As a founding member of Staten Island rap collective Wu-Tang Clan he helped redefine the urban landscape by pioneering an often unorthodox, always uncompromising brand of Shaolin inspired hip hop.
But for all his professional triumphs, rapper Dennis Coles – known to millions as the lyrically gifted Ghostface Killah – is at the beating heart of a very personal division with a son who now hopes to reshape the genre that took his father away from the projects and made him a star.
Openly gay and a committed member of the New York queer community’s vibrant Vogue ballroom scene – a subculture that ‘changed his life’ – Infinity Coles says his sexuality drove a wedge between him and his father, with whom he has not spoken in more than a decade, and ultimately provided the creative spark that inspired his new double A-side single, SweetFace Killah/Daddy & I.
‘I’m close to my mum’s side of the family,’ he told the Daily Mail. ‘My uncle RZA. I grew up with that side of the family, my cousins. I think when I was a kid I had a great time, you know?
‘But you get older and become yourself, then people either distance themselves or love you for you. As I got older my dad’s seen some things in me that he didn’t like and he just distanced himself.
‘He would randomly pop up. There’s not moments I can remember where we were together for a whole month, or a whole week.
Infinity Coles (L) admits he hasn’t spoken to his father, the pioneering Wu-Tang Clan rapper Ghostface Killah (R), in more than ten years
‘It was like, “Oh, dad’s in town, maybe he’ll call us up and bring us to a restaurant or something,” but those were my childhood days and I think the shift changed when I started living as who I am, with my sexuality.
‘I think when he found out about it, or started to have thoughts about it, I think that’s when the distance really happened, because I have brothers and sisters and he always talks to them.’
Bold, brash and buoyed with an empowering queer confidence, Infinity admits he has an overwhelming desire to write a new, inclusive chapter in the history of hip hop.
But while SweetFace Killah/Daddy & I offers a positive and playful twist on the genre with its fusion of upbeat house and contemporary rap, the emotionally fraught inspiration behind his new music casts a tall shadow over its recent release.
Born and raised in New York’s tough Staten Island housing projects, Infinity was already well versed in the genre through his estranged father long before he considered pursuing his own music career.
And little wonder; the Wu-Tang Clan helped redefine gangster rap with the release of their gritty debut album Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) in 1993 and a subsequent stream of often groundbreaking solo releases from its respective members, among them Ghostface’s critically acclaimed debut, Iron Man.
But Infinity says the perceived homophobia that underpinned some of the group’s lyrical content alienated him from his absent father as he struggled to come to terms with his own sexuality.
‘I’ve always been who I am, and I always remember hearing a lot of the slurs, you know, f**got, things like that, so it kind of resonated with me growing up,’ he recalled.
Infinity’s new double A-side single SweetFace Killah/Daddy & I is partly inspired by his estranged from his father, with whom he hasn’t spoken in more than a decade
‘As I got older my dad’s seen some things in me that he didn’t like and he just distanced himself,’ he told the Daily Mail
‘At some point, when I started to get into my music and my writing, I started realising the beautiful parts of my dad. Like, he’s a great storyteller, and I never even got into that, and never even knew that.
‘I was like, “wow, he can really tell a story, he can really write.” I always knew there was talent, but it didn’t really resonate with me.
‘In rap you can hear there’s a lot [of homophobia]. But I try to give him grace because I know his dad wasn’t there for him when he was a child, so I don’t always want to blame him – he doesn’t know how to be a father because he didn’t have one.’
His familial bond with the legendary rapper serves as inspiration for some of the new material on forthcoming album SweetFace Killah, notably Daddy & I, and its tongue-in-cheek title track – inspired by a term originally aimed at the artist as a homophobic slur.
‘I’m just ready to be recognised,’ he said. ‘I’ve been the underdog for so long because I was so insecure. When it comes to rap, I just wanted to rap, but I always thought I wasn’t allowed in that space.
(L-R) RZA, U-God, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Masta Killa, GZA and Method Man of the American rap group Wu-Tang Clan in 1997
‘I grew up with family being Wu-Tang, and they’re very hardcore, but that’s not me. I wouldn’t even attempt to do it. I’m just ready to be recognised and not be the underdog no more.’
While his father remains absent from his life, Infinity credits his uncle – founding Wu-Tang Clan member Robert Diggs, AKA RZA – for remaining by his side and providing the emotional support he needed during his upbringing.
RZA, whose sister is infinity’s biological mother, also provided the financial backing for the artist’s forthcoming debut album, and he admits his burgeoning career might never have taken off had it not been for his fatherly encouragement.
‘Honestly, my uncle RZA has been amazing. He’s been like a dad. I love him so much, he’s amazing. That is my guy, right there.
‘He believed in me, always, he just didn’t know how to brand me, but I appreciated him being honest with me. He always said, “you’ll be bigger than your father”. He always said that.’
Infinity’s familial bond with the rapper serves as inspiration for much of his new material (pictured: Ghostface Killah, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Raekwon, and Inspectah Deck in 1993)
‘I’m just ready to be recognised. I’ve been the underdog for so long because I was so insecure. When it comes to rap, I just wanted to rap, but I always thought I wasn’t allowed in that space’
Produced by Zach Witness and spread across 12 tracks, Infinity says his new album will give fans an opportunity to ‘hear my story first’ – one that began on the streets of Staten Island and led to an extended period of homelessness in New York City, a bleak experience that ultimately fuelled his creativity.
‘In 2020 I was in a shelter for a year, almost 11 months,’ he recalled. ‘I got out in 2021. I always tell people that was probably one of the most depressing moments of my life.
‘I went to the shelter because I couldn’t take the family drama. I knew I would’ve been able to get my own apartment, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to maintain it.
‘So, I had to try and be smart, family drama was really bad, and it blocked me from doing what I’m doing now.
Spread across 12 tracks, Infinity says the new album will give fans an opportunity to ‘hear my story first’ – one that began on the streets of Staten Island and led to an extended period of homelessness
‘I had to take the ferry into the city, and then the train for an hour and a half into Queens, and that was my travel every single day to catch my curfew. In the beginning it was so depressing, but then I started using those moments on the train to think.
‘I just started thinking, and those thoughts helped me calm down and appreciate that I was going to get out of here and have my own space.
‘I learned a lot through those travels, and when I finally got my own apartment, my producer was with me in my house for a couple of weeks, and that’s when the music started, in 2021.’
He added: ‘Now I can say I appreciate that moment, because if I didn’t have that moment, I would never have been able to write how I do today. I had to do that, I had to experience that, or I would not be here today, doing this.’
With the single and its film noir inspired video released on September 17, Infinity is hoping to inject some much needed diversity into the hip hop genre after seeing his community repeatedly underrepresented and frequently appropriated by urban artists.
He said: ‘I feel like there’s so much talent in my community and I also don’t understand why so many of us are not allowed or invited into that hip hop community.
With the single and its film noir inspired video released on September 17, Infinity is hoping to inject some much needed diversity into the hip hop genre
‘They use us for fashion, but we can do more than that. I mean, there’s a problem until you want us to dress you, you know what I mean? But I think there’s a lot of amazing hip hop artists in my community who deserve a lot more recognition and a lot more respect.
‘When you’re a girl it’s OK [to be gay], but when you’re a guy it’s like, no, we don’t want that. I’m not here for it but that’s the way the world is right now. I’ll be the one to break a lot of those barriers.’
It’s a long road, but after enjoying an enthusiastic online response to his new music and developing significant traction across social media, infinity is already dreaming big
He added: ‘I have cousins who can’t rap or rhyme a lick but get a chance, I’m like, where’s my chance? So, I’m just ready to be seen.
‘After all these positive comments and people noticing my talent, I want a Grammy now. Before I just wanted to take care of my business, but now I want a Grammy.’
Debut album SweetFace Killah is available to buy or stream from December 5. Debut single Daddy & I/SweetFace Killah is out now.
