This day marks the 20th-year anniversary of the day Wu-Tang Clan's Ghostface Killah made his memorable debut with his 1996 solo album, Ironman.
Showcasing singles produced by fellow Wu-Tang Clansman, RZA, the sixteen-track record offered sounds heavily-infused with blaxploitation flicks and soul samples.
Setting himself apart from other clan members and their debuts, Ghostface's themes and lyrics followed more along the lines of Gods and Earths, as well as their relationship to the nations. This drew attention from critics, who then praised the album for the rapper's imaginative content, which was essentially complimented by the style RZA produced.
The album also revealed another distinguishing feature set apart from previous Wu-Tang solo debuts and projects. Whereas the latter present themselves as seemingly-invincible, fans come across Ghostface's introspect lyricism, exposed and vulnerable, perhaps most visible on the track, “All That I Got Is You”, which features the rapper expressing a heartfelt tribute to his mother.
Despite this, Ghostface Killah's style as a soloist doesn't deviate entirely from the Wu-Tang grit and steel, listing songs advocating messages from life on the streets as well as the nefarious organizations lurking behind criminal activity. Ghostface also flaunts his distinct narrative skills through the song, “260”.
Add all that to the Wu-Tang Clansman's iconic, rapid-fire, magnum-caliber, stream-of-consciousness rhyme schemes, and the result is Ghostface Killa's groundbreaking debut album, Ironman.
The album sold 156,000 copies in its premier week, debuting at #2 on both the Billboard 200 and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, imminently attaining RIAA Gold, and winning the acclaim from several reviews, as “vivid and complex,” “inventive”, “unpredictable and vital-sounding”, and to many, perhaps “the greatest Wu-Tang solo debut of all time.”
By Jods Arboleda for RAPStation.com
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