Ghostface Killah | |
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.jpg) Ghostface Killah performing in 2010 | |
| Born | Dennis David Coles (1970-05-09)May 9, 1970 (age 55)[1] New York City, U.S. |
| Other names | |
| Occupation | Rapper |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Children | 3 |
| Relatives | Shyheim (cousin)[4] |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Works | Ghostface Killah discography |
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Dennis David Coles (born May 9, 1970),[5] better known by his stage nameGhostface Killah, is an Americanrapper and a member of the hip hop groupWu-Tang Clan.[6] After the group achieved breakthrough success in the aftermath ofEnter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), the members went on to pursue solo careers to varying levels of success. Ghostface Killah debuted his solo career withIronman, which was well received by music critics, in 1996. He has enjoyed continued success in the years that have followed, releasing critically acclaimed albums such asSupreme Clientele (2000) andFishscale (2006). His stage name was taken from one of the characters in the 1979kung fu filmThe Mystery of Chess Boxing.[7][8] He is the founder of his ownrecord label, Starks Enterprises.
Ghostface Killah is critically acclaimed[9][10] for his loud, fast-pacedflow,[11] and his emotionalstream-of-consciousness narratives containing crypticslang andnon-sequiturs.[11][12] In 2006,MTV included him as an "honourable mention" on their list of the "Greatest MCs of All Time",[13] while the editors ofAbout.com placed him on their list of the "Top 50 MCs of Our Time (1987–2007)", calling him "one of the most imaginative storytellers of our time."[14]Q magazine called him "rap's finest storyteller".[15]Pitchfork has stated that "Ghostface has unparalleled storytelling instincts; he might be the best, most colorful storyteller rap has ever seen."[16]NPR has called him "a compulsive storyteller", and asserts that "his fiction ispainterly."[17]
Ghostface grew up in theStapleton Houses housing project inStapleton,Staten Island, New York City,[18] helping with daily care of two younger brothers who had muscular dystrophy.[19] The 2019 seriesWu-Tang: An American Saga depicts a feud between him and fellow Clan memberRaekwon; however the feud was purely fictional and never took place in reality. Raekwon and Ghostface attended junior high school together.[20]
A roommate of Wu-Tang founderRZA, Ghostface helped bring together the other seven members. In 1995, Ghostface guest-starred extensively on fellow Clan memberRaekwon's debut album,Only Built 4 Cuban Linx..., appearing on almost every song and receiving nearly equal billing.[21] "It felt good to have my boy next to me, Ghostface, who basically comes from the same lifestyle as I come from. And we were able to sit down and concoct an idea that we both were able to respect and basically get everybody in the crew involved...", said Raekwon about Ghostface's involvement in the project. Raekwon intendedOnly Built 4 Cuban Linx... to play like a film, with himself as the "star", Ghostface Killah as the "guest star" and producer RZA as the "director".[22] He also contributed songs to theSunset Park andDon't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood soundtracks; both songs were included on his first solo LP,Ironman, in 1996. The album, which debuted at No. 2 on theBillboard 200, had a more pronouncedsoul influence (particularly 1970s soul) than previous Wu-Tang releases, and Ghostface's future albums would continue to feature this stylistic trait.[23][24] He readily and regularly took on the role of executive producer for many collective efforts as well along with RZA and Oli Power Grant.
In the year 2000, Ghostface released his second studio album,Supreme Clientele. The album was well received by critics, and peaked at No. 7 on theBillboard 200.[25] It included "Apollo Kids", a popular single which featured Raekwon and had a sample of "Cool Breeze" bySolomon Burke.[26] "Cherchez La Ghost", another single off the album, became a minor club hit.[27]Supreme Clientele marked a turning point in terms of RZA's influence on Ghostface's sound, as only six songs on it are produced by RZA, whereas onIronman, its predecessor, every song but one is produced by RZA. Although he contributed fewer beats to the project than toIronman, RZA personally oversaw the mixing and production of the album as a whole, thereby contributing toSupreme Clientele's unified sound.[28]
Ghostface wasted little time in recording his next album, the heavilyR&B-influencedBulletproof Wallets, released a year afterSupreme Clientele. Its main single, "Never Be the Same Again", featured Raekwon andCarl Thomas. It produced another minor club hit, "Flowers", which featured guest vocals from fellow Wu-Tang membersMethod Man and Raekwon, and a popular single, "Ghost Showers" which featured Madame Majestic, whose other key claim to fame is that she sings on the popular Wu-Tang track "Gravel Pit".[29]
In 2003, Ghostface signed withDef Jam Records. After temporarily dropping "Killah" from his stage name, Ghostface releasedThe Pretty Toney Album in April 2004. The album, while containing two RZA productions, featured none of the Clan; instead, it featured collaborations withMissy Elliott,D-Block, andJacki-O. The singles "Tush" and "Run", which were collaborations with Missy andJadakiss respectively, achieved moderate success in the clubs and on the charts, and the album was featured on numerous "best of the year" lists; for instance, it wasPitchfork's No. 9 album of the year.[30] Ghostface also appeared on the track "On My Knees" byUK R&B groupthe 411; the song became a hit in the UK andAustralia. Ghostface then released an album entitled718 (after the Staten Islandarea code) with a group of his protégés, theTheodore Unit. Ghostface also appeared on "He Comes" by De La Soul, onThe Grind Date. In November 2005, Ghostface and Theodore Unit's breakout starTrife Da God released a joint project,Put It on the Line.
In 2006, Ghostface teamed up with underground artistMF Doom for a still-unreleased album entitledSwift & Changeable. MF Doom also produced several songs for Ghostface's 2006 albumFishscale, on which he chose to revert to the stage name "Ghostface Killah", rather than just "Ghostface". The album debuted strongly, appearing at the No. 4 position on the U.S.Billboard 200 and at No. 2 on the R&B charts,[31] the rapper's most auspicious chart showing since the heyday of the Wu-Tang Clan and the release of his solo debut. The album also received near-unanimous positive reviews. Ghostface embarked on a limited-date tour of U.S. venues in support of the album, performing several of his concerts together with most of the other members of the Wu-Tang Clan.
In 2007, Ghostface provided the theme song for the Irish animated seriesSkunk Fu! that ran onKids' WB. On December 4, 2007, Ghostface released his seventh solo studio album,The Big Doe Rehab.
In a May 2008 interview, Ghostface Killah stated that he would make anR&B-inspired album in the vein of certain tracks he had done before with artists such asNe-Yo andJodeci.[32][33] That album would become his eighth studio album,Ghostdini: Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City, which won good reviews from music critics. It featured singles such as "Baby" and "Do Over". In March 2009, Ghostface responded to theRihanna/Chris Brown controversy by recording a song, "Message from Ghostface", which was dedicated to women in abusive relationships.
In a May 2009 interview withRolling Stone, Raekwon indicated that Ghostface Killah was preparing to release a new album. In response to a question asking if the Wu-Tang Clan were going to release a follow-up to8 Diagrams, Raekwon stated, "Everybody's doing different things right now — you got Meth [Method Man] coming out withan album, you got Ghostface coming out with an album, some guys working on their projects, some guys getting into the film world, everybody is multi-tasking right now."[34] Ghostface appeared on a total of 8 songs on Raekwon's highly anticipated release ofOnly Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. II.
Shortly after the release ofOnly Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. II, Def Jam contracted Raekwon to work with their label artists Method Man and Ghostface Killah on an album which later received the titleWu-Massacre. Production began in November 2009.Wu-Massacre was released March 30, 2010 to generally positive reviews from music critics; this time, however, reviews were more mixed, with some critics objecting to the 30-minute-long album's rushed feel. With heavy promotion, it sold 37,900 units in its first week; it has sold 64,000 units as of May 12, 2010. It features production fromScram Jones, Mathematics, and The RZA, who produced the album's lead single, "Our Dreams".
In 2010, Ghostface confirmed that he would be releasing two new studio albums,Apollo Kids and one which would serve as a sequel to his 2000 albumSupreme Clientele.[35] In 2011, Ghostface Killah featured on UK artistJosh Osho's debut single "Redemption Days".
Ghostface released a collaborative album withD-Block memberSheek Louch calledWu Block.[36] The album was released on November 27, 2012, onE1 Music and debuted at number 73 on the US Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 8,600 copies in the United States.[37] It fell to No. 152 in its second week selling 4,200 more copies.[38] In January 2017, Ghostface and Sheek Louch announced on their respective social media accounts that a second collaborative album was in the works.[39]
In an interview withComplex Magazine on November 17, 2012, Ghostface confirmed that he had left Def Jam, makingApollo Kids his last album on the label. In the same interview, he also stated thatBlue & Cream, the sequel to his critically acclaimed albumSupreme Clientele, was 80-85 percent done. On April 16, 2013, Ghostface released his tenth albumTwelve Reasons to Die which was produced byAdrian Younge and executive produced by RZA.[40][41][42] The album was released in various formats such asCD,vinyl andcassette under RZA'sSoul Temple Records. The deluxe digital and CD versions also came with a comic book.[40]
He would later announce that the sequel toSupreme Clientele would be released between July and September 2013[43] and that his collaborative album with MF Doom would be released around Halloween 2013[44][45] though neither projects materialized. In January 2014, he appeared on theVH1 seriesCouples Therapy with his girlfriend Kelsey Nykole.[46] Later that year Ghostface announced he would be releasing his eleventh album titled36 Seasons in December 2014.[47] He collaborated with Canadian jazz bandBADBADNOTGOOD on an album titledSour Soul, which was released in 2015 which earned a nomination for the2015 Polaris Music Prize.
A sequel toTwelve Reasons to Die, simply titledTwelve Reasons to Die II, was released on July 10, 2015.[48]
Ghostface had a string of UK and European tour dates[49] scheduled in 2016.
Ghostface provided vocals on the song "Purple Hearts" from Kendrick Lamar's albumMr. Morale & The Big Steppers in 2022.
In January 2023, Ghostface partnered withKano Computing to release exclusive music, videos, meetings, and concerts on theStem Player.[50]
In May 2024, Ghostface released his 12th studio album,Set the Tone (Guns & Roses).
In 1995, Coles was issued an arrest warrant for robbery. In December 1997, Coles was arrested for weapons possession after being pulled over for a traffic violation whereby police claimed that Coles got out of the car and became verbally abusive. He was wearing a bulletproof vest which gave them probable cause to search him and his car where they found a.357 Magnum handgun and he was charged with third-degree criminal possession of a weapon.[51] In February 1999, Coles was issued a 6-month sentence for attempted robbery,[52][53] and later pleaded guilty to an additional charge of weapons possession and was issued five years of probation with four months of prison time.[54]
In July 2011, Coles was sued byJack Urbont for copyright violation stemming from the "improper use" of the 1960s "Iron Man" theme song, which Urbont claimed as his own. Urbont also took issue with Coles' appropriation of the Iron Man brand name.[55] Coles was granted summary judgment on the lawsuit in April 2015, which stated thatMarvel Entertainment, owners of the Iron Man character and brand, owned the "Iron Man" theme song, not Urbont.[56]
In August 2011, Coles filed a lawsuit against Universal Music for unpaid royalties.[57]
Like fellow Wu-Tang Clan memberRaekwon, Coles is a convert toIslam,[58][59] having converted in 2004.[60] Ghostface is the father of rappers Sun God and Supreme,[61][62] and singer Infinite Coles.[63]
Ghostface Killah, like most members of the Wu-Tang clan, rapped under several personae, each with their own name, mythology and influences. Some recurring aliases:
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