1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:21,120 Speaker 1: Disgraceland as a production of Double Elvis. The stories about 2 00:00:21,160 --> 00:00:25,680 Speaker 1: Wu Tang Clan's Ghost Face Killa are insane. He shot 3 00:00:25,760 --> 00:00:29,600 Speaker 1: up someone's house while smoking wet that's a joint dipped 4 00:00:29,600 --> 00:00:33,519 Speaker 1: in angel dust and embalming fluid, and he was busted 5 00:00:33,560 --> 00:00:37,440 Speaker 1: with an unlicensed three fifty seven magnum hollow point bullets 6 00:00:37,479 --> 00:00:41,360 Speaker 1: and a bulletproof vest during a routine traffic stop. He 7 00:00:41,400 --> 00:00:44,440 Speaker 1: allegedly tried to steal three thousand dollars from a parking 8 00:00:44,440 --> 00:00:47,680 Speaker 1: lot attendant, and that particular offense got him sent to 9 00:00:47,760 --> 00:00:51,640 Speaker 1: Riker's Island after he coughed a plea for attempted robbery. 10 00:00:51,680 --> 00:00:54,720 Speaker 1: And all of his real life experiences on the street 11 00:00:55,120 --> 00:00:58,840 Speaker 1: have informed his music great music, some of the most 12 00:00:58,960 --> 00:01:01,880 Speaker 1: lyrically dense stories ever put to tape, both as a 13 00:01:01,880 --> 00:01:04,600 Speaker 1: member of the Wu Tang Clan and as a solo artist. 14 00:01:05,360 --> 00:01:07,200 Speaker 1: Unlike that clip I played for you at the top 15 00:01:07,240 --> 00:01:11,000 Speaker 1: of the show, that wasn't great music. That was a 16 00:01:11,040 --> 00:01:16,880 Speaker 1: preset loop for my melotron called Theatrical Neo Classical MK one. 17 00:01:17,800 --> 00:01:20,160 Speaker 1: I played you that loop because I can't afford the 18 00:01:20,240 --> 00:01:23,039 Speaker 1: rights to Candle in the Wind nineteen ninety seven by 19 00:01:23,040 --> 00:01:27,080 Speaker 1: Elton John And why would I play you that specific 20 00:01:27,200 --> 00:01:31,959 Speaker 1: slice of Marilyn Monroe slash Princess Die tribute Cheese? Could 21 00:01:31,959 --> 00:01:36,199 Speaker 1: I afford it? Because that was the number one song 22 00:01:36,280 --> 00:01:40,280 Speaker 1: in America on November twenty second, nineteen ninety seven, And 23 00:01:40,400 --> 00:01:42,600 Speaker 1: that was the day that the manager of a hip 24 00:01:42,640 --> 00:01:46,200 Speaker 1: hop group in Ohio was shot dead, a shooting that 25 00:01:46,280 --> 00:01:51,160 Speaker 1: resulted in unexpected yet serious ramifications for ghost Face Killa 26 00:01:51,640 --> 00:01:56,720 Speaker 1: in the entire Wu Tang Clan. On this episode, Smoking 27 00:01:56,800 --> 00:02:01,040 Speaker 1: wet an unlicensed three point fifty seven Magnam attempted robbery 28 00:02:01,360 --> 00:02:04,680 Speaker 1: a plea deal in Wu Tang Clan's ghost Face Killer. 29 00:02:05,600 --> 00:02:40,960 Speaker 1: I'm Jake Brennan, and this is disgraceland. Tony was pissed. 30 00:02:41,560 --> 00:02:44,960 Speaker 1: He just wanted to go home, but he couldn't. All 31 00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:47,240 Speaker 1: four of his car's tires have been slashed while he 32 00:02:47,280 --> 00:02:50,000 Speaker 1: and Frank were in the club hour maybe hour and 33 00:02:50,040 --> 00:02:54,160 Speaker 1: a half, not that long. And now this this was bullshit. 34 00:02:55,120 --> 00:02:59,120 Speaker 1: Tony was bullshit. Frank was stunned, standing there with his 35 00:02:59,200 --> 00:03:03,320 Speaker 1: mouth wide ope and frozen. Tony motioned to the parking 36 00:03:03,360 --> 00:03:07,560 Speaker 1: attendants nearby. These guys must have seen something. Frank agreed, 37 00:03:07,800 --> 00:03:10,440 Speaker 1: but just because they saw something didn't mean they were 38 00:03:10,440 --> 00:03:13,440 Speaker 1: going to say something. They didn't need to talk. Tony 39 00:03:13,440 --> 00:03:16,639 Speaker 1: said he had a better idea. You know how much 40 00:03:16,680 --> 00:03:19,560 Speaker 1: cash comes through here in a single evening. Let's go 41 00:03:19,639 --> 00:03:22,959 Speaker 1: see what they got. Frank wanted to know if he 42 00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:25,880 Speaker 1: should put his hood up. Tony said, probably, not a 43 00:03:25,919 --> 00:03:29,839 Speaker 1: bad idea. And what about the burner, Frank asked. Tony said, 44 00:03:29,880 --> 00:03:32,280 Speaker 1: have it ready, but keep it hidden and keep the 45 00:03:32,320 --> 00:03:37,720 Speaker 1: safety off the attendants. Whereas chatty as expected, which is 46 00:03:37,760 --> 00:03:40,560 Speaker 1: to say, not at all, Tony cuts to the chase. 47 00:03:41,160 --> 00:03:46,720 Speaker 1: Where's the money? No response, he asked again nothing. Tony 48 00:03:46,800 --> 00:03:50,320 Speaker 1: zeroed in on one attendant, Skinny week. Look at my car. 49 00:03:50,440 --> 00:03:52,080 Speaker 1: Tony said to him, look at what they did to 50 00:03:52,120 --> 00:03:54,360 Speaker 1: my car. They did that to my car while it 51 00:03:54,360 --> 00:03:57,600 Speaker 1: was parked in your lot, on your watch. And the 52 00:03:57,680 --> 00:04:01,080 Speaker 1: kid got real nervous. He was shaking, trying to speak 53 00:04:01,200 --> 00:04:04,600 Speaker 1: but stuttering. Frank put his hand near his cannon to 54 00:04:04,680 --> 00:04:08,480 Speaker 1: let the kid knows something was under there. Tony barked, 55 00:04:08,840 --> 00:04:11,240 Speaker 1: the cash, motherfucker, give us the cash, and we'll forget 56 00:04:11,280 --> 00:04:13,520 Speaker 1: about the whole thing. We'll walk away and leave you alone. 57 00:04:14,680 --> 00:04:17,920 Speaker 1: Kid was as weak as Tony thought. He followed the instructions, 58 00:04:18,200 --> 00:04:21,960 Speaker 1: opened the cash box at the attendant stand, Tony looked inside. 59 00:04:22,520 --> 00:04:25,480 Speaker 1: Benjamin Franklin's stone gaze stared up at him from a 60 00:04:25,520 --> 00:04:28,560 Speaker 1: stack of bills, A couple thousand in there. At least. 61 00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:35,919 Speaker 1: Then this made Tony happy, This made things even. Ghost 62 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:38,840 Speaker 1: Face Killer the Man born Dennis Coles was one of 63 00:04:38,880 --> 00:04:44,120 Speaker 1: Wu Tang Clan's sharpest lyricists. Ghost aka Dennis Here was 64 00:04:44,160 --> 00:04:48,440 Speaker 1: a storyteller, a rock on tour. Born in nineteen seventy 65 00:04:48,480 --> 00:04:51,279 Speaker 1: on Staten Island and now in nineteen ninety seven, twenty 66 00:04:51,320 --> 00:04:54,040 Speaker 1: seven years old. Ghost knew a good YEARN when he 67 00:04:54,040 --> 00:04:57,559 Speaker 1: heard one. In his opinion, that's what he was hearing now, 68 00:04:57,960 --> 00:05:01,200 Speaker 1: a good YEARN. One hell of a story, nothing more, 69 00:05:01,600 --> 00:05:06,000 Speaker 1: nothing less. The DA disagreed. The DA said it was 70 00:05:06,040 --> 00:05:08,800 Speaker 1: a true story, and that in this true story, the 71 00:05:08,920 --> 00:05:12,239 Speaker 1: character of Tony was actually a stand in for Ghost Face, 72 00:05:12,880 --> 00:05:15,279 Speaker 1: that Ghost was the one who found his car tires 73 00:05:15,320 --> 00:05:19,240 Speaker 1: slashed outside the Palladium nightclub in Manhattan, that in a 74 00:05:19,279 --> 00:05:21,680 Speaker 1: fit of rage, Ghost got into it with the parking 75 00:05:21,680 --> 00:05:24,559 Speaker 1: lot attendants. One of those attendants won on the record 76 00:05:24,600 --> 00:05:26,720 Speaker 1: with a statement that Ghost nearly made off with three 77 00:05:26,839 --> 00:05:30,360 Speaker 1: K from their cash box. Now Ghost was looking at 78 00:05:30,400 --> 00:05:34,480 Speaker 1: five to fifteen for robbery, unless, that is, he copped 79 00:05:34,480 --> 00:05:38,480 Speaker 1: a plea to a lesser charge attempted robbery that would 80 00:05:38,480 --> 00:05:40,200 Speaker 1: get him a couple months in the pen and five 81 00:05:40,279 --> 00:05:43,920 Speaker 1: years probation. Either way, the DA had him by the balls, 82 00:05:45,080 --> 00:05:47,479 Speaker 1: just like the NYPD had him by the balls. A 83 00:05:47,480 --> 00:05:52,440 Speaker 1: few weeks prior, in Harlem, Ghost was driving his friend 84 00:05:52,480 --> 00:05:55,719 Speaker 1: was driving his own car directly ahead. A police cruiser 85 00:05:55,760 --> 00:05:58,200 Speaker 1: sandwiched its way between the two cars and pulled ghost 86 00:05:58,240 --> 00:06:01,600 Speaker 1: friend over for some bogus traffic fire elation. So Ghosts 87 00:06:01,600 --> 00:06:04,960 Speaker 1: pulled over to He watched the cops approach his friend's car, 88 00:06:05,480 --> 00:06:11,640 Speaker 1: and Ghost's mind NYPD lived for this, not protecting, not serving, harassing. 89 00:06:12,440 --> 00:06:15,080 Speaker 1: Ghost was out of his car now making his approach 90 00:06:15,600 --> 00:06:17,560 Speaker 1: the cops that the scene said it was at this 91 00:06:17,760 --> 00:06:21,919 Speaker 1: time that Ghost Face began acting disorderly. Between that and 92 00:06:21,960 --> 00:06:24,200 Speaker 1: the fact that he could clearly make out the bulletproof 93 00:06:24,320 --> 00:06:28,039 Speaker 1: vest under his coat, the cops had probable cause and 94 00:06:28,120 --> 00:06:31,719 Speaker 1: they searched Ghosts's car found his unlicensed three fifty seven 95 00:06:31,800 --> 00:06:34,479 Speaker 1: magnum in hallow point bullets in a hidden compartment behind 96 00:06:34,480 --> 00:06:39,440 Speaker 1: the glove box. And that was a careless mistake. Maybe 97 00:06:39,440 --> 00:06:42,279 Speaker 1: it was Hubris. Maybe he thought that because he was 98 00:06:42,320 --> 00:06:44,560 Speaker 1: somebody now a member of one of the biggest hip 99 00:06:44,600 --> 00:06:47,159 Speaker 1: hop groups in the world, that he was somehow above 100 00:06:47,160 --> 00:06:51,239 Speaker 1: the law, and if so, then he was wrong. Third 101 00:06:51,240 --> 00:06:54,120 Speaker 1: degree criminal possession of a weapon was a felony. It 102 00:06:54,120 --> 00:06:57,080 Speaker 1: didn't matter who you were, did over the body armor. 103 00:06:59,440 --> 00:07:02,920 Speaker 1: Worst of all, getting pinched in Harlem was what alerted 104 00:07:02,960 --> 00:07:05,599 Speaker 1: authorities to the fact that Ghostface had skipped a court 105 00:07:05,680 --> 00:07:09,120 Speaker 1: date on this whole palladium parking lot bullshit. The charge 106 00:07:09,120 --> 00:07:13,280 Speaker 1: he was fighting now, And to think nineteen ninety seven 107 00:07:13,680 --> 00:07:18,360 Speaker 1: had held so much promise. The year started on a high, 108 00:07:18,880 --> 00:07:21,880 Speaker 1: with Ghosts riding the success of his first solo album, 109 00:07:22,000 --> 00:07:25,080 Speaker 1: iron Man, released in October of the year prior on 110 00:07:25,160 --> 00:07:28,720 Speaker 1: Epic Records. It debuted at number two on the Billboard 111 00:07:28,760 --> 00:07:33,000 Speaker 1: two hundred and quickly went gold. Then on June third, 112 00:07:33,040 --> 00:07:36,240 Speaker 1: Wu Tang Clan dropped their long awaited second album, the 113 00:07:36,280 --> 00:07:38,720 Speaker 1: one they were recording out in Los Angeles when the 114 00:07:38,760 --> 00:07:43,000 Speaker 1: notorious Big was shot dead in the street. Wu Tang 115 00:07:43,080 --> 00:07:47,920 Speaker 1: Forever was Bold double LP, twenty seven tracks. It was 116 00:07:47,960 --> 00:07:51,960 Speaker 1: a massive success. The line of people at Virgin Records 117 00:07:51,960 --> 00:07:54,600 Speaker 1: in New York City on release day stretched for blocks 118 00:07:55,440 --> 00:07:59,400 Speaker 1: over six hundred thousand copies sold in the first week alone. 119 00:07:59,520 --> 00:08:02,240 Speaker 1: It debuted at number one in the US and in 120 00:08:02,280 --> 00:08:05,960 Speaker 1: the UK. This was year five of the Rizza's five 121 00:08:06,040 --> 00:08:09,680 Speaker 1: year plan. By the way, just as Rizza promised, Wu 122 00:08:09,760 --> 00:08:14,440 Speaker 1: Tang went all the way to the top. Days after 123 00:08:14,480 --> 00:08:17,920 Speaker 1: the album's release, however, Wu Tang was banned from one 124 00:08:17,920 --> 00:08:20,280 Speaker 1: of the biggest hip hop radio stations in the country. 125 00:08:21,080 --> 00:08:24,400 Speaker 1: Hot ninety seven's annual Summer Jam concert should have been 126 00:08:24,400 --> 00:08:27,200 Speaker 1: a victory lot, but when the station threatened to pull 127 00:08:27,240 --> 00:08:29,760 Speaker 1: Wu Tang's music from the airways if they didn't perform 128 00:08:29,800 --> 00:08:33,600 Speaker 1: a headlining set, an appearance which was promotional in nature 129 00:08:33,640 --> 00:08:37,120 Speaker 1: and thus did not pay, it felt a little like extortion. 130 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:40,200 Speaker 1: A Wu Tang went ahead and played the show, and 131 00:08:40,240 --> 00:08:42,920 Speaker 1: they closed out the night with incredible energy and cool 132 00:08:43,040 --> 00:08:46,560 Speaker 1: to spare. They also had a very clear message for 133 00:08:46,600 --> 00:08:50,320 Speaker 1: the tens of thousands of people in attendance, a message 134 00:08:50,360 --> 00:08:53,160 Speaker 1: which was delivered off the cuff by ghost Face with 135 00:08:53,559 --> 00:08:58,439 Speaker 1: no warning, and that message was I want every motherfucker 136 00:08:58,559 --> 00:09:04,360 Speaker 1: in here to say Hot ninety seven, with their music 137 00:09:04,440 --> 00:09:06,280 Speaker 1: no longer allowed on one of the biggest hip hop 138 00:09:06,400 --> 00:09:09,840 Speaker 1: radio stations in the country. Wu Tang then hit the road. 139 00:09:10,320 --> 00:09:12,800 Speaker 1: Their joint tour with Rage against the Machine was the 140 00:09:12,880 --> 00:09:15,920 Speaker 1: hottest ticket of the summer of nineteen ninety seven. It 141 00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:19,520 Speaker 1: was also an opportunity to greatly expand Wu Tang's audience 142 00:09:20,360 --> 00:09:24,600 Speaker 1: black white, male female, high school kids, college kids, rock fans, 143 00:09:24,679 --> 00:09:28,120 Speaker 1: rap fans. It didn't matter. Everyone was down with Wu Tang, 144 00:09:28,160 --> 00:09:32,600 Speaker 1: but Wu Tang wasn't down with touring, real touring anyways. 145 00:09:32,840 --> 00:09:36,320 Speaker 1: Touring like a rock band. That was hard, and there 146 00:09:36,320 --> 00:09:39,520 Speaker 1: were schedules to keep, call times, to make endless protocols 147 00:09:39,520 --> 00:09:44,640 Speaker 1: and rules. Ghosts and Wu Tang didn't do rules. So 148 00:09:44,720 --> 00:09:47,319 Speaker 1: at the height of this huge cultural moment, one of 149 00:09:47,320 --> 00:09:49,440 Speaker 1: the biggest records of the year, one of the biggest 150 00:09:49,440 --> 00:09:52,680 Speaker 1: tours of the year, according headline controversy, like only the 151 00:09:52,720 --> 00:09:58,080 Speaker 1: greatest artists can do, Wu Tang bailed and went home. Ghost, 152 00:09:58,160 --> 00:10:01,360 Speaker 1: for one, struggled because he told Hot ninety seven to 153 00:10:01,480 --> 00:10:04,960 Speaker 1: fuck off, but not because his group abandoned Rage. Wu 154 00:10:05,040 --> 00:10:07,800 Speaker 1: Tang was formed against the odds, and they flourished against 155 00:10:07,840 --> 00:10:13,480 Speaker 1: the odds. Professional odds would always be there. Ghost's problem 156 00:10:13,679 --> 00:10:19,120 Speaker 1: was person His diabetes was getting worse. It made him dizzy, 157 00:10:19,640 --> 00:10:23,240 Speaker 1: blurred his vision, gave him migraine so bad it felt 158 00:10:23,240 --> 00:10:25,920 Speaker 1: like his head was going to split into two. Felt 159 00:10:25,960 --> 00:10:30,120 Speaker 1: like everything inside the dense, overgrown language in the art 160 00:10:30,160 --> 00:10:33,040 Speaker 1: of storytelling, the things that were his bread and butter 161 00:10:33,120 --> 00:10:35,600 Speaker 1: as an mc that they would all pour out of 162 00:10:35,640 --> 00:10:39,959 Speaker 1: that cracked dome and spill all over the floor. His 163 00:10:40,120 --> 00:10:44,520 Speaker 1: drinking and smoking it wasn't helping. PCP in particular was 164 00:10:44,559 --> 00:10:47,800 Speaker 1: a favorite, but it made the dizziness and the paranoia 165 00:10:47,920 --> 00:10:51,920 Speaker 1: even worse. He was still looking behind his back, even 166 00:10:51,920 --> 00:10:54,160 Speaker 1: from the vantage point of some of the biggest stages 167 00:10:54,200 --> 00:10:58,000 Speaker 1: in the world. He was the guy from the Stapleton Projects. 168 00:10:58,480 --> 00:11:01,319 Speaker 1: He did live that life and he did represent that culture. 169 00:11:01,800 --> 00:11:06,240 Speaker 1: He was authentic. Being authentic was about being real, which 170 00:11:06,240 --> 00:11:08,040 Speaker 1: is not the same as saying it was the truth. 171 00:11:09,160 --> 00:11:14,160 Speaker 1: Ghost Face Killa was a character, part truth, part fiction. 172 00:11:15,000 --> 00:11:17,800 Speaker 1: The truth gave credence to the made up stuff. Then 173 00:11:17,920 --> 00:11:21,199 Speaker 1: fiction went a long way when the truth got stale. 174 00:11:22,040 --> 00:11:24,960 Speaker 1: Back when Wu Tang first started, ghost Face wore a 175 00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:29,720 Speaker 1: stalking mask at their public appearances. But why dependent on 176 00:11:29,760 --> 00:11:32,080 Speaker 1: who you asked. There was a warrant out for his 177 00:11:32,200 --> 00:11:34,480 Speaker 1: arrest or there was a bounty on his head from 178 00:11:34,520 --> 00:11:38,800 Speaker 1: a rival crew. These were stories, stories like the one 179 00:11:38,800 --> 00:11:41,160 Speaker 1: about Tony and Frank trying to rob some dudes in 180 00:11:41,240 --> 00:11:45,960 Speaker 1: a nightclub parking lot. Were they true? Maybe? Maybe not? 181 00:11:46,720 --> 00:11:50,240 Speaker 1: Maybe go fuck yourself. The DA didn't care for ghost 182 00:11:50,280 --> 00:11:54,560 Speaker 1: Face's cavalier attitude. In a sense, his authenticity was his 183 00:11:54,600 --> 00:11:57,839 Speaker 1: worst enemy. The parking lot's story was one that he 184 00:11:57,880 --> 00:12:01,680 Speaker 1: couldn't write himself out of. Took the plea deal five 185 00:12:01,760 --> 00:12:05,040 Speaker 1: years probation. After he did four months at Riker's Island. 186 00:12:05,920 --> 00:12:09,400 Speaker 1: Ghosts figured it was fodder for another good story, a 187 00:12:09,520 --> 00:12:12,679 Speaker 1: story about coming out right and how in the end 188 00:12:13,160 --> 00:12:15,160 Speaker 1: you got to go through hell to come out right. 189 00:12:16,000 --> 00:12:43,000 Speaker 1: Everyone does. The first bullet hit his neck, the next 190 00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:46,560 Speaker 1: one caught him in the shoulder. It all happened so fast. 191 00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:51,920 Speaker 1: Blood spurted from his wounds, his neck went numb. Was shocked. 192 00:12:52,520 --> 00:12:56,280 Speaker 1: He screamed and threw his arms up pure reflex. He 193 00:12:56,360 --> 00:12:58,439 Speaker 1: grabbed the dude's piece and tried to wrestle it from 194 00:12:58,440 --> 00:13:02,600 Speaker 1: his grip again, and knuckles cracked as he turned the 195 00:13:02,600 --> 00:13:04,640 Speaker 1: barrel around and named it back at the guy who 196 00:13:04,640 --> 00:13:07,439 Speaker 1: had just clipped him. He managed to wrap his finger 197 00:13:07,520 --> 00:13:10,320 Speaker 1: around the trigger and then he fired. He shot a 198 00:13:10,360 --> 00:13:15,719 Speaker 1: guy with his own gun. When the smoke cleared, he 199 00:13:15,840 --> 00:13:20,560 Speaker 1: got the hell out of Ohio. Steubenville was a shit show, 200 00:13:20,960 --> 00:13:24,160 Speaker 1: birthplace of Dean Martin and Jimmy the Greek, a grid 201 00:13:24,200 --> 00:13:27,400 Speaker 1: of steel mills and coal mines, and now, in nineteen 202 00:13:27,480 --> 00:13:30,880 Speaker 1: ninety one, the place where ghosts face. Killer, then still 203 00:13:30,920 --> 00:13:34,040 Speaker 1: known as Dennis Cole's, then only twenty one years old, 204 00:13:34,480 --> 00:13:37,880 Speaker 1: got shot. He went back to New York before things 205 00:13:37,920 --> 00:13:42,040 Speaker 1: got really bad, and Dennis's guy, Bobby aka the Rizza, 206 00:13:42,360 --> 00:13:45,600 Speaker 1: he could vouch for the really bad shit. The cycle 207 00:13:45,640 --> 00:13:48,920 Speaker 1: of non success was a tough one to break. It 208 00:13:49,040 --> 00:13:51,320 Speaker 1: was a cycle that had been spinning since the day 209 00:13:51,400 --> 00:13:55,560 Speaker 1: guys like Dennis were born, a cycle of little opportunity 210 00:13:55,760 --> 00:14:00,600 Speaker 1: and even less support, homes broken far beyond repair. There 211 00:14:00,640 --> 00:14:03,200 Speaker 1: was a reason the projects in Staten Island were set 212 00:14:03,280 --> 00:14:06,720 Speaker 1: up the way they were. They kept everyone inside like 213 00:14:06,880 --> 00:14:10,040 Speaker 1: caged animals, and the only way out was to claw 214 00:14:10,080 --> 00:14:13,960 Speaker 1: your way to something better. Sometimes that meant squeezing a trigger. 215 00:14:14,720 --> 00:14:17,800 Speaker 1: And when the Riza formed Wu Tang Clan, those lies 216 00:14:17,880 --> 00:14:21,560 Speaker 1: in that culture and that fight or flight mentality all 217 00:14:21,600 --> 00:14:25,000 Speaker 1: became a part of the mythology the new thing they 218 00:14:25,000 --> 00:14:28,400 Speaker 1: were creating. They rearranged the world as they knew it. 219 00:14:29,320 --> 00:14:32,520 Speaker 1: Staten Island wasn't just Staten Island anymore. It was shall 220 00:14:32,680 --> 00:14:36,120 Speaker 1: in a place that was partly true and partly made 221 00:14:36,200 --> 00:14:40,120 Speaker 1: up the stuff that was one hundred percent true. All 222 00:14:40,240 --> 00:14:43,360 Speaker 1: that happened long before Riza assembled Wu Tang, and long 223 00:14:43,400 --> 00:14:46,440 Speaker 1: before Dennis became ghost Face Killer, the hip hop alter 224 00:14:46,600 --> 00:14:48,760 Speaker 1: ego named after the villain from one of the clans 225 00:14:48,880 --> 00:14:52,400 Speaker 1: cherished Kung Fu movies. It happened in the Stapleton Houses 226 00:14:52,440 --> 00:14:56,480 Speaker 1: project on Staten Island in the seventies. Fifteen family members 227 00:14:56,480 --> 00:15:00,720 Speaker 1: squeezed into a three bedroom apartment, four bodies to a mattress, 228 00:15:00,720 --> 00:15:03,280 Speaker 1: cereal for breakfast in the morning after you picked the 229 00:15:03,360 --> 00:15:05,960 Speaker 1: roaches out of the box, the sounds of the del 230 00:15:06,080 --> 00:15:08,480 Speaker 1: Phonics and the Temptations on the radio to tuck you 231 00:15:08,520 --> 00:15:12,400 Speaker 1: in at night. Dennis's father was gone, his mom was it. 232 00:15:13,080 --> 00:15:16,120 Speaker 1: But mom was overwhelmed and she hit the bottle to coat. 233 00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:19,920 Speaker 1: Dennis helped out however he could. As young as ten 234 00:15:20,040 --> 00:15:22,360 Speaker 1: years old, he was lifting his two younger brothers, both 235 00:15:22,400 --> 00:15:26,120 Speaker 1: stricken with MS, onto the toilet, all the while hoping 236 00:15:26,120 --> 00:15:28,800 Speaker 1: the toilet paper rolls still had a few squares on it, 237 00:15:28,880 --> 00:15:31,280 Speaker 1: and if it didn't, hoping that there was enough newspaper 238 00:15:31,360 --> 00:15:35,120 Speaker 1: kicking around to make a half decent substitute. Let's face it, 239 00:15:35,560 --> 00:15:38,520 Speaker 1: the newspaper didn't cut it, though, tore your ass up, 240 00:15:39,440 --> 00:15:41,640 Speaker 1: and the easiest way to escape at all was to 241 00:15:41,680 --> 00:15:45,440 Speaker 1: smoke your way out. Stapleton's hive of choice was weed 242 00:15:45,520 --> 00:15:49,960 Speaker 1: dipped in angel dust and embalming fluid. Smoking quote unquote wet, 243 00:15:50,280 --> 00:15:53,400 Speaker 1: or getting dusted, as it were called, produced a high 244 00:15:53,440 --> 00:15:56,680 Speaker 1: that stretched out not just over time, but into time. 245 00:15:57,360 --> 00:16:02,120 Speaker 1: The high was time, no past and no future when 246 00:16:02,120 --> 00:16:06,560 Speaker 1: you were dusted, only a long drawn out now and 247 00:16:06,720 --> 00:16:11,680 Speaker 1: now that takes forever to happen, so long that it 248 00:16:11,760 --> 00:16:17,240 Speaker 1: doesn't even feel real. Your eyes bug out. You walk slow, 249 00:16:17,360 --> 00:16:20,760 Speaker 1: but you stumble like you're drunk. Someone else has to 250 00:16:20,800 --> 00:16:24,120 Speaker 1: steady you, but when they do so, their hand touches 251 00:16:24,160 --> 00:16:26,880 Speaker 1: your arm, and suddenly your mind's racing a million miles 252 00:16:26,920 --> 00:16:30,760 Speaker 1: an hour. You see and hear things that aren't there, 253 00:16:30,800 --> 00:16:35,200 Speaker 1: people dead alive, and your piece of shit father, fuck off, 254 00:16:35,720 --> 00:16:38,760 Speaker 1: some hot young thing from around the way, some baby, 255 00:16:39,320 --> 00:16:43,120 Speaker 1: a cop and playing close. Damn. They're all looking at you. 256 00:16:43,520 --> 00:16:46,440 Speaker 1: They talk to you, and you talk back to them, 257 00:16:46,760 --> 00:16:52,400 Speaker 1: It's all totally normal. Everything is Every choice makes perfect sense. 258 00:16:52,840 --> 00:16:54,760 Speaker 1: And whip out your dick and piss inside of a 259 00:16:54,800 --> 00:16:58,040 Speaker 1: subway car, strip your clothes of, flip it razorbly between 260 00:16:58,080 --> 00:17:00,960 Speaker 1: your fingers like it's a casino chip, try to lift 261 00:17:01,000 --> 00:17:03,480 Speaker 1: the car into the air, or point a pistol at 262 00:17:03,520 --> 00:17:12,159 Speaker 1: an old lady's house and shoot. Nineteen ninety two, Staten Island, 263 00:17:12,480 --> 00:17:16,399 Speaker 1: park Hill ghost Face Killo was dusted a house in 264 00:17:16,440 --> 00:17:19,800 Speaker 1: front of him. Wasn't in his neighborhood in Stapleton. He 265 00:17:19,920 --> 00:17:22,960 Speaker 1: was standing in rival territory, a gun in his hand. 266 00:17:24,160 --> 00:17:28,480 Speaker 1: His mind raced with memories, older memories like the years 267 00:17:28,520 --> 00:17:31,879 Speaker 1: he took care of his brothers, years spent crammed inside 268 00:17:31,880 --> 00:17:35,760 Speaker 1: of an apartment with extended family, more recent memories like 269 00:17:35,840 --> 00:17:39,359 Speaker 1: getting clipped in Steubenville, nearly a casualty of whatever the 270 00:17:39,359 --> 00:17:42,600 Speaker 1: hell was going on there. As clear as that particular 271 00:17:42,640 --> 00:17:44,880 Speaker 1: memory was, however, and as much as he didn't want 272 00:17:44,880 --> 00:17:48,320 Speaker 1: to replay that incident, Ghosts's mind was not in a 273 00:17:48,320 --> 00:17:53,400 Speaker 1: good place. It was warped by PCP. To that warped mind, 274 00:17:53,600 --> 00:17:56,240 Speaker 1: what he was about to do made complete sense to him. 275 00:17:56,960 --> 00:17:59,160 Speaker 1: He was going to shoot up the house that belonged 276 00:17:59,200 --> 00:18:01,280 Speaker 1: to a mother who it was the same age as 277 00:18:01,280 --> 00:18:04,159 Speaker 1: his own mom. It wasn't the mother he was after, 278 00:18:04,680 --> 00:18:07,880 Speaker 1: it was their son. Dude was hiding out inside after 279 00:18:07,920 --> 00:18:10,440 Speaker 1: getting into it with Ghost's friend over a drug deal 280 00:18:10,520 --> 00:18:13,560 Speaker 1: gone bad that had put that friend in jail. This 281 00:18:14,280 --> 00:18:20,879 Speaker 1: was revenge, This was payback. His motions were slow, but deliberate. 282 00:18:21,359 --> 00:18:25,840 Speaker 1: He raised the piece, took game and fired bullets ricocheted 283 00:18:25,880 --> 00:18:28,560 Speaker 1: off brick and pierced glass to ghost face. The whole 284 00:18:28,560 --> 00:18:31,600 Speaker 1: thing felt like an hour. In reality, it was quick work. 285 00:18:32,119 --> 00:18:34,240 Speaker 1: Just a few seconds and he was tearing ass down 286 00:18:34,280 --> 00:18:36,760 Speaker 1: the street in a car. He should have known the 287 00:18:36,840 --> 00:18:40,320 Speaker 1: dust head vigilantes don't go unpunished. An eye for an 288 00:18:40,320 --> 00:18:43,280 Speaker 1: eye and all that. And the other guy, the guy 289 00:18:43,320 --> 00:18:46,200 Speaker 1: Ghost had tried and failed to shoot, didn't wait long 290 00:18:46,240 --> 00:18:49,800 Speaker 1: to exact his revenge. He drove over to Stapleton that 291 00:18:49,840 --> 00:18:53,520 Speaker 1: same day, the ghosts his mom's house and pumped it 292 00:18:53,600 --> 00:18:56,840 Speaker 1: full of bullets. Putting your own mother in danger has 293 00:18:56,880 --> 00:19:00,159 Speaker 1: a way of putting everything in perspective. Once the angels 294 00:19:00,280 --> 00:19:05,400 Speaker 1: wore off. That is, Luckily, no one was hurt at 295 00:19:05,440 --> 00:19:08,080 Speaker 1: either house, but the thought of his mother under fire 296 00:19:08,400 --> 00:19:11,280 Speaker 1: ate at him. From the inside, and there was more. 297 00:19:11,880 --> 00:19:14,320 Speaker 1: The guy the ghost went after the guy who emptied 298 00:19:14,320 --> 00:19:17,359 Speaker 1: a clip into his mom's house. That guy was super 299 00:19:17,400 --> 00:19:21,960 Speaker 1: tight with Corey Woods aka Raykuon the Chef, and Rayquon 300 00:19:22,200 --> 00:19:25,760 Speaker 1: was alongside ghost Face, a founding member of the newly 301 00:19:25,800 --> 00:19:31,480 Speaker 1: assembled Wu Tang clan. Whatever this dispute was, it ended 302 00:19:31,560 --> 00:19:35,760 Speaker 1: now time to put away childish things, time to grow up. 303 00:19:36,400 --> 00:19:39,560 Speaker 1: Rizza wasn't just forming a band, he was brokering peace. 304 00:19:40,480 --> 00:19:44,439 Speaker 1: Wu Tang was intended to legitimize all nine guys trade 305 00:19:44,440 --> 00:19:47,679 Speaker 1: in the street hustle for a music industry hustle. But 306 00:19:47,800 --> 00:19:52,400 Speaker 1: it wasn't that simple. They didn't make millions overnight. Rayquon, 307 00:19:52,480 --> 00:19:54,680 Speaker 1: a method man, continued to deal for a little while 308 00:19:54,680 --> 00:19:57,760 Speaker 1: at the beginning, and Ghosts continued to be an ambassador 309 00:19:57,800 --> 00:19:59,800 Speaker 1: for the culture that continued to fuel many of his 310 00:20:00,119 --> 00:20:04,159 Speaker 1: I'm obsessed rhymes. He understood that culture. How it feels 311 00:20:04,200 --> 00:20:08,919 Speaker 1: to be left for dead, underestimated, offending for yourself. The 312 00:20:09,040 --> 00:20:13,760 Speaker 1: very word culture has major significance. Culture is the fourth 313 00:20:13,800 --> 00:20:17,920 Speaker 1: supreme number, as in supreme mathematics, the building blocks of 314 00:20:17,960 --> 00:20:22,320 Speaker 1: the five percent nation aka the Nation of Gods and Earths. 315 00:20:22,840 --> 00:20:26,560 Speaker 1: One you do the knowledge, Two, you act upon what 316 00:20:26,600 --> 00:20:30,880 Speaker 1: you know, three you understand it, and then four you 317 00:20:31,000 --> 00:20:34,280 Speaker 1: live in the culture, the way of life, but not 318 00:20:34,359 --> 00:20:37,440 Speaker 1: the way of life that you're familiar with. This is 319 00:20:37,480 --> 00:20:40,560 Speaker 1: a better way of life, a better culture, one that 320 00:20:40,600 --> 00:20:43,880 Speaker 1: you can only grasp once you are seeing clearly. That 321 00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:50,159 Speaker 1: kind of culture is freedom. Freedom is what everyone wants. 322 00:20:51,000 --> 00:20:56,160 Speaker 1: Freedom from harassment, freedom from repression, freedom from bad cycles 323 00:20:56,200 --> 00:21:02,479 Speaker 1: and worse circumstances, but most of all, freedom from the past. 324 00:21:08,600 --> 00:21:15,360 Speaker 1: We'll be right back after this. We're, we're, we're. One 325 00:21:15,359 --> 00:21:18,280 Speaker 1: of the inmates down the hall was freaking out. You 326 00:21:18,320 --> 00:21:19,960 Speaker 1: didn't actually have to see him to know. He was 327 00:21:20,000 --> 00:21:24,280 Speaker 1: on the floor, arms smacking against the concrete, a demonic 328 00:21:24,320 --> 00:21:28,560 Speaker 1: wheeze coming from his chest. Seizure or asthma attack, hard 329 00:21:28,560 --> 00:21:32,040 Speaker 1: to tell which. The CEOs didn't pay any mind one 330 00:21:32,040 --> 00:21:35,080 Speaker 1: way or the other. The CEOs worked double shifts and 331 00:21:35,119 --> 00:21:39,119 Speaker 1: gave zero fox. They walked on by every time, and 332 00:21:39,200 --> 00:21:42,080 Speaker 1: they did what they wanted, And what they wanted was simple. 333 00:21:42,600 --> 00:21:46,400 Speaker 1: Make life for inmates at Riker's Island a living hell. 334 00:21:46,600 --> 00:21:49,480 Speaker 1: A CEO wouldn't think twice about tossing tear gas in 335 00:21:49,560 --> 00:21:52,719 Speaker 1: your face or tossing your ass in solitary or just 336 00:21:52,760 --> 00:21:56,320 Speaker 1: denying you your basic rights as a human. No water, 337 00:21:56,720 --> 00:22:00,960 Speaker 1: no showers, no phone calls, no food, and for ghost Face, 338 00:22:01,720 --> 00:22:07,320 Speaker 1: no insulin. It was early nineteen ninety eight, January or February. 339 00:22:07,680 --> 00:22:10,800 Speaker 1: Ghosts had lost track of time. He was days or 340 00:22:10,880 --> 00:22:13,480 Speaker 1: weeks into his four month sentence for the alleged attempted 341 00:22:13,520 --> 00:22:17,360 Speaker 1: robbery outside the Palladium. His diabetes was worse now than 342 00:22:17,400 --> 00:22:20,600 Speaker 1: it had ever been, and the CEOs could care less. 343 00:22:21,040 --> 00:22:23,280 Speaker 1: They denied him anything that would make his life easier. 344 00:22:23,760 --> 00:22:27,000 Speaker 1: They denied him as insolent without insulin to manage his 345 00:22:27,040 --> 00:22:30,560 Speaker 1: blood sugar levels, every hour was harder than the one before. 346 00:22:31,280 --> 00:22:35,680 Speaker 1: He became disoriented. His cell seemed to spin violently and 347 00:22:35,880 --> 00:22:39,919 Speaker 1: spun all around him. He was nauseous. A headache raged 348 00:22:39,960 --> 00:22:43,119 Speaker 1: between his eyes, bore down on him like a dark cloud, 349 00:22:43,760 --> 00:22:46,199 Speaker 1: and he dropped to his knees. He fell over and 350 00:22:46,240 --> 00:22:49,840 Speaker 1: steadied himself with his hands, and they tingled, and then 351 00:22:49,840 --> 00:22:53,600 Speaker 1: he was down, lying still on the cold, slimy concrete 352 00:22:53,640 --> 00:22:57,879 Speaker 1: of his cell floor. He closed his eyes. The bare 353 00:22:57,960 --> 00:23:01,000 Speaker 1: floor of the Riker's prison cell was gone. In its 354 00:23:01,000 --> 00:23:03,760 Speaker 1: place was the bare dirt floor of a village hut 355 00:23:04,440 --> 00:23:08,960 Speaker 1: West Africa, the country of Benin, to be precise, where 356 00:23:09,040 --> 00:23:13,359 Speaker 1: voodoo is the state religion. He was here once months 357 00:23:13,400 --> 00:23:17,880 Speaker 1: ago in real life, looking for an alternative to Western medicine, 358 00:23:18,400 --> 00:23:21,399 Speaker 1: a cure for his diabetes that didn't involve sticking himself 359 00:23:21,440 --> 00:23:24,600 Speaker 1: with a needle every day. And now he was here again. 360 00:23:25,240 --> 00:23:29,560 Speaker 1: Inside his own mind, he saw candle, wax and palm oil, 361 00:23:30,160 --> 00:23:32,399 Speaker 1: the blood of a goat, and the feathers of a chicken. 362 00:23:33,119 --> 00:23:36,400 Speaker 1: A group of women assembled in a street, white robes, 363 00:23:36,800 --> 00:23:40,119 Speaker 1: voices in perfect harmony. The women beat out a rhythm 364 00:23:40,160 --> 00:23:44,119 Speaker 1: on their chests, and the rhythm grew faster. Someone screamed. 365 00:23:44,680 --> 00:23:47,520 Speaker 1: A figure draped in black and possibly tall as tall 366 00:23:47,560 --> 00:23:50,040 Speaker 1: as three men standing on top of each other's shoulders, 367 00:23:50,280 --> 00:23:53,320 Speaker 1: burst through the dust that hung in the air. Bad 368 00:23:53,400 --> 00:23:57,200 Speaker 1: spirits make haste. He suddenly tasted gin in his mouth. 369 00:23:57,600 --> 00:24:01,280 Speaker 1: Don't swallow it, it's fire. Water. Bit at once, twice, 370 00:24:01,600 --> 00:24:05,280 Speaker 1: three times is the ritual. Now, pray for help, Pray 371 00:24:05,359 --> 00:24:09,960 Speaker 1: for healing. His body shook beads rattled into distance. Men 372 00:24:10,000 --> 00:24:14,160 Speaker 1: in multicolored mass lurked behind him. More blood, more feathers, 373 00:24:14,400 --> 00:24:18,720 Speaker 1: dehydrated skulls of monkeys and stray cats, and the voices 374 00:24:18,760 --> 00:24:22,679 Speaker 1: of women became louder, faster. Out of sink, another spray 375 00:24:22,720 --> 00:24:27,520 Speaker 1: of firewater, another scream, and then ghost Face woke with 376 00:24:27,560 --> 00:24:31,240 Speaker 1: the urgent need to piss. His temples were throbbing, and 377 00:24:31,320 --> 00:24:33,439 Speaker 1: there was a drum in his head. The rhythm was 378 00:24:33,480 --> 00:24:36,879 Speaker 1: strong and loud, not unlike the rhythms the riz sampled 379 00:24:36,880 --> 00:24:39,960 Speaker 1: on his ASR ten, not unlike the rhythms of ritual 380 00:24:40,000 --> 00:24:44,040 Speaker 1: and Benin. Voodoo wasn't a cure all Ghosts found no 381 00:24:44,160 --> 00:24:47,639 Speaker 1: magic wand in West Africa for his ailments, but he 382 00:24:47,720 --> 00:24:50,719 Speaker 1: did find a simpler way of life there in Benin. 383 00:24:51,240 --> 00:24:53,159 Speaker 1: No one cared about the label on your shirt or 384 00:24:53,200 --> 00:24:55,800 Speaker 1: the brand of your shoes. It was the same here 385 00:24:55,840 --> 00:24:59,720 Speaker 1: at Riker's. In prison, life was reduced to its most 386 00:25:00,040 --> 00:25:04,920 Speaker 1: a mental state. Some guys fought to survive, others told stories. 387 00:25:05,640 --> 00:25:08,480 Speaker 1: Ghosts knew he had a hold on just a few 388 00:25:08,480 --> 00:25:12,520 Speaker 1: months longer. He was strong, he'd been through worse, and 389 00:25:12,600 --> 00:25:16,480 Speaker 1: he could sweat it out. Busy and nauseous, the headaches 390 00:25:16,520 --> 00:25:19,600 Speaker 1: giving him fever, dreams and tunnel vision, as long as 391 00:25:19,640 --> 00:25:21,280 Speaker 1: there was a light at the end of that tunnel. 392 00:25:21,920 --> 00:25:44,520 Speaker 1: He just wasn't prepared for what was on the other side. 393 00:25:48,800 --> 00:25:55,560 Speaker 1: November twenty, nineteen ninety seven, Steubenville, Ohio, Greer Montgomery aka 394 00:25:55,600 --> 00:25:58,680 Speaker 1: Wise God Allah, manager of the local hip hop group 395 00:25:58,760 --> 00:26:02,160 Speaker 1: Kill Army, walk briskly along Logan Street on his way 396 00:26:02,160 --> 00:26:05,600 Speaker 1: to a recording studio. A party was raging at number 397 00:26:05,600 --> 00:26:09,640 Speaker 1: six thirty five. Nine members of the Steubenville Cryps stood outside. 398 00:26:10,359 --> 00:26:13,720 Speaker 1: The crips weren't down with Wise God. They all suspected 399 00:26:13,720 --> 00:26:16,920 Speaker 1: he was a blood. Whether or not he actually was 400 00:26:16,920 --> 00:26:19,920 Speaker 1: wasn't important. They thought he was, so that was that 401 00:26:20,720 --> 00:26:24,240 Speaker 1: he was a sworn rival. One crip in particular blame 402 00:26:24,280 --> 00:26:27,760 Speaker 1: Wise God for robbing his mom. Still, the nine dudes 403 00:26:27,800 --> 00:26:30,359 Speaker 1: didn't make a move. They just stood there. As Wise 404 00:26:30,359 --> 00:26:32,960 Speaker 1: God made his way. They all gave him a look. 405 00:26:33,440 --> 00:26:36,520 Speaker 1: It was a look that said keep walking, So he did. 406 00:26:37,160 --> 00:26:39,280 Speaker 1: But as he walked, he lifted his shirt to display 407 00:26:39,359 --> 00:26:43,399 Speaker 1: the three fifty seven concealed there. All nine crips immediately 408 00:26:43,480 --> 00:26:46,639 Speaker 1: drew their weapons. Wise God went from a stroll to 409 00:26:46,760 --> 00:26:50,119 Speaker 1: a sprint. The still of the night was shattered by 410 00:26:50,160 --> 00:26:52,720 Speaker 1: an octet of steel and smoke, the sound of nine 411 00:26:52,800 --> 00:26:56,080 Speaker 1: guns firing off multiple rounds, and for a few seconds, 412 00:26:56,280 --> 00:27:00,199 Speaker 1: Wise God dodged the ridiculous hail of bullets. All the 413 00:27:00,200 --> 00:27:04,320 Speaker 1: crips unloaded over sixty rounds. Most of them missed their target, 414 00:27:04,760 --> 00:27:07,840 Speaker 1: but it only takes one shot. Wise God was hit 415 00:27:07,960 --> 00:27:11,080 Speaker 1: once in the head. His body fell to the ground 416 00:27:11,600 --> 00:27:17,399 Speaker 1: dead on impact. Months later, Ghosts Face Killa completed his 417 00:27:17,440 --> 00:27:19,840 Speaker 1: sentence at Riker's Island and walked out the front door. 418 00:27:19,960 --> 00:27:22,760 Speaker 1: Free man, as free as a man on probation can be. 419 00:27:24,119 --> 00:27:26,959 Speaker 1: He came out right. He had managed to keep his 420 00:27:27,000 --> 00:27:29,760 Speaker 1: nose clean on the inside. The only fight he had 421 00:27:29,800 --> 00:27:32,440 Speaker 1: at Rikers was with his own body, and now he 422 00:27:32,520 --> 00:27:34,800 Speaker 1: planned to take control of that fight on the outside. 423 00:27:35,280 --> 00:27:40,000 Speaker 1: No drinking and no smoking maybe to start, though, less 424 00:27:40,040 --> 00:27:44,840 Speaker 1: drinking and less smoking. For now, less was something. Less 425 00:27:44,880 --> 00:27:49,440 Speaker 1: made him feel better. Less headaches, less dizzy spells, less 426 00:27:49,440 --> 00:27:52,320 Speaker 1: of the petty shit that consumed everyone on a daily basis. 427 00:27:53,440 --> 00:27:55,480 Speaker 1: He thought about the people he met in West Africa. 428 00:27:56,000 --> 00:28:00,000 Speaker 1: They had less, but they seemed happier with less. Less. 429 00:28:00,160 --> 00:28:04,280 Speaker 1: Him focused the arrest in Harlem, the thing at the Palladium, 430 00:28:04,440 --> 00:28:07,000 Speaker 1: his time in prison. None of that was going to 431 00:28:07,000 --> 00:28:09,640 Speaker 1: cling to him like an albatross. But yet he held 432 00:28:09,680 --> 00:28:12,959 Speaker 1: onto these experiences and they made him tough like an 433 00:28:12,960 --> 00:28:16,720 Speaker 1: Elephant Tusk. They were fuel and this new stuff, the 434 00:28:16,760 --> 00:28:19,520 Speaker 1: second solo album he was cooking out, the follow up 435 00:28:19,520 --> 00:28:22,960 Speaker 1: to Ironman, that was going to be killer, the kind 436 00:28:22,960 --> 00:28:27,399 Speaker 1: of record that ups everyone's game. Ghost Face Wu Tang 437 00:28:27,840 --> 00:28:30,800 Speaker 1: All boats lifted by the rising tide that flowed from 438 00:28:30,840 --> 00:28:35,359 Speaker 1: the mouth of Hell. Ghost face sophomore album, Supreme Clientele, 439 00:28:35,880 --> 00:28:38,440 Speaker 1: was another instant classic and a small group of solo 440 00:28:38,480 --> 00:28:42,000 Speaker 1: Wu Tang efforts like Ray Kuon's only built for Cuban 441 00:28:42,080 --> 00:28:44,920 Speaker 1: links and old dirty Bastards returned to the thirty six 442 00:28:45,040 --> 00:28:48,880 Speaker 1: chambers when it was finally released two years after Ghosts 443 00:28:48,960 --> 00:28:52,640 Speaker 1: left Rikers. It was the year two thousand. Wu Tang 444 00:28:52,720 --> 00:28:55,680 Speaker 1: was busy cooking up their third record, and more than 445 00:28:55,760 --> 00:28:59,280 Speaker 1: just music, Wu Tang was building a brand. They were 446 00:28:59,280 --> 00:29:01,800 Speaker 1: more than a hip hop group, They were a business. 447 00:29:02,200 --> 00:29:06,080 Speaker 1: Their clothing line Wuwear was grossing millions of dollars a 448 00:29:06,200 --> 00:29:10,400 Speaker 1: year and outfitting their eclectic demographic with that now iconic 449 00:29:10,520 --> 00:29:15,280 Speaker 1: yellow W symbol. By this point, however, in the year 450 00:29:15,280 --> 00:29:18,320 Speaker 1: two thousand, it wasn't just hip hop heads and parole 451 00:29:18,360 --> 00:29:21,000 Speaker 1: officers who were keeping tabs on Ghost Face and Wu 452 00:29:21,080 --> 00:29:24,960 Speaker 1: Tang clan. Not everyone looked at Wu Tang and saw 453 00:29:24,960 --> 00:29:27,640 Speaker 1: a legitimate business that was making good on the promise 454 00:29:27,640 --> 00:29:32,720 Speaker 1: of the American Dream, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. 455 00:29:32,840 --> 00:29:37,560 Speaker 1: The ATF saw in Wu Tang affront for corruption, dirty 456 00:29:37,600 --> 00:29:40,960 Speaker 1: money laundered through album sales and concert tickets and clothing lines. 457 00:29:41,680 --> 00:29:45,080 Speaker 1: The ATF poured through Wu Tang's past transgressions with a 458 00:29:45,080 --> 00:29:49,120 Speaker 1: fine tooth comb. Most of these guys had records. I'm 459 00:29:49,160 --> 00:29:52,640 Speaker 1: not talking albums, I'm talking criminal rap sheets. Some of them, 460 00:29:52,720 --> 00:29:56,360 Speaker 1: like Ghosts, had even done time. And then there was 461 00:29:56,400 --> 00:30:01,040 Speaker 1: this thing with guns. Guns were everywhere that unlicensed three 462 00:30:01,120 --> 00:30:05,560 Speaker 1: fifty seven magnum behind Ghosts's glove box. DATF turned back 463 00:30:05,600 --> 00:30:11,560 Speaker 1: the clock to nineteen ninety one Steubenville. Dennis Coles aka 464 00:30:11,720 --> 00:30:15,400 Speaker 1: ghost Face Killer gets shot. Bobby Diggs aka The Rizza, 465 00:30:15,480 --> 00:30:18,680 Speaker 1: goes on trial. They both leave, but part of them stays. 466 00:30:20,000 --> 00:30:22,600 Speaker 1: The ATF drew a line from ghost to The Rizza 467 00:30:22,800 --> 00:30:25,480 Speaker 1: to Wise God Allah, the manager of the hip hop 468 00:30:25,560 --> 00:30:27,720 Speaker 1: group Kill Army, who was gunned down by members of 469 00:30:27,720 --> 00:30:30,840 Speaker 1: the Crips in nineteen ninety seven. The ATF knew that 470 00:30:30,960 --> 00:30:34,080 Speaker 1: Rizzo was a known associate of Wise God Hence it 471 00:30:34,240 --> 00:30:36,840 Speaker 1: wasn't a stretch to think that Rizzo was also known 472 00:30:36,920 --> 00:30:39,920 Speaker 1: to the Steubenville Bloods, of which Wise god was a 473 00:30:40,040 --> 00:30:44,280 Speaker 1: rumored member, and it wasn't just Steubenville. One month after 474 00:30:44,360 --> 00:30:47,880 Speaker 1: Wise god Allah was shot dead, on December thirtieth, nineteen 475 00:30:47,960 --> 00:30:51,120 Speaker 1: ninety seven, a man named Robert Johnson was jumped by 476 00:30:51,160 --> 00:30:54,120 Speaker 1: two masked men in the Saint George district of Staten Island. 477 00:30:54,880 --> 00:30:57,320 Speaker 1: They shot him several times and left his mortal wounds 478 00:30:57,360 --> 00:31:00,520 Speaker 1: bleeding out on the pavement. Robert Johnson was a known 479 00:31:00,520 --> 00:31:04,560 Speaker 1: associate of a man named Darryl Hill aka Cappa Donna, 480 00:31:05,120 --> 00:31:08,240 Speaker 1: a Staten Island native who once upon a time taught 481 00:31:08,360 --> 00:31:11,960 Speaker 1: various Wu Tang clan members how to rhyme. This was 482 00:31:12,200 --> 00:31:15,320 Speaker 1: way back in the day when Wu Tang formed cap 483 00:31:15,440 --> 00:31:19,560 Speaker 1: happened to be serving his own stint at Rikers Island. Recently, however, 484 00:31:19,960 --> 00:31:22,920 Speaker 1: he was welcomed into the clan's fold as an honorary member. 485 00:31:24,160 --> 00:31:27,040 Speaker 1: The ATF were interested in how Ghost Face and the 486 00:31:27,120 --> 00:31:30,760 Speaker 1: Riza and Cappadonna and the entire Wu Tang clan tied 487 00:31:30,800 --> 00:31:34,120 Speaker 1: into the cases of Wise god Allah and Robert Johnson, 488 00:31:35,160 --> 00:31:38,160 Speaker 1: not simply because they knew the departed. It wasn't a 489 00:31:38,240 --> 00:31:43,680 Speaker 1: crime to know somebody. This was deeper than that. The 490 00:31:43,800 --> 00:31:47,600 Speaker 1: ATF were interested first in the proximity of these two shootings. 491 00:31:48,160 --> 00:31:51,560 Speaker 1: They happened a mere month apart, perhaps a coincidence that 492 00:31:51,640 --> 00:31:54,520 Speaker 1: two men died violent deaths in two different cities, two 493 00:31:54,600 --> 00:31:56,680 Speaker 1: men who just so happened to have ties to members 494 00:31:56,720 --> 00:32:00,320 Speaker 1: of one organization, the organization in question being a hip 495 00:32:00,320 --> 00:32:04,040 Speaker 1: hop group. The ATF were also interested in the police 496 00:32:04,080 --> 00:32:08,400 Speaker 1: work conducted by detectives in Steubenville and Staten Island, specifically 497 00:32:08,760 --> 00:32:13,000 Speaker 1: information collected about the weapons used in both crimes. It 498 00:32:13,120 --> 00:32:16,200 Speaker 1: was determined that guns used in both shootings could be 499 00:32:16,320 --> 00:32:18,960 Speaker 1: traced back to a single batch of guns that have 500 00:32:19,080 --> 00:32:23,160 Speaker 1: been bought in Steubenville, a batch bought by known associates 501 00:32:23,520 --> 00:32:26,960 Speaker 1: of Wu Tang Clan. It didn't take the ATF long 502 00:32:27,080 --> 00:32:30,560 Speaker 1: to string their story together, and that story went like this, 503 00:32:31,400 --> 00:32:33,920 Speaker 1: Wu Tang Clan, one of the biggest hip hop groups 504 00:32:33,960 --> 00:32:37,440 Speaker 1: on the planet, were in reality hiring friends to purchase 505 00:32:37,520 --> 00:32:40,720 Speaker 1: weapons in Ohio, which were then transported to New York, 506 00:32:41,040 --> 00:32:45,080 Speaker 1: where the group used them for their own protection. To 507 00:32:45,200 --> 00:32:48,280 Speaker 1: the ATF, Wu Tang Clan weren't just a collective of 508 00:32:48,480 --> 00:32:53,640 Speaker 1: mcs and producers and artists. They were gun runners. I'm 509 00:32:53,760 --> 00:32:58,800 Speaker 1: Jake Brennan in this episode of Disgraceland is to be continued. 510 00:33:12,240 --> 00:33:15,000 Speaker 1: Disgraceland was created by Yours Truly and is produced in 511 00:33:15,080 --> 00:33:18,480 Speaker 1: partnership with Double Elvis. Credits for this episode can be 512 00:33:18,520 --> 00:33:21,600 Speaker 1: found on the show notes page at disgracelampod dot com. 513 00:33:22,200 --> 00:33:25,280 Speaker 1: If you're listening as a Disgraceland All Access member, thank 514 00:33:25,320 --> 00:33:27,960 Speaker 1: you for supporting the show. We really appreciate it. 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He's a bad, 524 00:34:06,400 --> 00:34:07,080 Speaker 1: bad man.