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
Toney Sigel a.k.a. The Barrel Brothers
Ghostface Killah Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yo, straight out the ghetto, I'm damn hood
I stack a dollar like a whole rack of canned goods
Baggy jeans, no chimps, ACG Boots
Livin' in the crack spot, bangin' that Sheek Louch
The narcotics is far from garbage, whether it's cold or it's late August
My shit is fresh cuz I catch the hottest
My little cousin bubble swatches and carry a couple oxes
You know, we be the boys clockin' the grave yard shift
Big bubbles, countin' the cream, burnin' the lazar spliff
My man jumps out the whip with the AR 5th
And we ball from plentys of parties cuz we start shit
Parole holes, six months in the box
My little sister got her head shaved off
She made it home for shop
We sellin' Carters, Pampers, Similac formula
Anything ya take cuz the paper keep callin ya
Gangsters keep ballin fosho, we want more
We make it rain from the tech and the wop
The next coroner priests don't have enough cups for us
To slow us up, they hit us with dusk
Then they rush-bust, my man Big Ron will break the cuffs
300 pound nigga, po po has to fuck him up
They say that my projects should undergo therapy
We never voted, we votin' for Oprah, Obama, and Eric B.
[Chorus]
Guns imported from Dubra
Wheel chairs and shit bags
Peach Snapples and pretty scalpels
Renaissance
I'll stick a pick in yo gut at the chapel
I'll blow a nigga for a box of Huggies
Cop killers with a box of dummies
Dummies stuck to the project floors
Niggas is suited up and be ready for war
[Beanie Sigel]
It's the Broadstreet Bully and the Killah with no Face
My mac bullets burn like tequila with no chase
My knife work like the guillotine sword
Cut niggas, stop frontin' for my killa bee swarm, something
Empty out the whole clip and reload
Shot gun barrel leave you smokin like a broke stove
Yeah, and I'm all about that bullshit
The casket, the hearse, and the pastor in the pulpit
I kill a nigga at the drop of a dime
Just imagine what I do for a quarter
Ain't no tellin what I do for a dollar
Pop a nigga right in front of his mama
Son a nigga right in front of his daughter
And I'm nothin like a father
Couldn't come from these nuts I got
To see Baltimore suck this cock
I know most of y'all wouldn't understand
Get it, understand
Yeah some niggas will and some niggas won't
Like some niggas kill and some niggas don't
You's a fake it 'til you make it type a nigga
I'm a straight up take it type a nigga
Pistol whip a nigga 'til I break it type a nigga
I'm hard on chumps, most of these dudes is fags
Put the guarder on pumps, push the broom up they ass
Or the knife like American me, American Sig' is Muslim
So I ain't feelin Bush overseas
I think with the wisdom of Malcom, got the soul of a panther
So by any means is the anthem
You gonna have to cut me out the track like cancer
I can't stop won't stop
This how we do it from Philly to Sholin...
The lyrics to Ghostface Killah's "Toney Sigel a.k.a. The Barrell Brothers" depicts the harsh realities of life in the ghetto. The opening lines of the song immediately reveal the poverty and struggle that people in the ghetto face, as the singer talks about stacking dollars like canned goods. He describes himself as living in a crack spot and indulging in drugs as a way to escape the desperate situation.
The second verse, contributed by Beanie Sigel, is about violence and danger in the ghetto. He describes himself as a killer with no face and his knife work as sharp as a guillotine sword. He talks about killing someone in front of their mother or son for the right price, highlighting the violence and desperation in the world he comes from.
Overall, the song portrays an accurate picture of the harsh reality that people in the ghetto face. The lyrics are full of images of guns, drugs, and violence, making it clear that life in the ghetto is a constant struggle.
Line by Line Meaning
Yo, straight out the ghetto, I'm damn hood
I am from the ghetto and I embrace it
I stack a dollar like a whole rack of canned goods
I am good at saving money
My shit is fresh cuz I catch the hottest
My product is always great
You know, we be the boys clockin' the grave yard shift
We are the ones working the graveyard shift
My man jumps out the whip with the AR 5th
My friend gets out of the car with his AR-15 rifle
Parole holes, six months in the box
People who violate parole get sent to prison for six months
My little sister got her head shaved off
My sister got her head shaved in prison
We sellin' Carters, Pampers, Similac formula
We are selling baby products of various brands
Gangsters keep ballin fosho, we want more
We want more money and luxury
To slow us up, they hit us with dusk
To stop us, they shoot us with tranquilizer darts
My man Big Ron will break the cuffs
My friend Big Ron is strong enough to break handcuffs
300 pound nigga, po po has to fuck him up
300-pound man has to fight against police officers
We never voted, we votin' for Oprah, Obama, and Eric B.
We have never voted before, but we would vote for Oprah Winfrey, Barack Obama, and Eric B.
It's the Broadstreet Bully and the Killah with no Face
I am Beanie Sigel, also known as the Broadstreet Bully, and I am collaborating with Ghostface Killah, also known as the Killah with no Face
My mac bullets burn like tequila with no chase
My gun's bullets are powerful like tequila without chasing it with anything
My knife work like the guillotine sword
My knife is as deadly as a guillotine sword
Empty out the whole clip and reload
I empty out my gun's magazine and reload
Shot gun barrel leave you smokin like a broke stove
Shotgun's barrel will make you smoke like a broken stove
I kill a nigga at the drop of a dime
I am willing to kill someone easily and quickly
Just imagine what I do for a quarter
You can only imagine what I am capable of doing for a little amount of money
Pop a nigga right in front of his mama
I am ready to shoot someone in front of their mother
I'm a straight up take it type a nigga
I am the type of person who takes what I want
Or the knife like American me, American Sig' is Muslim
I am a Muslim just like in the movie American Me
You gonna have to cut me out the track like cancer
I will never give up or stop what I am doing unless someone forces me to
This how we do it from Philly to Sholin
This is how we live our lives in Philadelphia and the Shaolin area of Staten Island
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: DELANO MATTHEWS, DENNIS COLES, DWIGHT GRANT, LEVAR COPPIN, PHIL HURTT, UGENE DOZIER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind