Ghostface Interview

TSS Presents Smoking Sessions With Ghostface Killah
“Smoking Sessions With…” By TC on October 9, 2009 at 1:30 pm

Ghostface Killah bites his tongue for no one. If he said it, he meant it, simple as that. Still red-hot from doing his part in fellow Wu-brethren Raekwon’s critically-acclaimed Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II, Tony Starks is proceeding with his solo career without delay, releasing the colorful Ghostdini: The Wizard Of Poetry In Emerald City.

In this extremely candid interview with TSS Crew’s TC, Ghost revels in his maturity as an artist, explains why fans should respect his latest musical endeavor and his future label plans. If you think the album is poetic, wait til’ you get a load of his candor.

TSS: So on Ghostdini: Wizard Of Poetry, you’re delving in the “Back Like That,” “Never Be The Same Again,” “Wildflower,” “Love Sessions” territory, correct?

Ghostface Killah: (Laughs) Yeah, it’s literally all of that. There’s nothing but poetry on that shit with all the different topics. It’s just something a nigga been always wanting to do. You know this will be my last album over here on Def Jam. So I was on some ol’ “Yo, you know what? I gave my fans samples, since ‘92…I did albums B…I never really seen no money off the shit.” Just so my fans could fuck around and love me for my music as far as my lyrics. And I never got nothing from a bunch of ‘em…even as far as being in the red. And when I mean being in the red, I mean not recouping! Doing a bunch of other shit to make it right.

But this is what I’ve wanted to do…SINCE I did “All I Got Is You” [from Ironman] or “Never Be The Same Again” [from Bulletproof Wallets]. People always came to me like “Why don’t you do more songs like that?” because they like my stories, nah mean? Even if it’s a rap story like [on “Shakey Dog”] or whatever, they like stories. So what I did — I compiled a bunch of stories over nice beats.

TSS: Let’s say someone comes across the album in the store not having a clue what was on it. Because you know you can’t miss that green cover. Where would the music take them from a blind buy?

Ghostface Killah: It’s more mature and it’s more grown. It’s just another stepping stone for me but it goes in the archives for Ghost. And you know, I’ll catch niggas back on the other shit, street shit, whatever, whatever, whatever. Cuz I tell niggas like this: I’m a grown man B. I can’t be 25 years old all my life. There’s other shit that I wanna do. And if my fans can’t grow with me, then this album is not for you. You don’t have to buy it, you don’t have to listen to it. Just leave it alone. I’ll see y’all on the next shit.

It’s like a baker baking cakes and he come out with this red velvet shit, but niggas is so used to lemon cake, they don’t wanna fuck with the red velvet. They be like “Yo, yo, he coming out on some other shit, can’t get wit’ that.” But it’s like, nah nigga, when I come back to hittin’ that lemon cake, y’all niggas can get a slice of that shit. But right now, we puttin’ out red velvet.

TSS: And you proceeded with the album even though you said it may cost you some fans…

Ghostface Killah: Yeah, but you know what? It’s like if I lose some fans, y’all niggas was never my muthafuckin’ fans anyways. Because only a real fan can understand you as a person. Like Mary J. Blige for example. When she [made] No More Drama, muthafuckas was trying to diss her and diss her album, talkin’ bout it’s not What’s The 411? But Mary stopped wildin’, and being in clubs and doing drugs and all that other shit she was doing. She became a woman. And to this day, now those muthafuckin’ fans wanna try and act like they understand her now. Now they wanna be on her dick again.

And you never know man; these fans right now, they young fans… a lot of these niggas is knapsackers. And with me doing this album, questioning me and shit, I’m like “How do y’all niggas don y’all girl?” First of all, do y’all niggas got a girl? Because you not gonna understand these situations and what the fuck I’m talking about if you ain’t got no girl or ain’t never been through shit. Because on [Wizard Of Poetry] I ain’t just talkin’ no lovey-dovey smoochy shit. I’m talkin’ bout me getting a bitch pregnant…losing my muthafuckin’ girl! And my girl was the good girl! She was the one who stood by me, going to jail when she telling me to chill. NOW I’m pleading her for and shit like that. I did my girl so dirty, now I gotta another nigga wearing my robes, spraying my cologne, playing my CDs in his boxers in my muthafuckin’ crib. Now I’m lonely, on the outside lookin’ as lonely than a muthafucka. My kid tellin’ me “Yo, daddy! This nigga like his eggs well done and we watching surround sound on your shit!!!”

TSS: (Laughs!!!) I mean it does happen…

Ghostface Killah: Yeah, and don’t get me wrong, I still got the shit where I’m throwing my dart at the females — you know how us niggas do, we still shoot our gift and game and all that. It’s just all situations on some grown man shit.

TSS: The track “Guest House” with Shareefa & Fabolous is instantly a fan favorite. What inspired you to visualize that drama?

Ghostface Killah: I’m just a storyteller B. I had to write for three people on that joint. Fab was the cable guy. It’s Friday night and my girl acting like she went out to get some milk and all this other shit. Bitch ain’t never come back. I’m looking for her all in the house…I don’t see the bitch. I fucked around and went to the guest house and get my gun because I figured something happened to her…this nigga Fab in there fuckin’ my bitch! Oh shit! Now we on that Ron Isley/R. Kelly shit. Now we going back in forth…she on that bullshit like “It ain’t what you think!!!”We going back and forth.

These is just topics. Grown man shit! Niggas can’t write like I write!!! [Tone gets aggressive] Nigga I write movies! And for a fan to act like I’m losing them…? Those niggas can suck my dick, straight up. Because like I said: niggas know Ghost for talkin’ that shit “My ice is this…cars is this…my chain is this and that and the third…” I wanna see these niggas. What they listen to with their girl? Y’all niggas listen to Barry White or Marvin Gaye? What y’all ride to with her? They knew what I was doing with in the beginning when I kept saying I was coming with it so it’s like that. Y’all niggas wait for the next muthafuckin’ shit and we’ll get on the next train. Other than that nigga, don’t talk about my shit B.

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TSS: You would think listeners would be more loyal considering your history…

Ghostface Killah: I know! Losing a fan? That’s like you lost a nigga forever. I done gave you — I don’t even get publishing catering to your little monkey ass! I done wasted all my fuckin’ money; I done all my time in the studio doing this to make your punk ass happy, and you gonna walk out on me like a little bitch! Ya know? Bitches do that shit (Laughs).

TSS: (Laughs!!!)

Ghostface Killah: It’s like yo B…these niggas be bugged out…I don’t understand…I don’t know…

TSS: Well, you alluded to the fact that this is your last album on Def Jam. At this point in your career, does it ever matter what record label you’re on?

Ghostface Killah: I mean…not really but to an certain extent. But with these indies, you might try and drop something, you’re not even gonna get that much shelf placement in the stores. For instance: Jim Jones fucked around and had the biggest record in the country with “We Fly High” while he was on Koch. If I’m not mistaken, they shipped 150k and he sold 108k! But if they would’ve had more muthafuckin’ records in the stores for him, he would have sold at least 300k or even better! So everything ain’t always what it seems with these indies either. It just depends know what I’m saying?

Right now I’m not even rushing any decisions. If Def Jam says something real good to me and I’m like at least I’m getting my presence and some spins out this shit, I might fuck around and say it’s whatever. Niggas try and act like they make a lot of money going independent. I mean…Jim left there because he didn’t see no checks like that! They still owe him money to make a long story short. It’s all whatever to me. All this shit is a deal. That’s what they mean by record deals. I got something you want, give me the money, BOOM! We made a deal.

TSS: Well let’s get into a Ghost Wisdom shall we?

Ghostface Killah: Hell yeah.

TSS: Say the scenario from “Guest House” was a reality — guy walks in on girl getting pounded out. Who’s to blame?

Ghostface Killah: It depends…See in a situation like that, you might not have time to think. You might just wild out and take it out on the nigga and then the chick, whatever, whatever. But if know the nigga and he know that was your piece, then he might have to get it because that’s violation. I don’t even know because I never really seen that…but you can imagine that shit. But the girl? She in clear violation. And back in my younger days, if I would’ve seen that shit and had the biscuit on me…TWO people would’ve got shot! I would’ve acted like I shot the bitch on accident (Laughs,) but somebody would’ve got hit B. That’s some serious shit right there.

Or you could you could fuck around and try to hold that but that’s a hard one to swallow; that’s a hard pillow to lay on man. I might have to fuck around…I don’t know…piss on her or something. Take her clothes and let her walk around…I don’t know! It just depends. That’s a good one though right there.

TSS: All that’s reminiscent of the audiobook you did a couple years ago. What made you spaz on there like that?

Ghostface Killah: MTV just liked my personality and wanted to hear my take on shit. Nothing major.

TSS: Definitely a lot of personality to go around.

Ghostface Killah’s Ghostdini: The Wizard Of Poetry In Emerald City features appearances and production Kanye West, John Legend, Fabolous, J.U.S.T.I.C.E League, Sean C. & LV and many more, and is stores NOW exclusively from Def Jam Records.