1996-10-29
Ironman
Ghostface Killah
By Maeve C.
RZA produced Ironman, Ghostface Killah’s debut solo album, and its music draws heavily on blaxploitation films and soul samples. Raekwon and Cappadonna take prominent guest roles, and the lyrics carry references to the Nation of Gods and Earths, as other Wu-Tang Clan solo debuts did.
Ghostface later said he was in a poor state of mind while making the record, dealing with depression, a recent diabetes diagnosis and a close friend’s imprisonment. The sequence runs from “Iron Maiden” through tracks such as “Daytona 500” and “Motherless Child”. Ironman peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 and was certified platinum.
Sources
Rights-holder metadata (℗ 1996 Sony Music Entertainment): October 29, 1996. Notes: Raekwon and Cappadonna featured; RZA production; Ghostface on depression, diabetes diagnosis and a friend's imprisonment during the making.Released October 29, 1996 (citing the RIAA official release date) by Razor Sharp, Wu-Tang and Epic Street; produced by RZA; blaxploitation and soul samples; Nation of Gods and Earths references; No. 2 Billboard 200; platinum.
MusicBrainz: US CD release 1996-10-29 (Epic EK 67729) is the earliest dated release.