Ghostface Killah is critically acclaimed for his loud, fast-paced flow, and his stream-of-consciousness narratives containing cryptic slang and non-sequiturs.
Ghostface Killah was raised in the Stapleton housing projects in Staten Island, New York. In his autobiographical song "All That I Got Is You", Ghost tells the story of his childhood. He raps about how he grew up in a three bedroom apartment without his father, who left him at the age of six. Apparently, his mother had nine children.
His stage name was taken from one of the characters in the 1979 kung fu film Mystery of Chessboxing.
He was also a close friend of the three founding members of Wu-tang clan
Malcolm
Ghostface Killah Lyrics
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I'm like Malcolm, out the window with the joint
Hoodied up blood in my eye, a lead to fly
Like fuck it, look how these niggas duck shit
One kid hollering what looking up, he the big wig
Fake ass cat, low life, sodomize mind
Beating niggas, big bricks of bread selling mad dimes
His feet hurt, networking he get no work
Yo he sucked his thumb smooth for the kid laced with the big guns
Stain to my Baltimore niggas that he on the run
Plus he ill in the drums, heartburn for life, calcium man
Watch him grab the Tums, he's a front
Pigeon totalist sister with the fat ass
Show hash behind up the block plus he smashed her
Big Bub did him something deadly, act premeditated
Buck 60 strike was the medley
Nice like Van Halen, seen him at the tunnel with his skin peeling
Did two days thought he was jailing
You get close, look at his hands
That's the same kid that cut his wrists, talking bout the cuffs did it
He ran away, fronting majorly, eyes like Sammy Davis Jr.
Rounded off with a fade , he sport the Bob Hope classics
Ran down Asics, Kmart, the short sleeve shit be the basics
He eat hams shitted on himself twice, big hatted Jews
Rushed the nigga out in Crown Heights
Yo let me show you how the game go
We getting rid of all the prostitutes
Tony wants the streets back fo sho
Too many hustlers, too many thieves
We're fucking up who's willing to fight and teach the seeds
Too much TV, guns and robberies
Lust and greed and hate the four devils jealousy
Yo I champunch Mase in his face over some bullshit
The other night they kidnapped his brother poking it with knives
It's raining , 85 degrees kinda muggy
One of the nights they thrown in his face it's real ugly
Yo we up in Jonesy's posin, all these niggas know me
From fucking with, under theses niggas heavy parolees
Yo we played the speaker
And from a distance we could see these chains
The P slayed, flat on his chest, was two plains
Ashy hands yo, no need for rings at all
He just cracked the V8 backed up, leaned against the wall
Looking flower, he just came home, he on like a fuck
Did a dime for holding up the gods up in the armored truck
Ten years later son 280 on the weight tip
He throwing up six plates plus he studied Matrix
He's a wally horse shout it out sweating through his velour
Cock-eyed nigga back up his neck he had shores
Sammy eagerly rode up on him, taxi off the turkey with the joint on him
Flower look his man stood up before him
The bitches hit the table, Jah king stripped off his cables
Shots went off, Sam'll get a chance to make his debut
Flower grabbed Tiff his man with the sideburns, hat fell off
We nerd his wig worms, he hid behind Rich
See Allah hit the light switch, young girls were trampled
In the measured pool, pistol with Mase, and broke the handle
Desperate crawling to the door on all fours
Shim kicked the jukebox the theme song rode in was "It's Yours"
Oh my goodness, Ba grabbed the Mo bottle thrashing
He laying like a gay models shouting out Sebastian
He smiled with his teeth missing begging for mercy
No more god, the 68 thousand down a pair of three
Out came the cannon, whistled out zaggin'
Cham snatched his flag four big rocks enter the dragon
It's over, another story told
Lying with the snakes, tongue kissing cobras
Yo let me tell you how the game go
We getting rid of all the prostitutes
Tony wants the streets back fo sho
Too many hustlers, too many thieves
We're fucking up who's willing to fight and teach the seeds
Too much TV, guns and robberies
Lust and greed and hate the four devils jealousy
The song "Malcolm" by Ghostface Killah is a rap track that features the artist telling stories about different people and situations. The opening lines "I'm like Malcolm, out the window with the joint" suggest that Ghostface sees himself as similar to revolutionary icon Malcolm X, who was known for his outspoken and fearless nature. As the song progresses, Ghostface talks about different people, including a low-level drug dealer and a man who has just been released after doing time in jail. The lyrics are raw and provide an insight into the world that Ghostface grew up in, where violence and drugs were commonplace.
The chorus of the song, "let me tell you how the game go, we're getting rid of all the prostitutes, Tony wants the streets back fo sho" refers to the idea that there are too many people involved in illegal activities on the streets, and the need to clear them out. This could suggest that Ghostface is advocating for a cleaner and safer environment in the places where he grew up. Overall, the song is a gritty and often violent portrayal of life in the inner city.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey yo
I'm like Malcolm, out the window with the joint
Hoodied up blood in my eye, a lead to fly
Like fuck it, look how these niggas duck shit
One kid hollering what looking up, he the big wig
Fake ass cat, low life, sodomize mind
Beating niggas, big bricks of bread selling mad dimes
His feet hurt, networking he get no work
Yo smack him where his hand hurt, fuck what he worth
Yo he sucked his thumb smooth for the kid laced with the big guns
Stain to my Baltimore niggas that he on the run
Plus he ill in the drums, heartburn for life, calcium man
Watch him grab the Tums, he's a front
Pigeon totalist sister with the fat ass
Show hash behind up the block plus he smashed her
Big Bub did him something deadly, act premeditated
Buck 60 strike was the medley
Nice like Van Halen, seen him at the tunnel with his skin peeling
Did two days thought he was jailing
You get close, look at his hands
That's the same kid that cut his wrists, talking bout the cuffs did it
He ran away, fronting majorly, eyes like Sammy Davis Jr.
Rounded off with a fade , he sport the Bob Hope classics
Ran down Asics, Kmart, the short sleeve shit be the basics
He eat hams shitted on himself twice, big hatted Jews
Rushed the nigga out in Crown Heights
Ghostface compares himself to Malcolm X, as he smokes a joint and looks out the window. He notices a low-life criminal trying to sell his product, but he is not successful. Ghostface decides to intervene and beat the criminal while also insulting him. He then shares bits of information about the criminal that he's come across in his interactions with others.
Yo let me show you how the game go
We getting rid of all the prostitutes
Tony wants the streets back fo sho
Too many hustlers, too many thieves
We're fucking up who's willing to fight and teach the seeds
Too much TV, guns and robberies
Lust and greed and hate the four devils jealousy
Ghostface explains how the streets have become corrupt due to the abundance of prostitution, drugs, and theft. He states that it's ruining the community, and they need to do something about it. Tony, a friend of Ghostface, wants to clean up the streets and get rid of these negative influences to make the community a safer place. The lyrics also reference the four major vices causing corruption- lust, greed, hate, and jealousy.
Yo I champunch Mase in his face over some bullshit
The other night they kidnapped his brother poking it with knives
It's raining , 85 degrees kinda muggy
One of the nights they thrown in his face it's real ugly
Yo we up in Jonesy's posin, all these niggas know me
From fucking with, under theses niggas heavy parolees
Yo we played the speaker
And from a distance we could see these chains
The P slayed, flat on his chest, was two plains
Ashy hands yo, no need for rings at all
He just cracked the V8 backed up, leaned against the wall
Looking flower, he just came home, he on like a fuck
Did a dime for holding up the gods up in the armored truck
Ten years later son 280 on the weight tip
He throwing up six plates plus he studied Matrix
He's a wally horse shout it out sweating through his velour
Cock-eyed nigga back up his neck he had shores
Sammy eagerly rode up on him, taxi off the turkey with the joint on him
Flower look his man stood up before him
The bitches hit the table, Jah king stripped off his cables
Shots went off, Sam'll get a chance to make his debut
Flower grabbed Tiff his man with the sideburns, hat fell off
We nerd his wig worms, he hid behind Rich
See Allah hit the light switch, young girls were trampled
In the measured pool, pistol with Mase, and broke the handle
Desperate crawling to the door on all fours
Shim kicked the jukebox the theme song rode in was "It's Yours"
Oh my goodness, Ba grabbed the Mo bottle thrashing
He laying like a gay models shouting out Sebastian
He smiled with his teeth missing begging for mercy
No more god, the 68 thousand down a pair of three
Out came the cannon, whistled out zaggin'
Cham snatched his flag four big rocks enter the dragon
It's over, another story told
Lying with the snakes, tongue kissing cobras
Ghostface shares different stories of criminal activities he has witnessed, including a fight with Mase, a kidnapping, an armored truck robbery, and a violent altercation at a bar. He describes the criminals' appearances and actions in detail. In the end, Ghostface implies that these criminals are bound to fail and eventually have to face the consequences of their actions.
Lyrics © Spirit Music Group
Written by: Anita Poree, Dennis David Coles, Jerry Peters, Vance Chancey Branch
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind