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Ghostface Killah Introduction
Ghostface Killah is one of the most acclaimed rappers from the Wu-Tang Clan and has continued to release successful solo projects decades into his career. He has a unique flow and way with words that is tough to replicate, and he’s cemented himself as a certified hip-hop icon. My personal favorite Ghostface album is Supreme Clientele, although my favorite project he’s contributed to has to be Enter the Wu-Tang.
Despite all his success, he has had to overcome many obstacles to get to where he is today. Here is a look at the life and career of Ghostface Killah.
Ghostface Killah Quick Facts
Full name | Dennis Coles |
Birth Date | May 9th, 1970 |
Birthplace | Staten Island, New York |
Nick Name | Ghostface, Tony Starks |
Nationality | American |
Zodiac Sign | Taurus |
Siblings | 10+ |
Children | Dennis Ames, Supreme Intelligence Coles, Infinite Coles |
Partner / Spouse | Single |
Most Successful Songs /Albums | Ironman, Supreme Clientele |
Earnings | $4 million per year |
Net Worth | $17 million |
Social Media | IG: @realghostfacekillah TW; @ghostfacekillah |
Awards | 1 Grammy nomination |
Last Updated | 6/1/2022 |
Ghostface Killah Birthplace
Ghostface Killah was born on May 9th, 1970, in Staten Island, New York, in the Stapleton Housing Projects. The rapper has referenced his rough upbringing in Stapleton in numerous songs.
Ghostface Killah Parents
Not much is known about Ghost’s parents. His father abandoned the family when he was only six years old. His mother was an alcoholic who struggled to care for her many children in the dangerous Stapleton housing projects. So, growing up, Ghostface had to take on many adult responsibilities and fill in as the man of the house in his father’s absence.
Ghostface Killah Early Life
Ghostface had a pretty rough childhood. He had a large family and grew up in a three-bedroom apartment shared by 15 people. His mother struggled to make ends meet, and gifts and other luxuries were scarce. He also had two brothers with muscular dystrophy, who Ghost helped take care of after school. Without a proper role model, he was sucked into the street life as a teenager and did his first prison sentence when he was 15.
He went to junior high with Corey Woods, who would later be known as Raekwon, one of the other founding members of the Wu-Tang Clan.
Not long after, he was also introduced to Robert Diggs, aka the RZA, who also introduced Ghost to his cousins Gary Grice aka GZA, and Russell Jones, aka Ol Dirty Bastard. They all bonded over their love of music, comic books, and martial arts films. Many members of the Wu-Tang Clan would take inspiration from the karate flicks they would show at all-night theaters in New York City. Ghostface even got his rap name from a character of the same name in the 1979 Kung Fu film Mystery of Chessboxing.
Ghostface and the RZA were close friends and roommates, and together they recruited other local rappers who would later be known as Method Man, U-God, Masta Killa, and Inspectah Deck to form the Wu-Tang Clan.
Ghostface Killah Professional Career
Enter the Wu-Tang
The Wu-Tang Clan dropped their debut single, Protect Ya Neck, in 1992 and immediately turned heads for their unorthodox sound and approach to the rap game. A nine-member collective had never been seen before in hip hop and they immediately made an impression. The following year, the group released their debut album, Enter the Wu-Tang, to widespread critical acclaim.
Ghostface was featured prominently throughout the tracklist and appeared on nine out of the album’s thirteen tracks. He was an immediate fan favorite due to his technical ability and semi-stream-of-consciousness rap style.
The album was a landmark release and became a blueprint for the underground New York City rap scene. Enter the Wu-Tang is one of my all-time favorite albums because of its innovative sound and raw, authentic storytelling.
Only Built 4 Cuban Links…
After the success of their debut album as a group, they embarked on a series of solo albums to give the public a deeper understanding of each character in the Wu-Tang universe. Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… was released in August 1995 and featured frequent appearances from Ghostface throughout the album. He appears as a feature on 12 out of the 17 tracks, leading many fans to believe it was a collaborative project.
The two have a natural charisma, and Ghostface’s outlandish personality served as the perfect foil to Raekwon’s more reserved demeanor. The album received widespread acclaim from fans and critics and ranked side by side with the GZA’s Liquid Swords for the best Wu-Tang solo album.
Ironman
Ghostface made his debut in October 1996 with the album Ironman. The title referenced Ghostface’s alter ego Tony Starks aka Ironman, and drew heavy inspiration from comic book imagery and blacksploitation films. Ghost’s poetic lyricism and fast-paced flow received rave reviews from critics, and Ironman also ranks among the top Wu-Tang solo albums.
In 1997, Wu-Tang dropped their second group album, Wu-Tang Forever. The double album debuted at number one on Billboard and sold 612,000 copies in the first week. It also received favorable reviews and was nominated for a Grammy.
Supreme Clientelle
The success of that album kicked off another round of solo albums and side projects. Ghostface’s sophomore album Supreme Clientele was released in February 2000 to widespread critical acclaim. The project saw Ghostface refining his sound and trying a new approach with obscure slang and imaginative lyricism. The album spawned the single Cherchez La Ghost, which became a minor club hit and one of Ghostface’s most successful tracks.
The project is one of the most well-received of the second round of Wu-Tang solo albums, and it’s also my personal favorite Ghostface album. Ghost shows energy and creativity on this project which was starting to dwindle for many of the other members of the Wu-Tang at the time and established him as one of the most consistent solo artists in the group.
The W & Bulletproof Wallets
Later that year, the Wu-Tang Clan released their third group album, the W. The album was generally well-received by critics, but tensions within the group impeded their creative chemistry.
In 2001, Ghost followed up with the album Bulletproof Wallets. The project had a lighter, more R&B-inspired sound, a stark departure from the grimy, underground sound audience expected from the Wu-tang Clan. But it was still generally well-received and sparked the singles Flowers and Ghost Showers.
In 2003, Ghostface signed a deal with Def Jam Records and released the Pretty Tony album. Although it featured production from The RZA, no other Wu-Tang members appeared on the album. It was generally well-received, although the presence of Raekwon and other pivotal members of the group had fans disappointed.
Fish Scale
After that, he took some time off due to the birth of his first son. But he returned in 2006 with back-to-back albums Fishscale and More Fish. Unlike his previous album, Fishscale featured appearances from every member of the Wu-Tang Clan and production from MF Doom, who Ghostface was supposedly working on an album with at the time.
Fishscale debuted at number four on Billboard, Ghost’s highest-charting album since the early days of the Wu-Tang, and received near-universal acclaim from critics. The album was a testament to Ghost’s consistency and showed that he could continue to innovate and refine his sound well into his career. The album was so successful that he decided to drop a follow-up, More Fish, later that same year.
Later Career
Over the years, Ghostface has continued refining his sound and delivering hard-hitting albums that showcase his creativity and versatility. In 2009, he reunited with Raekwon for Only Built 4 Cuban Links II, a project that was well-received by fans and critics. The following year, he also appeared on the album Wu Massacre, alongside Raekwon and Method Man. He also released projects like the Big Doe Rehab, Ghostdini, and Apollo Kids as a solo artist.
In 2013, he released a concept album called 12 Reasons to Die, followed by a sequel in 2015. The album’s plotline follows Ghost’s character Tony Starks, who is murdered by an Italian crime family after falling in love with the boss’s daughter. Fans and critics praised Ghost’s ability to innovate and tell a captivating story through his music.
Ghostface’s influence on hip hop is well documented, and he’s an artist who has shown tremendous longevity in the industry. He continues to release music and was recently featured on the Kendrick Lamar song Purple Hearts from the album Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers.
Ghostface Killah Family
Ghostface Killah has three sons and one daughter. Like most other members of the Wu-Tang Clan, Ghost has kept his family mainly out of the spotlight. However, all of his sons have decided to follow in his footsteps as rappers in their own right. His oldest son Dennis Ames is a rapper who performs as Sun God. His two other sons go by their given names, Supreme Intelligence and Infinite Coles. Ghost has never revealed the name and identity of his daughter.
Ghostface Killah Dating and Relationship History
Just like his family life, Ghostface has mostly kept his relationship history private. He has had a few public relationships and even dated RZA’s sister Sophia Diggs. Rumors say Sophia and Ghost were briefly married, and she may be the mother of some of his children, although this has not been confirmed.
He also appeared on the VH1 series couples therapy in 2014 with his then-girlfriend Kelsey Nykole. In one of the episodes, Ghost admitted that he was also in a relationship with another woman named Latrice. It’s believed that Ghostface is currently single.
Ghostface Killah Controversies and Scandals
In 2011, Ghostface was sued by Jack Urbont, the composer for many of the Marvel superhero theme songs, for improper use of the Iron Man theme, which he wrote. But, the court later ruled in Ghost’s favor, claiming that Marvel Entertainment owned the rights to the song, not Urbont.
In 2015, Ghostface was briefly engaged in a feud with Queens-based rapper Action Bronson. Bronson and Ghostface often faced comparisons due to their heavy New York accent and a similar flow. While on ESPN’s Sports Nation, Bronson was asked whether the comparisons bothered him.
Bronson said that he wasn’t bothered by it and called Ghostface one of the greats. But he did throw a slight bit of shade at the end of the segment, claiming that he wasn’t rapping at his level anymore.
After the segment aired, Ghostface fired back in a video where he verbally threatened Bronson and claimed that the Queens rapper could never compare to him. The six-minute rant featured a Teddy Pendergrass song in the background and immediately went viral.
Bronson quickly apologized and admitted he was wrong. Years later, Ghost also admitted that there was no bad blood and it was all love, even though they hadn’t seen each other.
Ghostface Killah’s Net Worth and Career Earnings
Ghostface is estimated to have around $17 million, the third-highest of all the Wu-Tang members after RZA and GZA. Most of his wealth comes from his touring and his music catalog. He owns his record label, Starks Enterprises, and has also released 13 solo albums and five collaborative albums throughout his career.
Ghostface Killah’s Famous Quotes
“Why is the sky blue? Why is water wet? Why did Judas rat the Romans while Jesus slept?” – Ghostface Killah
“Sometimes I look up at the stars and analyze the sky and ask was I was I meant to be here…why?”- Ghostface Killah
“When you love what you do, more than likely everything is gonna come out decent” – Ghostface.
Ghostface Killah FAQs
Answer: Ghostface is not biologically related to any of the members of the Wu-Tang clan, although he is childhood friends with Raekwon and RZA. Many of the other members of Wu-Tang are actually from the nearby Park Hill Projects, who are Stapleton’s rivals. But they managed to get past their neighborhood beef and become lifelong friends.
Answer: Yes, Ghostface is still a member of the Wu-Tang Clan. Although they’ve had their creative differences over the years, the group never actually broke up. They have since shifted gears to focus on solo projects and haven’t released an official group album since 2014’s A Better Tomorrow (besides Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, a rare collector’s item). So, while there are no plans for another Wu-Tang album any time soon, it’s always a possibility.
Answer: Each fan has their own opinion as to who is their favorite member. Part of what made them so iconic was that they each had their style and personality that added something unique. But, Ghostface is certainly among the most consistent and prolific with his music output. His albums still tend to receive consistent critical acclaim, which isn’t the case for every member.