In 2003, Dennis "Ghostface Killah" Coles left Epic Records and signed with Def Jam. He had released his previous three solo albums with Epic, and having signed for four albums, he had one more to release before he could get out of his contract with the label. Hence the idea of a compilation of his previous albums, two clear classics ("Ironman", 1996; "Supreme Clientele", 2000) and a good CD with many great moments such as "Bulletproof Wallets", released in 2001.
The tracks are arranged in chronological order, which is why RZA produces all the first five tracks, most of which are from Ghostface's debut. The rest of the set consists of beats from JuJu of The Beatnuts, Choo "The Specializt", Hassan of The UMC's, C12, Chris Liggio, Tally Galbreth, Lilz, PLX and Allah Mathematics. A third of the album features Chef Raekwon joining Stapleton's emcee. You can hear Cappadonna twice in the first ten minutes. Other guests include U-God of Wu-Tang Clan, Killa Sin of Killarmy, Wu affiliate Tekitha, and singer Carl Thomas.
Some of the choices made to round out this short and intense collection are questionable. The tracks from the first CD are "Daytona 500," "Poisonous Darts," "Camay," and a remix of "All That I Got is You." No big deal, they're all classics. The first of five tracks from Starks' second solo album is "Child's Play", where RZA's impeccable production begins to crack. The sixth choice, "One", brings the collection back into the classic mood, followed by "Malcolm" and "Apollo Kids"; after three solo cuts, Ghostface is once again joined on the raps by a guest, Lex Diamond. The ninth track is Ghost & U-God's club smash "Cherchez LaGhost". The compilation then features two ballads from his third effort, then Killa Sin joins Starks to deliver "Strawberry", the collection's final track.
Released by Epic, it failed to sell and was ignored by critics. Half of this compilation is classic, the other half isn't exactly memorable, making it a bit pointless, although Wu fans might find something to enjoy.
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