The Herd with Colin Cowherd

Special Episode: Joe and Jada – Ghostface Killah on ‘Supreme Clientele 2,’ Wu-Tang Clan & Raekwon Stories

Date: August 27, 2025

Episode Overview

This dynamic episode of The Herd features Fat Joe (“Joe Crack”), Jadakiss, and the legendary Ghostface Killah of Wu-Tang Clan. The conversation flows between wild personal stories, deep dives into hip hop culture and history, and exclusive insights on Ghostface Killah’s much-anticipated album, Supreme Clientele 2. The trio reflect on classic Wu-Tang moments, the evolution of rap authenticity, generational changes, the legacy of skits in hip hop, and the unbreakable chemistry between Ghostface and Raekwon.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Birthday Bash Chronicles & Hip Hop Lifestyle

• Fat Joe shares animated stories about his epic birthday party—extravagant food, flowing drinks, celebrity guests (00:04:30).
• He recounts the party's raucous energy, the multiple visits from police, and the quirky way guests interact (“…the cops come to my house. Five times, they come, oh, Mr. Joe, this, this that. I said, well, you know, once a year…” – Fat Joe, 00:07:52).
• Fashion is central—Joe brags about high-end fits, friends gifting watches, and pokes fun at Jim Jones’s party demeanor (“…my man Urson, flower box, he put it together. He came down from Miami and do a wreck… you ate lobster, you had twenty lobster, you ate fried chicken, you have fifty fried chickens, you ate Ace of Spades…” – Fat Joe, 00:09:20).

2. Ghostface Killah on Supreme Clientele 2

• Announcement and backstory: Ghostface’s follow-up to the classic album is the core topic.
• “Supreme Clientele 2, man. What was—Salute the Mass Appeal, salute to Ray, salute to Nas, salute to Peter... The next one is Supreme Clientele 2, which you let the people know. Cause I got it.” – Fat Joe (00:16:45).
• Security and exclusivity: Only select, encrypted listening allowed; hints at album’s raw & aggressive tone (“…I felt like angrier vibes or like your voice was like meaner, you know, like very strong…” – Jadakiss, 00:18:23).
• Ghostface explains the creative process: “Nah, I mean, you know, once... sometimes you’re aggressive on tracks… it was probably... know the first track, I’m aggressive.” (00:18:54).
• Discussion on protecting musical leaks with tech, and reactions to the security.

3. “Pause” Culture & Generational Shifts

• Skit culture and how hip hop language changes across generations—Ghostface has a new skit about overuse of “pause” (“…We finally fixed it for the young dudes with the pause… when we grew up, it was a lot of shit that is here today that wasn’t around…” – Fat Joe, 00:22:05).
• Ghostface comments on having to explain old-school terms and how young studio engineers over-correct (“…engineer like, yo. And he young, though. Yeah. So it’s like, he pausing me down. But I’m like, yo, you taking me out of my element.…” – Ghostface, 00:22:56).
• Amusing generational disconnects: Fat Joe tells how young guests at his party called it “the unction” (uncle function): “Welcome to the unction. I’m thinking... I never heard that one before. Yo, welcome to the unction.” (00:27:25).

4. The Art of the Skit & Legacy Storytelling

• The trio riff on classic hip hop skits, with Ghostface improvising a custom skit for the Joe and Jada Podcast (00:29:10).
  Ghostface: “Ayo, all these other… you heard that over the other night, man. This podcast is... their ratings is real low… we taking over this, man.” (00:29:35).
• Reflection on the role and challenge of skits in albums—“I ain’t do skits in a minute, though. We did them on this. Maybe even this album we on right now…” – Ghostface, 00:30:45.

5. Growing Up in Staten Island: The Foundation of Wu-Tang

• Ghostface narrates growing up in the Stapleton projects, the harshness of his environment, and how it shaped both character and music:

  “But it’s just like any other project… that’s where you learn how to fight at, like. Right?... after a while, you get into the drug game and… then, you know, that’s where my base was at in Stapleton, like most of my years and getting locked up and doing this, going right to Rikers…” – Ghostface (00:34:45).

6. The Grind & Authenticity in Early Wu-Tang Days

• Fat Joe and Ghostface reminisce on their struggles for legitimacy and money in the early 90s rap scene.
• Fat Joe recalls witnessing Wu-Tang split $500 for a show:

  “I think I had the first show with Wu-Tang ever… it was a club Muse… I performed with y’all… They give y’all $500. It was like 13 of you guys. I don’t know I was like, yo, this ain’t gonna… How we gonna make money with all these dudes?” (00:44:18)

• Ghostface’s response:

  “Nah, I never looked at it because I knew he was gonna make it… we did shit, we got paid $100 from… Bill was fake… I respect those days though, because that was our grind right there… you had to walk your dog back in those days…” (00:45:21).

7. Authenticity vs. Social Media Clout

• The crew debate the cost of viral fame and rappers doing “the corniest shit… to go viral” (00:48:40).
• Ghostface: “If you gonna start doing corny shit now, nigga, you was always corny. That’s it.” (00:50:20)
• The conversation candidly ties authenticity in hip hop culture to both current and past generations.

8. Wu-Tang Chemistry & Making Classic Albums

• Ghostface opens up about the organic chemistry with Raekwon:

  “Me and Ray… just like, come from Stapleton, he from the hill... when we came around... It was just glue that was just there… It just came from that…” (01:05:35).

• They tell wild stories from album sessions: getting kicked out of Barbados, recording in Miami, and the synergy that emerges under pressure (“That’s how them dusters came out… Darts every day. Bow, man, we had Bexton Heine against the drinking mad at them shits.” – Ghostface, 01:08:56).

9. Touring, Legacy, and the Challenges of Wu-Tang Coordination

• Ghostface reflects on how, decades later, organizing anything with Wu-Tang is a negotiation of nine (often more) strong personalities, but when they unite “for the cause, [they] form Voltron. The end result is always beautiful.” (01:18:25)
• Recent tours rated as “the best shits that we ever did.” – Ghostface (01:19:32)

10. Legendary Summer Jam Story

• Fat Joe and Ghostface recount the infamous Hot 97 Summer Jam, radio politics, and industry reprisals. These stories highlight both behind-the-scenes tensions and their willingness to “break the rules.” (01:22:11)
• Ghostface jokes about not “taking one for the clan” to make peace with radio.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Fat Joe (on Wu-Tang’s appeal):

  "Wu-Tang’s for the children. Every year I post y’all, they got some shit. Wu-Tang for President. I got some shit out there. I don’t want no smoke with the Clan." (00:14:48)

• Ghostface Killah (on authenticity and the grind):

  "I never looked at it [the money], because I knew he was gonna make it. No doubt, you know what I mean? I knew he was gonna make it, you know what I mean? So I seen it. I seen it like a 27 inch zenith." (00:44:59)

• Jadakiss (on generational shifts):

  "It’s different now, don’t put those under the same road, bro… They trying to make us feel old…" (00:25:10)

• Ghostface (on Wu-Tang coordination):

  "It’s like nine of us, ten of us, and everybody got their own shit… when we come together for the cause form Voltron… the end result is always beautiful." (01:18:25)

• Fat Joe (on birthday party status):

  "If you don’t know Fat Joe, you walk in my house, it look like a Mafia. The flowers look like a Mafia." (00:07:23)

Live Freestyle & Track Preview (01:35:12+)

• Ghostface spins acapella/lyrical previews from Supreme Clientele 2, highlighting the rawness and storytelling that fans expect.

Timestamps – Important Segments

• 00:04:30 – Fat Joe’s birthday party stories
• 00:14:48 – Opening praise to Wu-Tang; album discussion
• 00:18:00 – Ghostface on the sound, process of new album
• 00:22:05 – Hip hop’s “pause” culture & generational chat
• 00:29:10 – Ghostface improvises a Joe and Jada podcast skit
• 00:34:45 – Ghostface on growing up in Stapleton projects
• 00:44:18 – Fat Joe’s story about Wu-Tang’s first New York show and the $500 split
• 01:05:35 – Ghostface on chemistry with Raekwon, album origin stories
• 01:08:56 – Kicked out of Barbados, moving album recording to Miami
• 01:18:25 – Coordinating the Wu-Tang tour; “form Voltron”
• 01:22:11 – Hot 97 Summer Jam, radio politics
• 01:35:12 – Ghostface live bars and preview of new tracks

Tone & Vibe

Real, brash, unapologetically funny and insightful. The hosts and Ghostface swap legendary, sometimes wild tales with genuine brotherhood, veering between classic hip hop wisdom and hilarious party tales. This is both a masterclass in hip hop storytelling and a window into a culture that shaped a generation.

Listen for:

• Wild party storytelling and unique hip hop banter
• Insiders’ look at the making of Supreme Clientele 2
• Honest reflections on changes in rap and social dynamics
• Candid wisdom on authenticity and unity in hip hop’s golden era

Wu-Tang forever. Supreme Clientele 2 out now – get it on all platforms.