End of Discussion: Sean Price Says Ghostface Killah’s "Supreme Clientele" Is Better Than "Ironman" (2024)

Intro

Image via Complex Original

In the past seven days, hip-hop fans celebrated two classic rap albums. The first was Ghostface Killah's Supreme Clientele,which celebrated its 11-year anniversary last week on January 25th. The other anniversary is for a lesser-known album that still deserves mention, Sean Price's Jesus Price Supastar, which celebrated its five-year anniversary on January 30th.

The two artists share much in common. Both Sean Price and Tony Starks saw their careers take off during the '90s, both hail from large NY-based rap crews (Boot Camp Clik and Wu-Tang Clan, respectively), bothare known for being in a duo (Ghost often teamed up with Raekwon and Price formed Heltah Skeltahwith Rock), and bothwent on to thrive in their solo careers."Wu-Tang Clan ain't nothing to f*ck with/Boot Camp Clik ain't nothing to Wu-Tang," Price rhymedon "Like You," showing that he was keenly aware of the comparisons between the two groups.

And their two classic albums are more comparable than you might think. Although they aren't musically similar, P's Jesus Price Supastar helped resurrect the once failing Duck Down Records much like Ghost's Supreme Clientelerestored faith in the Wu-Tang brand after it began floundering in the late '90s/early 2000s.

That's why we figured Sean Price—whose busy putting the finishing touches on his long-awaited Mic Tyson album—would be the perfect person to settle a long-running debate for us: Which album is Ghostface Killah's best album? Ironman or Supreme Clientele? So we got on the horn with the Brownsville representer to find out and he explained to us not only whySupreme Clientele isthe superior record, but also how it was such a huge influence on his career.

By Sean Price (@SeanMandela)

As told to Insanul Ahmed (@Incilin)

Personal Context

Image via Complex Original

Personal Context

I’m just guessing, but I don’t think Ghost had no jitters [before Ironman] because everybody knows Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx was a Raekwon album featuring Ghostface. He was on there just as much as Rae. So his first album felt like his second album. And Ironman was Ghostface featuring Raekwon, so that was really like a Cuban Linx Part II.

On Supreme Clientele, Ghost took it up another level. I think he wanted to shut everybody up. [I had a similar situation] when I had Monkey Barz. Monkey Barz was like, me going solo for the first time, I had a lot to prove, and I’m about to show my ass because I think I’m nice. That’s what Ghost did on Supreme Clientele. He said, "I’m nice, and I’m gonna show my ass a little bit.”

I think Supreme Clientele [wins that category] because everybody thought Wu was gone, and he brought it back and not only brought it back, but he did it standing on his own two.

Advantage: Supreme Clientele

Supreme Clientele: 1 | Ironman: 0

Musical Context

Musical Context

[Around the time of Supreme Clientele], I think the Wu had failed tours, Ol’ Dirty Bastard was locked up, some of the material that was coming out wasn’t… Like, every first solo album [from the Wu] was banging. Second albums—they never corny, but it wasn’t as good. And you know, fans are fickle, so that was the talk, that they losing it. Like I said, Supreme Clientele shut everybody up.

You gotta remember, people were counting out the Wu by the time Supreme Clientele came out. He brought some light into the crew with that album. It’s a big album, an important album in the [Wu] catalog.

What was popping in ‘96? Me? [Laughs.] In 2000, the Wu wasn’t on fire. Boot Camp was almost in the grave. I don’t know what was hot, I was trying to dig myself out the grave. I don’t know what was really going on.

I think [it’s harder to] deliver a hot product when you hot [like the Wu was in 1996]. You get hot, you start listening to people, and you got to really focus. When I did Monkey Barz, nigg*s counted me out, I was counted out anyway.

I was like, “I don’t got nothing to lose, so I’m going all out.” But when you are in the beginning stages like Nocturnal, it’s like, “What! That’s my nigg*!” I think it’s harder when everybody is expecting it all the time, [so Ironman wins that.].

Advantage: Ironman

Supreme Clientele: 1 | Ironman: 1

Beats

Beats

The beats on Ironman was crazy, but I actually like the beats on Supreme better.

I like them beats on the first album, like I loved “Black Jesus,” “Marvel,” “Fish.” But I love the beats to “We Made It,” “Mighty Healthy,” “One,” “Nutmeg,” “Apollo Kids,” and even “Child’s Play.” All them sh*ts was crazy.

Even the weird sh*t that RZA did where he just scratched the record on “Stroke of Death,” that sh*t was dumb. That’s one of them beats that’s like, “Cut that sh*t off!” or “I get it.” I was the one who got it. I was like, “Oh that sh*t is crazy.” A lot of people didn’t get it. I had one of my friends be like, “Yo, what the f*ck is that?” But you know me, after playing three to four times in the ride, they be like, “Oh I get it. This sh*t dumb.”

[Ironman’s beats were] one of a kind. nigg*s is trying to do that [sound] now. What RZA did, there’s no do-overs on that. I might have a RZA-like beat on my album, but it ain’t a RZA beat. [Laughs.] Some of those RZA beats sound like a f*cked up loop to me. But, them sh*ts still rocked.

The difference between Boot Camp and Wu-Tang was we was so strict, that sh*t wouldn’t have flew. We probably missed out on the blessing. Wu-Tang couldn’t be Boot Camp and Boot Camp couldn’t be Wu-Tang for those reasons alone. The way Raekwon was rhyming on Cuban Linx, I love that sh*t. We wouldn’t have allowed some of that sh*t, just MC like, “Yo, you can’t do that.” [Laughs.]

I love the RZA beats, it was just wild off, but they were banging. His sample selection was stupid. There’s a RZA song right now that’s one of my favorites, called “Can’t Lose.” That sh*t sound wild off. That’s a perfect example of what I’m talking about.

Ghost had different producers on Supreme Clientele. Everybody stick to they biz. RZA made some beats, when he ran into nigg*s who made beats who wasn’t RZA, [like Carlos Broady, Juju of The Beatnuts, Hassan, and Mathematics], they tried to make them Wu-ish. And they did a great f*cking job.

Advantage: Supreme Clientele

Supreme Clientele: 2 | Ironman: 1

Flows

Flows

Supreme Clientele [had better flows]. Just to listen to the second verse of “One.” That verse is dumb and that flow is crazy. “Mighty Healthy.” How you go back to Sir Ibu with the line, "Shake that body, party that body"? A lot people don’t know that’s an old school record he said right there. I knew and I appreciated that sh*t. That’s one classic record. He spit that line from "Holy War" [by Divine Force]. “Mighty Healthy,” I love that sh*t. He was experimenting with sh*t and it was working.

The flows on Ironman was dope but I think Raekwon’s flow was iller than Ghostface’s on his own sh*t. Like on "Daytona 500," "We losing em, jet to the stash and now Jerusalem/Abusing em, rocking his jewels like we using em." That’s Raekwon, that ain’t Ghost. But on Supreme Clientele, [Ghost] went in on that flow and he bodied that sh*t.

Advantage: Supreme Clientele

Supreme Clientele: 3 | Ironman: 1

Lyrical Structure

Lyrical Structure

Have you ever seen the movie Finding Forrester? Rob Brown’s character asks Sean Connery’s character, "How you write so good?" And Sean Connery took out a piece of paper, put it in his typewriter, and started typing. He typed and he handed dude the paper and he was like, "Wow."

Ghostface was like, "Your first rap should have no thought, just go with what you feel." I used that to this day. That’s how I made "Figure Four," and the other records that started up with just a random word like "Chewbacca" or "Botswana." I did everything just rolling in place.

When I heard Supreme Clientele, that sh*t helped me 100 times. It made me feel like, “Alright, I can do this.” Because he was spitting some sh*t. Some of that sh*t didn’t even make sense but I loved it. I’m not saying that as disrespect, or taking away from nothing, but it was genius to me.

It didn’t mean anything, but it meant something. All the words clicked together, even though sometimes they didn’t really mean sh*t. So I learned something from that. I learned how to do that. [It inspired me on] Monkey Barz.

Did it really make sense? Nah. But do it sound good like a motherf*cker? Yeah. That’s why I say, Supreme Clientele.

Advantage: Supreme Clientele

Supreme Clientele: 4 | Ironman: 1

Lyrical Content

Lyrical Content

Supreme Clientele is just fun. He let me know you can have a good album. Guess what the message is on that album? The message is this is how you get busy. [That’s] probably why he wasn’t talking about nothing, but he made it sound great. But let that be a lesson to MCs: get busy man.

I think the personal content on Ironman wins because ‘All That I Got Is You’ is very personal. He didn’t have one of those on the next album. That was a big difference. On my album Monkey Barz, I had the "Brokest Rapper You Know," and that was a true story. On my next album, Jesus Price Supastar, you can’t do that twice. Those are real stories that happened once, you said it once. You can’t redo that.

Advantage: Ironman

Supreme Clientele: 4 | Ironman: 2

Guest Appearances

Guest Appearances

Which one of Wu’s first solo albums wasn’t like a continuation of a Wu album? All they first albums was like that. When you family like that, it doesn’t feel like guest stars. It feel likes you making bangers with your people. You are all there, get involved. When I do a song with Rock, I don’t be like “featuring”—that’s my nigg*.

On Supreme Clientele he had Lord Superb, 60 Second Assassin, Chip Banks, Hell Razah, and he had some of the American Cream Team on there. They wasn’t on there as heavy as that last album though.

Another thing, he held it down. I usually get mad when you do a solo album with a bunch of nigg*s on it—but if you do it right, it’s not a problem. Ironman was done right and Supreme Clientele was done right.

All the Wu albums sound like that, so I ain’t even mad that Ghost’s album having all the Wu on there. But Clientele wins because you don’t need a bunch of nigg*s on there.

Advantage: Supreme Clientele

Supreme Clientele: 5 | Ironman: 2

Sequencing

Sequencing

I love the skits and the little interlude rhymes on Clientele. I even like the "Clyde Smith" skit at the end. [Laughs.] Just the way it starts. That little Marvel skit they had on the beginning, that could have been on Ironman. I just loved on that. The little pieces. The little interlude he had with 60 Second Assassin called “Stay True”—those little things, I appreciate all that.

Advantage: Supreme Clientele

Supreme Clientele: 6 | Ironman: 2

Cover Art

Cover Art

Definitely Ironman hands down. The Ironman [cover] had Wallabees all over the place. I’m a Brownsville nigg*; we do Wallabees. I was definitely feeling that album cover. It was colorful.

Supreme Clientele’s cover was regular, degular. Nothing fascinating. Wasn’t corny, [but] it wasn’t the hottest sh*t ever. It was just a clean picture of a nigg*. He prolly got a shape-up. Cut game was right, he got his nice outfit on. [Laughs.] Clean and regular.

But Ironman, dumb Wallabees all over the place, nigg*s had colorful jackets on—that sh*t was popping.

Advantage: Ironman

Supreme Clientele: 6 | Ironman: 3

By The Numbers

By The Numbers

[In October 29, 1996, Ironman debuted at No.2 on the Billboard 200 chart and sold 156,000 copies in its first week. Three months later it was certified gold, and in February 2004 it was certified platinum. None of the singles from Ironman charted on the Billboard Hot 100, despite songs like “Daytona 500” and “All That I Got Is You” being considered Wu classics.

Meanwhile, on January 25, 2000, Supreme Clientele debuted at No.7 on the Billboard 200 chart and sold 134,000 copies in its first week. Two months later the album went gold. The album also featured Ghost’s biggest hit ever, "Cherchez LaGhost," which landed at No. 98 on the Billboard Hot 100.

In 2003, when Ghost’s dropped his greatest hits compilation Shaolin's Finest, it featured four songs from Ironman but five songs from Supreme Clientele.]

It’s impressive to sell records any time. [Laughs.] Him going gold in 2000 with Clientele was the equivalent of him going platinum in ‘96 with Ironman. In 2000, the climate was changing. Every year it gets easier and easier to steal music. That was the start of it right there. So the climate changed.

Like I said, people counted people out. He breathing life back into the unit. There were some loyal nigg*s and some nigg*s that came back around. So you know, I ain’t mad at the gold record. That sh*t don’t matter to MCs, what’s banging is what’s banging. There is a numbers game that we must play.

Advantage: Supreme Clientele

Supreme Clientele: 7 | Ironman: 3

Career Impact

Career Impact

I like Ghost and I liked Ironman. But I couldn’t have cared less about the second Ghostface album. Even though Ironman was still good, he was still leading the Wu-league in assists. He didn’t feel like he was Kevin Durant. Clientele made him an all-star, like, "I’m supposed to be out here with Jordan." Sometimes, you got to take charge, and I think that’s what he did.

I love the Ironman album. But I wasn’t like, "I can’t wait for his next album." It was like, "Next Wu sh*t, throw another assist, and body ‘em." You lead the league in assists, but now with Clientele,you Kobe Bryant. He took the horns and he ran with it and he got a nice catalogue.

When I did Monkey Barz, I just took charge. I’m going in and I’m going out. It definitely breathed life back into Duck Down—even Dru Ha and Buckshot admit that. That’s what Ghost did, he breathed life back into the crew.

Advantage: Supreme Clientele

Supreme Clientele: 8 | Ironman: 3

Legacy

Legacy

Clientele has the greater legacy. You know why? From Supreme Clientele to all the sh*t he doing now—none of those sound related to Ironman, but they all sound related to Clientele. Like The Pretty Toney Album, Bulletproof Wallets, they all sound related. Ironman don’t sound related. Look at all the things after Supreme Clientele, I love most of that sh*t. Besides the R&B one. [Laughs.]

Advantage: Supreme Clientele

Supreme Clientele: 9 | Ironman: 3

Conclusion

Conclusion

If there was no Clientele, there probably wouldn’t have been Monkey Barz. True story. There are certain times in my life where hip-hop f*cked me up. When I first discovered Uncle Luke, it f*cked me up. When I first heard Slick Rick, it f*cked me up. N.W.A., I was like, ‘You can say all that on a record?’ It f*cked me up.

Supreme Clientele was another one. I was like, "Wow! He ain’t even saying too much of anything—I don’t think—but I love it though and I don’t care."It just felt like, "nigg*, I’m busting my gun. f*ck it." And I was like, "Oh, I can do that sh*t too, I can bust my gun too."

Big up to that nigg* Ghost. I love that nigg*. That’s my number two favorite album of all time—after Redman’s Muddy Waters. Clientele helped me do Monkey Barz. And when I first put out Monkey Barz, Ghost was the first person to put me on tour. Real talk. That sh*t changed me dude. That was one of the moments in my hip-hop timeline that f*cked me up. That was it. I never had another moment like that since.

END OF DISCUSSION.