Rise of a Killah

"Basically, I'm just living off life right now." ~ pg. 20%

I remember the first time I really paid attention to Ghostface Killah. It was Beyoncé's performance of "Summertime" on Jay-Z's film, Fade to Black. He was backstage getting draped in jewels and chains before sharing the stage with Queen Bey. The poetry wizard wearing diamond-studded bathrobes. A founding member and soon to become one of my favorites in the iconic Wu-Tang Clan.

In this new autobiography, Dennis Coles—aka Ghostface Killah—shares his early successes in modern hip-hop, his career touring as a solo artist and trendsetter, his childhood, commitment to family and spiritual journey. It includes pictures documenting his life in the Wu-Tang. Quite the narrative.

"But you see where my mind goes. The way I think is just different." ~ 81%

The writing style of Rise of a Killah is not that of a traditional autobiography. It is a collection of essays series of sporadic stories not told in chronological or any kind of order actually. It is more like Ghostface recorded random thoughts and gave to someone to type rather than hire an experienced (ghost)writer to structure, format and polish the content. 

It was very difficult for me to catch the rhythm. The lack of structure seriously interfered with the retelling of his life making it difficult to follow. Especially when Ghostface would go on a tangent about an unrelated topic then repeat himself.

"I'm much more wise. I'm much more connected spiritually to the Most High." ~ pg. 52%

I would not recommend Rise of a Killah if you are looking for a well-written autobiography. The pictures were a nice addition along with his transparency on health issues and spirituality. But readers will get more out of his genius lyrics than in this book. 

Happy Pub Day, Ghostface Killah! Rise of a Killah: My Life in the Wu-Tang is now available.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: Rise of a Killah
Author: Ghostface Killah
Published: May 2024
Pages: 162
Edition: Galley
Genre: Autobiography
Rating: 🖤