Ironman | |||||
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Studio album by Ghostface Killah | |||||
Released | October 29, 1996 | ||||
Genre | Hip hop, gangsta rap | ||||
Length | 64:48 | ||||
Label | Epic, Razor Sharp | ||||
Producer | RZA, True Master, Mitchell Diggs (exec.), Oli Grant (exec.), D.Coles (exec.) | ||||
Ghostface Killah chronology | |||||
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Wu-Tang Clan solo chronology | |||||
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Singles from Ironman | |||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | |
Christgau's Consumer Guide | A |
Entertainment Weekly | B+ |
Q | |
Richmond Times | |
Rolling Stone | |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | |
The Source | 4/5 |
Spin | 7/10 |
The Village Voice | A− |
Ironman is the debut solo album by American rapper Ghostface Killah, released on October 29, 1996, by Epic Records. It was produced by fellow Wu-Tang Clan member RZA. The album's music draws prominently on blaxploitation films and soul samples. More so than on other solo debuts from the group's members, Ironman contains references to the Nation of Gods and Earths.
Ironman peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 chart. It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) Many music critics have praised the album for Ghostface Killah's imaginative lyricism and RZA's production style, with some revering it as one of the greatest Wu-Tang solo albums of all time.
Although a solo album, Ironman features many Wu-Tang collaborations and only four tracks feature Ghostface performing as the sole rapper. The two most prominently featured artists are Raekwon and Cappadonna, who both accompany Ghost and have their names on the album's cover. Raekwon appears on 13 of the 17 tracks, with "The Faster Blade" featuring him performing solo.
As opposed to earlier Wu-Tang solo projects, in which the performers involved were believed to be infallible, Ghostface is somewhat vulnerable on several of the album's songs. This is perhaps best illustrated on the single, "All That I Got Is You", which is essentially a tribute to his mother. However, the rest of the album contains many street oriented, and organized crime topics, similar to Only Built 4 Cuban Linx..., in which Ghostface was heavily involved. Ironman contains more of Ghostface Killah's highly praised unique uptempo, stream-of-consciousness rhyming style, which he would go on to further utilize on his highly acclaimed second studio album Supreme Clientele. The album also features a substantial amount of story-telling rap, such as the song "260." Producer RZA combines his dark keyboard tones and early-1970s soul samples, heavily used on Only Built for Cuban Linx... and Liquid Swords respectively, to engender a soulful and melodic, yet dark and harsh feel that later influenced many other Wu-Tang releases, such as Wu-Tang Forever and Uncontrolled Substance, as well as numerous other East Coast artists.