The Twelve Days of Wu-Mas 2024 - Day #9

After a positively prolific 1995, RZA decided to allow the five Wu-Tang-related albums released during the five-year plan room to breathe, to build the respective audiences for Method Man, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Raekwon, and GZA/Genius. All four artists managed to earn gold plaques from the RIAA within months of their debut dates, with Method Man, the breakout star of the Clan, pushing his Tical to platinum status, even earning a platinum single and a Grammy for his troubles in 1995. The Wu were coming through, as it were, and they were hellbent on world dominance, or at least lording over our chosen culture, with RZA's blueprint seemingly working better than expected for everyone involved.

1996 brought us only one project that was a part of the five-year plan, but that one project was a fucking doozy. Ironman was the debut solo album from Dennis "Ghostface Killah" Coles, another charismatic Staten Island resident whose quirky, insular rhymes and attention to ridiculous detail quickly rocketed him up the Clan standings. (Later in the Wu's timeline, Ghostface Killah would become the guy who essentially carried the brand on his back, keeping the Clan's name alive in an overcrowded market as the rest of the group decided on what they wanted to accomplish as a team, but that was much later.) Mostly produced by RZA, with one beat outsourced to True Master, Ironman represented Ghost's worldview, from his own take on the criminal tales and slang perfected by his partner-in-rhyme Raekwon (who co-stars on Ironman, alongside Cappadonna, much in the way Ghost was heavily featured on Only Built 4 Cuban Linx..., although Ironman arguably showcases more versatility from its lead), relationship issues, challenging childhoods, and, obviously, boasts-n-bullshit with more references to kung-fu than most rappers managed. RZA and Ghost practically litter Ironman with dialogue samples from blaxploitation flicks, The Usual Suspects, and, in one of the more memorable moments in hip hop history, an overused (but still fantastic) loop lifted from the Bob James song "Nautilus" for the posse cut "Daytona 500", which was then turned into a music video cutting footage from the cartoon Speed Racer to match the vocals, a highly influential move that still inspires YouTube content creators to this day. With features from every group member apart from Dirty, who was dealing with his own shit at the time, Ironman surpassed expectations, establishing Ghostface Killah as a lyricist to be reckoned with while building RZA's resume, proving that he was more than capable of crafting beats around the idiosyncrasies of his collaborators, a skill he'd have many more opportunities to prove.

Let's talk about Ghostface Killah's Ironman today, you two.

RZA's Five-Year Plan #6: Ghostface Killah - Ironman (October 29, 2996)

Link to original write-up

Link to a Reader Review (written by A.R. Marks)

-Max