Ghostface Killah has always been an interesting character in the Hip Hop game. His personality has been as compelling as his jewelry collection. As he explained the night we spoke, he’s an artist and in a game where everyone is painting pictures, he describes his paintings as much more complex and unique. With each paintbrush stroke as a rhyme written, Ghostface has managed to create history as a solo emcee and as a member of the legendary Wu-Tang Clan.

Now, his latest work, The Big Doe Rehab is on its way to hit store shelves this winter. Controversy is surrounding him. Rumors of internal turmoil and beef amongst Wu-Tang members have been buzzing like killer bees and it was time to get to the bottom of it. HipHopDX sat down to get answers to a lot of questions surrounding Ghost, the Wu and the release of The Big Doe Rehab and 8 Diagrams.

So, what’s in store?

Much like many painters, this emcee has always tried to reinvent himself in different ways, be it nicknames, rhyme styles, flows or even topic choices. But, like many other artists, he always has that patented style that most people want to see. For those who want that good ol’ Ghostface back, he’s ready to give it to you.

“This one is real street,” he said of his next studio album The Big Doe Rehab. But, that’s not the only revelation he gave us. During the opening night of The Hip-Hop Live Tour, Ghostface gave DX the lowdown to break it all down before hitting the stage. After sitting down to take some press photographs, he finally got down to business and all of this, without biting his tongue once.

HipHopDX: So, what can people expect from the upcoming Wu-Tang Clan record, 8 Diagrams?
Ghostface Killah: You’re supposed to expect what you’ve been expecting from Wu-Tang. I wasn’t there at the finishing touches of it. I came in late in the game, like in the fourth quarter and laid down five what-cha-ma-call-its [verses]. But, I never really got to hear everything they had put together. RZA said that he got it, so whatever you hear is based on RZA.

DX: Obviously there’s been a lot of talk about why you weren’t as much a part of this album. Can you shed some light on those issues?
GFK: Yeah. [There is] a lot of shit why I didn’t come in. Motherfuckers owe me some money. That and a lot of other shit that’s going on. That’s why I didn’t come in. But, then I came in for the sake of my other brothers. It’s not just a RZA thing. It’s a Wu-Tang Clan thing. I’m not going to fuck around and let everybody suffer based on me not going in. But, we know now. I’m just moving right. That’s all.

DX: A lot was made about the Wu-Tang extending some sort of peace offering by changing their release date so that it doesn’t drop on the same day. How did you take to that?
GFK: Naw. Me, personally, B, I’m Ghostface, man! Yo, I don’t give a fuck if whoever drop on the same day. Know what I mean? It wouldn’t help me. Well, it might have, could have helped me. But I been had my date. I had my date since the summertime [around] May/June. So, for brothers not to make their date on time and to keep pushing it back three or four or more times and try to wind up on December 4 - it’s like, "‘C’mon man. What you doing?" It was that type of vibe that was going on. But, it’s all good, though. They pushed it back. Steve Rifkind or whoever pushed it back. But, that was on them. I ain’t asked nobody to do nothing! That’s what it is.

DX: With the next album, you mentioned that you weren’t too involved. With the past couple of Wu albums, fans have expressed that it has not been the same. There’s that pressure to drop another album just like Enter The 36 Chambers. Well, how do you speak to fans to let them know that it will never be the same?
GFK: I wish we could go back, but you can’t ever go back. There’s no way. It’s gone. You can’t make 36 Chambers over again. You can’t make [It's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx] or Ironman again. Times have changed. My thought process has changed. When we came in the game, we were just grimey dudes who ain’t had nothing. That’s the attitude you would get on wax. No matter how hard we try, it’s never gonna be the same. Fans gotta understand that. I was thinking about doing a skit telling them that. But they don’t really know. I don’t care if it was six months that passed, that was time that passed. Things change over a period of time. Things changed from just a second ago! They just gotta learn how to accept it, take you for who you is and grow with you. After I start throwing these little dirty darts, I’m gonna have to start throwing mature darts speaking on men and women. It can be positive or a fucked up situation, but you have to address certain issues. That’s what I got in store for the future. I can’t talk about me selling crack and doing all of that other shit and I’m not really doing it. I’m 37, so you gotta have people to grow with you and you take them there. It’s not what you do but how you do it. It’s how you do it so they don’t think, "Oh, he soft! He getting’ weak now!" I’m still learning as I go on with this game.

DX: So, will we see a lot of this maturity on the new Big Doe Rehab album?
GFK: On this Rehab album? This shit right here, yo - I just went back. I went back. When I was just talking about the maturity thing-I wasn’t talking about this album. I went back on some real grime ball shit because brothers respect violence, man. Sometimes, you gotta give them what they want. Hip Hop ain’t been the same since back then so that’s what I’ma give them on my tape.

When I talked about maturity, there’s gonna be a time when you are gonna hear Ghost probably talking about a female who got a baby and she go out every Friday or Saturday and brings a man to the house, even if it’s once a month. That’s 12 months in a year and she had sex with 12 guys. That’s not right. Learn how to take care of yourself. You gonna give the baby cereal every morning, instead of cooking! That’s how the kids come up with diabetes and all that with nothing but sugar! Get up and be a woman! Or, I’ll be getting on the guys not taking care of their kids and beating on women, because the woman is the reflection of the man. How he carries himself at home, that’s how she’s gonna reflect to the babies when he’s not home. If he’s one to yell a lot, then she’ll be yelling a lot. [I’ll be] going into those realms and shit like that. Just cool out shit. That’s what it’s gon’ lead to. Still raw situations, though but it’s how you do it.

Both The Big Doe Rehab and 8 Diagrams are ready to hit stores this winter. For now, fans can catch Ghostface along with Rakim and Brother Ali on the Hip-Hop Live Tour, which is being presented by Dodge and FlowTV. The tour will be going on until Thanksgiving and it matches these three emcees up with The Rhythm Roots All-Stars, a live band that sounds as ill as the actual record, live.

For more on the tour, peep the dates below:

November 7 - Park City, UT - Harry O's
November 8 - Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre
November 9 - Aspen, CO - Belly Up
November 10 - Kansas City, MO - The Beaumont Theatre
November 11 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
November 12 - Chicago, IL - House of Blues
November 13 - Bloomington, IN - Bluebird Theater
November 15 - New Haven, CT - Toad's Place
November 16 - New York, NY - Nokia Theatre
November 17 - Baltimore, MD - Sonar
November 18 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
November 21 - Philadelphia, PA – Trocadero