Ghostface Killah has become the latest in a growing line of rapper-turned-published-authors.
The Wu-Tang Clan lyricist is gearing up for the release of his literary debut, due out on July 29.
The illustrated novel, titled Cell Block Z, recounts the tale of a fictional boxer, Cole Dennis, which is simply Ghost’s birth name in reverse.
Living in an unspecified future city “being held hostage to chaos and terror,” Dennis, a heavyweight contender, is considered a hero to most, until he is framed for a brutal murder.
Upon entering a futuristic super-prison, the main character finds himself at the center of a sinister plot to turn convicts into killing machines.
While the plans to control Dennis don’t pan out, he is transformed into a “towering engine of destruction,” determined to fight for his life.
He renames himself Ghostface Killah as he faces the most daunting opponent of his life.
The book, co-authored by Marlon Chapman and Shauna Garr, and illustrated by Chris Walker, is not the only new project Ghostface has in the works for 2009.
Def Jam announced Monday (June 13) that the seasoned rapper’s 10th career album and his sixth for the label, will be released in September.
The Wizard of Poetry promises to be quite different from Ghost’s previous offerings.
The album is being described as “an R&B-influenced rap album.”
On July 22, Ghostface will begin promoting his new album when he embarks on the Foot Print in Hip-Hop Tour with Wu-Tang brethren Method Man and his longtime partner in rhyme Redman.
The 21-city tour, which also serves to promote Red & Meth’s Blackout 2, kicks off in Asheville, North Carolina.
The Foot Print in Hip-Hop Tour runs through August 16, when it will wrap at San Francisco’s Mezzanine.