Profile of Ghostface Killah on Famous Like Me

Ghostface Killah (born Dennis Coles, May 9, 1970) is a rapper and member of the Wu-Tang Clan. After the Wu-Tang achieved breakthrough commercial success in the early 1990s, Ghostface Killah, like his clan-mates, began a solo career, which turned out to be one of the most critically and commercially successful solo careers of the group members. He also frequently goes by the alias of Tony Starks, taken from the real identity of super hero Iron Man, Tony Stark.

Biography

As a solo artist, he first appeared on Only Built 4 Cuban Linx (with clan-mate Raekwon, 1995, see 1995 in music), then on the soundtracks to Sunset Park and Don't Be A Menace To South Central While Drinking Your Juice In The Hood. His first solo LP was Iron Man in 1996 (see 1996 in music), which was successful in hip hop circles and debuted at #2 on the pop charts. It had more of a pronounced soul influence (particularly 1970s soul) than previous Wu-Tang solo releases, and Ghostface's future albums would continue this stylistic trait.

Ghostface became well-known for both his uptempo, seemingly indecipherable stream-of-consciousness raps and, later in his career, for his very emotionally charged delivery (first seen on the Wu-Tang Clan track "Impossible"). His follow-up to Ironman was Supreme Clientele in 2000 (see 2000 in music), which was critically acclaimed by both mainstream critics and hip hop enthusiasts. "Cherchez La Ghost", a single off the album, became a minor club hit, and the sentimental "Child's Play" brought Ghostface numerous comparisons with Slick Rick.

Ghostface wasted little time in recording his next album, the heavily R&B-influenced Bulletproof Wallets which was released a year after Supreme Clientele. He had another minor club hit with "Flowers" (meaning rappers, people who "flow" lyrically, rather than a reference to horticulture) which featured guest vocals from fellow Wu-Tang members Method Man and Raekwon.

In April of 2004, The Pretty Toney Album was released on Def Jam; it featured collaborations with Missy Elliott and Jadakiss and was Ghostface's first album to be credited to "Ghostface" rather than "Ghostface Killah". "Tush" and "Run", two singles taken from The Pretty Toney Album, achieved moderate success in the clubs and the charts. Ghostface also appeared on the track "On My Knees" by UK R&B group The 411 which became a hit in the UK and Australia, and released an album titled 718 with a group of his proteges, calling themselves The Theodore Unit. Ghostface's next solo album will be titled Fishscales and is due to be released in late 2005 or early 2006.

Though Ghostface has had little mainstream success musically, he has managed to make something of an impression on mainstream pop culture, similarly to his fellow Wu-Tang Clansmen ODB and Method Man. In a 2000 episode of SNL, Ana Gasteyer, in character as Martha Stewart, proclaimed that she was cutting her ties as spokesperson for K-Mart because the chain had refused to stock the latest album by her "homie" Ghostface Killah.

Samples

• Download sample of "Daytona 500" from Ironman, one of Ghostface's most well known solo tracks and one typical of his often arcane lyrical style.
• Download sample of "Child's Play" from Supreme Clientele, a track typical of the emotionally charged, sentimental style seen in much of Ghostface's later work.

Aliases

• Sun God
• Tony Starks (from the comic Iron Man)
• Ghostface
• Pretty Toney
• Tone-Tanna
• General Tony Starks
• Starkey Love
• Wally Champ
• Ironman (from the comic Iron Man)
• Black Jesus
• Ghost Deini (or G-Deini)

Discography

Albums

• 1996 Ironman
• 2000 Supreme Clientele
• 2001 Bulletproof Wallets
• 2004 The Pretty Toney Album

Singles & EPs

• 1996 "Daytona 500"
• 1996 "All I Got Is You" (featuring Mary J. Blige)
• 2000 "Cherchez La Ghost"
• 2001 "Never Be The Same Again"
• 2001 "Flowers"
• 2003 "Gorilla Hood"
• 2004 "Tush" (featuring Missy Elliott)
• 2004 "Run"
• 2005 "Be Easy"

Appears On

• 1993 Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers (album by the Wu-Tang Clan)

• 1995 "Brooklyn Zoo II" (from the Ol' Dirty Bastard album Return To The 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version)
• 1995 Only Built 4 Cuban Linx (album by Raekwon)
• 1995 "Investigative Reports" & "4th Chamber" (from the GZA album Liquid Swords)
• 1995 "Right Back At You" (from the Mobb Deep album The Infamous)
• 1997 Wu-Tang Forever (album by the Wu-Tang Clan)
• 1998 "'97 Mentality" (from the Cappadonna album ""The Pillage"")
• 1998 "Oh Donna" (from the Cappadonna album The Pillage)
• 1998 "Wu Blood-Kin" (from the La the Darkman album Heist Of The Century)
• 1999 "Spanish Fly" & "Holocaust (Silkworm)" (from the RZA album Bobby Digital In Stereo)
• 1999 "Run 4 Cover" (from the Method Man & Redman album Blackout!)
• 1999 "The Game" (from the Pete Rock album Soul Survivor)
• 1999 "Da Connection" (from the Beatminerz album Brace 4 Impak)
• 2000 "The Heist" (from the Busta Rhymes album Anarchy)
• 2000 The W (album by the Wu-Tang Clan)
• 2001 "Super Model" (from the Cappadonna album The Yin & The Yang)
• 2001 Iron Flag (album by the Wu-Tang Clan)
• 2002 "Saviorz Day" (from the Sunz Of Man album Saviorz Day)
• 2002 "Silent" (from the GZA album Legend of the Liquid Sword)
• 2003 "Fast Cars" (from the RZA album Birth Of A Prince)
• 2003 "Missing Watch" & "Clientele Kids" (from the Raekwon album The Lex Diamonds Story)
• 2004 "Afterparty" (from the Method Man album Tical 0: The Prequel)
• 2004 "On My Knees" (single from the 411 album Between the Sheets)
• 2004 "D.T.D." (from the Masta Killa album No Said Date)
• 2004 "Tony/Montana" (from the Cormega album Legal Hustle Vol. 1)
• 2004 "He Comes" (from the De La Soul album The Grind Date)
• 2004 Disciples of the 36 Chambers: Chapter 1 (album by the Wu-Tang Clan)
• 2005 "Hideyaface" (from the Prefuse 73 album Surrounded By Silence)
• 2005 "The Mask" (from the Dangerdoom album The Mouse & The Mask)
• 2005 "Strawberries & Cream", "Real Nillaz" and "U.S.A" (from the Mathematics album The Problem)
• 2005 "New York" (from the AZ album A.W.O.L)

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