In 2006, Ghostface Killah released his fifth solo studio album, returning to his original moniker after releasing his previous album as "Ghostface". In between the two albums, the Staten Island emcee released his group Theodore Unit's album "718" (2004) and the collaborative project with Trife da God "Put It on the Line" (2005), also collaborating with MF DOOM for a project that ultimately never saw the light of day.
The guests include the entire Wu-Tang Clan, affiliates Trife, Cappadonna, Shawn Wigs & Sun God of Theodore Unit, as well as Ne-Yo and Megan Rochell. Ice Cube and Kanye West appear on the bonus tracks along with a posthumous contribution from The Notorious B.I.G. Production is by MF DOOM, Pete Rock, J Dilla, Just Blaze, Lewis Parker, MoSS, Crack Val, Xtreme, Studio Steve, Ghostface Killah, Sean C & LV, Cool & Dre and Sean "Diddy" Combs.
The album opens with a Clyde Smith skit, this time performed by Ghostface (the credits says Halloween) with vocoder over an excellent rhythm that boasts a sample from Brother Jack McDuff's "Summer Dream".
2. "Shakey Dog"
Boom bap rhythm by Lewis Parker, excellent bass line, splendid samples, dry drum sparse midtempo, horns in loop along with a soul extract. Ghost Face Killer lets the rhythm breathe then spits out bars with an almost chanted style, flowing, fluid, regular. Unique extra-verse in which Tony Starks plans a robbery carried out against mutual acquaintances together with his friend Frank: the plan seems simple, but the matter quickly gets complicated and ends as the boys don't imagine, in typical Ghostdeini dramatic cinematic style. The album already begins with a classic narration.
3. "Kilo" (ft. Raekwon)
Splendid sample, beautiful female soul sample in loop from Jimmy Vann & Richard Hieronymus "I Weigh with Kilos", elegant funky bass line, dry drum sparse minimal midtempo. The cut focuses on the difficulties and merits of being among the "pezzonovante" in the drug game, with a vision almost close to Taoism. Intro, hook and verse by Ghost Face Killer who travels silky slow on this brilliant beat by MoSS. Hook, then Raekwon enters, slow, velvety, regular. Chorus, last stanza to Ghostdeini. Bridge, refrain.
4. "The Champ"
Skit film, intro by GFK. Then Just Blaze gives a banger to Ghost. Crazy rhythm, sensational, a hit. Sample of shrill horns vibrant, absurd boom bap, minimal drum uptempo poor, solid bass, very rich and layered rhythm with cymbals to accompany, trumpets, sax, guitar and piano keys. Slow hardcore delivery by Starks. Skit to space out the three verses, Ghost returns hardcore to claim to be the best emcee in the game and burns the rhythm, fantastic.
5. "Major Operation"
Very short skit to introduce a rare Wu-Tang posse outside of a group album.
6. "9 Milli Bros." (Wu-Tang Clan)
Historic Clan posse off group album produced by MF DOOM, who chooses to use his rhythm of "Fenugreek" from the album "Special Herbs, Vols. 1 & 2" to write another page of history of the genre. Overbeat intro by RZA introducing the entire Wu-Tang Clan, except the host. Skit by ODB, Cappadonna and Ghost on the beat. Rough and dotted bass line, sparse drum, lively piano, then a heavy guitar riff drops, the drum is doubled and falls uptempo, the bass wakes up remaining in the background, there's another loop that further rounds out the production, very cartoonish / cinematic. Fast spoken hook from GFK, who immediately shifts into fourth, immediately accelerates under the pressure of an urgent rhythm and delivers a crazy battle verse with one of his best flows, fast, lethal, hardcore.
Chef Raekwon velvety, flowing, pulls out a battle braggadocio. Ol' Dirty Bastard contributes a couple of posthumous bars to this historic Wu-Tang Clan posse. After him comes Cappadonna, shouting his lyrics in a messy way, in the fifth verse Method Man kills the cut with the best flow of the track, flying on this MF DOOM production. GZA drops bars with his calm style anticipating Rebel INS who bursts into the hardcore beat. Masta Killa is one of the best on the track, entering calmly and determined and throwing a clean jab at the beat. U-God drops the last verse sending the track among the highlights of the album. The entire Wu-Tang Clan is here with the notable exception of RZA, whose introduction is taken from his track "Fast Cars" ("Birth of a Prince", 2003), so he remains totally out of the track (and of the whole LP) for whatever reason. It's the first official track with all the members after "Triumph".
7. "Beauty Jackson"
Great soundscape by J Dilla taken straight from "Hi" one of the tracks on "Donuts": dry downtempo drum, elegant deep gorgeous bass line, dark samples in the background, GFK's only verse after letting the music breathe. Excellent short cut.
8. "Heart Street Directions"
Skit.
9. "Columbus Exchange (skit) / Crack Spot"
Skit, then real cut. Gorgeous soul sample from Freda Payne's "Master of Love", dry minimal uptempo drum, sparkling hi-hats, wonderful string samples, great orchestral rhythm, boom bap made by the beatmaker Crack Val, immense work. Ghostdeini at the mic wraps the beat with a serene, velvety, silky, pure delivery, fine cut.
10. "R.A.G.U." (ft. Raekwon)
Skit, then beautiful boom bap by Pete Rock in a Ghostface & Raekwon classic; heavenly, spacey samples from Dee Dee Bridgewater's "My Lonely Room" and The Delfonics' "The Look of Love": huge strings, solid, robust deep bass line, dry hard midtempo drum, great samples, velvety delivery by Raekwon. Ghost with the breathless rap rips the cut, fantastic flow. Stunning joint among the best of the duo, amazing work by the genius of Pete Rock, one of the best producers in history.
11. "Bad Mouth Kid"
Skit.
12. "Whip You With a Strap"
Melancholic sample of J Dilla taken directly from his "One for Ghost" beat, again from "Donuts": sad, melancholic rhythm, minimal dry downtempo drum, sad samples, soft bass line, great work by Jay Dee. Inside Ghost with his dramatic melancholic flow chanted, slow, flowing, dope delivery. Track among the best in the history of his discography.
13. "Back Like That" (ft. Ne-Yo)
Inspired by a line in one of Jay-Z's all-time greats, "Song Cry" from his classic album "The Blueprint" (2001), Ghostface crafts a timeless chorus and invents his own hit, enlisting Ne-Yo to perform the clean hook. Beatmaker Xtreme does a great job behind the keyboards. Sample from Willie Hutch's "Baby Come Home", silky phat bass, elegant piano keys, tight loud drum tied with a light hi-hat, light clapping to support the rap provided by Starks who kills the cut with a dope flow, smooth, silky, slow, energetic, masterpiece cut for the radio, beautiful.
14. "Be Easy" (ft. Trife)
Pete Rock behind the keyboards, the drums are his, dry, hard, midtempo, heavy. Intense samples from The Sylvers' "Stay Away From Me", very short horn loop, thick bass line, hardcore delivery by Pretty Toney on this uptempo musical carpet, second verse by Trife, his first guest verse, already a collaborator of Tony Starks on Theodore Unit's album and on the collaborative one with Ghost the following year. Good flow by Trife da God, hardcore delivery, energetic, flowing, regular, Starks closes again on the final verse. Perhaps one of the least memorable tunes of the edition and yet still of the highest level. The bridge for the hook is wonderful.
15. "Clipse of Doom" (ft. Trife)
Hard synth production by MF DOOM for this duet between Ghost and Trife. The rhythm is taken from his instrumental "Four Thieves Vinegar" inserted in "Special Herbs Vol. 3" (2002): hard boom bap, thick unsurpassable bass line, minimal uptempo drum accompanied by hi-hat, very rigid loop, solid bass line hard as a wall, on this wall of sound the two drop short hardcore verses, with an energetic and regular style.
16. "Jellyfish" (ft. Cappadonna, Shawn Wigs and Trife)
MF DOOM stays behind the keyboards even for this production, taking another of his previously released productions, "Sumac Berries", featured in the inaugural edition of his instrumental record series "Special Herbs" (2001). Wonderful samples, hard rhythm, synthesized keyboard synth, beautiful lively bass line, minimal uptempo sparse drum, fast flowing hardcore delivery by Ghostface that travels with the beat, going with the it, also half of Theodore Unit in the cut with the three members of the group Cappadonna, a close affiliate of the Clan who the following year would be made official as a legitimate member of the group, Shawn Wigs of Othorized FAM and Trife of TMF, both of whom have already collaborated in the past on Ghost's records.
17. "Dogs of War" (ft. Raekwon, Cappadonna, Sun God and Trife)
Pete Rock doesn't miss a beat behind the keys, great boom bap rhythm on this joint, great bass line, hard dry uptempo drums, awesome samples from Sly & the Family Stone's "Family Affair", hardcore delivery from Ghostface Killah, Shallah Raekwon, Don Cappachino, Ghostdeini's son Sun God and Trife on a posse that tries to promote Theodore Unit again by teaming them up with RAGU.
18. "Barbershop"
Awesome boom bap by Studio Steve, magnetic sample from The Manhattans' "You'd Better Believe It", deep bass line in the background, beautiful, wonderful strings supporting Ghostface's rapping, slow, silky, smooth, pure, fantastic samples, crazy work behind the keyboards. Short choice but among the best on the album.
19. "Ms. Sweetwater"
Skit.
20. "Big Girl"
Sweet self-produced soundscape by Ghostface Killah, sample from The Stylistics' "You're a Big Girl Now", soft bassline, minimal downtempo sparse drum, wonderful samples, calm boom bap, smooth flowing delivery by Starks over a heavenly rhythm in this ballad.
21. "Underwater"
Beautiful "aquatic" rhythm by MF DOOM using another of his instrumentals released in his previous works, this time from "Special Herbs 4, 5, 6" (2003), taking the rhythm from "Orange Blossoms": ethereal female vocal sample, flute sample, classically styled boom bap, smooth flowing delivery by Ghostface following the sweet current of the production established by Metal Fingers, classic cut.
22. "The Ironman Takeover"
Skit.
23. "Momma" (ft. Megan Rochell)
The Hitmen behind the keyboards on a classic album, an event that has rarely happened in the career of the production group. And they invent a classic, another rarity in the discography of the team, it's absurd what happens on this classic album by Ghostface. Simply perfect sample that comes from David Axelrod "Wandering Star", impeccable drum, slow, sparse, minimal, weightless, downtempo, fantastic, iconic sample, wonderful soul hook by Megan Rochell, who "kills" the track with a wonderful voice.
Ghostface Killah enters sweetly with a calculated, precise, silky, velvety rapping, on one of the sweetest productions you can listen to on this CD. Rochell again on the chorus that annihilates the tune, splendid work, excellent. Starks returns and delivers softly, creating another dramatic cut dedicated to his mother, a pure sequel to his first single released ten years earlier, "All That I Got Is You" with Mary J Blige for his iconic debut album. This is the track that originally closes the album so it ends with an incredible classic. It would be a natural single for pop audiences but for unknown reasons it was not.
Bonus tracks
24. "Three Bricks" (ft. The Notorious B.I.G. and Raekwon)
The Hitmen stay behind the keyboards for this track and produce TWO CONSECUTIVE masterpieces in one album in two attempts, unthinkable. Diddy steals a verse from his deceased friend Biggie directly from his second album, released posthumously, and gives it for unknown reasons to Ghostface who uses it for this track. Combs himself is credited behind the keyboards as co-producer although his role is unknown and almost certainly irrelevant. Cool & Dre also from The Hitmen are credited as producers. This track would therefore be a sort of peace between the two members of Wu-Tang and Biggie Smalls, after the duo, in a skit of "Only Built", had accused him of having stolen the cover of "Ready to Die" from that of the first album of their friend Nas.
It seems like an extra-verse that Biggie presents here after his death, instead it should come from "Niggas Bleed", the Brooklyn rapper opens the cut, short hook, Raekwon continues, with a hardcore, smoothness and regular delivery on a dark and dizzying cinematic production, almost Batman-esque, gloomy piano, dark tense strings, thick bass line, dry uptempo hard drum flanked by crunchy hi-hats, even the hook seems similar to that of the original track by Biggie. Last verse left to Tony Starks who tears the cut with a last breathless hardcore verse, unstoppable on the production of the Hitmen in what is the first bonus track of the album. Endless unlikely writing credits, money coming to everyone for this piece. Classic in any case, there's not much doubt.
25. "Be Easy (Remix)" (ft. Ice Cube and Trife)
The album doesn't want to stop and drops classics and hits on every single tune. Pete Rock still behind the keyboards, perfect midtempo hard dry drum, raw bass line, shrill and initially annoying sounding samples with a short half second loop, energetic dirty smooth hardcore delivery by Ghostface Killah on this clean crisp uptempo musical carpet. Huge bridge for the functional hook, with soul samples. Good verse by Trife, Ice Cube rips the track on the last verse, hardcore, kills the piece.
26. "Back Like That (Remix)" (ft. Kanye West and Ne-Yo)
The hit, is back, remixed, but there's Xtreme behind the keyboards, the original beatmaker, so the rhythm is the same, there's only one more verse by Kanye West but in any case it's worth it, because it's the verse that launches the tune, velvety, energetic delivery after the chorus sung by Ne-Yo. Then Ghost Face Killer drops a second energetic verse that contrasts with the sweetness of the beat, final verse by Ne-Yo. Good remix, not excellent.
Final Thoughts
Fifth studio album by Ghostface Killah, the returns to his historical moniker after released his last solo effort as "Ghostface", remaining tied with GZA as the Wu-Tang member with most solo studio albums and becoming the group member with most records including the collab efforts. The title derives from a slang for cocaine, providing the main theme of the record. After shunning Wu-Tang on his previous effort, and keeping appearances to a minimum on collaborative albums with Theodore Unit and Trife, Ghostface brings back more than two members of the Staten Island supergroup on an LP in six years since his critically acclaimed sophomore effort "Supreme Clientele".
Despite this, for the first time in his career on one of his solo albums there's not a single production signed by RZA nor by another producer affiliated with Wu. The Stapleton emcee relies on some of the best producers of the period by enlisting MF DOOM, J Dilla, Just Blaze, Pete Rock, Cool & Dre and The Hitmen, being rewarded with what is one of the greatest musical sets of the year and one of the most cohesive, intense, layered and enjoyable of his catalog.
RZA isn't even present at the mic, being sampled for the introduction to the entire group for the track "9 Milli Bros." in which the boys deliver a verse, even ODB with a posthumous contribution and also Cappadonna, at the time still affiliated and the following year absorbed as an official member of the Staten Island supergroup. With five appearances, Shallah Raekwon returns to being the main guest on a Tony Starks album since "Bulletproof Wallets" (2001), followed by Trife with four appearances and Cappadonna with three.
Ghostface's second album with Def Jam, distributed by Universal. Led by the singles "Be Easy" and "Back Like That", the latter remaining the emcee's best hit for many years (#65 on the Hot 100) and one of the best-selling rap singles of the year, the album sold over 100,000 physical copies in the first week, reaching the fourth place in the pop chart and the second among rap releases, are his best commercial performances since his debut ten years earlier. Very well promoted by Def Jam, the album is greeted with acclaim by critics, who include it among the best albums of the year. Ultimately, it's one of Ghostface Killah's masterpieces, pioneer in the new hip-hp trend of coke rap and one of his most beautiful records.
Rating: 9.2/10.
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