966. Fishscale - Ghostface Killah

As stated before, I'm not a huge hip hop fan. The skits alone make me want to throttle someone, and combine that with slightly tedious drug/money/women references, and you rely too heavily on decent samples. I had heard of Ghostface Killah as I'm not that out of touch, and was aware he was one of the Wu Tang Clan as Chloe is a massive fan of their work. I wasn't overly excited upon learning the title is a reference for uncut cocaine (another drugs reference - how original), but those in the know suggested that if anything would show me how good this genre could be, then this would be it.

Ghostface Killah was a roommate of RZA, and it was from these two that the other members of the Wu Tang Clan were gathered together. Following the successful launch vehicle that was 36 Chambers, Ghostface Killah had success with his first LP Ironman. The Ironman references are retained throughout all his albums, leading to an ultimately unsuccessful lawsuit by Jack Urbont for his appropriation of the superhero's name. Fishscale was the fifth album released by Ghostface Killah, and debuted at number 4 on the Billboard charts, a return to form after a couple of more disappointing records.  

After the crushing disappointment of a crappy intro skit, the quality of the Shakey Dog intro is jaw dropping. As an advert for how good hip hop can be, it resonates with a belting guitar line and relentless drumming. Kilo doesn't quite carry the quality of this introduction and whilst the guitar licks and trumpet punctuation are catchy as hell, it still doesn't carry the song as much as I'd hope. The Champ should be played as every boxing walkout song ever; angry yet tongue in cheek with a devastating sample. 9 Milli Bros is a decent collective effort, but doesn't have enough of a clear theme to shine in this company. R.A.G.U. falls into this category too, though with a better chemistry between Ghostface and Raekwon. Hit you with a Strap is a great song, using a stunning sample, and raising some interesting questions about the role of corporal punishment in raising children. Whilst I know my response to this, it is an important discussion to be having. Back Like That is rap at its most commercial featuring Ne-Yo, yet it works all the better for that. The frustration of seeing an ex with a rival is palpable, and makes a relevant point about the escalation of relationship disagreements, some overly misogynistic lines aside. The production is crisp as anything, and the samples just sound great. Be Easy doesn't do anything too intelligently, but it's hard not to enjoy it for its tight flow and percussion. Whilst the rhyming of easy and ebay may date the track slightly, when songs are this catchy, it is entirely forgiveable. Great samples can be found on Clipse of Doom and Dogs of War, the latter featuring a particularly sharp guitar line. Big Girl is catchy, but a bit of a miss for me, and Momma is pure R'N'B, which doesn't quite work on this album. Three Bricks is more traditional rap, featuring a powerful collaboration between Raekwon, Notorious B.I.G. (sampled from his track Niggas Bleed) and Ghostface Killah. Whilst the content is predictably dark, the piano sample hints at redemption. 

To be clear, there are obvious flaws in this album, and they are kindly labelled 'skits' to enable you to skip them. Those, the fact it's a bit too long, and a few too many drug/money/women cliches, aside this has some devastatingly good pieces of music. I'd love to have edited it down to a leaner album as then it really would be outstanding; as it is, it must settle for merely being very good. It is one of the few hip-hop albums I can imagine listening to purely out of choice, although I can't guarantee there won't be some track skipping.

Chloe's album rating: 7
Chloe's favourite track: 2. Shakey Dog
Olly's album rating: 7
Olly's favourite track: 13. Back Like That

Next week is 457. Back in Black by AC/DC. Riffs ahoy.