Wu-Tang Classics: Ghostface Killah's Ironman

When Ghostface Killah broke out on the scene, he was forced to conceal his face behind a bandana because he was a wanted man-rumored to be a killer. That was Wu-Tang's "Enter the 36 chambers," his one shot to shine, to make a life for himself outside of crime and ducking warrants. He would eventually debut at number 2 on the Billboard 200 (under the rap genre) with the now infamous "Ironman."

The album commences with a minute-plus worth of audio from some uknown (to most listeners) blacksploitation film, featuring dialogue between two young hoodlums, one of which is relaying a message from "Smokey... in the slam."

This dialogue sets the tone for most of "Ironman," being that Ghostface Killah is straight gangsta. Many of the tracks on the album do a perfectly good job of conveying this; "Daytona 500," "Box in Hand," and "Black Jesus." All of the tracks on "Ironman," however, take gangsta to new heights, and an example of that would be xxxx with lyrics like ..... Ghostface Killah never ceases to exercise original and creative metaphors.

But Ghostface Killah's beats also play a significant role in making "Ironman" a must-have for all those who've ever been exposed to hip hop. In fact, it's one of hip hop's finest. The album is even worth owning in instrumental form because of the beats. What's most interesting about "Ironman's" beats is their mixed so well. Not only are they produced successfully, with crisp highs and thumping lows, but they musical combinations are borderline experimental. What matters with the "Ironman" beats, however, is what could be considered their artist value; all of the mixes manage to combine sounds that evoke a soft side-a humanistic element that's too often left out of rap songs, let alone albums.

Still, it's the appearances of other Wu-Tang members on this, the first Ghostface Killah solo release, that makes "Ironman" a Wu-Tang classic. Memorable lines from members like the Method Man, Raekwon the Chef, and the Rza can still be recalled verbatim by many Wu-Tang fans. In fact, one of the Rza's greatest performances can be found on "Marvel" the seven-minute outro track to "Iron Man." "Marvel" should definitely be considered one of Ghostface Killah's greatest hits.

"Ironman" came out in 19xx, so the cover of the album, which features Ghostface Killah and friends dressed in tacky cross-color outfits, can be deceiving. Nonetheless, what's found inside of the packaging is definitely a Wu-Tang classic. Since it's an old album, it's worth checking out on eBay, where it could either be found used or new.