By Odeisel

Lately, Hip-Hop has been all about convention, with label-driven stupidity forcing rappers to follow formulaic patterns leading to a very boring mainstream musical landscape. Intro track? Check. The club song? Got that. Can’t forget the track “for the ladies.” Sigh.

Every so often, we get an artist who gives the middle finger to convention. New forms of style and delivery or showmanship catch us by surprise and allow for new entrance. Sometimes this is sudden, like Busta’s Arsenio Hall Show performance, where it became clear that his star was much brighter than it was presently shining. Other times it’s a slow burn under the radar, confining the brilliance to those who have the lenses to watch supernovas from afar. Perhaps the greatest of these supernovas is Dennis Coles A.K.A. Tony Starks, the Iron Man. The Ghostface Killah.

Ghost was the very first voice you heard on the game-changing Enter the Wutang (36 Chambers), which is entirely appropriate, for as the other members either flamed out or failed to maintain their initial doggedness, Ghostface has managed tremendous reliability. As a character, he was visually stunning, initially appearing with face hidden by a mask; one of the illest gimmicks ever. It added not only an air of mystery to him, but also allowed the rumor mill to run. Was he on the run from the law or did he owe street money? You can’t discount mystique, and he had that in spades.

Rendered secondary on Chambers by sheer weight of numbers, he was not really given much spotlight. That would change quickly with his show stopping contribution to one of the top five Hip-Hop albums of all time: Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. While the album was Raekwon’s, it’s arguable that Ghostface was the true star of that album, including stellar performances on solo track “Wisdom Body” “Ice Water” and “Criminology.” Like many explorers and inventors, Ghost never truly reaped the benefits of his creativity, but without his half of Cuban Linx, on what platform does Biggie’s Frank White persona, Nas’ Escobar-powered It Was Written, and Jay-Z’s first work Reasonable Doubt stand? The raw realness of his delivery left little doubt as to his authenticity.

After contributing to a paradigm shift without even dropping a solo album, he went further with his solo release Iron Man. It was here that Coles began to show his true range as an artist. Aside from infusing the Supreme Alphabet and Mathematics into his rhymes, as well as Shaolin lingo, Ghostface introduced such a broad emotional range that you had to take note. From the raw anger of “WildFlower” to the intense soul-baring love letter of “All That I Got Is U,” Ghost manages to run the emotional gamut of pain, anger, celebration, and joy on a level that not many this side of Tupac could ever approach. Iron Man paradoxically showed one of the rawest, viscerally hardcore MC’s exposed as emotionally vulnerable. If that has ever happened elsewhere in Hip-Hop, I haven’t had the pleasure of witnessing it.

Stylistically, there were the flowing robes of a wrestler, and one of the single dopest pieces of jewelry ever, the golden eagle perched on his wrist. Iconic in imagery, and casting Ghostface Killah as a champion MC full of style and flair. Add to that the whimsical, head-scratching verses and you have the impetus for perhaps the longest run of solo Hip-Hip artist consistent excellence this side of Scarface and Jay-Z.

For an encore to Ironman, he stepped out of Raekwon’s periphery and brought along his own Theodore Unit for the classic Supreme Clientele. The hallmark of Ghostface’s catalog, Clientele was brilliantly paced, musically tight, and expertly delivered. Guest appearances were exquisitely organic, with no one sounding out of place; particularly the Lox powered “Metal Lungies.”

Ghostface occupies a world all his own, and is not solely reliant on crime rhyme like many of his contemporaries. His storytelling ability on “Can it Be Pt 2”, “Maxine,” and “Malcolm” were just early examples of Ghost’s skill. Rich layered narratives in the vein of Slick Rick, mixed with coke, and powered by soulful soundtracks came to characterize his albums.

Not content to keep the hardcore heads satisfied, the rangy MC has a number of R&B bangers including the Carl Thomas crooned “Never Be The Same Again” and the Beyonce hit “Summertime.” There are rumors of an entire R&B album of similar songs, and there’s no reason that Ghost, who is curiously listed as executive producer on most Wu-related releases, won’t be able to deliver.

As an MC, Ghostface Killah is inventive, emotive, fluid, stylish, and a fine storyteller. He melds grit with floss in a manner that is matchless in any era. He is noteworthy for his Wu-Tang contributions alone, and had he stopped at the Purple Tape, then his place in our history would have been secured. But he was greater than that. He has crafted perhaps the largest most consistently brilliant solo catalog of any hardcore MC; incredibly difficult considering, he doesn’t move an incredible amount of units. Now you see him, now you don’t. Ghostface Killah. The Invincible Iron Man.

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