First RZA, now Ghostface Killah. It’s been a great semester for 90s hip-hop enthusiasts.

The former Wu-Tang Clan member will perform at The Westcott Theater on May 5. Fresh off the release of his latest album, Ghostface Killah has been in the hip-hop game for more than 20 years.

Known as the most prolific member of the Wu-Tang Clan, he debuted in 1996 with the album “Ironman,” and hasn’t slowed down since: Ghostface Killah has produced 10 albums and recently released “Twelve Reasons To Die” on April 16.

Known for his clever rhymes, the legendary emcee describes himself on the Wu-Tang Clan website as “one of the most creative n***** in the game.”

Ghostface is also known for his work on the soundtrack of fellow Wu-Tang Clan member RZA’s 2012 action film, “The Man with the Iron Fists.” The film was written by, directed by and stars RZA. Ghostface Killah makes an appearance on two tracks on the soundtrack, “Blackout” and “I Go Hard.”

But it wasn’t until Kanye West’s compilation album, “Cruel Summer,” that Ghostface made a more mainstream comeback. He was featured on one of the album’s hit singles, “New God Flow,” along with Pusha T.

With the release of “Twelve Reasons To Die,” Ghostface has gone in a new direction. Based off of a comic book of the same name, the album was produced and composed by Adrian Younge, with RZA as executive producer. The album debuted at No. 27 on Billboard’s Hot 200 and had 15,000 sold copies in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The album debuted right on the heels of Wu-Tang’s reunion at the 2013 Coachella music festival. Method Man, GZA, Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killah, Masta Killa, Raekwon, RZA, U-God and Cappadonna came together to perform fan favorites from their first album in celebration of the group’s 20th anniversary. Wu-Tang will release an anniversary album later this year titled, “A Better Tomorrow,” according to Billboard.com.

Opening for Ghostface Killah at Sunday’s show will be producer Adrian Younge; Go Go Gadget Pink Packet, who describes their sound as “hip-hop with a 90s, Nickelodeon influence”; experimental hip-hop group The Goonies; and iREALZ, DJ Afar and Mage 9.

The show starts at 8 p.m. with doors opening at 7 p.m. Tickets for the event are $20 and are available for purchase on the Westcott website.

Published on April 30, 2013 at 2:16 am

Contact Avery: avhartma@syr.edu | @averyhartmans