Ghostface Killah

Before hip-hop sold its soul to the mainstream, groups like the Wu-Tang Clan moved the masses with their grizzly Staten Island-bred battle cries. Through the righteous wordplay first heard on their 1993 debut, the nine-man unit counter-cultured the recording industry with a brand of authenticity that has yet to be matched. There is no question that the man who embodies the Wu’s coveted abstract essence is Ghostface Killah, who solidified his urban legend with his classic solo debut Ironman, and the acclaimed follow up, Supreme Clientele. Thankfully, rap music’s soul child has come back in a flash, and he’s armed with an arsenal of wildly creative compositions on his latest peace offering, Bulletproof Wallets.

Unlike the majority of the industries throwaway catchy bars-n-hooks rhymers, the Holy Ghost is not afraid to let his heart bleed all over a track. “To me, making songs is like giving birth to children,” shares Ghost. “They all have different faces, but it’s still the same bloodline. I don’t like all this new school shit. I’m a soul baby so I love old-school music. I write off of Marvin Gaye, Al Green. That’s what brings it up outta me.”

Rap fans have already gotten a tantalizing sneak peek of what lies ahead with the release of Bulletproof Wallets’ first single, “Never Be The Same Again.” The smooth track, which features the emotional voice of R&B star Carl Thomas, finds Ghost confronting a former lover who has done him wrong. The accompanying music video, directed by Nick Quested, succeeds in showing on film the stormy relationship that Ghost has detailed so well with his words.

With beats from world renown track stars like the Alchemist (who produced “The Forest,” a fairy-tailed fluttering flute lined track where Ghost spins crazed tales of animated mayhem as clear as Walt Disney), longtime Wu-boardsman, Mathematics, and of course the RZA, Ghostface revels in inspiration. “I choose beats like my women,” explains Ghost. “I’m picky. A lot of women don’t turn me on like that just like a lot of beats don’t turn me on. But when I find ’em, I know what to do with ’em.”

As far as featured guests, Ghost keeps his rhyme circle tight, sharing his precious songs with a chosen few. The list includes Raekwon (who appears on more than half the tracks), as well as newcomers Trife and Polite. But perhaps one of the greatest collaborations to ever be recorded on wax can be found on “The Sun,” where the mighty Slick Rick, Ghostface, Raekwon and RZA take turns praising the warm beauty of sunshine. “That joint is just about how the sun is like so beautiful. You’re gonna feel like sunshine when you play it in your car ­ you’re gonna love it,” smiles Ghost.

Although Ghost does pay tribute to many of the Earth’s blessings, Bulletproof Wallets, is not all “sun and games.” The self-produced banger “The Watch” finds G-Dini leading listeners through a wildly inventive conversation with time. “Maxine,” another RZA produced sure shot, will have Only Built 4 Cuban Linx fanatics licking their chops, as Ghost and Rae narrate the ill-fated luck of a crazed crackhead. Later, Method Man, Rae and Ghost team up to drop some of that “ol’ fly shit” on the seductive, roller-rink hummer, “Flowers.” “I’m trying to bring it back to 1988 for me and my people,” says Ghost in between deep pulls off his Newport cigarette. “That was the age of getting money, looking fly, the whole dress code. Shit is something else out there right now, it’s like some 1905 shitŠ.it’s all bullshit.”

With his solo career firmly in check, Ghost will take time helping Raekwon complete his forthcoming solo project, before reuniting with his Wu-Tang brethren to record the group’s fourth studio album. The reason for Ghost’s longevity and solid fan base in the rap game isn’t as mysterious as his name would suggest. In fact, in the words of Ghostface himself, the answer is rather simple: ” People just like the things I talk about. Even if people didn’t know what I was talking about, they just loved how I bounce on a trackŠthe hood could relate to it.”

“When I write, I write to win. Fuck the appearance, I write it for you to feel it,” attests Ghost. “All my shit I do is bulletproof. I’m more or less into how it sounds. I could name an album “Argentina” and people would love it ’cause how pretty it sounds.” As a result, Bulletproof Wallets is yet another masterminded effort by one of the game’s most honorable wordsmiths. Anything else would be uncivilized.