Rewind: Ghostface Killah 'Ironman'

As a founding member of the Wu-Tang Clan with ex-roommate the RZA and a heavy contributor to Raekwon's now classic 1995 album 'Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...', it seemed like only a matter of time before Ghostface Killah would record his own solo album. In 1996, 'Ironman' was released, produced entirely by the RZA with the exception of one track produced by True Master (who also produced the single 'Brooklyn Zoo' for Ol Dirty Bastard). Ghostface's use of soul samples is evident on this release, and I'm going to touch on a few.

The album's lead single, whose memorable video featured a heavily edited clips from Speed Racer, was 'Daytona 500' with guest verses from Raekwon and Cappadonna. The sample source for 'Daytona 500''s propulsive beat is Bob James' 'Nautilus', one of hip-hop's most used breaks. The album's opening track, 'Iron Maiden', lifts a soul sample from Al Green's 'Gotta Find a New World' from his 1969 album 'Green is Blues'. 'Gotta Find a New World' has been frequently used in my own sets, it's more uptempo than other Al Green hits, lending a good transition into faster funk tracks. One of the album's most menacing tracks finds it's source in a less than menacing place: the dark 'Camay' comes from Teddy Pendergrass' 1980 R&B single 'Can't We Try', which nearly broke the top 50.

Ghostface's use of soul samples would continue on his future albums and are still prevalent on his latest album 'The Big Doe Rehab'. In future posts on this blog the rest of his discography will definitely be examined.

The Lowdown:
Ghostface Killah 'Camay', 'Daytona 500', and 'Iron Maiden'
from 'Ironman' (1996) (MP3/CD)
Bob James 'Nautilus'
from 'One' (1974) (MP3/CD)
Al Green 'Gotta Find a New World'
from 'Green is Blues' (1969) (MP3/CD)
Terry Pendergrass 'Can't We Try'
from 'T.P.' (1980) (MP3 not available/CD not available)