Ghostface Killah (born Dennis Coles, May 9, 1970, Staten Island, New York) is a rapper and member of the hip-hop collective, Wu-Tang Clan. His name is derived from the alias of the primary villain from the film Ninja Checkmate (aka The Mystery of Chess Boxing). After Wu-Tang Clan achieved breakthrough commercial success in the early 1990s, Ghostface, like his clan-mates, began a solo career, which turned out to be one of the most critically and commercially successful solo careers of the group members. Early in his career he would wear a mask during performances and photoshoots. It was rumored this was because Ghostface was wanted by the police and did not publicly remove it until his name was cleared.
