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Ghostface Killah first came to the world’s attention as one ninth of the Wu-Tang Clan, the now legendary New York Hip Hop super group. Unlike some of his fellow clansmen, he’s been able to embark on a solo career and achieve greatness of his own accord. While other members such as Raekwon have managed similar feats, Ghostface has repeated the achievement, from his solo debut ‘Ironman’ which entered the Billboard charts at #2, all the way up to his latest effort ‘Fishscale’ which many a purist has heralded as the finest release of the year.
With more aliases than Jennifer Garner, Ghostface is one of the true personalities left in the game. Not only is he known for donning robes, extravagant colours and flamboyant jewellery, but other than whoever invented hologram velcros, he’s one of the few people that have managed to make Clarks cool. When you add to this his animated flows, an easily identifiable voice, abstract lyricism and astute storytelling, it’s easy to see why some people view him almost as a modern day Slick Rick.
I’m going to try to avoid the “like wine” cliché, but Ghost is one of the few emcees who’ve gotten better with age. He’s managed to create a hybrid of mature rhymes coupled with gangster chronicles, where he still vividly depicts the gritty streets that raised him and which he still walks. Despite treading just short of forty, on track he remains filled with youthful vigour and an abundance of energy. This is shown on the RZA produced ‘Run’, where Ghost outshines his five years junior Jadakiss with his powerful and fast paced delivery.
As well as his solo and Wu-tang endeavours, Ghostface hasn’t forgotten about his crew, the Theodore Unit. Unlike many others who hit the big time and disregard those they came up with, or at best do a track or two to help bring them through, Ghost has recorded entire albums with Theodore Unit. It’s this selflessness that may be one of the reasons for how far he’s come.
The in store, show and meeting fans had left him somewhat subdued, so some brief answers were given in places, but like Clive Owen in Spike Lee’s ‘Inside Man’, gems were still dropped. Read on to find out what Ghostface had to say about his new album, J-Dilla, the return of the East Coast, the prospect of a new Wu album and much more….
You’ve been in the game for a long time and have a deep history, so we’re not going to delve too far into the past otherwise we’d be here all day. On that note, I think Fischscale’s a good place to start – On ‘The Champ’ there’s a voice that says, “you ain’t been hungry since Supreme Clientele”. Were you lacking hunger when working on ‘Bullet Proof Wallets’ and ‘The Pretty Toney Album’?
Nah, that wasn’t me losing no hunger, it’s just how the song went. Don’t get lost inside what he said. I mean that’s just something that he just said ya know what I mean?
Yeah, ya know what I mean, of course man…
I did an in store one day at Raw Deal or Deal Real…
Yeah. He gave me a CD and I listened to the CD and I liked the beats. Then we hooked up in New York…
Yeah, we hooked up and we did good.
Yeah. I’ve recorded… I wrote to a lot of his shit.
Yeah, most likely. Who knows on what though?
Nah. I heard his beats and I liked him and he was good.
Yeah yeah yeah, I liked his shit. He knew I was gunna do a song. That song. And ya know, he passed away by the time I was finished with it and everything and it was all wrapped up.
With Doom?
Doom… I was on Projekt Revolution with Linkin Park, Korn, Snoop Dogg and ‘em. Somebody passed me a CD. I didn’t know who he was. It was ‘Metal Fingers’ on there, but I had to do research ‘cause there was no number on there, and find out at the end of the day it was Doom. And I liked his beats.
Yeah.
We don’t know yet.
I think he’ll be rapping as well.
Yeah, yeah I will. Me and Raekwon. Rae and Ghost United!
Nah, they’re not hating ya nah mean? That’s just their opinion. But it’s all good ya know? I’m a universal MC. I do opera, ya feel me? I do country music, ya feel me? Just because you heard me doing this all my life that don’t mean ya know it ain’t other things. It’s like my mind is universal. Knowledge is infinite. So I do a lot of things ya know what I mean? I might come from fucking Mars on you, ya know what I mean? Ya never know.
Whatever. Whatever how God allows us to do, it’s whatever, ya nah mean? As long as people remember me, by me and what I did, and loving other people and respecting other people. I would like to be respected at the end of the day. Whatever way that turns out to be, then that’s what it is.
I don’t know, New York is trying to do it’s thing, we’re trying to come back ya know what I’m saying? But until that time comes, ya know, it’s gunna be what it’s gunna be. I’m only one man, but we’re trying, but we gotta get the whole Tri-States and everybody involved. Even on the east coast, not just New York…
Yeah.
That wasn’t really no diss man. I just did something and people blew it up. It wasn’t all that, it was just the way I felt; I wasn’t trying to diss ‘em.
I gave it to him right now.
Yeah. But they might hold it ‘cause they got a lot of artists coming out this summer. They might hold it ‘til January or February.
No no no, just all of my Theodore Unit niggas, ya know what I mean? Ya know, Redman, my man Sheek Louch from D-Block, my son Sun God ya know…
I mean, I don’t know yet, we’re going to see you know what I mean? We gotta give Jay-Z a chance. Ya know, he’s new, ya nah mean and he’s just trying to work his hand right now.
Yeah…when we all get our shit together. When we come back and agree on everything all the times. And a lot of shit that went on before the albums… ya nah mean… a couple of albums, once we disappear all that away, there will be another Wu-Tang album.
I mean, ya know… that’s my brother. It effected me because I love him and he’s not gunna be here and I’m not gunna see him no longer.
Because I see rappers like that a lot, ya know what I mean?
Yeah haha. I see rappers like that. But ya know, first of all he’s not a rapper ya nah mean? He’s just someone that was trying to rap, so you know, that’s what he be.
Me and Raekwon versus who?
Noreaga… What Noreaga?
What you say that for?
Yeah, he’s good. That’s my man and shit. Everybody got slang and their own shit. Ya nah mean? Ya know, we got stuff you ain’t heard of that’s probably crazy and shit. But you know, it’s all good. I can’t say who’s the best…
Yeah
‘Cause I wanted to change up... I wanted to change up.
Five hundred dollars.
You get some real gold, somebody that looks like me ya nah mean? It’s an exclusive, there ain’t gunna be that many. They might make a thousand or five hundred and that’s it, no more. It’s a collector’s item.
Nah, just watch out for me man. Theodore Unit. Ghostface is on the rise. Gotta grace to God…. Amen.
Before I go, I just have to say big up to my people Kaizsar, Karizma and the big bro MistaJam who both tore up the show, and a special thank you to Frost.
Hopefully Ghost managed to get a good night’s sleep after all of his hard work and with any luck ended up relaxing in a nice restaurant later in the week, where he’d finally be able to say, “Thank God it’s Friday”.
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© ukhh.com 2006
Ghostface Interview
I interviewed Ghost after a show and was pleasantly surprised to see my neighbour in Ghost’s dressing room with all of his work colleagues. They’d all served him at T.G.I. Friday’s so he hooked them up with VIP passes. This benevolence wasn’t a one off. During the day Ghost had been doing in stores, signing autographs and taking pictures; then he had another queue of people waiting to meet him in his dressing room. He did all of this not to further his career or to satisfy his ego, but to please his fans. He was extremely tired so didn’t appear to be overly enthusiastic, but that’s what made it all the more noble; he purely does it because he knows his fans will cherish the experience and look back on it for years to come. In the interview he said when he dies, he “would like to be respected at the end of the day”. This past Tuesday night, he definitely earned mine.
Will any of the other tracks ever be released anywhere?
I quite like ‘Back Like That’, but a few people say that for the typical Ghost it’s a bit soft. That’s something that I wouldn’t really agree with ‘cause you’ve always done RnB influenced stuff. So what would you say to the haters?
Basically the same producers: Madlib, Doom and all them niggas ya know? Shit like that. Phantom of the Opera, Stan of the Beats, a few other niggas…
Who?
Just before we get to the end – you’ve got a Ghostface doll out. I heard it was $300 or something?
Brief in parts, but some big news revealed nonetheless! Ghost’s one of the best doing it right now on a major scale, so I’m happy to hear that a new album’s already been submitted. Plus, it shouldn’t be too long until the joint with Doom comes out. It’s all about new Wu-Tang though. RZA’s been saying it’ll be the last album as the fans need closure, so hopefully they’ll go out with a bang.
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