Dennis Coles (born May 9, 1970),[1] better known by his stage name Ghostface Killah, is an American rapper and prominent member of the Wu-Tang Clan.[2] After the group achieved breakthrough success in the aftermath of Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), the members went on to pursue solo careers to varying levels of success. Ghostface Killah debuted his solo-career with Ironman in 1996, which was well received by music critics. He has continued his success over the following years with critically acclaimed albums such as Supreme Clientele (2000) and FishScale (2006). His stage name was taken from one of the characters in the 1979 kung fu film Mystery of Chessboxing.[3] He is the founder of his own label Starks Enterprises.
Ghostface Killah is critically acclaimed[4][5] for his loud, fast-paced flow,[3] and his emotional stream-of-consciousness narratives containing cryptic slang and non-sequiturs.[3][6] In 2006, MTV included him on their honorable mention list of The Greatest MCs of All Time,[7] while the editors of About.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."[8] Q magazine called him "rap's finest storyteller."[9] Pitchfork Media stated that, "Ghostface has unparalleled storytelling instincts; he might be the best, most colorful storyteller rap has ever seen."[10] NPR called him "a compulsive storyteller", and asserted, "His fiction is painterly."[11]
Early life[]
Career[]
Personal life[]
Discography[]
Studio albums[]
- Ironman (1996)
- Supreme Clientele (2000)
- Bulletproof Wallets (2001)
- The Pretty Toney Album (2004)
- Fishscale (2006)
- More Fish (2006)
- The Big Doe Rehab (2007)
- Ghostdini: Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City (2009)
- Apollo Kids (2010)
- Twelve Reasons to Die (2013)
- 36 Seasons (2014)
- Twelve Reasons to Die II (2015)
- The Lost Tapes (2018)
Collaboration albums[]
- 718 with Theodore Unit (2004)
- Put it on the Line with Trife Diesel (2005)
- Wu-Massacre with Method Man and Raekwon (2010)
- Wu Block with Sheek Louch (2012)
- Sour Soul with BADBADNOTGOOD (2015)
- Czarface Meets Ghostface with Czarface (2019)
Further reading[]
- ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Ghostface Killah - Biography. AllMusic. Retrieved on January 3, 2009.
- ↑ Overview: Ghostface Killah. AllMusic. Retrieved October 16, 2010.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Frere-Jones, Sasha (March 20, 2006). Ghost's World. The New Yorker. Retrieved on August 6, 2009.
- ↑ Brown, Marisa (2007). The Big Doe Rehab: Review. Allmusic. Retrieved on August 6, 2009.
- ↑ O'Donnell, Mallory (December 14, 2006). More Fish. Stylus Magazine. Retrieved on August 6, 2009.
- ↑ Dombal, Ryan (March 31, 2006). "Ghost' Writer". EW.com. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,1178775,00.html. Retrieved August 6, 2009.
- ↑ The Greatest MCs Of All Time. MTV.com (2006-03-09). Retrieved on April 24, 2014.
- ↑ Top 50 MCs of Our Time: 1987 - 2007 - 50 Greatest Emcees of Our Time. Rap.about.com (January 26, 2012). Retrieved on March 30, 2012.
- ↑ Ghostface Killah - Fishscale CD Album. Cduniverse.com (March 28, 2006). Retrieved on March 30, 2012.
- ↑ Ghostface Killah & Adrian Younge: Twelve Reasons to Die | Album Reviews. Pitchfork (2013-04-18). Retrieved on May 20, 2013.
- ↑ The Ghostface Killah Rises Again : The Record. NPR (2013-04-22). Retrieved on May 20, 2013.