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| Ghostface Killah - Fishscale | In recent months the name Wu Tang Clan has gathered an outstanding reputation and unspeakable force in countless social rings. With the assistance of persons such as Dave Chappelle who name-dropped the group multiple times on his hit sketch comedy show “Chappelle’s Show,” Wu Tang ascended to a revered spot as one of the most recognizable rap pioneer groups to ears worldwide. Unfortunately, the group is now recognized not by music but rather by name; teenage Americans coast to coast would holler for the Wu Tang Clan after viewing Chappelle’s race draft episode in which the crew bellows “Konichiwa bitches!” after being “drafted” by the Japanese race, but few would recognize the band after listening to one of their tracks.
Thirty five year old Wu Tang veteran Ghostface Killah returns to the game in hopes of garnering more so well deserved respect and fans with his initial solo disc not produced by the RZA, Fishscale. Killah brings for the ride the likes of Trife, Ne-Yo, MF Doom, and various Wu Tang members, all artists capable of lending further credibility to the pursuits of Killah on his latest efforts.
One thing apparent from the outset of the record is that Ghostface Killah is still not overly preoccupied with churning out an easily accessible track for the pop culture masses. “Shakey Dog,” the first song of the disc, weeds out casual listeners in its preliminary stages with radical wails and a spacey beat; rather, elaborate imagery provides an imaginary escape to attentive fans. Wailing guitar solos, boxing bell chimes, and abrasive narrations compliment Killah’s borderline stressed and frantic nasal flow impeccably on the long-lasting “The Champ,” one of the standout tracks on the album. “Columbus Exchange” sees Ghostface Killah return to a stronghold lyrical style of his past in drug writing. MF Doom’s pipe background beats for the tranquil “Underwater” work perfectly with the soothing water splashes and bubbling persistent throughout the whole of the track. Ghostface Killah runs equally smooth for the song, flowing so well in fact that it sounds as if he never takes a breath as he spits rhymes.
As impressive as they might be, Killah’s outright solo tracks pale in comparison to those showcasing the talents of Ghostface paired with other Wu Tang Clan members. Raekwon emerges first on the album. The two helped bring about a revolution in the hip hop world with their constant mention of drugs and dealing on earlier projects, and a return to said topic arises in talk surrounding a kilo on the aptly titled “Kilo,” which goes so far as to even use background sniffles to illustrate a point. An in large Wu Tang reunion for the track “Milli Bros.” brings about a high-pitched, uplifting beat. Each rapper croons his respective verse with near unparalleled skill; with each rhyme the listener fails to believe the following could even be in the same venue with regard to talent, yet they fall in equally impressively until the end of the song.
Ghostface Killah shows that, like a fine wine, his skills and abilities have aged well. Versatility watches him cover serious topics from the frightening life of dealing drugs to humorous ones such as immature skits about body parts and bad haircuts. More importantly, however, we on Fishscale see that Killah has not lost his skills. It’s time for this Wu Tang Clan veteran to finally get recognition for the right reasons. |
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Displaying posts 1 - 15 of 25. |
10:11 PM on 03/30/06 | I haven't really read this, but....
I think Wu-Tang was pretty big before Chappelle name dropped them.
I mean....it's fucking Wu-Tang. | | |
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10:12 PM on 03/30/06 | Amazing album.
ghostface is sick. | | |
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10:14 PM on 03/30/06 | Ok read review. Sounds like a good album, I'm getting it very soon.
But, like I said before I don't think Chappelle have really overshadowed what Wu-Tang did for rap in anyway. You could say that about like... Lil' Jon maybe, but then again he hasn't done nearly as much as Wu. (IMHO) | | |
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10:20 PM on 03/30/06 | i was young and love was fun no one knows wu-tank like i know wu-tank, foo | | |
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10:26 PM on 03/30/06 | I'm not a fan of rap that much...but Ghostface is sick
P.S. Common owns all though! | | |
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10:30 PM on 03/30/06 | Originally Posted by Super Octopus I haven't really read this, but....
I think Wu-Tang was pretty big before Chappelle name dropped them.
I mean....it's fucking Wu-Tang. |
yeah definitely. everyone knows wu-tang. if you didn't then you must have been under a rock for quite sometime. haha. hmmm but I might check out this album. | | |
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10:32 PM on 03/30/06 | Something about Pete Rock's production on Be Easy gets me excited everytime I hear it. | | |
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10:53 PM on 03/30/06 | yeah dave didnt do much for this group, most everyone knew about them prior to his show. hell, i saw the video for triumph in high school nearly every day.
none the less, i've got this album and it's worth picking up. | | |
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11:16 PM on 03/30/06 | this is everybody's air sir! ghostface is fucking insane, i remember hearing 'i can't go to sleep' off of the w years back and just thinking 'damn this dude is intense' | | |
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11:18 PM on 03/30/06 | I tried to get an interview with Ghostface this week, but I think Island knew he would eat me. So they sent me the album to review. hahaha. | | |
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05:49 AM on 03/31/06 | I didn't aim to say that because of Chappelle Wu Tang is big, but rather that because of his show and simple name circulation everyone knows OF them but still far too many people know nothing BY them. | | |
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06:09 AM on 03/31/06 | yea its an awesome cd. i got it the day it came out. i got all of ghostface killah's cds, and this is definately one of his bests!! if u dont have it, get supreme clientele! now that cd is a wu-banga! | | |
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06:44 AM on 03/31/06 | Here we go, corny ass white boys try to review an albums worth of songs about dealing crack. Just stick to "punk", guys. Don't embarass yourselves. | | |
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