From when I was in High School I was always fascinated by the Wu-Tang sound.  It was truly an honor and a privilege for me to sit down and actually talk to someone who I felt changed the face of hip-hop.  With the “Fishscale” dropping on March 14th, Ghostface has been a very busy man.  I got a chance to ask him about the new album, his latest ventures and his feelings about hip-hop in 2006.  Nearly 11 years after his debut album “Ironman” dropped Ghostface is still the same hungry emcee and is ready to take 2006 by storm.

What’s good, how are you doing.

Ain’t shit, just holding it down.  I have been running around and doing a lot of stuff trying to promote the “Fishscale”

So what all have you been working on, aside from the new album.

We have some movie shit on the low though.  I’m not going to let that get exposed until later on.  Once everything is confirmed on the paper and then that’s it.  We are right there and we are just waiting for certain characters to commit to the cash.

Seems like the Wu are making a nice little comeback in ’06, “Cuban Linx 2″ is supposed to drop and your new album, what do you have to say to those that thought the Wu were done?

It’s always like that, I’m not going to disrespect anybody and say fuck ya’ll or nothing.  It’s all good, what goes around comes around.  If you are out of the light for a minute and we all go through problems.  It doesn’t even matter right now.

Sounds like Ghostface is calming down as he gets older

Naw, Ghostface isn’t calming down I’m just more wise now.  I’m that dude that’s more mature and I’m just watching everything.

So, we know the new album is on Def Jam, but that’s really it.  When does the album drop and can you tell us guests or anything like that?

The official release date is March 14th but you know we keeping a lot of that under wraps.

The first buzz single “Be Easy” produced by Pete Rock got lots of college spins, why do you think mainstream didn’t pick up on it?

Def Jam really didn’t push the button on that single right there.  I was on the road and Def Jam got behind or whatever.  They didn’t really push the single like they were supposed to; it got some spins here and there or whatever but now everything is on point for the next joint.  “Be Easy” is what it is.

We know Pete Rock makes an appearance on the upcoming LP, who else is doing tracks for you?

Pete Rock, Doom, J-Dilla, The Wiseman, Studio Steve and my man Lewis Parker.  Only people on the record are the Clan.

What are you thoughts on the radio game in 06, nearly 20 years after you and Wu came onto the scene, why is radio so wack?

Times change you know what I’m saying.  You have people that have come into radio that didn’t have it like that when they were growing.  Nowadays you might make some cat that’s going to Harvard and A&R and it’s like what the fuck does he know about hip-hop.  So then you got motherfuckers trying to tell you what direction in what you need to do and what type of record you need to make.  All that shit really fucks up the game up.   Back then we didn’t have to make radio songs, now we have to do it to lighten it up a little bit, which is all good.   It’s just that people aren’t original no more.  They don’t really use their talents; you don’t have to have any talent any more to make a record.  If your shit sounds like another record people look at it like “yo, it can get some radio spins” then your artist now out of no where.  It’s not about talent no more.  People need to try to experiment more and tell more stories and shit.  They need to get off the same shit you have talked about for whatever years.  People need to have fun with hip-hop.  Back in the days it was fun and guys weren’t even cussing.  That’s what hip-hop is about.

The new single “Back Like That” features Ne-Yo, who I personally think is real nice.  Why did you choose that as a single and who produced it, since Def Jam conveniently leaves on production credits for their 12″s

That’s the real single right there; we just shot the video for that.  That’s going to open a lot of doors.  To tell you the truth, I never really met the dude who made the record, but I do want to give a little shout out to him.

You have always come with something for ladies, with “All I Got Iz You” and “Never Be the Same Again” off the last album, why do you think the ladies love Ghost?

I don’t know why they love Ghost, if they do its all love love.  I’m not like a full blown rapper so I can’t even tell you that.

The question on everybody’s mind is…when is the Ghost and Doom album coming; can you tell us anything about the album?

Yeah, we are gonna do that.  Ghost and Doom is going to be nice.  I did like 5 or 6 joints for Doom and I want do like 3 or 4 joints so we can make an album.  He did beats for me and before that I was doing some work for him.  Since we both be throwing on the mask and shit it couldn’t be a better collabo.

We know that Ghostface the artist is signed to a major label, but you have been everywhere lately.  You dropped the album with Trife and the 718 album since “Pretty Toney”, what else you have in store for us this year?

Yeah, I got the album with Trife and then I was with Sony and Sony fucked me around.  Landed on Def Jam and got caught in the transition, but now I’m under new management so it’s all good.

As we look back on the Ghostface legacy over the last 10 plus years, is there anything else you would like to accomplish before you call it quits?

I haven’t really let the world see my talent yet.  I might want to do some plays on some theater Broadway type shit and everybody can see me do my thing right there on stage.  Just speak the word, speak the truth, I want to let people know that it’s not just based on rap music.  There is a higher being that controls all of us that we need to give respect to.  Right now people don’t believe because if you really believe a lot of this foul shit wouldn’t be taken place because you would be too scared to do what you do.  I just want to be allowed to play my part and get them to believe.  It’s whatever whatever man, let me just do what I do and keep my mind open and God will keep hitting me with the revelations.