Photo: Nunez/WireImage
It was like a scene out of the kung-fu movies that inspired the Wu-Tang Clan: The young swordsman, played by Kid Cudi, surprises the crowd by sauntering out of the shadows and onto the stage, looking to challenge the elder samurai, in this case, Ghostface Killah. After singing two bars of his own “Day ‘N’ Nite,” Cudi tells the DJ to cut the music. Cudi looks to Ghostface and says, “Strawberry,” hinting that the two go toe-to-toe on Ghostface’s Bulletproof Wallets track. There’s a look of bewilderment on Ghost’s face; he’s surprised by this obscure selection as he digs through his memory banks to recall the verses.
The music starts, Cudi looks ready, like he’s recited the song a million times. Ghostface is more concerned about something that’s going on at the side of the stage. The verses kick in… and Ghostface blows Cudi off the stage, effortlessly spitting out the words as Cudi struggles to keep pace with Tony Starks’ fiery delivery, stumbling at the turns while a slight smile on his face concedes victory. Ghostface has won this battle, that’s why he’s the self-proclaimed Wizard of Poetry.
And that’s when the fight really breaks out, literally.
Ghostface Killah took the stage at New York’s Hiro Ballroom — itself modeled like a set from a Akira Kurosawa film — at 11:30 p.m. last night, 90 minutes after he was scheduled to perform, but 90 minutes earlier than anyone really expected him to grab the mic. The show was a MySpace gig celebrating Ghost’s new album Ghostdini: The Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City, and a half dozen video cameras captured the action. Out of the gate, Ghostface, flanked by his Theodore Unit on both sides, blistered through his verse from “New Wu,” the centerpiece track on ...
Article Source: Rolling Stone : Rock and Roll Daily