When I’d first met Ghostface nearly two months before, at the Wu-Tang reunion show, he’d seemed more upbeat and energetic, optimistic not only about his own album but about the Wu’s future and its past.
“Yo, [it’s] like fucking with your crimeys again,” he’d exclaimed to me. “You ever seen Usual Suspects? It’s like niggas don’t be doing those things for a minute, but then it’s like you’re back on. Wu will come back in due time. We’re going take it to the next level. Niggas still love each other. It may be outta sight for a second, but it’s never out of mind.”
Tonight, he reveals a little more of a complex view of the band’s past and future. His allegiance is unwavering and unquestionable, that much is clear, but that doesn’t mean it’s not bittersweet.
“Do you think that a lot of troubles and turmoil that individual members of the Wu-Tang Clan went through hurt you guys from a career perspective?” I ask.
“It did. A lot of the stuff we were doing then did set us back,” he comments. “At Hot 97’s Summer Jam, we fucked around and cursed [the organizers] out. And on the [1997] Rage Against the Machine tour, we didn’t stick with that. We made the wrong decisions — we fucked up.”
“I never thought the Wu reached its full commercial potential,” I comment.
“Nah, we really didn’t.”
It’s nearing 2:15 a.m. when the club security finally turns the house lights on. Ghostface is still on the stage, running through a heated version of “Cherchez La Ghost.” Except for the girls dancing onstage and a few faithful in the pit, the crowd freezes, exposed in the light and not sure whether to keep pumping their hands or to make their way to the exits. Ghost doesn’t seem fazed. He doesn’t miss a beat of the song’s disco-flavored beat. And afterwards, he wraps up the song, thanks the crowd and heads backstage again.
Offstage, he’s drenched in sweat yet full of smiles, seeming both exhilarated and exhausted. He stops and greets every fan who crosses his path — taking picture after picture until everyone is gone. And then he fastens his hat and goes back out onto the rainy streets of San Francisco.
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