May 9 is officially Ghostface Killah Day in New York City.
Mayor Eric Adams awarded a proclamation to the Wu-Tang Clan legend during the ribbon-cutting ceremony for his Killah Koffee Shop in Staten Island on Monday, thanking the rap star for his contributions to music.
“There’s so many people coming out here seeing a performer, a young person who grew up here who lived in public housing and went to public school, and now is able to have a business out here; just coming back to the community. That’s what it’s all about,” Adams said during the shop’s opening ceremony in West Brighton. “So we just want to say, thank you. Thank you for reinvesting.”
Gary Perone—executive vice president and general manager of Staten Island Entertainment, which owns the Staten Island Ferryhawks baseball team—also stopped by the ceremony. The mogul gave Ghostface a team hat and jersey and said they’ll be naming part of the ballpark Shaolin Alley in honor of Ghost’s contributions.
“I love each and every one of y’all for coming. God bless,” Ghostface said, adding that he was “grateful and humbled” for the honor.
The announcement was celebrated by numerous rappers on social media, including Fat Joe, Conway the Machine, Sheek Louch, Pete Rock, and Pharoahe Monch, who all reacted in the comments on Ghostface’s Instagram. Music producer Mark Ronson and Insecure’s Amanda Seales also shouted out the Staten Island lyricist.
As for Killah Koffee, it’s not yet officially open to the public, but co-owner Ross Filler told the local news outlet SILive that the company’s four flavored beans—vanilla, supreme dark roast, marvelous medium roast, and marble cake—were all available to purchase in bulk online.
When asked by the outlet why they chose to open their debut shop on Staten Island, Filler said, “It means more culture and more flavor and more attention for Staten Island because that’s exactly what Wu-Tang and Ghostface and everybody’s been bringing.”
