Dubbed by the New York Times “the most lovable rapper in the world: a wounded warrior with raps to match his speeding heartbeat,” Def Jam artist – and Wu-Tang Clan ironman – Ghostdini (aka Ghostface Killah) returns under a new guise in 2009 as THE WIZARD OF POETRY, his 6^th Def Jam album (and 10^th major label album), in which he attracts an A-list of duet partners including John Legend, Fabolous, Raheem DeVaughn, Lloyd, Estelle, and others.  The new album will arrive in the physical and digital marketplace on September 29^th.  The first single from the new album is “Baby” featuring Raheem DeVaughn. See the video on DefJam.com:

 

http://defj.am/ghostface_babyvid

 

            The final running sequence for THE WIZARD OF POETRY looks like this:

 

1. Not Your Average Girl featuring Shareefa
2. Do Over featuring Raheem “Radio” DeVaughn
3. Baby featuring Raheem “Radio” DeVaughn
4. Lonely featuring Jack Knight
5. Stapleton Sex
6. Stay         
7. Paragraphs Of Love featuring Vaughn Anthony & Estelle
8. Guest House featuring Fabolous and Shareefa
9. Let’s Stop Playin’ featuring John Legend
10. Forever
11. I’ll Be That featuring Adrienne Bailon
12. Goner featuring Lloyd

 

**Bonus Tracks**

 

14.  She’s A Killah featuring Ron Browz

15.  Back Like That featuring Ne-Yo & Kanye West

 

            Leading up to the release of The Wizard Of Poetry, iTunes will be running a “Complete My Album” campaign. The first single “Baby” was released on August 18^th. “Forever” was released on September 1^st. On September 8^th, the John Legend duet “Let’s Stop Play’n” will be released, followed by Ghost and Fab’s “Guest House” on September 15^th. Throughout, Ghost sprinkles his trademark wit and charm over signature sample-based grooves and modern R&B tracks.

 

A hip-hop icon for more than 15 years, Ghost’s legions of fans have been tuning in to The World According to Pretty Toney long enough to know that “he doesn't so much deliver rhymes as narrate graphically detailed scenes, rife with violence, passion and a little humor,” as USA Today stated.  Along the way, Ghost has made a habit of enlisting duet partners on his singles and album tracks – Mary J. Blige, Missy Elliott, Jadakiss, Ne-Yo, and many others, including his WTC mates Raekwon, Method Man, U-God, and so on.

 

            Ghost, Method Man, and Redman just played out the final dates of their month-long, 21-city Foot Print in Hip-Hop Tour – in San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Francisco – keeping the Wu-Tang Clan spirit alive and well on the road. 

 

            Ghost has been touring in support of his most recent album, Ghostdeini The Great (December 2008), the first official compilation from the Tony Starks archive on the Def Jam label, blending “classic tracks with remixes and new verses,” as Billboard.com described it.  Guests include W-TC, fellow Def Jam artists Kanye West and Ne-Yo, Amy Winehouse, Mary J. Blige, Ice Cube, and others.  The collection also drew tracks from three of Ghost’s Def Jam albums: Fishscale (March 2006), More Fish (December 2006), and The Big Doe Rehab (December 2007).  The physical CD (only) of Ghostdeini The Great features bonus video content that chronicles his performance on the first annual 19-city Hip-Hop Live! Tour back in October-November 2007.

 

Catch Ghostface Killah on tour:

 

10/2 Albany, NY- Northern Lights

10/3 Philly, PA- Trocadero

10/4 Carrboro, NY- Cats Cradle

10/5 Charleston, SC- Music Farm

10/7 Ft. Lauderdale, FL- Revolution

10/9 Oxford, MS- Lyric

10/10 Baton Rouge, LA- Spanish Moon

10/11 Austin, TX- Emos

10/13 Tucson, AZ- The Rock

10/14 Tempe, AZ- The Clubhouse

10/15 San Diego, CA- Canes

10/16 Los Angeles, CA Key Club

10/17 Santa Barbara, CA- Velvet Jones

10/19 Reno, NV- Club Underground

10/20 San Fran, CA- Slims

10/21 Arcata, CA- Arcata Theatre

10/22 Portland, OR- Berbati’s Pan

10/23 Eugene, OR- WOW Hall

10/24 Seattle, WA- Showbox

10/25 Bellingham, WA- Nightlight

10/28 Salt Lake City, UT- Urban Lounge

10/29 Aspen, CO- Belly Up

10/30 Denver, CO- Bluebird

10/31 Boulder, CO- Fox