The 12 Days of Wu-Mas #1 - My Gut Reaction: Czarface + Ghostface Killah - Czarface Meets Ghostface (February 15, 2019)

The fifth album from the Czarface collective (comprised of Inspectah Deck and the rap/producer duo 7L & Esoteric), or at least the fifth one featuring actual rapping (so, not including First Weapon Drawn), followed the side project’s comic book-esque narrative to its natural next step. After having collaborated with like-minded producer-slash-rapper MF DOOM for the crossover event of 2018, Czarface Meets Metal Face, the Czars looked to Deck’s own colleague, his fellow Wu-Tang Clan cohort (and one-time Czarface guest-star) Ghostface Killah, for a spiritual sequel, the conveniently named Czarface Meets Ghostface.

It’s hard to get mad at they went to the well so early on in their lifespan when the idea is so brilliantly obvious, though.

The 12 Hours of Wu-Tang: #1 - My Gut Reaction: Ghostface Killah - The Lost Tapes (September 26, 2018)

When it was announced out of the blue earlier this year, The Lost Tapes seemed like the perfect convergence of events. A new album from Dennis “Ghostface Killah” Coles, the Wu-Tang Clan rap veteran who was still in the phase of his career where he essentially does whatever flight of fancy interests him at the time, resulting in many different full-length collaborations with artists such as Adrian Younge, CZARFACE (oh wait, that comes out next year, shit) and BADBADNOTGOOD? An album fully produced by Big Ghost Ltd., the blogger-turned-respected producer whose entire shtick back in the day was pretending that he was Ghostface Killah on social media? It sounded fascinating enough to work despite its mysterious origin. I mean, Big Ghost still hasn’t revealed himself to the public – for all we know, it really was Coles just fucking with the Interweb for his own amusement, although if that were the case, I have to respect the long con of handling the beats for artists such as Westside Gunn, Crimeapple, and Ankhlejohn all for the sake of a prank.

My Gut Reaction: Adrian Younge and Ghostface Killah - Twelve Reasons To Die II (July 10, 2015)

Two years ago, Ghostface Killah teamed up with producer-slash-composer Adrian Younge to deliver Twelve Reasons To Die, an homage to 1960's Italian giallo flicks with an overly-violent storyline and the music to match.  Ghost starred as the lead, who was double-crossed and murdered by the Deluca crime family, but whose ashes were pressed up into twelve vinyl records, and also he somehow comes back to life to take out his enemies.  Hey, I never said the story made any goddamn sense.  But the fact of the matter is that it was entertaining as shit: Ghost and his team (made up of other Wu-Tang Clan members and also Killarmy's Killa Sin) stuck to their scripts and delivered a fantastic, critically-acclaimed concept album that actually told a coherent, if improbable, story, one that lent itself so easily to another medium that a comic book series was also commissioned.  

It was inevitable that a sequel would follow, is what I'm saying.

My Gut Reaction: BADBADNOTGOOD + Ghostface Killah - Sour Soul (February 24, 2015)

West Coast focus notwithstanding, you two didn't really think I was going to flat-out ignore a new Ghostface Killah project, did you?

Pretty Toney has spent the past few years of his career challenging himself with his solo albums, enforcing restrictions and, as a result, sharpening his storytelling skills, thanks to the highly-regarded Twelve Reasons To Die and 36 Seasons concept albums, on which he forced himself (and his varied guests) to stick to a specific script, all while being supported by a single producer (Adrian Younge for Twelve Reasons To Die, and The Revelations for 36 Seasons), which lent a sense of cohesion and continuity to the proceedings.

Now Ghostface may have been doing all of this just because he was bored rapping about random generic topics, but he obviously enjoyed it enough, since he also opted to record an entire album with the Canadian jazz trio BADBADNOTGOOD, Sour Soul, the subject of today's post, obviously.

My Gut Reaction: Ghostface Killah - 36 Seasons (December 9, 2014)

I'm thinking that, at this point, Ghostface Killah must be bored of traditional rap albums: I assume the idea of filling twelve or more tracks with boasts 'n bullshit hasn't appealed to him over the past few years.  2013's brilliant Twelve Reasons To Die was a marvel in straight-up storytelling, proving that not all concept albums have to automatically suck ass.  So instead of forcing everyone to wait around for Supreme Clientele II or that long-gestating collaborative effort with MF DOOM, Ghost appears to have been dropping writing exercises set to music to keep the fans alert. 

My Gut Reaction: Ghostface Killah and Adrian Younge - Twelve Reasons To Die (April 16, 2013)

Ghostface Killah is one of the nine original members of the Staten Island-born Wu-Tang Clan, and has slowly but surely become the most consistently entertaining member of the crew, which is no small feat when compared with the natural charisma of Method Man, the lyrical genius of, um, The Genius, the musical wizardry of The RZA, or the batshit-craziness of the batshit-crazy Ol' Dirty Bastard (R.I.P.)  Adrian Younge is a music producer and composer who specializes in, as his Wikipedia page refers to it, "psychedelic soul", who has worked with the Philadelphia-born R&B group The Delfonics and handled the soundtrack to the (fucking awesome) film Black Dynamite.

Put them together, and you get yet another reason for Ghostface Killah to not yet release a proper follow-up to Apollo Kids, his Def Jam swan song.

My Gut Reaction: Ghostface Killah & Sheek Louch - Wu-Block (November 27, 2012)

Wu-Block is a project that was first announced in 2011, one that was originally conceived as a collaborative effort between two distinct camps in our chosen genre: the Wu-Tang Clan, who have been the recipients of so much virtual ink on this site that it's nearly pointless for me to have to keep explaining who they are, and the Yonkers crew D-Block, which used to consist of more than just the trio known as The Lox, but apparently a lot has happened with them since I stopped giving much of a fuck.

Reader Review: Ghostface Killah - Ironman (October 29, 1996)

(Today, A.R. Marks brings us his take on Ghostface Killah's debut Ironman, which was the inspiration for one of my earliest reviews that readers took issue with.  And I'm sure there'll be much more of that in the future. This was originally scheduled to run before his take on Raekwon's Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang, but I obviously ran with that one instead.  Jot some comments down for him below.)

Ghostface Killah's first solo album, Ironman, came out at the tail end of fall in 1996, and like almost all of the Clan's best output, it was produced almost entirely by The RZA. In the Wu-Tang Manual, Bob Digi describes how he crafted Ironman specifically for the winter months: rather than blasting the music from open windows, clashing with street noise, he wanted the listener isolated in the car, analyzing the music as closely as someone who was huddled against the cold would, trying to keep their mind off of frostbite and their numb extremities.

When fans are asked to rank the best Wu-Tang Clan solo projects, Ghostface's debut is often lost in the shuffle, albeit not entirely forgotten. The grimy sounds and bold (but not overly so) experimentation of Tical, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... and Liquid Swords rightfully captivated audiences, but fans seemed to be somewhat less impressed by Ironman's slick soul reworkings and less Kung Fu-oriented sound, tailored more closely to Ghostface Killah's high-pitched stream-of-consciousness lyrics than any of the broad, posse-cut-geared albums that came before. To put it simply, Ironman sounded more like a Ghost outing featuring the Clan than the group's previous projects, all of which were basically extensions of the basic Wu-Tang formula.

1. IRON MAIDEN (FEAT. RAEKWON & CAPPADONNA)

Ironman kicks off with a movie sound bite, like other Wu-Tang projects have in the past, but this one tweaks things by replacing the Kung Fu samples with dialogue from a gang-related blaxploitation film (specifically Fresh), a running theme throughout the album. The RZA's beat is nothing short of vintage Wu, with a refrain of threatening horns, siren samples, and a captivating bassline. Rae provides the jumpoff verse, followed by Ghost, and the two retain their chemistry, although this time out it becomes clearer that the latter is the star of the show. Right away the mix is cleaner here than any other Wu album thus far. Cappadonna plays cleanup, and since this was back when the future cab driver was still hungrily trying to earn his place in the group, he sounds nothing short of listenable.

2. WILDFLOWER (FEAT. SCOTTY WOTTY & JAMIE SOMMERS)

Switching things up, Ghost dips into dirty sex talk while berating his woman for being unfaithful. While RZA's beat is mesmerizing, making use of winding strings, bells and a fitting vocal sample, Ghost's lyrics are needlessly graphic. The subject matter is pretty racy; he's not exactly being cruel to this woman, just expressing his hurt feelings, but it's hard to be comfortable with the angrily sexual nature of the lyrics.

3. THE FASTER BLADE (FEAT. RAEKWON)

The beat is understated, an entertaining combination of airy xylophones and little else. Raekwon kicks a one-verse wonder all by himself, and while his contribution is a classic early Raekwon visual treat, the absence of a dynamic instrument or sample makes it hard to focus on the song. These beats were created for Ghostface Killah with his aggressive delivery in mind, and his absence here is quite noticeable.

4. 260 (FEAT. RAEKWON)

RZA brings the album into full gear for the first time, with a horn-driven marching beat that becomes the perfect background for one of Ghost and Raekwon's trademark slang-laced heist tales, one of the things that the duo does best. Rae even gets himself a bit more hyped, speeding up his delivery to make better use of the strong, visual internal rhymes he's known for. Near the end, they wrap things up nicely by alternating lines.

5. ASSASSINATION DAY (FEAT. INSPECTAH DECK, THE RZA, RAEKWON, & MASTA KILLA)

“260” bleeds seamlessly into this track, utilizing a well-placed sample from The Usual Suspects and creating a feeling of cohesion between songs that really begins to pull Ironman together. The beat starts off slow-rolling, a contrast to the previous track, but soon switches up into something much more fittingly sinister. Deck kicks things off with a great verse, the kind that Wu stans wistfully reminisce over. Bobby's understated strings and off-kilter drums are a great canvas for the varied cadences and tempos of the rappers' verses. Strangely, Ghostface is actually nowhere to be found, and a verse from him would have wrapped things up much more effectively than Masta Killa's dispirited contribution.

6. POISONOUS DARTS

And the tempo switches up yet again. This jumble of strings, horns and Kung Fu samples switch up consistently to provide some much-needed variation within the beat; the mix is low, so the details are subtle and hard to pick up on at first, but it creates a perfect platform for Ghost, and the Kung Fu samples add invaluably to the overall feel of the track. Ghostface's verses showcase his development and cement the prospect that he can hold his own on a track by himself, something not many Wu-Tang members can claim these days.

7. WINTER WARZ (FEAT. U-GOD, MASTA KILLA, CAPPADONNA, & RAEKWON)

One of my favorite tracks on the album (and in the Wu-Tang lexicon, period), the title reflects the intended winter-esque feel of the album. Over a positively captivating RZA beat concocted from a whining synthesizer, a repeating keyboard line, and a devastating bass/drum combination, U-God surprises with a certifiably insane verse; as will be confirmed later, U-God's two career-best performances reside on Ironman, and he's never sounded so good before or since. Ditto for Cappadonna, who makes his return with an incredibly drawn-out verse that had Wu fans all over actually considering that he possibly deserved a place within the Clan. It features some of his most memorable lyrics, and possibly the best of the bunch is his line, “My low-cut fade stay bushy like a porcupine / I part backs like a spine / gut you like a blunt and reconstruct your design.”

8. BOX IN HAND (FEAT. RAEKWON, METHOD MAN, & THE FORCE MDS)

Continuing his winning streak, RZA laces Ghostface with a head-nodding beat of subtle keyboard-and-piano elements, underscored by trippy scratches and vocal samples, punctuated by a winding piano line and bookended by an emotional synth line. It also features one of Method Man's best performances: on his only appearance on Ironman he blows his host and co-host out of the water.

9. FISH (FEAT. RAEKWON & CAPPADONNA)

The only song on Ironman not produced by RZA. True Master supplies a very classic-sounding instrumental, following suit with the continual use of keyboard-and-horn sample combinations on Ironman, but adding several horn/synthesizer breakdowns that fit Ghostface, Cappa and Rae like a glove. Cap's verse is instantly forgettable, but Rae manages to stand out, with Ghost rightfully taking the cake.

10. CAMAY (FEAT. RAEKWON & CAPPADONNA)

I never did like this song: in fact, it's the only song from Ironman that I really, truly dislike. The beat is plodding and disconnected, relying too heavily on a bassline that traces the too-often-sampled “Can't We Try?” by Teddy Pendergrass (for a touchstone, see the ironically titled “No Idea's Original” from Nas). Ghost, Rae and Cappa try to rescue it with slowed-down, utterly boring sex raps interspersed with a floating, bland attempt at a chorus. Even worse, this was a single, which might help to explain this album's relative lack of a warm reception among fans at the time.

11. DAYTONA 500 (FEAT. RAEKWON, CAPPADONNA, & FORCE MDS)

Now this is more like it! After a short, passable sung intro by the Force MDs' TCD Lundy (the same guy who did the intro for “Box in Hand,” which was also unnecessary and amateurish), the pace quickly picks up with a dark, driving guitar refrain punctuated by scratched drums that will stick in your head long after you've heard the song, guaranteed. Stepping up their level of energy, the Rae/Ghost/Cappa trio match the intensity of the beat with suitably focused verses that have them sounding more like the good old hardcore Wu-Tang MCs they are than almost anywhere else on this record. Even the Force MDs-provided hook is enjoyable. Two thumbs.

12. MOTHERLESS CHILD (FEAT. RAEKWON)

Another classic RZA production, which makes use of a heartrending vocal sample, interspersed synth keys, a subtle synth whine low in the mix and an ongoing humming vocal sample to haunting effect that still manages to keep the album's momentum up. After a short opening bridge from Rae, Ghost continues to shine on his own with another vivid robbery tale, with the song's vocal sample refrain highlighting his regretful frame of mind throughout all the violence.

13. BLACK JESUS (FEAT. RAEKWON, U-GOD, & POPA WU)

RZA supplies a polarized backdrop, consisting of a triumphant-sounding, chanting vocal sample alternating with a short string flourish laid over a simple bass refrain, which Raekwon rocks flawlessly. Ghost comes in to keep things going, and although he sounds less focused on this track than the last few, he maintains a tight internal rhyme structure, and plays around with his cadence and style, experimenting with the pseudo-singing-rap hybrid that he would adopt more fully later on. U-God is, surprisingly, the star of the show, dropping the other credible and uncommonly competent of his two verses on Ironman, although he fails to top his performance on “Winter Warz.”

14. AFTER THE SMOKE IS CLEAR (FEAT. RAEKWON, THE RZA, & THE DELFONICS)

The last song cuts abruptly into this one, a more stoned-out feeling track characterized only by a marching bassline and slightly off-key vocals, although it manages to sound less dissociative than “Camay.” While the three members' verses are competent, the mix makes them sound like they recorded this in a submarine, and the beat sort of kills any momentum Ironman's managed to build up thus far. Listenable, but not excellent.

15. ALL THAT I GOT IS YOU (FEAT. MARY J. BLIGE)

Dialogue samples from the film used for the album's opener are used to bring things full circle. RZA provides a decidedly R&B-influenced beat that consists of strings and soft piano keys for Ghost to reminisce wistfully about the hard times he faced growing up, while Mary J. Blige turns up to provide a hook and some low, humming ad-libs that barely register. It's emotional, but all in all, not especially captivating, although it isn't bad. This is the stepping stone that would allow Ghost to feel comfortable recording future heartfelt 70's soul-esque ballads like “Jah World” and “I Can't Go to Sleep.”

16. MARVEL (FEAT. THE RZA)

Closing the album is a much more interesting affair, created out of stoned-out combinations of keyboard beeps and winding synths, which sounds like the precursor to most of RZA's Bobby Digital output. Good, if underwhelming; it sounds like a tacked-on afterthought, but at least it's a better closer than the previous track.

(The first pressing of Ironman featured an additional song placed before “Marvel”. “The Soul Controller”, which died in the sample wars after attempting to imprison some lines from Sam Cooke's “A Change Is Gonna Come”, is pretty fucking awesome and is easily one of my favorite Ghostface Killah songs of all time. You can find it online if you search for longer than ten seconds.)

FINAL THOUGHTS: Keep in mind that Ironman was the first Wu-Tang Clan solo album recorded after the tragic flooding of The RZA's basement 36 Chambers Studio, and as such the equipment, mixes, and overall atmosphere of the sessions were notably different from those for all of the group's previous projects. That difference is very apparent in the sound of Ironman, and it may be what has thrown off fans from then through now (including myself, possibly, but I stand by my original write-up). Whether that difference is a good or bad is up to the listener to decide. The project sounds fairly cut-and-paste at the top and bottom; however, once momentum picks up about three or four tracks in, it's an unstoppable Wu-Tang classic ride very nearly all the way through, at least until general interest drops off toward the end, as though Ghostface and The RZA didn't know quite how to sequence the project. As such, Ironman sounds equal parts mature evolution for the Wu as a whole, and harbinger of the loss of cohesion and trust that would eventually break down ties within the Clan.

BUY OR BURN? There was a time when I would have immediately recommended a purchase without reservation. If you have the dough, go right ahead, but if you have to choose between this and a different (and in all honesty, possibly better) album, you may want to compare the two first before you make your decision.

BEST TRACKS: “260”; “Poisonous Darts”; “Winter Warz”; “Box in Hand”; “Daytona 500”; “Motherless Child”; “Black Jesus”

-A.R. Marks

(Questions? Comments? Concerns? Leave some comments below, and for comparison's sake, here's a link to my original review.)

My Gut Reaction: Ghostface Killah - Apollo Kids (December 14, 2010)

Def Jam Records fulfilled its annual tradition of releasing tax write-offs in the month of December by appeasing the fans of aging veterans Redman and Sheek Louch, but the one project that I was most interested in was Ghostface Killah's ninth solo album, Apollo Kids (named after one of his more interesting singles from his magnum opus, Supreme Clientele).  As I was certain that his ridiculously-titled previous disc, the R&B-tinged Ghostdini: Wizard of Poetry In Emerald City, was the final one required by his original contract,  I was shocked to discover that not only was Dennis Coles still on the payroll of The House That Russell Built, but he was apparently there by choice, as he has lined up at least three more projects for the future.

Although the album cover art looks pretty awful (I'm not expecting Kanye levels of creativity here, but I do look for appealing design, which the Apollo Kids cover contains none of: hell, whoever created the piece failed to double-check Ghost's "logo", which should read GFK and not just GK), the most important component of the cover is in the lower right hand corner.  Yes, I'm talking about the Wu-Tang logo.  Apollo Kids features the most Wu-Tang Clan involvement of any Ghostface Killah album since the disappointing The Big Doe Rehab (the shitty compilation GhostDeini The Great doesn't count), although that doesn't mean that any of the Wu Elements appear behind the boards: as is his standard, Pretty Toney has elected to save his money and hire lesser-known talent to score his finely-crafted tales, instead of getting a ringer such as The RZA or True Master involved for what isn't really a guaranteed banger anymore.  In fact, everyone from the Clan makes an appearance, save for the aforementioned Prince Rakeem, Inspectah Deck, and Masta Killa, all of whom must have had a doctor's appointment or a haircut scheduled that day. 

Maybe all of Ghost's work on the Wu-Massacre debacle earlier this year made him appreciate the input his fellow group members can offer.  Regardless, it remains to be seen whether Apollo Kids is just another nail in the Wu coffin, or if it could possibly be the aural equivalent of an adrenaline shot through Uma Thurman's heart.  Also, the title Apollo Kids would seem to be a better fit for an album by a group of Ghostface Killahs, and not just a single guy, but whatever.

1. PURIFIED THOUGHTS (FEAT. GZA/GENIUS & KILLAH PRIEST)

When the music first appeared, I thought that Apollo Kids was going to kick off as though it was a continuation of a previous project, but then I realized that Frank Dukes uses the Them Two “Am I A Good Man” sample to fuel his instrumental, which fucking bangs. The combination of Ghost, Killah Priest, and the GZA hasn't been utilized since GZA's “4th Chamber” on Liquid Swords (back in 1995 – fuck, I feel old), so, as expected, they all sound a bit long in the tooth, but this shit still knocked regardless, even though GZA's verse hardly registers in your subconscious and Ghost sounds like Cappadonna in both vocal tone and flow. Maybe he had caught a cold or something? It's weird for me to say that Killah Priest had the best verse on any Wu-Tang posse cut, but here we are. (Although he did rock shit on Ol Dirty Bastard's “Snakes”, so there is a set precedent, I guess.)

2. SUPERSTAR (FEAT. BUSTA RHYMES)

Shroom's beat on here is actually pretty hot, coming across as a blaxploitation upgrade of “Cherchez LaGhost”, and Pretty Toney glides over it like a car with its brake line severed. Busta even sounds reigned in: although he says nothing of note, he still turns in a good performance. My only complaint about “Superstar” isn't even really much of a complaint: the female vocals land on the corny side of the fence. But then again, they usually do: if you look at the man's back catalog, there are at least three other songs that follow a similar blueprint and achieve similar results. I liked it, but I can't bring myself to like like it.

3. BLACK TEQUILA (FEAT. CAPPADONNA & TRIFE)

Beat-wise, Ghostface is three for three: Frank Dukes returns to supply a hard instrumental custom-built for the Theodore Unit to get sloppy blackout drunk to. Cappadonna's middle verse seems to be filled with more gibberish than usual: clearly, his late nights driving a gypsy cab through New York City has muddled his thought process and affected his self-edit function. Anyway, Ghost and his boy Trife Diesel sound great, with Trife taking the crown even with an egregious mispronunciation of the Greek word “gyro”, done solely to connect a rhyme. Oh well, this was still pretty nice.

4. DRAMA (FEAT. JOELL ORTIZ & THE GAME)

Fuck, I spoke too soon: Sean C and LV's beat on “Drama” is only alright. Our host spits the first verse and graciously walks away, allowing for his guests to handle most of the heavy labor, and by “heavy labor”, I mean that Slaughterhouse's Joell Ortiz sounds fucking fantastic (I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the beat originally his to use, as he appears to be very familiar with the ins and outs of it) and The Game manages to get in a few interesting bars while sounding boring as fuck. He only drops a small number of names, so that earns him a few points: however, one of those names is that of Rachael Ray, which takes him back down to negative seventy-three. Remember when Game's fourth album was supposed to drop this year? Yeah, neither does anybody else.

5. 2GETHA BABY

Aside from the fact that the final moments of the track sound creepy, as though Ghost has slipped something into the woman's drink, “2getha Baby”, the first single from Apollo Kids, was a nice return to form after the mostly forgettable “Drama”, with Tony Starks following the blueprint from The Pretty Toney Album to a tee. Sure, this song is mostly about hooking up with chicks, and both Michelle Obama and Madonna are referenced (oh Ghostface, whatever would we do without you?), but it still comes together in the end, and Ghost sounds as engaged as ever.

6. STARKOLOGY

There isn't much to this song, which is just three separate freestyle sessions wearing their parents' clothes, but it still clicks in a way that only Ghostface Killah could manage. He claims that his “verses [are] like leaving the gas on”, and I'm inclined to agree, since his witty bars actually cause sparks to fly out of your speakers. (Yes, that last sentence doesn't make sense, and it isn't even scientifically sound, but neither are a lot of Tony's bars, and I still enjoy them.) Also, the out-of-nowhere sample from the Tears For Fears song “Shout” was fucking hilarious in its randomness, but then again, I'm an unabashed fan of 1980s music, so of course I would focus on that shit.

7. IN THA PARK (FEAT. BLACK THOUGHT)

When I first read about this collaboration, I'm pretty sure I heard excited shouting from the rooftops across America: it isn't very often that Black Thought (of Def Jam labelmates The Roots) consents to lend a guest verse to an artist outside of his immediate camp, and since he's never gotten his due as a dope emcee, the combination of Jimmy Fallon's co-worker and the most consistent rapper in the Wu-Tang Clan should have been fucking epic. The key phrase in that last sentence is “should have been”, as Frank Dukes completely fucks up absolutely everything by crafting a beat that sounds less like music and more like a fucking hazard alarm signaling a radiation leak. The instrumental comes off as though its primary inspiration was the work Megahertz put into producing Puff Daddy's “Bad Boy 4 Life”, and I mean that as a fucking insult, even though I kind of like the Puffy track. And I was looking forward to this shit, too! Oh well, at least the verses from the two artists, who both show love to the early days of hip hop (unlike what Ol' Dirty Bastard and Coolio did on the former's similarly-named “The Park”), sounded great. Can someone please remix this with a better beat? Pretty please?

8. HOW YOU LIKE ME BABY

On the original tracklist for Apollo Kids, this song was supposed to be an iTunes-exclusive bonus track, and it was supposed to feature a guest verse from labelmate Fabolous, but I guess he got lost in the wash, like so many left socks. Pete Rock turns in one of his simpler instrumentals, but it still motivates our host, as he spits two verses that rival his early work in terms of quality. I'm not happy with the fact that Apollo Kids features two separate tracks that contain the word “baby” in the title, but whatever, I didn't program the album or anything. This doesn't hit as hard as his previous collaboration with Peter, Fishscale's “Be Easy”, but don't let that stop you from enjoying it anyway.

9. HANDCUFFIN' THEM HOES (FEAT. JIM JONES)

Even if you erased the useless Jim Jones and his ridiculous ad-libs from this track, it would still sound horrible. Yes, I just inferred that Jimmy didn't ruin this shitty song: Ghost and his producer, Chino Maurice, did that just fine all by themselves. Still, once again, this is a terrible song. Just skip past it: you'll thank me later. Preferably with cash and/or gift cards.

10. STREET BULLIES (FEAT. SHAWN WIGS, SHEEK LOUCH, & SUN GOD)

After the recent announcement of a Wu-Tang Clan / D-Block collaboration album (which is really just a Ghostface Killah / Sheek Louch (from The Lox) joint project), it's impossible to hear “Street Bullies” as anything but a dry run. If this is what that disc is going to sound like, then maybe they should pool their respective budgets together and purchase some better beats. Also, Ghost should conveniently forget to invite Shawn Wigs to the studio that day, as he adds nothing to these proceedings. Ghost and Sheek sound okay, and Ghost's kid Sun God doesn't embarrass himself, but this should have been much better. Sigh.

11. GHETTO (FEAT. RAEKWON, CAPPADONNA, & U-GOD)

I suppose Ghostface Killah deserves a medal or some other adequate compensation for coercing a decent performance out of motherfucking U-God, even going so far as to sacrifice his boy Chef Raekwon to the temptation of deep slumber for the cause. Anthony Acid's beat is kind of boring, but everyone that isn't named Corey Woods manages to make up for it, thanks to an amazing amount of focus present from the remaining three artists. This could have been much better, but I had pretty low expectations when I first heard that Golden Arms was dropping by, so the fact that he doesn't suck somehow renders this track successful.

12. TROUBLEMAKERS (FEAT. RAEKWON, REDMAN, & METHOD MAN)

Ghostface saves the best track for last, revealing what is probably a Wu-Massacre leftover with a demanding Jake One beat and winning verses from everyone involved, including an Red Bull-assisted Raekwon and the “eleventh member of the Wu-Tang” Reggie Noble, who spits bars that sound better than the entirety of Reggie. If Wu-Massacre sounded more like this one song, that project wouldn't have sucked so goddamn much. A side note to our host: your songs sound infinitely better when all of the artists involved give a good goddamn. I'm just saying.

THE LAST WORD: It has its ups and downs (whoever allowed Jim Jones within five hundred feet of the studio sessions should be drawn and quartered), but Apollo Kids is ultimately the best Ghostface Killah album since Fishscale. No, I'm not fucking kidding: Pretty Toney runs alongside all of his invited guests with the mobility of his younger self, adapting to the rhythms and attempting to appeal to the younger demographic while marketing himself to the fans who have stuck by the Wu-Tang Clan since Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). The involvement of the rest of the Wu is also a huge help, and I'm left hoping that not only will he continue to use them in key roles on future projects, but that he will be able to convince The RZA, Masta Killa, and Inspectah Deck to return his fucking phone calls. For the most part, Ghost's ear for beats is as consistent as ever, and his ability to go haywire over nearly any type of musical accompaniment remains as potent as ever. Apollo Kids runs a bit too short for my tastes, but that's only because I liked it so fucking much that I didn't want it to end. Thanks, Ghostface Killah and Def Jam Records, for turning a tax write-off into an enjoyable Christmas miracle.  And thank you, Amazon, for selling this for only five bucks, although I don't know if this is a promotional price or anything, so catch it while you can.  It's well worth it.

-Max

RELATED POSTS:

Just between you and me, I don't think I've mentioned the Wu-Tang Clan enough on my blog.

My Gut Reaction: Ghostface Killah - Ghostdini: The Wizard of Poetry In Emerald City (September 29, 2009)

Here's another one of those albums that took me forever to get to.  Given the artist involved, I'm sure a lot of you two are shocked at the delay, but hey, shit happens. 


When Dennis Coles, who only responds to the names "Ghostface Killah" and "Snookums", announced that he would release an R&B album, the Interweb collectively worried.  Even though the man never shied away from his emotions on all of his other albums and guest appearances (even on the Theodore Unit album 718, you could feel everything the man was saying, even when he was talking about food, as he is wont to do), and even though he had a working relationship with the likes of Mary J. Blige and Ne-Yo, everybody still wondered exactly what he meant.  Was he going to sing himself?  How would that even sound?  Would his soulful candor translate into a Motown/Stax mutation mixed with The RZA's pointy claws, or would it come across like all of the other rap & bullshit that plays on the radio every single day?  Would he write his own songs, or would he go to the professionals, such as Diane Warren, Linda Perry, and Rodgers & Hammerstein?  Why would I immediately go to those particular names as references?  And will I ever get to the beginning of this write-up?


When Def Jam announced a release date for what turned out to be Ghostdini: The Wizard of Poetry In Emerald City, Ghostface's eighth (eighth!) solo album, we received answers to a few of those questions.  It turns out that Pretty Toney simply made an entire album's worth of songs that featured him with some R&B backing, although some of the choices he made are questionable at best.  (Lloyd?  Does anyone really think Lloyd has so much clout that a member of the fucking Wu-Tang Clan would hand-pick him to appear on here?)  Ghost sticks with what he knows best (that would be rapping) and turns in fourteen tracks of love songs (with one huge exception) that share two common themes: none of them feature any of his other coworkers from his day job with the Clan (including behind the boards: no Wu-Elements on board this time around), and all of them ultimately betray a slight misogynist bent.  Otherwise, Ghostdini: The Wizard of Poetry In Emerald City (which is a terrible title) is just your typical Ghostface Killah album, albeit one that fails to explain how Ghost's alleged nickname GhostDeini (see: Supreme Clientele and GhostDeini The Great) somehow changed to Ghostdini overnight (great job, Def Jam proofreaders).


Ghostface's R&B experiment, which is rumored to be his swan song from Def Jam as a solo artist (if this is true, it's a weird way to end a relationship), was met with generally kind reviews and typical low sales, because nobody buys Wu-Tang Clan albums anymore.  I've heard surprisingly good things about this project from fellow bloggers, but the project never appealed to me: even though I picked this one up a month or so after its release, I hadn't bothered to open it up until now.  I think it might have been the ugly neon green album cover poisoning my eyes and, by proxy, my ears. 


But hey, I've been wrong before.


1. NOT YOUR AVERAGE GIRL (FEAT SHAREEFA)
Okay, maybe I have nothing to worry about. Aside from the Shareefa-helmed chorus, which isn't all that bad, Dennis rides this Scram Jones production as if it were an outtake from The Pretty Toney Album. Ghostface Killah has proven time and again that he can rhyme over damn near any kind of beat, and on here he does not disappoint. This search for a life partner set to music is a fairly good way to kick things off. If I had one complaint, it's that the title implies that Ghostface Killah is not your average girl, which might be due to the fact that he has a penis.


2. DO OVER (FEAT RAHEEM “RADIO” DEVAUGHN)
While “Not Your Average Girl” came across as a Ghostface track featuring a special guest, “Do Over” is the exact opposite: on here, Dennis barely registers while “Radio” Raheem (who swiped his nickname from the Spike Lee joint Do The Right Thing) mans the ship. His verses are inconsequential, and his monologue at the end is cut off before it ends, leading me to believe that even the producer didn't care for Ghost's contribution. For what it's worth, DeVaughn sounded okay, but overall this song didn't work for me.


3. BABY (FEAT RAHEEM “RADIO” DEVAUGHN)
I can get with this one, though. Over a moving instrumental that reminds me of Jay-Z's “Lost Ones”, “Radio” Raheem and Pretty Toney show love to their respective babies. Ghost was custom-built for beats such as these (which helps whenever The RZA is otherwise occupied), and his guest's chorus, even though Auto-Tuned to such a degree that an ATM may as well have performed on the track, hits all of the right notes. I prefer the more aggressive GFK, but this tamed-down version is pretty good, too.


4. LONELY (FEAT JACK KNIGHT)
Only Ghostface Killah (and, to a far lesser extent, Method Man) could get away with a rap song about being lonely. (I suppose Chef Raekwon could also sound credible on a song about being friendless while surrounded by bricks of cocaine, but where's the fun in that?) “Lonely” relies far too much on the Jack Knight-crooned hook and the Sean C & LV beat, which believes itself to be more clever than it actually is, and the overall product suffers in the end.


5. STAPLETON SEX
I remember early promotional material proclaiming that Ghostface Killah dedicated this dirty-as-fuck track to Natalie Portman, who had earlier proclaimed her love for filthy sex raps. While the mental image of Natalie Portman enjoying this song works for me in an entirely different way (okay, I just keep thinking of her line from The Lonely Island's “Natalie's Rap”: “I bust in dude's mouths like gushers, motherfucker!”), Sean C & LV's beat successfully captures a seedy 1970s porn vibe, and the track is short enough that you won't feel guilty for enjoying it, even if you'll need to shower afterward. This is easily the most graphic song that any member of the Wu-Tang Clan has ever recorded, although some of The RZA's solo bars come pretty close.


6. STAY
Uses the sped-up R&B vocal sample technique throughout that Dennis tends to ride like a prize-winning llama, but the sentiment here falls flat, probably because all the beat consists of is that fucking sample. Boring as shit, as even Ghost would probably attest to.


7. PARAGRAPHS OF LOVE (FEAT VAUGHN ANTHONY & ESTELLE)
Ghostface Killah swoops in and tries to snatch a pregnant woman away from her fiancée. There isn't much actual rapping on here, but I remember Starks talking about random food items, which is one of his longtime trademarks, so this wasn't bad at all.


8. GUEST HOUSE (FEAT FABOLOUS & SHAREEFA)
Ghost's first uttered word on “Guest House” is a pissed-off “Fuck!”, which means that this will most definitely not be a love rap. Dennis starts to panic while at home alone, as his girl was only supposed to be going to the store, but when he goes out to his guest house (where he hides his gun) to prep for the search, he discovers her getting banged by, of all people, the cable guy (played by his labelmate Fabolous), who tries to talk his way out of getting shot the fuck up. F-A-B-O doesn't end up dying (oh, sorry: SPOILER ALERT!), but this track proves that Pretty Toney is one of the best storytellers on wax, period, even with the bizarre interlude featuring one of his girl's friends on the phone that can barely be understood. I don't know if this actually belonged on Ghostdini: The Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City: this sounds like a much better fit for More Fish or The Big Doe Rehab.


9. LET'S STOP PLAYIN' (FEAT JOHN LEGEND)
The pairing of Ghostface Killah and John Legend isn't entirely unnatural: indeed, GFK is the most soulful member of the Clan (the late Ol' Dirty Bastard would have been a close second). Which makes it a shame that this track never fully clicks. Both men appear to be performing on separate songs, which doesn't exactly make for a cohesive listening experience. That's just too bad.


10. FOREVER
The only track on Ghostdini: The Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City that features Ghost going for dolo, but even without assistance, he carries the theme of the project admirably, delivering a monologue that adheres fairly closely to his previously mentioned requirements from “Not Your Average Girl”. The beat probably could have also fit in seamlessly on The Big Doe Rehab. Not the greatest GFK performance ever, but not bad.


11. I'LL BE THAT (FEAT ADRIENNE BAILON)
I hated this song, and not just because it isn't a cover of the Reggie Noble classic. From the production on down to the uninspired verses of our host, this shit sucked pretty hard. However, kudos to the fact that I was able to sit through ten full tracks before stumbling upon a song that I absolutely hate, so that counts for something. I wonder if the fact that the guest artist on here used to be a part of Disney's The Cheetah Girls means anything.


12. GONER (FEAT LLOYD)
This track sounded pleasant enough, but other than one section that featured Pretty Toney singing a couple of bars in a fashion that mimics Snoop Doggy Dogg's “Gin & Juice”, this was entirely forgettable. How is it possible that this is the final song on the actual album, Ghost? What the hell?


The following two tracks are considered to be bonus songs not a part of Ghostdini: The Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City's regularly scheduled programming.


13. SHE'S A KILLAH (FEAT RON BROWZ)
Ron Browz is a detriment to hip hop and needs to shut the fuck up. There, I said it. However, unlike everyone else on Earth, apparently, I don't hate this song. Erase the annoying vocals from the aforementioned Browz, and what you're left with is a minimalist arrangement (save for where the chorus would be) from producer Anthony Acid that Dennis Coles rips the shit out of. It aims for a club audience, which may be why this is simply a bonus track: the rest of Ghostdini: The Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City was far more subdued. But this shouldn't be completely ignored. I understand if Ron Browz is too much for you two to look past, though.


14. BACK LIKE THAT (REMIX) (FEAT NE-YO & KANYE WEST)
I can see why Def Jam included this track on Ghostdini: The Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City: not only does it adhere to the album's theme (a love rap, albeit one that turns into a revenge tale), it features two other Def Jam artists that can obviously use the free publicity. However, “Back Like That (Remix)” has already appeared on two previous Ghostface Killah projects: More Fish and the overall shitty GhostDeini The Great. So the third time is definitely not the charm: in fact, it verges on overkill. At least the label had the sense to designate this as a bonus track this time around.


THE LAST WORD: Leave it to Ghostface Killah to render the concept of a rapper's R&B album into something so goddamn appealing. The awkwardly titled Ghostdini: The Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City (mostly) works because Dennis Coles doesn't water himself down in any way: his mixture of love and anger is a skill he's been honing since Ironman. All of his solo albums contain love songs, as you will notice when you pull out the man's back catalog: he's just never done an entire disc full of them until now. The project is overloaded with guest spots, and a few of the songs outright suck, but otherwise, this was a pleasant surprise. Ghost's storytelling and emoting (he truly is one of the finest emo rappers today, although he would probably dismiss that categorization) appears in full force, and while the harder-hitting production values and cameos from other Wu-Tang Clan members are missed, Ghostdini: The Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City makes for the perfect complement to Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...Part II, in that it sounds absolutely nothing like it. Who says the Wu isn't versatile? I was expecting to hate this shit, but I was shocked at how well this admittedly absurd premise works.


-Max


RELATED POSTS:
Click here to catch up on the rest of Ghostface Killah's albums.

My Gut Reaction: Method Man, Ghostface Killah, & Raekwon - Wu-Massacre (March 30, 2010)

When the concept of Wu-Massacre was announced last year, I shrieked like a little schoolgirl. What Wu stan wouldn't? A collaborative effort by three members of the Wu-Tang Clan, as opposed to yet another solo album? The posse cuts on the solo albums were typically the highlight anyway: the members of the Wu-Tang Clan sounded (mostly) good alone, but when combined with their brethren, it was akin to mixing chemicals and having the beaker explode with joy and/or spunk. So when I first heard that Method Man, Ghostface Killah, and Raekwon would be joining forces to battle the dark side, I was, obviously, excited. There was even an article where Ghost was quoted as saying that these three are not forming a new group, because they were already in the Clan, leading me to believe that Wu-Massacre wouldn't betray the original intentions of the Wu: to take over the game using creativity instead of cliché.


Wu-Massacre quickly jumped to the top of the list of Wu-Tang Clan projects that I actually wanted to hear. (Astute followers of HHID will notice that, as of this writing, I still haven't written about Ghost's Ghostdini: The Wizard of Poetry In Emerald City, the posthumous Ol' Dirty Bastard “album”, or Inspectah Deck's Manifesto. Just because I love the Wu doesn't mean that I need to go batshit crazy about every album, you know. I still haven't reviewed the first Afro Samurai soundtrack, either.)


And then the concerns started appearing.


First of all, Wu-Massacre was going to be released on Def Jam Records, a label that (a) has had issues in the past with marketing Method Man and Ghostface Killah albums (Raekwon is essentially an A-list indie rapper), and (b) sucks balls today, with its emphasis on artists such as Rick Ross. But that was still workable, because Def Jam is still a major, and that just means that there may be more facings of Wu-Massacre on store shelves at Best Buy. This could still work.


And then the tracklisting leaked. Wu-Massacre only features twelve tracks, two of which are (what I assume as unnecessary) skits. Ten tracks total. Well, that isn't a big deal, right? Put our three hosts on every track, with the occasional guest (names such as Deck and (ugh, really?) Cappadonna were thrown about), and ten tracks could stretch out fairly easily. It's better to have Wu-Massacre half short and twice strong, right? All killer, no filler?


When I read about who would be contributing beats to Wu-Massacre, a sinking feeling started to seep in, because the only person I actually wanted to see on the fucking album, The Rza, only handled the beat on one song. I realize that the guy is busy, but if music is his first love, one would think that Bobby Digital would have some extra instrumentals lying around in the lab that he could hand over to the guys he broke through with. But, sadly, even this is something I can work around: it isn't as if The Rza is known these days to handle an entire album that isn't his own.


Man, Wu stans can rationalize everything, can't they?


Excitement on the Interweb reached a boiling point when the album artwork leaked, as it is fucking badass. Comic book fans especially were thrown for a loop, as Wu-Massacre now held the promise of being the comeback Wu-Tang Clan album that fans have been waiting for ever since the disappointing (to everyone else, maybe, but not me) 8 Diagrams dropped. Even with Def Jam leaking single after single to various blogs, I remained as amped up for Wu-Massacre as I was for the Slaughterhouse album. There was no way that this album could be a complete fuck-up, right?


And then Wu-Massacre rushed out of the faucet. And mixed in with the praise of Meth, Ghost, and Rae's latest opus were some very detailed criticisms of the project.


And then Method Man apologized for Wu-Massacre, saying that Def Jam rushed the final product (which is weird, since it was originally supposed to drop back in December but was pushed back to today) and that he, Ghost, and Rae didn't get to make the album that they wanted. Meth also told whoever would listen that there wasn't a time when all three rappers appeared in the same room together while creating Wu-Massacre, as they were all busy with other commitments (Rae, in particular, was too busy pimping Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...Pt. II). It was also revealed that our three hosts for the evening had nothing to do with the promotion for the album: the label took the reigns and handled it all, implying that they also had no input on the cool-as-fuck artwork and that Wu-Massacre, as a whole, was a Def Jam construct more so than an actual album.


Fuck.


1. CRIMINOLOGY 2.5
I remember when “Criminology 2” (or “Criminology '09”) first hit the Interweb as a way to promote Raekwon's last album Return To Relevancy. I even mentioned in the comment box (back when I still had one, before it just became ridiculous to maintain) that I was underwhelmed. Today, I still am, but the funny thing, is, this is an entirely different song. While there isn't any way to top the original (from Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...), a good effort would have, I don't know, actually included Raekwon, since it's his fucking song and all; instead, he appears to have gone A.W.O.L. on the very first track on Wu-Massacre. (Which is even weirder when you consider that Ghostface Killah is speaking directly to the Chef at the beginning of the track.) For the record, “Criminology '09” adhered very closely to its predecessor's formula, with BT's beat trying its best to not flat-out copy The Rza's handiwork, and the original “Criminology 2.5” that Def Jam leaked to Blogland was “Criminology '09” with a Method Man homage to the original track tacked onto the end: the version that actually made the final cut retains Meth's verse, erases Rae (that's right, regardless of how it reads on the back cover, the Chef fails to appear on this track), and alters Ghostface entirely: instead of his original contribution, his verse from Rae's “The Badlands” (a European bonus track from Return To Relevancy) opens the album instead. What the fuck? The fact that all three stars now fail to appear on the very first fucking song on Wu-Massacre concerns me more than a little bit.


2. MEF VS. CHEF 2
For the most part, the Wu-Tang Clan don't do well with sequels. (I'm talking about sequels to individual songs, not album titles.) So kicking off Wu-Massacre with two follow-up tracks is uncharacteristic at beat. The appeal of the first “Mef Vs. Chef” (from Tical) was the lyrical battle that sounded as though The Rza recorded the two participants inside an actual boxing ring, as Meth and Rae went toe to toe, bar for bar (at least, until Rae flubbed his lines and threw the fight, a curious goof that Meth included on the album anyway). The Mathematics beat doesn't even try to approximate Prince Rakeem, meaning that both artists (Ghostface Killah, seemingly upset that his name isn't in the title of the song, rightfully sits this one out) are stuck passing the mic back and forth over a truly shitty instrumental, rendering all of their rhymes inconsequential. So far, this album is making my soul cry.


3. YA MOMS SKIT
Entirely unnecessary. Oh, I get it: they're trying to recreate the feeling of listening to the skit that preceded “Method Man” on Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) for the first time. It just isn't funny.


4. SMOOTH SAILING REMIX (FEAT SOLOMON CHILDS & STREETLIFE)
After finishing the sandwich that he picked up from a street vendor during the last track, Ghost tags Raekwon out and spits over a Ty Fyffe instrumental that he sounds custom built for. I'm not sure where the original version of this song ended up, but this remix would have worked better has Solomon Childs been erased from the master tapes, since his chorus is altogether terrible. Meth's boy Streetlife, who makes his obligatory appearance because this is, in fact, a Method Man album in some fashion, also performs an embarrassing verse, attempting to drop the names of all of the Wu members in a clever way, coming across as a mentally retarded follower of The Game. Dude, you've been rhyming since Tical: there's no excuse for you to sound like a fucking rookie now.


5. OUR DREAMS
Finally, Wu-Massacre supplies listeners with a song that features all three of our hosts: fittingly enough, this is where The Rza puts in his only work behind the boards, flipping Michael Jackson's “We're Almost There” (are MJ's younger recordings less expensive than his post-Off The Wall output? Would this song have even happened had Jackson not passed away last year? Who knows?) into what I believe is one of his most boring beats ever. (Some would call this the work of a more mature Wu-Tang Clan. To that I say: who in the hell wants to hear a more mature Wu-Tang Clan?) Ghost, Meth, and Rae all mesh with the dull instrumental fairly effortlessly, though, so that counts for something. But this shit did absolutely nothing for me. Okay, I lied: the video for this song actually made me laugh, as its homage to David Fincher's Seven (which still holds up, by the way) has absolutely nothing to do with the subject matter.


6. GUNSHOWERS (FEAT INSPECTAH DECK & SUN GOD)
Digem's awkward, intermittent beat might have worked for a hungry mixtape rapper, but not for these established veterans. Rae takes yet another nap (I hope he gets his narcolepsy treated very soon, as I'm getting worried for his well-being) while Meth channels the late Russell Jones on the hook. Ghostface Killah suffers through a cold or something: his verse sounds as though it was performed by Cappadonna. Sun God tries yet again to earn his father's respect, but Ghost pays no attention, of course, because he was nursing the sniffles. In a shocking turn of events, Inspectah Deck atones for the crappy The Resident Patient 2 by actually sounding decent. But when you do okay work on a shitty song, does anybody ever truly hear it?


7. DANGEROUS
Right now, I'm upset that all of the tracks Def Jam leaked to the Interweb from Wu-Massacre implied that Meth, Ghost, and Rae would appear on every song. I'm considering filing a lawsuit against Def Jam for false advertising. It would be one thing if this was a Method Man solo album “featuring Ghostface Killah and Raekwon”, but they all share equal billing, so what the hell, man? Anyway, this song is pretty awful. Apparently, the Wu-Tang Clan that I've grown up with has been badgered into recording material that the label thought would result in more sales, regardless of how well they fit into the Wu canon. Suckers! Nobody buys Wu-Tang Clan albums in 2010!


8. PIMPIN' CHIPP
In what is a bad sign for the trio but a good look for fans of Ghostface Killah, Tony Starks rides for dolo on yet another of his patented storytelling film treatment raps, one that doesn't sound quite as good as his past work, but is still quite enjoyable, as it probably would have fit in well on The Big Doe Rehab. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to discover that Wu-Massacre was made up solely of outtakes from the solo albums of our three hosts. The coda on here threw me off, but the tale itself was alright.


9. HOW TO PAY RENT SKIT (FEAT TRACY MORGAN)
What the fuck?


10. MIRANDA
This sounds as though it was dropped from the final tracklisting of Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...Pt. II. The Mathematics piano loop does not grow annoying over time, and Rae, Ghost, and Meth all shoot the shit about women (or possibly the same girl). This was actually pretty ill: easily the best song on Wu-Massacre thus far. Hell, this will probably end up being the best song overall, seeing as though there are only two songs left.


11. YOUNGSTOWN HEIST (FEAT TRIFE DA GOD, SHEEK LOUCH, & BULLY)
In what is probably another leftover from a Ghost solo project, Pretty Toney leaves Method Man and Raekwon stranded on the side of the highway while his friends from the old neighborhood plan a robbery. There's nothing inherently wrong with this track, aside from the fact that it betrays the concept of Wu-Massacre: in fact, I found it kind of entertaining. I'm led to believe that a collaborative effort between Ghostface Killah and The Lox may prove more fruitful, relevant, and profitable than this album, though. Come on, you know you two have thought of the same idea before.


12. IT'S THAT WU SHIT
Wu-Massacre ends abruptly not with a posse cut or a sound bite from a kung-fu flick, but with a track that sounds the least like a Wu-Tang Clan song in the group's lengthy history. Ghost and Meth attempt to throw listeners some lyrical darts, but end up cowering in fear behind the oppressive Scram Jones regime of a beat. I believe that there is no worse way for this album to have ended, and I've listened to a lot of garbage because of this blog. I actually feel betrayed.


THE LAST WORD: What the fuck have I just suffered through? When Method Man, Ghostface Killah, and Raekwon announced their Wu-Massacre project last year, I admit my expectations may have been raised artificially higher than they should have been (I was still riding the high from Raekwon's comeback project), but the only thing that these three manage to massacre is the idea that anybody in the Wu-Tang Clan is still capable of recording a quality piece of work. Almost every single song on Wu-Massacre fucking sucks: every track sounds as though it was patched together in a hurry (which, admittedly, they were), as though Def Jam was putting together a mixtape to advertise a future joint album between these three, but no, this is the actual final product, and man, is it fucking disappointing. Having an “album” of this magnitude come in at less than thirty minutes in length is very fucking questionable. The idea of limiting yourself to only ten tracks is admirable only if most of the songs click. It seems that Def Jam put more thought into the (awesome) album artwork than it did the actual music on the plastic disc within the jewel case. Raekwon only appears on four out of twelve tracks: that may prove to be the smartest move he has made in his entire career. The brunt of this travesty is handled by Ghostface (nine tracks) and Method Man (eight tracks), which makes sense when you consider that these two are actual Def Jam employees, but they clearly were not entirely focused on what they were doing. Wu-Tang Clan fans will snatch this up anyway, but I'm here to warn you that you will not enjoy it. (Remember, nobody purchases albums just so they can have the artwork.) All Wu-Massacre has done is piss me off. All I can hope is that Rae, Meth, and Ghost atone for their misdeeds very soon, preferably on an indie label that won't fucking rush the product.


I realize that a large number of music critics are jumping aboard the Wu-Massacre bandwagon, possibly in an attempt to trick consumers into actively supporting artists who actually deserve the attention. While that is an admirable reason, and while I would love to see Wu-Massacre move more than one million units (as it may convince Def Jam to release more of these type of projects), I can't recommend that you two actively seek this album, as the path will lead only to sadness. Sigh.


WISHFUL THINKING: Since we've seen the worst of what the Wu has to offer, the next logical step would be to try this concept again, but this time with Inspectah Deck, Masta Killa, and Gza/Genius. Not only would a collaboration between these three be easier to pull off (none of them are signed with a major anymore), it could also reignite interest in the unsung heroes of the Clan (yeah, I'm merely including Deck in that category because of his past work and not his current output). They could even use the Three The Hard Way crew moniker that Meth, Ghost, and Rae were going to originally call themselves. If they take their time and hire quality producers (I'm realistic, so not every track needs to be handled by The Rza, but the Clan's leader should do more than just one fucking track) and convince the other group members to stop by and drop a verse or two, they could create a companion piece to Wu-Massacre that could eradicate the memory of what I just listened to and reinvent the Wu-Tang Clan at the same time. Just a thought, fellas.


-Max


RELATED POSTS:
Catch up on the Wu by clicking here. You may want to set aside a day or two: there's a lot of posts about the Clan. I'm just saying.