Photo Credit: The Urban Daily
It’s the fall of 1996. I’m hanging out at an open
mic somewhere in the East Village, taking place
in a lounge that you’d miss if you were walking
too fast to the corner bodega. The place is only
half-packed with drum & bass fans rocking UFO
pants, one or two couples, and a smattering of
women from the Afrocentric to those rocking
the Poetic Justice braids. I’m by the bar, with
my Carhartt hoodie, jeans and suede Timberlands;
this was before the clubs in NYC started shutting
wearing boots in there down completely. I spot
one young lady going over poems in a marble
composition notebook a little ways down from
me. She looks up, catches me looking at her.
I grin and nod, and she flashes a brilliant smile.
Before walking over. At that moment, the DJ
plays a track that sums up the moment and
would also be a fitting piece to the soundtrack
of romance in the late 1990’s…’Camay’ by
Ghostface Killah from his debut album, Ironman.
‘Camay’ is one of those tracks that still lies
embedded in a lot of people’s memories and
was an introduction to a gentler side of the
Wallaby Champ. No mean feat considering that
this same album features the controversial
‘Wildflower’ which shows Ghost viciously reading
a woman who’s been unfaithful to him. And
admitting his own infidelity. ‘Camay’ is part
love ballad. part come-on and part bull session
with the fellas. The magc behind it has a few
facets. For one, up until this point the Wu Tang
Clan was still on the upswing in terms of their
dominance in hip-hop. You’re talking about a
run of iconic solo albums from Method Man,
Ol Dirty Bastard, Raekwon and GZA over a
three year span. Ghost would complete the
solo cipher with Ironman and add his own
distinct charismatic style. In contrast, Ghost
was arguably the most cocky with his, but
he could also be the most tender. When you
listen to Ironman in full, you realize that is
the heart of the whole album.
When you sit and peep ‘Camay’ in full, one
strength of the song that seems to be a missing
art today is, verse placement. Having Raekwon
go first is one thing, but entrusting Cappadonna
who to this point was essentially a new Wu MC
hold down the middle verse was a solid move.
All three verses have that effect of being in a
club or restaurant and emphasize the art of
grown conversation. Yes, GROWN conversation.
Because when youv’e got rappers talking about
running up on women in clubs these days, it’s
all about flashing enough money that she’ll go
home with them. I’ll get back to that later. Look
at Rae’s opening lines:
‘What’s the deal Goldilocks?
Aint nothin’ I’m just hibernatin’
love that watch
pour me some scotch and cold Courvoisier’
Rae’s mode - the clever nursery rhyme twist
to noticing her blonde hairstyle that MANY
sisters started rocking thanks to Mary J. and
the ‘My Life’ era and ordering scotch with
a brand of cognac that was slightly better
than ordering Hennessy(the ‘hood staple) -
starts off the track in suave fashion. You
also have to peep the rebuttal: ‘n***a you
small change/I only f**k for Figaro chains.’
This can be correlated to the rise of women
in hip-hop being more calculated in terms of
getting money from suitors in bolder, colder
terms due to Lil Kim’s entry onto the scene
at that time. It has its own comedy, which
leads well into Cappadonna’s verse. Cappa,
who basically made his debut all over Ironman,
delivers in a vivid way that strengthens the
track surprisingly. It’s more of a calmer date
that he has, and it enhances the order of
things. Look at it this way: Rae’s verse is
all about the frenzy of the bar/club interaction.
Cappa’s verse is more suited for a quiet
dinner, and Ghost’s is the same save for
meeting his lady at the bar. The second
verse also displays some tenderness in a
couple of spots, from Cappa remarking on
how he could see them riding the ferry
together to assuring her that she doesn’t
have to worry about him rejecting her due
to her celibacy. That’s a mind-blowing point
given that up to this juncture, that may be
the ONLY instance of celibacy in the Wu catalog.
I could be wrong though. 
And finally, Ghost.
His verse is the most memorable for many
reasons. For one, his lady has a name: Juanita
‘Cash’ Hawkins. Now if you hear that name
and don’t picture a smart, attractive woman
in a business suit with heels that could get
her groove on to The Whispers or Chi-Lites the
moment you hear it, I don’t know what to
tell you. And it COULD be somebody’s mama
out there chronicled on wax. With all of the
stories coming out now about the Wu, would
you doubt it? Ghost is at once the most charming,
comedic and willing to be raw with his verse.
How many times have you quoted these lines,
be real:
‘Can you cook darling
at the stove you’re evolving
baked macaroni, turkey wings
a n***a starving’
Ghost also cleverly ties this track in with
‘Wildflower’ with the line ‘Shoulda left
my wis a thousand times/maybe tonight
though’. Think about it for a minute. One
of Ironman’s key attributes is the visible
influence of the Five Percenter teachings,
arguably more than any other Wu album.
If you’re up on the mathematics, ‘Camay’
is a representation of knowledge and the
cipher coming together. Hence the way
all three MC’s approach their storytelling
in their verses. ‘Wildflower’ is Ghost doing
what the track placement dictates - speaking
wise words and acting on it, even if it is
wildly rough. He also goes from being
smooth to just basically showing out and
losing his train of thought but it doesn’t
derail his wittiness one bit. In fact, it serves
to heighten his game.
‘Camay’ was, and is, a blueprint for how dudes
SHOULD approach mature women with
romantic conversation. Peep the tone set
by RZA’s great production using that Teddy
Pendergrass sample. Quiet, insistent but
not forceful, and intimate. (I always felt the
‘clinking of glasses’ effect was a nice touch.)
While it’s not altogether removed from certain
behavior seen as horrendous to women, those
elements are faint. Plus, it’s delivered at a
point in the album where Ghost probably said,
‘aight, they had enough of that rugged s**t,
I’m gonna make something elegant for the
Earths’ in the studio sessions. Even the key
product mentions deserve some acclaim.
All in all, ‘Camay’ would turn out to another
standout ballad of sorts from the Wu to rival
Meth’s ‘All I Need’ from those early days. Even
with the ‘Riunite on Ice’ mention.