Ghostface Killah, Fishscale -- Review

I'm going to take a big sip of Hatorade Lite and say this: Ghostface has been called the Wu's most consistent artist, and this is certainly true, but it doesn't mean he's been dropping classic album after classic album. Far from it. Ironman of course is one of the best hip-hop albums of all time, but he's never been able to match its inventiveness. Has never come close, actually. Sure, Supreme Clientele is dope; but it's far from a classic. Who plays that disc these days? SC dropped at a time when the Wu's ship was sinking fast; it was a life-preserver, something for fans to latch onto and say see, the Wu's still sharp, still got it.

I'd say at the time that Ghost was still sharp, still had it, but that few, if any, of his comrades could stake the same claim (my favorite Jackson is Jermaine/Clint Eastwood played Shane). Maybe GZA (I still don't know whether I love or hate Beneath the Surface). Maybe RZA. Maybe. He can still cook up a serviceable beat from time to time (and he prepared a couple on SC), but I haven't been more saddened, more disappointed, by how drastically a talented person's career trajectory has been altered since Grant Hill. I mean, dude was set to be the best producer of all time, better than Primo, better than Dre. And then his "mansion" got flooded and he lost like 3000 beats or something. What, he can't create new beats that are as good or better than those lost? If an author's manuscript is destroyed, does that all of a sudden make the author lose his talent? Of course not. The reason RZA's production skills weakened is because he stopped caring about the music as much as he once had. He spread himself too thin, venturing into film, clothing, and a slew of other projects. What he should have done was stick to producing albums for his "family". The Wu initially began to slip when RZA began farming production out to his immitators, such as 4th Disciple, Mathematics, True Master, and others. The aforementioned could make great beats from time to time (B.I.B.L.E, produced by 4th Disciple, and Fish, produced by True Master, instantly come to mind), but they were nevertheless trying to duplicate RZA's sound. Shit reminded me of back in the days of Image Comics when artists such as Rob Liefeld, Jim Lee, and Marc Silvestri hired a bunch of artists who drew in the same style they did. Who wants that? Trouble was, when RZA returned to produce full-length albums such as Bobby Digital In Stereo, The W, and Iron Flag, the results were above-mediocre-to-borderline-wack, never great. Never classic. He'd lost his shooting touch, a fact which continues to bug me to this day, as you can probably tell.

Back to Ghost. Like I said, I don't consider Supreme Clientele to be anything other than a very good album. His next effort, Bulletproof Wallets, was a disappointment. It had its moments, but overall it wasn't worth the 15 or 16 bucks I spent on it. Last year came The Pretty Toney Album, a vast improvement over BW, but still not a classic. Toney and Supreme Clientele complement each other nicely, actually. But they're still Eyes Wide Shut and Full Metal Jacket to Ironman's The Shining.

Taking another sip of Hatorade Lite, I think Ghost has been on cruise control ever since Bulletproof Wallets. He's been sharp, no doubt, but compare any of his verses post BW to his verse on Daytona 500, say. It's like comparing a King-Size Snickers to a Bite-Size Kit-Kat. I'm afraid he's gone all Ray Allen-like: an esteemed veteran who's been going through the motions. In Jesus's case he's doing so because he probably doesn't have that extra gear, but I know Ghost does. Or did. Guy is 36 years old. Hard to stun the hip-hop world at that age, unfortunately and lamentably. Damn.

That out of the way, time to return for some Chamber Music. This spring brings Ghost's fifth studio album, Fishscale (it's drug slang for high-quality coke, I think). Let's check her out and see how she stacks up:

(Before we begin, I should mention that I got tired of waiting for the CD to arrive at my local CD/DVD store, so I downloaded it. Shame on me. Maybe I'll use the money I saved to order a pizza with mayonnaise on it.)

The Return of Clyde Smith

Raekwon (I think) has something to say, but he's too shy to say it without disguising his voice. Hard. What a terrible way to begin the album.

Shakey Dog

Is Ghost the undisputed king of talking before the song starts? This is funky, somewhat. He's got the soul sample playing throughout the song, a la Pretty Toney. Is Ghost the undisputed king of talking to himself in his verses? You know what, I just realized that, if I were tight with him, I would never, under any circumstances, fall out of his good graces for fear of being chewed out like the faceless characters in his songs. That would be no fun at all, I imagine. I wonder what he sounds like when the drive-thru girl at Wendy's fucks up his order. Bitch, is you tone deaf? Tone's def, oh that's right. Fucked up my order -- where's my medium-size Frosty and large fries?

Kilo (feat. Raekwon)

Time for some basic math: a kilo weighs a thousand grams. Thanks. The weight of disappointment, however, is immeasurable. And a pile of shit has a thousand eyes.

The Champ

Some guy starts off the song doing a poor impression of Mickey from Rocky. Just Blaze produced this, he's not afraid to let you know. Oh lord, now some dude (probably the same guy) is impersonating Mr. T. This song is pretty good, save for all the bullshit. Just like life. Now dude is impersonating Ali. I wish he would impersonate a dead person.

Major Operation (skit)

Unless your name is Prince Paul, you don't deserve to have this many skits on a single album. This is about 5 seconds long. Why not just tack it onto the end of the previous track? Is that too radical an idea?

9 Milli Bros. (feat. The Wu-Tang Clan)

If I never hear RZA say "Bob Digi" again it'll be too soon. Ghost starts things off in a sing-song style, then breaks out like ebola. This started off sounding weak, but is actually pretty good. I imagine RZA produced this. Sounds almost vintage, with the overlapping sounds and such. Cappadonna says "it's the return of Bin Laden". Ugh. Hey! It's Method Man! And GZA! And some guy who must be Inspectah Deck with one hell of a sore throat. And Masta Killah. And U-God (don't he and RZA have beef? I can never keep up with these sort of things). Dirty's appearance makes the whole thing seem surreal, as though it were recorded before the turn of the century. It probably was. Here's a wager I'm willing to lose: the Wu will never release another good album. Dope song, though only worthy of being a bonus track during the Clan's heyday.

Beauty Jackson

Oh no, Ghost is talking over yet another soul song. There's a trace of dustiness, but it's really nothing to write home over. This is to Wildflower what a spinal tap is to a blowjob. Thankfully it's short.

Heart Street Directions (skit)

The worst skit I've ever heard in my entire life, bar none.

Columbus Exchange (skit) Crack Spot

Hey, great, another skit! Why doesn't Ghost just release an entire album full of them? That would be grand! You know, this is where a competent executive producer is needed. Who executively produced this? The back of the CD probably says RZA did, but that's just legal shit. He was probably in China studying feng shui and earthenware pottery the entire time this was being made. Whoever let all this junk pollute the album really needs to be fired for it.

The skit actually segues into a short (mediocre) song, begging the question why not just combine the skit with the previous one? Better yet, jettison them both from the album! Who's your A&R, Ghost? A mountain climber who plays the electric guitar and does a lot of drugs?

Ragu (feat. Raekwon)

Wasn't this once upon a time supposed to be the title for Raekwon's sophomore album? Pretty good beat. The back-and-forth between the two MCs rekindles the magic somewhat. By the way, remember that State of Grace song by Rae that was leaked a while ago? Now that was dope. This is okay, I guess, but too short. Again, nothing overly special. Definitely nothing overly amazing.

Bad Mouth Kid (skit)

The second worst skit I've ever heard in my entire life, bar none.

Whip You With a Strap

In case you've been waiting for Ghost to give the green light, he has just given you permission to beat your kids. Another soul sample permeates the track. Who does this guy think he is, motherfucking Kanye West? Another song with no personality. This entire album so far has been a series of half-songs juxtaposed together.

Back Like That (feat. Ne-Yo)

I know a poor interpolation of I'll Be Around when I hear it. This song is best interpretively summed thusly:



Get it?

Be Easy (feat. Trife)

You know, on Supreme Clientele Trife was absolutely terrible and helped contribute to my somewhat negative opinion of the album's staying power. Then he blew my socks off with his performance on the independently-released Theodore Unit 718 album. This could have been a song from that. Prettyokaydecentborderingonalmostawesomeness. By the way, am I the only one who has grown tired of Ghost's animated flow? It's as though he took it too far, much in the same way the animation on The Simpson's is crisper than ever, but lacking the rawness that made seasons 3 through 7 so great. Can I get a witness?

Clipse of Doom (feat. Trife)

That guitar lures me in immediately. Bomb Squadesque. Can't disguise the fact that the song sounds like a mix tape "freestyle," though.

Jellyfish (feat. Cappadonna, Sean Wigs, and Trife)

This is similar to the previous track, only substitute the guitar loop with an organ. I'm scared this will give me an epileptic seizure, but I stick with it. I think Cappadonna put as much of an effort into his verse here as he did his career as a cab driver. As far as "token white rappers accepted into the fold after Eminem blew up" go, how long do you think Sean Wigs's (get it?) "career" will last? Longer than Haystack's but shorter than Bubba Sparkxxx's is my guess.

Dogs of War (feat. Trife, Cappadonna, and Son God)

This is giving me bad flashbacks of The W. Industry rule no. 4093: if you're at a loss in coming up with a song title with impact, hit your local video store and scour the old releases. Actually, this is quite faithful to the 1981 Christopher Walken/Tom Berenger film in that it's entirely unmemorable.

Barbershop

Why don't Ghost and his entourage just make a fucking low budget film and save me the task of having to listen to all that talking already? Some songs can be called "cinematic" (Spot Rusherz immediately comes to mind), and I suppose this could be, too...but only if we're comparing it to a Uwe Boll movie.

Sweetwater (skit)

Why do I even bother?

Big Girl

Is it possible to commit suicide jumping out a second-floor window, or would I probably survive and have to pay a shitload of medical bills? Dammit! If I hear another Ghost song where he raps over a soul record, I'm going to make sure we get an apartment on a higher floor the next time we move. Also: Ghost is in love with the sound of his own voice. He should start a blog. If his writing skills are lacking, he can just do podcasts!

Underwater

This sounds Salaam Remiesque. Here's a novel song concept, Tony: you're lost in a forest, surrounded by orcs, and searching for your stolen ability to craft a decent album. But just before you find it you're slain by an ax-wielding dwarf. Fantastic!

The Ironman Takeover (skit)

Another 5-second sample from the Iron Man cartoon. I am Jack's awestruck imagination.

Momma (feat. Megan Rochell)

...Is to All That I Got Is You as From a Buick 8 is to Christine.

Bonus Track -- Three Bricks (feat The Notorious B.I.G. and Raekwon)

I believe this was to be included on the abortion that was Duets: The Final Chapter. Awful, simply awful. I'm convinced this was purposefully made to further Ghost and Rae's beef with Big for "biting shit off of Nas".

Conclusion: Best 14,400 won I never spent. Compared to this shit, Bulletproof Wallets is Criminal fucking Minded. We'll always have Ironman and the Hide Ya Face remix (which, even when I'm not on medication -- read: beer -- I'm still convinced is one of the top 10 best songs ever made), though, Starkey Luv.

Yours,

The Eyes That's In Back Of You, Kid.

2/5 *_*