin, 38, is in Stage 4 kidney failure. Nelisa remembered her husband suddenly saying he didn’t feel well. “He started leaning over, and then he started vomiting,” she remembered. As he has suffered similar incidents, Nelisa said she was “frantic” to get him some ice water — something she knew would help him.
She noticed a Starbucks and ran inside.
Despite there being a long line, Nelisa explained the emergency to customers — and workers — and mentioned just needing some water. Patient customers were sympathetic, but not the barista at the time, who allegedly informed Nelisa that she would have to wait in line like the rest. “I pointed back, because you could see Kevin, and I was like, ‘That’s my husband right there. He’s in Stage 4 kidney failure. I just need water fast for him,’” Nelisa said she mentioned to the employee.
“And the employee looked at me and was like, ‘You need to get in line.’ And then I repeated what I said, I’m like, ‘But my husband, he’s in kidney failure, we just need ice water quickly.’ And he looked at me again and was like, ‘You need to get in line.’”
When his wife alerted him to what happened, Kevin was taken aback on the issue, saying a simple cup of ice water could have saved his life. “I could have possibly blacked out. It could have had a more dramatic impact on my body,” Kevin said, according to WWBT.
“My kidneys could have possibly just shut down.”
The American Kidney Fund defines stage 4 kidney failure as the kidneys being moderately or severely damaged and not properly filtering waste from the blood. Without properly filtered kidneys, waste products like urea and creatinine from the blood can lead to a condition called uremia. Kevin said choosing policy over compassion could have turned into a tragic situation. “A situation that should have taken, like, less than probably 10 seconds to get water, turned into a nightmare instantly,” he continued.
Thankfully, a competing coffee shop, Capital One Café, was able to save the day. “That’s when I walked in, and Emma was standing there. I told her the same thing and she acted fast,” Nelisa said.
“She was like, no problem at all. I hope he feels better. And when I got to Kevin and gave him the water, he almost instantly felt better.”
While Starbucks’ Media Relations representative Sam Jefferies said the company is trying to “make this right,” the spokesperson also alluded to wanting customers not to ask for water in the pick-up area since it disrupts the workflow. “As we continue to train our partners on the new Code of Conduct, we are working to ensure that everyone who visits our store has a great experience and training partners to communicate openly and from a place of kindness, compassion, and consideration for other patrons when determining how to proceed when a guest makes a request outside of our policies,” a statement read.
“We’re simply asking that water is handled like other orders — at the point of sale.”
They will be waiting to right the wrong as Kevin got a chance to meet hero Emma and thanked her for “being a caring human being.”
CNN Reporter Stephanie Elam Recalls Seeing Her ‘Ride Or Die’ Ananda Lewis One Day Before Her Death
Stephanie Elam is remembering her 'ride or die,' Ananda Lewis, who she saw just a day before she lost her battle with breast cancer.
CNN’s Stephanie Elam is remembering her last visit with her “ride or die,” Ananda Lewis, the iconic BET and MTV host who died at 52 from breast cancer.
Elam was emotional with CNN anchor Sara Sidner as she recalled visiting Lewis just one day before her passing on June 11, USA Today reported. Elam shared that she drove straight from an overnight shift covering the Los Angeles protests to be by Lewis’s side and hold her hand. She had planned to return the following day, but Lewis passed away before she could.
“After I got off the air, I looked down and had a message from her beautiful big sister, who has been such a strong champion for her and has kept me abreast of everything. She messaged me and told me that she passed away right before I finished that last hit,” Elam said. “And, so it was too late.
“One thing that I want everyone to know is that she was at peace with this decision,” Elam added of Lewis. “She had come to grips with it.”
Elam, who met Lewis ahead of their freshman year at the acclaimed HBCU Howard University, said the Teen Summit star’s health condition changed quicker than expected.
“We thought we had weeks, and it turned out that it turned into days, and then it was actually just a matter of hours,” Elam said.
Lewis was a standout TV personality in the ’90s and early 2000s. After graduating from Howard University, she got her start hosting BET’s Teen Summit, and by 1997, she had joined MTV, where she became a household name on Total Request Live and Hot Zone. In 2001, she stepped into the spotlight to host her short-lived talk show, The Ananda Lewis Show.
In October, Lewis appeared on CNN with Elam and Sidner following Sidner’s diagnosis of stage 3 breast cancer and spoke about the holistic approach she took to combat the deadly disease.
“The cancer diagnosis caused me to change things in my life I never would have changed otherwise, that I needed to change but would not change,” Lewis said at the time. “And those changes have allowed me access to more of my joy, more of the time.”
Ananda Lewis is survived by her son, Langston Lewis, whom she shared with Harry Smith, Will Smith’s younger brother.
Federal Jury Finds Florida Man Guilty Of Posing As Flight Attendant In Free Flights Scam
Alexander was found guilty on all five charges against him for the years-long scam.
A Florida man has been found guilty of posing as a flight attendant to book over 120 free flights.
A federal jury found Tiron Alexander guilty June 5 of wire fraud, as well as entering a secure area of an airport under false pretenses. Alexander used a website designated for airline employees to obtain the free flights from 2018 to 2024.
During the timeframe, the 35-year-old flew on a total of 34 flights, none of which were paid for through the scam. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, he used 30 different badge numbers and dates of hire to trick the airline carrier’s website application process.
Alexander also claimed to work for several different airlines, posing as a flight attendant for three of them. Evidence submitted revealed his work history did include actual airlines, but during ineligible times for his booked flights. This includes work as a global ticketing support representative for Delta Air Lines from 2010 to 2012. He also once served as an actual flight attendant for Atlantic Southeast Airlines and Republic Airways.
The Transportation Security Administration, which investigated the case, expressed its own approval of Alexander’s guilty verdict. However, the TSA told Fortune that the deception stopped at the security procedures, despite the man’s fraud when booking.
“While Alexander was able to board flights by fraudulently obtaining a boarding pass, he underwent all applicable TSA security procedures, including ID verification and physical screening, and did not pose a threat to other airline passengers,” a TSA spokesperson told Fortune. “TSA remains dedicated to the security of the flying public and will continue to support the prosecution of those who break air travel laws.”
He used the deceitful method to travel through Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport at no cost to him. The news outlet also reported that Alexander used the booking site to secure flights primarily with Spirit Airlines. The airline did not respond to comment on the matter. Other airlines listed in the court documents included Southwest Airlines, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines.
As for Alexander, his sentencing remains scheduled for Aug. 25.
NBCUniversal Reportedly Considers Axing ‘Real Housewives Of Atlanta’ Over Britt Eady’s $20M Lawsuit
The Kenya Moore drama with Britt Eady could end "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" indefinitely.
Bravo’s popular reality series The Real Housewives of Atlantacould be on the chopping block thanks to the $20 million lawsuit filed by Season 16 newcomer Brittany Eady.
Sources close to the show spilled the tea to Rob Shuter, who cites Eady’s lawsuit on claims of defamation, emotional distress, and a hostile work environment as cause for execs considering pulling the plug on the entire franchise, Radar Online reports. Eady’s lawsuit stems from a controversial incident with RHOA star Kenya Moore, who displayed explicit photos of Eady at the launch of her hair salon last year.
Producers decided to remove Moore from the show, but the incident did play out in episodes that aired in April. While Eady continued filming the remainder of the season, she recently skipped the reunion and followed up with her defamation suit.
“What made Housewives great–the chaos–is now its biggest threat. It’s just lawsuit after lawsuit,” an insider told Shuter on his Substack. “The drama made it great. But now it’s a walking lawsuit,” another source reportedly told him.
“The champagne’s flat, the taglines are tired—and Bravo may finally be done playing hostess,” Shuter wrote.
According to Eady’s lawsuit, Moore humiliated her when she unveiled her “Who Is This Ho?” poster board featuring explicit, allegedly fake blurred photos of Eady.
“She begged to see the photo before it aired,” a source close to Eady told Shuter. “They said no. They wanted drama—now they’ve got court dates.”
With Bravo’s parent company, NBCUniversal, already dealing with Real Housewives of New York City alum Bethenny Frankel’s threats of unionizing Bravo’s reality stars and fellow RHONY alum Leah McSweeney’s feud with Andy Cohen, the network in “full crisis mode,” sources say.
“Every cast member’s a legal liability. Bravo has become an embarrassment to NBC News,” an executive told Shuter.
The aftermath of Moore’s poster board incident has forced Bravo to respond to Eady’s lawsuit. With it adding to the scrutiny the network is already under over its handling of several cast member interactions and the behind-the-scenes workplace culture, there are rumors that one franchise could get cut indefinitely.
Claressa Shields Will Give $100K To Any Woman Who Can Beat Her
'I got $100K for any girl that think they can whoop me. Street fighter, boxer, MMA. Hey, if you can beat me, I got a $100K for you.'
At the recent BET Awards ceremony, during an interview, the woman who refers to herself as the G.W.O.A.T. (Greatest Woman of All Time), Claressa Shields, has put up a $100,000 challenge to any woman who thinks they can beat her in the boxing ring or outside of it.
While being interviewed by Hollywood Unlocked, the undefeated boxer responded to a question about Baddies cast member Tesehki, challenging her to square off against her. That’s when she dropped the offer to not just her but to anyone who dared to challenge her.
“This is how a ‘call-out’ goes. You call me out, and I say yes. We scrap. That’s how we do it in my hood. I’ve never had a fight where it’s like, ‘Oh, if I stop doing XYZ, then I could do XYZ,’ I don’t know. But it’s free smoke; that’s all I’m sayin’.”
But it’s apparent that she has opened that offer to anyone who wants the smoke.
“Free smoke for anybody who feel like they can beat me in a fight. I got a $100K. I wish I would’ve brought $100K with me so I can just throw it on the table. But, I got $100K for any girl that think they can whoop me. Street fighter, boxer, MMA. Hey, if you can beat me, I got a $100K for you. And I just don’t see it happening.”
She also took to X to reassure her followers that, despite Tesehki saying they saw each other at the BET Awards, they did not come face to face.
“Let’s set the record straight: I never ran into Tesehki at the BET Awards.”
Let’s set the record straight: I never ran into Tesehki at the BET Awards. I’m focused on real fights with real athletes—world champions, not randoms looking for clout. When you’ve got back-to-back Olympic gold medals and multiple world titles in five weight classes, maybe then…
— Claressa Gwoat Shields (@Claressashields) June 13, 2025
The undefeated pugilist has a record of 16 victories and no defeats and became the first-ever women’s undisputed heavyweight champion in boxing history.
