Latest Release
- MAR 1, 2024
- 1 Song
- Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers · 2022
- Supreme Clientele · 2000
- Supreme Clientele · 2000
- Ironman · 1996
- Kanye West Presents: Good Music - Cruel Summer · 2012
- Fishscale (Expanded Edition) · 2006
- Ironman · 1996
- Supreme Clientele · 1999
- Supreme Clientele · 1998
- Ironman · 1996
Essential Albums
- Ghostface Killah was chasing his life in 1997. He was 27 and sick with diabetes, and—thinking he had cancer—he went to the African nation of Benin with fellow Wu-Tang Clan member RZA, lived in a mud hut, was treated by a bush doctor, and came back with many of the staggering lyrics that decorate 2000’s Supreme Clientele. He sounds glad to be alive; he sounds totally freaked. In a time when everybody who ever delivered sandwiches for Wu-Tang seemed to be getting a solo deal, here Tony Starks, as he calls himself (he also calls himself the Black Boy George on “Stroke of Death”), makes everything stick. Even when you don’t know quite what he’s getting at, his abstract, detail-crammed narratives, often tinged with biographical asides, make for a vivid set of stories. Producer RZA was wrestling with quality control. He’d just masterminded double album Wu-Tang Forever in 1997 and then sent out key members for solo projects, pairing them up with other producers. Ghostface Killah, however, he couldn’t bring himself to hand off, and RZA ended up producing more than half the songs here and revising the work of others. He offers an especially strong mix of his grime and besmirched classic soul. “Nutmeg” chops up a strings-and-flutes sample; “One” is a methodical track that repeats its monosyllabic titular number at the end of each line, screwing the lid down on Ghost’s anarchic verbiage. There are disses (on a skit and the song “Ghost Dini”) that got under 50 Cent’s skin, and appearances from strategic guest stars—including Raekwon, GZA, and Redman. Meanwhile, Ghostface Killah does anything for impact, with writing that feels like a Donald Goines paperback, Ip Man fan fiction, and several awkward pages of a coming-of-age memoir torn out of his notebook, all of it cut up and glued together for maximum emotional wallop.
- 2019
- 2018
- 2018
Artist Playlists
- Ghostface Killah is Wu-Tang Clan's most prolific member.
- The rapper's history is rich with collabs and versatile turns.
- Storytelling and deep soul builds a template.
Compilations
- 2014
- 2009
- 2008
- 2003
- The Massholez
- Arcangel uk
- Jincassable
More To Hear
- Ghostface Killah discusses 'Ironman' for its 25th Anniversary.
- Lowkey celebrates 25 years of Ghostface Killah’s debut solo LP.
- Raekwon links with Ghostface, Nas, and Ebro to tell the story of his seminal solo debut.
- The Texas-based DJ is in for the Monday Motivation Mix.
- With the Internet rap sensation and Tyler, the Creator.
- Reminiscing about the Jackson 5.
About Ghostface Killah
With his unconventional delivery, gritty storytelling, and offbeat sense of humor, Wu-Tang Clan rapper and solo star Ghostface Killah is among the most respected MCs of all time. • During Wu-Tang’s early years, Ghostface Killah would cover his fast with a stocking cap. Rumors suggested he was wanted for robbery, but the mask was just part of his persona. • The name Ghostface comes from the 1979 kung-fu film Mystery of Chessboxing, while the rapper’s alias Tony Starks nods to the Marvel superhero Iron Man. • Ghost is the first rapper you hear on Wu-Tang’s classic 1993 debut Enter the Wu (36 Chambers). • After a supporting role on Wu bandmate Raekwon’s 1995 album Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…, Ghostface made his solo debut with 1996’s Ironman. The album hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and went platinum. • Each of the rapper’s first five albums, from Ironman to 2006’s critically acclaimed Fishscale, went Top 5 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. • Ghostface has appeared on TV series like 30 Rock and Luke Cage and in such films as Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story and .
- HOMETOWN
- Staten Island, NY, United States
- BORN
- May 9, 1970
- GENRE
- Hip-Hop/Rap