Ghostface Killah is my favorite artist of all time, and in the wake of attending my seventh GFK concert, I decided to take a trip down memory lane by perusing his extensive discography.
First up is:
Ironman (1996)
I was about 15 and not fully into rap when Ironman was released. I knew who Ghostface was because I remember ripping a colorful wallaby filled Ironman cover ad, out of Vibe magazine and taping it to the front of my Chemistry notebook in high school. “Cream” had been my first real introduction to the WuTang Clan in 1994, one year after I’d moved to this country from Jamaica. At the time, I was still heavily into R&B. A couple years later when my appetite for Hip Hop and Rap was sufficiently whetted, I begged my neighbor ‘B’ to borrow his Ironman CD. I’d heard the song “Camay” and fallen in love with it. To make a long story short, he never lent me the CD and for a few years Ghostface fell off my radar…but not forever. I officially purchased the album last fall (2008) and it blew me away. His rhyming style was unlike anything I’d ever heard. Each track was hella exciting, well produced, and not to mention, razor sharp! The album was also very coherent with a strong unifying theme (I love that!) and it featured clever movie lines and entertaining skits. There were no other albums like it when it was released. No other artists, except those in his own crew, were doing the same thing Ghostface was doing. This album blazed a new trail and is definitely one of my favorites today.
Supreme Clientele (2000)
Supreme Clientele was the next album released. I wrote about my initital reaction to it in this post. It was like this album hit me over the head. Once I heard it, I was knocked out….completely! I couldn’t stop listening to it. This is probably my favorite Ghostface album ever. I can listen to it from beginning to end, without skipping one song. The theme is ingenious and I love how all the tracks come together to paint a vivid picture. The production, is impeccable and Ghostface’s lyrics are amazingly flavorful and almost unearthly. It doesn’t even matter that you can’t understand what he’s saying. All that matters is how fantastic the tracks sound. They are so addictive that you can’t help but find yourself thinking about them when you’re not listening to them and you smile to yourself when you think of the hilarious “Woodro the Basehead” skit. There are so many amazing moments on this album. Supreme Clientele is a triumph; a rare jewel, that should be regarded by all as one of the best rap albums of this decade.
Bullet Proof Wallets (2001)
Bullet Proof Wallets was the follow up to Supreme Clientele. This album came out while I was a student at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. This was an exciting time in my life. I was so thrilled to hear this album that I remember walking up to the enormous HMV at 32nd and Broadway between classes to purchase a copy. I had a portable CD player then and I remember peeling the wrapping off the CD excitedly. I had high expectations for this album and I wasn’t disappointed at all. From the first track to the last track it was a strong album. “Maxine” and “The Forest” both tickled my fancy and I really connected with “Walking Through the Darkness”. Other standouts were “Strawberry”, which was undoubtedly the sexiest Ghostface song every written and “The Hilton” featuring Ghost’s right hand man Raekwon. This album also had a lot of radio friendly tracks on it like “Never be the same again” featuring Carl Thomas and “Love Session” featuring Ruff Endz. I’m shocked it didn’t do better than it did and that to this day, it has not been certified Gold. I mean, by golly, this was a decent album.
The Pretty Toney Album (2004)
For this album, Ghostface switched record labels. This was his first baby at his new home, Def Jam. The Pretty Toney Album deemed by many as more of a tragedy than a triumph, had both its good and bad moments. One of the lowest, worst, most horrible moments, was the Missy assisted “Tush”. I can’t begin to go into how awful this song was. Okay, I am over-exaggerating but I really think it slightly ruined the album. “Save me dear” is one of my favorites. It’s so bouncy and catchy you can’t help but sing along. But it is track 12 entitled, “Holla” that is the true gem of this album. Ghostface pours out everything he’s got on this 3 minute and 19 second opus. The skits on this album are markedly better too, namely “Kunta Fly Shit”. You almost wish they were songs instead of just short skits. The Pretty Toney Album gets a solid 7.5 out of a 10 from me.
718 (2004)
Sadly, I don’t own this album. It’s probably not bad and I should probably give it a listen one day. I can’t call myself a true Ghostface fan if I don’t. It’s just that I’m not a big fan of the Theodore Unit….at all.
Put it on the Line (2005)
I don’t have this one either. I’m sure it’s a decent album but I just haven’t gotten around to listening to it. Again, I was probably turned off by the Theodore Unit. Why couldn’t Ghostface align himself with a better crew?
Fishscale (2006)
Fishscale is the Ghostface album that I enjoy listening to the most. I really connected with it very strongly. Unfortunately Ghostface doesn’t perform many songs from it during his live shows. I have no idea why because I think it is AMAZING. From “Shakey Dog” to “the Champ” to “RAGU” to “Big Girl”, all of the songs on this album awaken an emotion. I love the use of the Dell’s “I can sing a rainbow” on “Shakey Dog”. I also am enamored with the enchanting beat on “RAGU” and the amusing tale Ghost spins on that track. The J Dilla produced ‘Whip me with a strap” and “Beauty Jackson” add dimension to an already impressive album. I really think Ghost should be proudest of this album because it achieves the same thing Supreme Clientele did. It ushers in a new trend-setting animated sound while managing to stay coherent. It also went Platinum, so kudos to Ghostface for that. This is the Ghostface that I love the most; a seamless melding of grimy and gangster with introspectiveness and spontaneity.
More Fish (2006)
Ghostface should have probably stopped the “Fish” theme right after Fishscale but he felt he had more jewels to share. Unfortunately not too many of them appear on More Fish. This album suffered from a lack of cohesiveness and too much Theodore Unit. Bogged down with horrible skits and too many throw away songs you almost wish Ghost hadn’t released it. Don’t get me wrong though. It wasn’t all bad. There are a few good songs like “Street Opera “featuring his son, Sun God, “Josephine”, “You know I’m no good” and “Alex (Stolen Script)”.
The Big Doe Rehab (2007)
This album heralded in a new Ghostface. The callous, hardcore, gun toting Ghostface that we only caught brief glimpses of on other albums was fully present on this go around. I was shocked when I heard “Walk Around”, an impressive little ditty about Ghostface shooting a man in the head point blank. The story telling in that track is amazing as well as Ghost’s dialogue with himself. Also notable were “Yolanda’s house”. “Killa Lipstick” “Rec Room Therapy” and “Shakey Dog featuring Lolita.”I hadn’t expected this type of album from Ghostface. This was his darker alter ego and I loved it. Ghostface is always evolving as an artist, which keeps the music fresh.
Ghostdini: The wizard of poetry in Emerald City (2009)
Honestly, I didn’t like this album when I heard it the first time. I thought it was much too soft. I wasn’t feeling it at all because I thought it was too geared towards females. I still can’t fully say that I love it 100%, but I do like it a lot. I’m a big fan of the way the tension builds in “Guesthouse” (featuring Fabolous), and I’m always touched when I hear “Lonely”. It’s a strong album all in all and the only skippable song is the cringe worthy “Stapleton Sex”, because who wants to hear a song where Ghost raps about sex in overly graphic detail? There were some funny moments in that song..like at the end where he says he needs to smoke a cigarette, and his lover says, “you don’t smoke nigga”. Ghost nonchalantly answers, “Oh yeah, I forgot”.( LOL) “Do Over” is another treat as well as the radio single “Baby” and the rousing, “Stay”. “Forever” is my favorite track on the album. The beat is great and so is the message.
So there you have it. My thoughts on the works of someone I deem to be one of the greatest. Let me know what you think, or leave a comment with your your first impressions of these albums. I’d love to hear your thoughts!
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