Ironman [Explicit Lyrics]

Ghostface Killah | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 29, 1996)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Explicit Lyrics
• Label: Columbia Records/Sony
• ASIN: B00000K0T8
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (98 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #25,372 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

After his riveting role as Raekwon's trusty sidekick on the landmark Only Built for Cuban Linx, it was inevitable that Wu-Tang Clan member Ghostface Killah would fly solo on wax. True to early Wu Tang form, Ironman is a family affair. The fragmented flows of other Clansmen are present on RZA-spawned adrenaline rushes like "Winter Warz." What differentiates Ironman from the rest of the Wu is Ghostface's vulnerability, belying the superhero overtones of the album title. The genuinely touching dedication "All That I Got Is You," and the bitter remonstrative missive "Wildflower," reveal an emotional frankness behind Ghostface's infectious verve and densely woven wordplay. Wu-Tang sound scientist RZA takes note, imbuing his patented razor-sharp dissonance with explicitly soulful hues. --Del F. Cowie

Product Description

No Description Available
No Track Information Available
Media Type: CD
Artist: GHOSTFACE KILLAH
Title: IRONMAN
Street Release Date: 10/29/1996
Domestic
Genre: RAP/HIP HOP

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 41 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Final Chamber? October 18, 2005

By Matt

Format:Audio CD

This was probably the last "classic" Wu album. The sophomore albums to follow were decent, shining at times, but not quite there. From Enter the Wu-Tang through to this Ironman album: this represents the Wu-Tang era I would like to remember. After this comes Cappadonna, the Bobby Digital albums, U-God's Redemption album, etc, etc... It ended with Ironman as far as I'm concerned. Inspectah Deck, arguably the best lyricist in the Clan, had his shot at a solo album after this, but the album was not given the attention it deserved and the album can be filed in with the other Wu letdown albums. Don't get me wrong, I own all of the Wu albums and I was always a supporter, but the mystique created by Enter the Wu, where they had kids scouring magazines and the internet for information on the legend of the ancient Wu-Tang Clan, those days ended with Ironman.

This album represents Wu-Tang's last true production gem. As someone who listens closely to the beats and production, these tracks are classic, grimey Wu. From the skits to the old movie snippets, it's a great album. Wu members are still making music and Ghostface has definitely become the most accepted member of the Wu in the mainstream (musically, as he is basically the only one you will hear on the airwaves from time to time), but Ghost will never recapture this feeling. This album is a classic and it's the best I've heard from Ghostface.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The 4th Chamber December 11, 2005

By Locke the Thief

Format:Audio CD

I have to speak out against Matthew Wilson's review for the sake of all hip hop heads who may be discouraged from copping later Wu releases based on Wilson's unflattering description of albums post-Ironman. Firstly, Ghost's sophmore release, Supreme Clientele, is easily one of the most inventive and seminal hip hop albums of all time. While Ill admit it lacks the richness in production and stylistic consistency of Ironman, due to cast of rotating producers (featuring RZA, JuJu of the Beatnuts, and Inspectah, mind you), the album is a milestone due to Ghost's reinvention of his lyrical attack. In various interviews he has stated that, after the gangster style Ghost flipped on Ironman and the Purple Tape (Cuban Linx) was so blatantly bitten by MCs on the east coast (ex: Cristal, Clarks, Mafia themes, etc), he felt the need to flip a new style. The result are some of the most creative darts written, "Scientific, my hand kissed it, robotic, let's think optimistic, you probably missed it, watch me dolly dick it..." An album like 36 chambers or Ironman is blessed with consistency in quality and sound because RZA holds creative control of the project, while later Wu albums suffer from sheisty record company intereference, whack production, and whack guest MCs. However the value of growth which occurs from album to album for an MC like Ghost is impossible to ignore; these MCs elevate in skill overtime, so why would you opt to pass up hearing how they've sharpened their darts? Ultimately, you put in a Ghost abum to hear Ghost, and he's gonna be kickin you that same ill style, whether its on a RZA beat or a beat that sucks. In my opinion, any fan of Ghost will enjoy his latest Pretty Tony release, or the widely sh*t on Bulletproof Wallets, which happens to be ILL. I can agree with the idea that later Wu releases lack the atmosphere and consistency of that original Wu material, however an album like INS's Uncontrolled Substance or RZA's Digital Bullet is still more compelling and enriching that 90 percent of the other hip hop out there. By the way, cop the version of the album with Sole Controller on it.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars THE MONET OF RAP September 14, 2005

By S. Robinson

Format:Audio CD

If you had to categorize Ghostface's abstract style of rap it would have to be impressionistic. Ghost's in your face style rarely comes forth in a conventional manner, instead he splashes the canvas with an array of vivid colors and images creating an aural kaleidescope of soul, funk, dry-wit, and braggadocio unmatched by any other. Sadly far too many men have had to come up in America's ever-sprawling projects and ghettoes but few have ever told their story as well as Ghost. This is a masterpiece.