Jamel Irief (born Elgin Evander Turner; August 18, 1969), better known by his stage name Masta Killa, is an American rapper and member of the

Wu-Tang Clan Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop collective formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its members include RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and, until his death in 2004, O ...

. He was only featured on one track on their 1993 debut album '' Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)'', but has been prolific on Clan group albums and solo projects since the mid-1990s. He released his debut album '' No Said Date'' in 2004 to positive reviews, and has since released four additional albums.

Career

Born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, New York City, Masta Killa was the last member to join the Wu-Tang Clan; consequently he did not appear on the group's debut single " Protect Ya Neck". He was also the only member who was not a rapper at the time of the group's formation. He was extensively mentored by the

GZA Gary Eldridge Grice (born August 22, 1966), better known by his stage names GZA ( ) and the Genius, is an American rapper. A founding member of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, GZA is the group's "spiritual head", being both the first member in ...

during his early days with the group, evident in the similar flow they both employ. He derived his rap name from the 1978

kung fu Chinese martial arts, commonly referred to with umbrella terms Kung fu (term), kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (sport), wushu (), are Styles of Chinese martial arts, multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater Ch ...

film '' Shaolin Master Killer'', (Shao Lin san shi liu fang). Masta Killa only appeared on one track on the Wu-Tang Clan's first album, '' Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)'', in the closing verse to " Da Mystery of Chessboxin'". Masta only narrowly made the track, and was almost left off in favor of Killah Priest. On the ''No Said Date'' DVD, Killah Priest claims that he and Masta Killa were in competition for the spot on "Da Mystery of Chessboxin'", and while Killah Priest fell asleep, Masta Killa stayed up all night writing and Killah Priest woke up the next morning to Masta Killa's verse. During the time period that ''Enter the Wu-Tang'' was being written, Masta Killa was still developing his skills as a rapper. Since the other members of Wu-Tang were far more experienced, his verse from "Da Mystery of Chessboxin", was the only thing Masta Killa had written, that was fine tuned to the point that it fit with the verses from the rest of the members. During the first round of solo projects, he made several appearances on Wu-Tang tracks, such as "Winter Warz", "Duel of the Iron Mic", and "Glaciers of Ice". His flow at the time attracted attention for being very slow and laid-back, in contrast to the more manic, forceful styles of members like Inspectah Deck and

Ghostface Killah Dennis David Coles (born May 9, 1970), better known by his stage name Ghostface Killah, is an American rapper and a member of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan. After the group achieved breakthrough success in the aftermath of ''Enter the Wu-Tang ...

. Masta Killa is also Wu-Tang's member fondest of Chinese

martial art Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the pres ...

s imagery. In 1997, the Wu-Tang Clan's second album '' Wu-Tang Forever'' saw Masta become a mainstay in the group's line-up with regular appearances throughout the double album. Masta Killa was the last member to release a solo project, after it was delayed for several years and finally released in June 2004 with the title '' No Said Date''; critically acclaimed, it became independent label Nature Sounds' best-selling album, notable for featuring every core member of the Wu-Tang Clan on the album after a period in the group's history that lacked unity. His second album, '' Made in Brooklyn'', was released on August 8, 2006, and includes production from

Pete Rock Peter O. Phillips (born June 21, 1970), better known by his stage name Pete Rock, is an American record producer, DJ and rapping, rapper. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time, and is often mentioned along ...

and MF Doom. "Ringing Bells", the Bronze Nazareth-produced lead single from the album, was released in March 2006. In December 2012 he released his third album titled '' Selling My Soul'', an LP with heavy soul grooves and guests including

Kurupt Ricardo Emmanuel Brown (born November 23, 1972), better known by his stage name Kurupt, is an American rapper and record producer. Born and raised in Philadelphia, he formed Tha Dogg Pound in 1992 along with Daz Dillinger; the rap duo has releas ...

and the late

Ol' Dirty Bastard Russell Tyrone Jones (November 15, 1968 – November 13, 2004), known professionally as Ol' Dirty Bastard (often abbreviated as ODB), was an American rapper. He was one of the founding members of the New York rap group Wu-Tang Clan, which forme ...

. The album was intended as a precursor to his long-awaited album ''Loyalty is Royalty'', first announced in 2010 and eventually released in 2017.

Personal life

On the Wu-Tang Corp. website, Masta Killa stated, "I know I seem serious and quiet to a lot of the fans. That's because I take my work seriously. It's not a game. The Clan and I work hard to give you the best." He is a fan of

Princess Diana Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997), was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William ...

Patti LaBelle Patricia Louise Holte (born May 24, 1944), known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American Rhythm and blues, R&B singer and actress. She has been referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godmother of Soul". LaBelle began ...

Barry White Barry Eugene White (né Carter; September 12, 1944 – July 4, 2003) was an American singer and songwriter. A two-time Grammy Award winner known for his bass voice and romantic image, his greatest success came in the 1970s as a solo singer and ...

Parliament-Funkadelic Parliament-Funkadelic (abbreviated as P-Funk) is an American musical collective, music collective of rotating musicians headed by George Clinton (funk musician), George Clinton, primarily consisting of the funk bands Parliament (band), Parliame ...

and

Ohio Players Ohio Players are an American funk band, most popular in the 1970s. They are best known for their songs "Fire" and " Love Rollercoaster", and for their erotic album covers that featured nude or nearly nude women. Many of the women were models f ...

. Like fellow Wu-Tang Clan member

, Masta Killa is a

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...

Moniker and aliases

Masta Killa gets his name from the 1978 kung fu movie '' Shaolin Master Killer'', also known as the '' 36th Chamber of Shaolin''. He is often referred to as Jamel Irief.

Discography

Studio albums

* '' No Said Date'' (2004) * '' Made in Brooklyn'' (2006) * '' Selling My Soul'' (2012) * '' Loyalty is Royalty'' (2017) * ''Balance'' (2025)

References

External links

Masta Killa Biography
{{Authority control African-American male rappers 21st-century American male rappers 20th-century American male rappers Five percenters East Coast hip-hop musicians 1969 births Living people Wu-Tang Clan members Rappers from Brooklyn 21st-century American rappers