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GHOSTFACE
biography
Who’s gonna take the weight? In these days and times—the
last days—for a multitude of reasons, this is the question
at hand. And, if ever there was any doubt, the answer is,
of course, none other than Ghostface (the artist formerly
known as Ghostface Killah, or GFK, to friends). Armed with
his latest heat rock of an album, Fish Scale, which
boasts production from MF DOOM, Pete Rock, J.Dilla, MadLib,
and many others, the broad shouldered Ghost stands ready
and willing to carry the Wu Tang’s burden and return
rap to it’s proper course. “You know, niggas
try to come on that other shit,” he says of hip hop’s
growing ranks of imposters, “So I just had come back
to raw drugs, sex, money, and murder shit real quick to show
these young niggas how it’s s’possed to be done.”
And who better to kick the truth to the young black youth,
than Ghost, an artist more universally accepted than American
Express. “I know that niggas got love for me,” he
says. “Where ever I go, up north, down south, out west,
niggas show me love, because they respect me as a true artist.” In
an industry of swagger jackers and copy cats Ghost has always
stood for integrity and innovation and his unique wordplay
and unparalleled taste in beats has been demonstrated on
each of his four solo albums (Ironman, Supreme
Clientele, Bulletproof Wallets, The Pretty
Toney LP), as well as his contributions to the four
Wu Tang Clan albums, and perhaps most notably Raekwon’s
lauded classic, Only Built For Cuban Linx. “It
used to be all about originality and flipping new words,” he
says. “Now you got niggas all using the same words,
but I come from that Slick Rick era, that Biz Markie era
when everybody had to sound different, so my sound ain’t
like anybody else.”
Indeed, born and raised in Staten Island’s infamous
Stapleton project, Ghost, born Dennis Coles 34 years ago,
has always been a pioneer, even within his own crew. Though
it’s said that when Wu Tang Clan formed like Voltron
in 1992 that RZA was the head, undoubtedly Ghostface was
the body. “When RZA decided to form the Wu Tang I was
the one that knew everyone,” he says, “So I was
the link that brought everyone together and that’s
why I was an executive producer on 36 Chambers.” That
album would go on to go 3 times platinum and change the face
of rap music.
Though most rappers would be content with one earth-shattering
release, Ghost followed-up 36 Chambers with Cuban
Linx a short two years later and introduced the rap
game to crack game. “With the purple tape me and Rae
brought all that silk shirt, Cristal, wallabee shit to the
game,” he says. “We showed everyone how to do
that drug dealer, live nigga rap, you know what I mean.” Hailed
an unquestionable classic Cuban Linx set the tone
of rap for nearly a decade, and established the duo of Rae
and Ghost as hip hop’s most vivid, most visceral storytellers.
The next year GFK made his solo debut with Ironman,
and proved that, though he and Rae were an excellent team,
he could excel alone as well.
However, it was Supreme Clientele, Ghost’s
sophomore effort released in the wake of the Wu’s receding
relevance, which earned him his most accolades as a soloist
and set him apart from his Clan brethren. Judged to be one
to the top 10 albums of all time by VIBE magazine, Ghost’s ’99
effort also yielded him his most successful radio record, “Chercez
La Ghost.” Over the next five years Ghost would go
on to drop 2 more critically acclaimed albums, as well as
appearing prominently on the later Wu Tang Clan records.
While hip hop stays an ever changing creative environment,
over 10 years deep in the game Ghost remains one of the genre’s
few immovable, revered creators. “Fish Scale is
just me showing that I can still ball with the best of them,” he
says. “With each album I learn so this album has the
most knowledge of all of them.” Songs like “Kilo” and “Be
Easy” demonstrate this with their effortless brilliance.
Free of intoxicants (“I haven’t smoked in over
2 years,” says the one time psychedelic fanatic.),
Ghost’s flow is focused and free. “This album
is gonna put me back on top of everyone’s list,” he
says. “Ain’t nobody approaching they music with
the care that I do—down to the sequencing.”
As it always has, it’s this attention to detail which
will set Ghostface apart as he puts rap on his back and,
true to his superhero moniker, saves the day.
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