BOOK REVIEW: GHOSTFACE KILLAH - RISE OF A KILLAH (MY LIFE IN THE WU-TANG)

3.5/5

The Killah In He.

Surely this 'DOOMSTARKS' collaboration album between Ghostface Killah and the late, great MF DOOM has to come out now. Especially with an avenging Robert Downey Jr. set to play Doctor Doom, to go along with his iconic Iron Man, classic character, in the new Russo Bros 'Avengers: Doomsday' movie. Well, for the 411 on all that, and the 'All That I Got Is You' (featuring Mary J. Blige) rapper's behind the scene's story from his cameo in said Marvel movie that was left on the cutting room floor, pick up Dennis Coles AKA Ghostface Killah's new amazing autobiography 'Rise Of A Killah: My Life In The Wu-Tang' for this Cole world.

Following the Toney Starks, that even RDL recognizes as the original, 'Iron Man' ('True Reflections From The Soul of the Wu-Tang Clan') book and his 'Cell Block Z' graphic novel comes this 'Rise' with its own comic-book interlude. Chapters curated with some of the realest ish he ever wrote in Wu logo yellow, this biography that is laid out like an unauthorized book is the real deal. It's the perfect accompaniment to his Wu-Tang brother Raekwon's own bold and beautiful book 'From Staircase To Stage: The Story Of Raekwon and the Wu-Tang Clan' like Ghost was to the Chef's cooked classic like 'Only Built 4 Cuban Lynx' (so much so, it could have been a collaborative album like the latest Jay Electronica with Jay-Z). And my brother, who gracefully got this biography for my birthday (thank you, G), tells me in that book, Rae talks about how 'Face would still carry half-eaten sandwiches around with him, even as a millionaire, because he was brought up not to waste food. Because as mountaintop high as you get, you never know where your next meal is really coming from.

Now, hot off the heels off his May album, 'Set The Tone: Guns & Roses', comes this big, brash book in the same month (sorry for the delay, but my birthday's not in May, and it takes a minute to read). One that opens with the poverty, but the love, that Dennis grew up with. When you read all about the pure reverence for his grandmother, it will make you, I assume, being part of the generation that grew up with the Wu that was "for the children" like ODB said, want to make some grandkids...STAT. There's some uncomfortable home truths that follow about the 'Bulletproof Wallets' rapper's criminal past, that's as real and raw as it gets...but at last he's honest. What's even more uncomfortable is the pain he had to go through losing two brothers to muscular dystrophy. But once you get to the closing chapters, converted to Islam, you'll feel healed by his new outlook on the world, even one at war where he details the raw reactions to what happened to George Floyd ("better let your kids watch that so they can know what's going on in the world today") and countless more to this day, as Black Lives STILL Matter.

After the Tearz that come from the start of the book, comes the bookending joy and pain, that is such as life itself. But between all that, we get tales from The W like 'The Manual'. 'The Pretty Toney' even breaks down his Eagle on the writs, bathrobe style, with more suits than Stark. All before, in contrast, playing down the prolific nature of his Def Jam run. But 'The Pretty Toney LP', 'Fishscale', 'More Fish', 'The Big Doe Rehab', 'Ghostdini: Wizard Of Poetry In Emerald City' and the 'Apollo Kids' over six years, before '36 Seasons' begs to differ. And that's without mentioning the '718' Theodore Unit mixtape. Iconic and incredible, like the 'Wu-Massacre' (with Raekwon and Method Man), 'Wu Block' (with The L.O.X. and D-Block's Sheek Louch), Adraine Yonge (the 'Twelve Reasons To Die' series) and BADBADNOTGOOD collaborations ('Sour Soul'), amongst others. Giving us the Mary J. Blige on the vaulted 'Supreme Clientele 2' sequel that may be Blockchained. Not to forget the absolutely amazing 100 plus albums from Wu-Tang artists (he ends the book with an epic take on each one of his brethren), or the only Clan you should follow's affiliates. Ghostface is right to say they're rap's Rolling Stones, they've killed it, like he has this book. TIM DAVID HARVEY.

More Reading From The Book Of Rhymes: Raekwon 'From Staircase To Stage: The Story Of Raekwon and the Wu-Tang Clan', Ghostface Killah 'Cell Block Z', Ghostface Killah 'Iron Man: True Reflections From The Soul of the Wu-Tang Clan'.