Ghostface Killah
Birth Name: Dennis David Coles
Place of Birth: Staten Island, New York City, New York, U.S.
Date of Birth: May 9, 1970
Ethnicity: African-American
Ghostface Killah is an American rapper. He is a member of hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan. Other members of Wu-Tang Clan also include/have included Ol’ Dirty Bastard, GZA, Masta Killa, Method Man, Raekwon, and RZA. He is also the leader of hip-hop collective Theodore Unit. He is also known as Ghostface, Toney Starks, Ghostdini, Pretty Toney, and D-Love.
Ghostface is the son of Diane and Dennis Coles. He has six children, including two with RZA’s sister, Shurrie. His children include rapper Sun God, a member of Theodore Unit, rapper Supreme, and singer Infinite. He is said to be a cousin of rapper Shyheim. Ghostface is a convert to Islam.
His stage name is taken from the film The Mystery of Chess Boxing, and not from the Scream franchise.
Ghostface’s maternal grandfather was Herbert Cunningham, Jr. (the son of Herbert E. Cunningham and Henrietta Gertrude Eady). Ghostface’s grandfather Herbert was born in Charleston, South Carolina, to parents who had deep roots in the state. Ghostface’s great-grandfather Hebert was the son of Abraham Cunningham and Julia Josephine Graham. Henrietta was the daughter of Richard Jake Ferguson and Mollie Brown.
Ghostface’s maternal grandmother was Pearl E. Lamb (the daughter of James Lamb and Pearl Collins). Ghostface’s grandmother Pearl was born in Staten Island, New York, to parents from North Carolina, who had deep roots in the state. James was the son of Robert Artis and Mary Elizabeth Hyter.
Sources: Marriage record of Ghostface’s parents – https://www.familysearch.org
Genealogy of Ghostface’s mother – https://www.familysearch.org
Obituary of Ghostface’s mother – https://www.silive.com
Ethnicity Related Discussion