The recently released Ghostface Killahs album marks the twenty-first officially released album (outside of Wu-Tang group LP’s) from Tony Starks aka Ghostface Killah aka Ironman aka Action Bronson’s Dad. I’m including the Theodore Unit LP, the first Raekwon, Wu-Block and the record with Czarface since Stark’s appears on nearly every track, but I’ve omitted remix albums and mix tapes/compilations. This officially makes Ghostface the most productive rapper from New York, based on the criteria of almost all of these coming out on vinyl and on actual labels rather than just selling CD’s out the back of a van.
Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…
Ironman
Supreme Clientele
Bulletproof Wallets
The Pretty Toney Album
718
Put It On The Line
Fishscale
More Fish
The Big Doe Rehab
Ghostdini Wizard Of Poetry In Emerald City
Apollo Kids
Wu-Block
Wu-Massacre
Twelve Reasons To Die
36 Seasons
Twelve Reasons To Die II
Sour Soul
The Lost Tapes
Czarface Meets Ghostface
Ghostface Killahs
While this is impressive by east coast standards, it doesn’t mean much when compared to the work ethic of Bay Area mainstays such as E-40, who has dropped twenty-five studio albums, but a lot of those are multi-part albums that that were released on the same day but split over separate CD’s so it skews the numbers a little. Surely something like The Block Brochure: Welcome to the Soil 1, 2 and 3 is really a triple album? Actually no one is really approaching the level of output that 40 Water has achieved. Let’s not forget Too $hort, who has twenty solo studio albums under his belt plus the two with 40.
Other stalwarts include Kool Keith with seventeen solo records (plus about as many collaboration LP’s), Nas with eleven studio albums (plus that one he did a Marley kid not named Marl, sadly), Jay-Z has released thirteen, Eminem has ten, DOOM has racked-up thirteen (including the two KMD’s), Ice Cube has ten…meanwhile Canibus has thirteen or fourteen, if you’re into that sort of thing. I must add that the fact that Canibus joined the army at some point and was discharged for smoking weed is one of great irony’s of our time.
The changing climate of the music industry means that this isn’t really an even playing field, as someone like LL Cool J was constrained by the limitations and schedules of the major label machine over the course of releasing thirteen studio projects over twenty eight years. In the Year of Our Lord (Finesse) 2019, a productive rapper dude can drop an EP every other month without breaking a sweat, but since GKF came up in the traditional music industry structure and continues to maintain a loyal fan base, this is no small feat. I haven’t been particularly engrossed by any Ghostface albums from this decade for a number of reasons, but I appreciate the fact that he’s still making music and I refuse to write a bad word about either him or Fat Joe for reasons which should be obvious.
KRS-ONE may have him beat
@ScrtRvlz: Good point. Five BDP albums plus thirteen solo LP’s and five duet albums takes KRS to the grand total of twenty three…although some of the more recent ones might be digital only.
Not NY but definitely as prolific as, or even more so than, Ghostface:
K-Rino
Esham
Moka Only
MegaRan/Random
Open Mike Eagle
Murs
Chuck D would be getting up there too…
I can’t argue that his work ethic speaks for it self but he’s been rapping on cruise control for the past 10 years. Fishscale was the last Ghost project that really felt like vintage Ghost.
I almost forgot:
Baltimore’s Labtekwon has released eleventy squillion gazillion albums.
NY’s C-Rayz Walz has dropped a lot of albums.
Cali’s Eligh, The Grouch and everybody associated with The Living Legends has put out a lot of solo/group/posse albums.
haven’t counted but mozzy & philthy rich are about 70 albums deep
@Dino: True that re. C-Rayz Walz…
He recently dropped his 40th release!
The 753 albums that I made in my bedroom as a teen – do they count? Some of these release numbers are crazy, particularly by Neville Nobodies…
Ghost
Nas
KRS
Guru
Roc
they’re non-conformists so I expect the reasoning and debate
And I’m shocked the collective isn’t talking about this new Gang Starr album…
KOOL KEITH IS THE MOST PRODUCTIVE MC IN HIP HOP HISTORY. PERIOD.
Thirston Howell the Third
TRAGEDY by far and he’s never made a weak album. Ghost is amazing though and Masta Ace never made weak albums.
Curious to why you wouldn’t say anything bad about Fat Joe who has become extremely corny since big pun passed. Maybe even slightly before the passing.
@The M: I’d rather not have my face slashed open with a box cutter.
@$yk the single is pretty underwhelming, even accounting for DJ premier having made the same 5 beats for the last 10 years.
Haha, like taking candy from a baby!
I just watched the video too….hope this album is the vault stash and not a “last gasp”……
Its KRS
co-sign Ron Diesel, Kool Keith has over 40
Wait a minute, Cannibus has 13 albums? lol
The most productive rapper in new York is obviously Tracey Lee.
14 of them produced by Clef Diddy…
Tracey Lee.
Spice 1 has around 23 and still has that killer flow. None of his albums are bad. Did a bunch of songs with Alchemist recently that brought new shine to the younger folks.