If we all could create outrageous pseudonyms for ourselves and exist as different characters, the world might be a more interesting place. Especially if our new identities were anything like Ghostface Killah.
Born Dennis Coles, the 39-year-old rapper from Staten Island's infamous hip-hop crew, Wu-Tang Clan, has run through several bizarre nicknames in his 16-year career: Tony Starks, Pretty Toney, Iron Man, the Wallabee Champ, Ghost Deini. There doesn't seem to be a preferred title, however.
"I don't give a f—k what anybody call me, man," he said over the phone on his way out of an airport in Berlin last week. "You know, my rap name, my government name … it's just a name, man."
Regardless, the man whose tour manager refers to as "Ghost" — repeated attempts to reach the rapper on the phone resulted in the manager, who always seemed to have a hard time locating his charge, explaining that Ghost just "comes and goes" — will hit Moscow on Thursday as part of his current European tour.
His show at Arma 09, his first appearance in Russia, kicks off an unofficial "summer of the Wu" in Moscow, as Method Man and the RZA, fellow rappers from the nine-man Wu-Tang Clan, will each play a concert in the city this month.
Formed in 1992 in Staten Island, the Wu-Tang Clan hit the New York hip-hop world with intense force, combining the deft, grimy production of the RZA's beats with nine different MCs. Inspired by classic kung-fu movies, many of which are sampled on Wu-Tang albums, each rapper adopted a name and a persona to fit their unique lyrical styles. Ghostface, known as the most fashionable member of the group (for his penchant for fur coats and colorful Wallabee Clark footwear), is also one of the quirkiest lyrically, delivering lines like "I come rough/tough like an elephant's tusk/your head rush/fly like Egyptian musk" and creating intricate stories of street crime, random sexual encounters and his own prowess at virtually anything he does. Over the course of the Wu-Tang's six releases and his own eight solo albums, as well as numerous guest appearances on Wu-Tang-affiliated albums and cameos on the popular American comedy show "30 Rock," Ghostface has become a worldwide persona. But he still sees the whole process as a job, even if it doesn't necessarily entail reporting to an office every day; his claim that he's coming to Moscow simply "for work, yo, to do what I do, get busy," was quickly followed by a matter-of-fact observation on the matter of touring Europe at this stage of his career.
"It's alright, we just put this work in. … Sweden is good, Prague and all that s—t. I just knock it out, keep it movin', you know," he said, explaining that the idea of coming to an unknown country like Russia isn't too daunting for him. "It don't bother me, it's just another place … it's kinda far. You do what you do, you get up, you leave."
As is routine for the genre, the rapper dedicates a lot of time talking about his irresistible appeal to women, his ability to outwit the police and his enormous wealth.
The latter aspect is often displayed on his album covers; his last release, 2007's "The Big Doe Rehab," features Ghostface with an egregious gold globe medallion and a diamond-studded ring that covers his entire left hand and spells his name.
He's also famous for his life-sized, golden eagle forearm cuff. As appropriate as this aesthetic is for the opulence of Moscow, the audience at Arma won't be able to get a glimpse of the famous Ghost's gold.
"I don't take no jewelry with me overseas," he said. "It's too dangerous. … You gotta put it under the plane, and I don't wanna put my s—t under the plane."
Regardless, the man who "hits mics like Ted Koppel" should be an interesting host for a Thursday evening in Moscow, even if he can come across as a bit gruff on the phone when pressed about his knowledge of Russian culture.
"No, I don't speak Russian, man," he said exasperated, as he turned to his tour manager and asked, "What is this s—t?"
Ghostface Killah plays with Noggano, Flammable Beats and more, 11 p.m. Thurs., June 11 at Arma 09. 5/3 Nizhny Susalny Pereulok. Metro Kurskaya. Entry is 1,000 rubles. Casa-russia.com
Born Dennis Coles, the 39-year-old rapper from Staten Island's infamous hip-hop crew, Wu-Tang Clan, has run through several bizarre nicknames in his 16-year career: Tony Starks, Pretty Toney, Iron Man, the Wallabee Champ, Ghost Deini. There doesn't seem to be a preferred title, however.
"I don't give a f—k what anybody call me, man," he said over the phone on his way out of an airport in Berlin last week. "You know, my rap name, my government name … it's just a name, man."
Regardless, the man whose tour manager refers to as "Ghost" — repeated attempts to reach the rapper on the phone resulted in the manager, who always seemed to have a hard time locating his charge, explaining that Ghost just "comes and goes" — will hit Moscow on Thursday as part of his current European tour.
His show at Arma 09, his first appearance in Russia, kicks off an unofficial "summer of the Wu" in Moscow, as Method Man and the RZA, fellow rappers from the nine-man Wu-Tang Clan, will each play a concert in the city this month.
for MT
Ghostface Killah and his eagle cuff
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Formed in 1992 in Staten Island, the Wu-Tang Clan hit the New York hip-hop world with intense force, combining the deft, grimy production of the RZA's beats with nine different MCs. Inspired by classic kung-fu movies, many of which are sampled on Wu-Tang albums, each rapper adopted a name and a persona to fit their unique lyrical styles. Ghostface, known as the most fashionable member of the group (for his penchant for fur coats and colorful Wallabee Clark footwear), is also one of the quirkiest lyrically, delivering lines like "I come rough/tough like an elephant's tusk/your head rush/fly like Egyptian musk" and creating intricate stories of street crime, random sexual encounters and his own prowess at virtually anything he does. Over the course of the Wu-Tang's six releases and his own eight solo albums, as well as numerous guest appearances on Wu-Tang-affiliated albums and cameos on the popular American comedy show "30 Rock," Ghostface has become a worldwide persona. But he still sees the whole process as a job, even if it doesn't necessarily entail reporting to an office every day; his claim that he's coming to Moscow simply "for work, yo, to do what I do, get busy," was quickly followed by a matter-of-fact observation on the matter of touring Europe at this stage of his career.
"It's alright, we just put this work in. … Sweden is good, Prague and all that s—t. I just knock it out, keep it movin', you know," he said, explaining that the idea of coming to an unknown country like Russia isn't too daunting for him. "It don't bother me, it's just another place … it's kinda far. You do what you do, you get up, you leave."
As is routine for the genre, the rapper dedicates a lot of time talking about his irresistible appeal to women, his ability to outwit the police and his enormous wealth.
The latter aspect is often displayed on his album covers; his last release, 2007's "The Big Doe Rehab," features Ghostface with an egregious gold globe medallion and a diamond-studded ring that covers his entire left hand and spells his name.
He's also famous for his life-sized, golden eagle forearm cuff. As appropriate as this aesthetic is for the opulence of Moscow, the audience at Arma won't be able to get a glimpse of the famous Ghost's gold.
"I don't take no jewelry with me overseas," he said. "It's too dangerous. … You gotta put it under the plane, and I don't wanna put my s—t under the plane."
Regardless, the man who "hits mics like Ted Koppel" should be an interesting host for a Thursday evening in Moscow, even if he can come across as a bit gruff on the phone when pressed about his knowledge of Russian culture.
"No, I don't speak Russian, man," he said exasperated, as he turned to his tour manager and asked, "What is this s—t?"
Ghostface Killah plays with Noggano, Flammable Beats and more, 11 p.m. Thurs., June 11 at Arma 09. 5/3 Nizhny Susalny Pereulok. Metro Kurskaya. Entry is 1,000 rubles. Casa-russia.com
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