Supreme Clientele, The [PA] - Ghostface Killah

...an appearance by RZA, the supreme lyricist and without a doubt one of the best lyrical rapper out there. His flow is slow but if you heard him before than you should know what is expected. Now I’m glad that there is no chorus because in rap these days all you need is a catchy chorus (take Cash Money for example), so this song breaks through that and still sounds great. Score: 4

Track 2: One
Now one good thing about this ...
...beats but they outdo themselves here. There is a rather head bobbing hardcore beat and they mixed in a female vocalist who every 2 seconds or so sings the word "one". It goes very well with the song. The first verse is a true Ghostface style. The chorus isn't so good but it still does a good job separating the song. The second verse is still good at times but it gets dull with some simple lyrics. I rather like the end when Ghostface is ... more

Ghostface Killah has shown potential since the first Wu-tang album (in fact they all did). He was actually one of my favorite rappers around for a time in my life but after I heard this album my mind was changed. Now don’t get me wrong this album is still a good one it’s just when I’m dealing with Wu-Tang I get very strict in the ratings. In fact most of the second attempts done by a Wu-tang artists haven’t been so good, though they have sold more copies (you figure it out). Now the first thing that caught my eye was the horrible production done on the booklet that came with the CD. The songs were out of place; they even mentioned some songs that weren’t on the album. There are only 15 songs but if you look at the total tracks on the CD there are about 21 tracks, there were some interludes that came unannounced. Now I won’t get into the interludes, I will just be doing the actual songs.

Track 1: Nutmeg
I feel that this song captures what the old Wu-Tang has accomplished. The lyrics are very complicated and delivered quite percisely. Ghostface provides us with deep and thoughtful lyrics. There is no chorus in this song unless you count when the song slows down and Ghostface is ranting. This song also includes an appearance by RZA, the supreme lyricist and without a doubt one of the best lyrical rapper out there. His flow is slow but if you heard him before than you should know what is expected. Now I’m glad that there is no chorus because in rap these days all you need is a catchy chorus (take Cash Money for example), so this song breaks through that and still sounds great. Score: 4

Track 2: One
Now one good thing about this album is the beats. Wu-Tang is known for their impressive beats but they outdo themselves here. There is a rather head bobbing hardcore beat and they mixed in a female vocalist who every 2 seconds or so sings the word "one". It goes very well with the song. The first verse is a true Ghostface style. The chorus isn't so good but it still does a good job separating the song. The second verse is still good at times but it gets dull with some simple lyrics. I rather like the end when Ghostface is talking and all his sentences end with the woman singing "one". It’s simple but it does the effect. Score: 4

Track 3: Saturday Nite
The beat is the only strong part of this song. The beat is simple but it’s fast paced and it does the job. However I really don’t feel the lyrics are at all what Ghostface could do. It’s a very short song that leads right into the next track. Score: 2

Track 4: Ghost Deini
This song starts off with an interlude that Wu-Tang uses in most of their albums. The beat isn’t really isn’t anything special. About in the middle of the song there is an R&B (or rather an attempt at it) where Ghostface is paying tribute to loved ones. Then Ghostface begins a rather average second verse. After that the featured rapper Superb starts his verse. Now he starts off great and he delivers all his lines well. Now this is the first time I have ever heard Superb and I found him a rather good rapper when he featured in this song. His voice is very similar to Ghostface, which is a sort of nasal sounding vocal. Score: 3

Track 5: Apollo Kids
This was the first single off this album. When I heard it I really didn’t like it. The verses were very simple and the only real good thing was the beat. The beat is again well done. It captures the very essence of Apollo with trumpets and a very lively sound. This song also features Raekwon, who was another good rapper but his second album was kind of bad(though his first album was amazing). He doesn’t really live up the song but I guess it’s good to hear a familiar voice, even if he doesn’t have anything interesting to say. Score: 3

Track 6: The Grain
This song starts off with a very lively R&B intro. The beat is very faced past and really isn’t bad. Ghostface is rapping about him and several famous women (Princess Diana, Pamela Lee, and The Queen of England to name a few) engaging in sexual activity. Then the RZA comes in and delivers a fantastic verse, God-damn he’s good. Then they go into a comical R&B singing style. The RZA and Ghostface do a good job singing. This is a great song but it only lasts about 3 minutes. Score: 4

Track 7: Buck 50
This is the first great song on the album. The beat is really catchy, it includes I believe an organ mixed in to the beat. Method Man starts off this song with a very well done verse with some complex similes and words. Ghostface follows but his presence isn’t felt until the second time he starts. Cappadonna follows him, Cap does a good job on but he raps rather slowly for this face-paced beat. Following him is Redman who starts off strong and does a great job finishing. Ghostface’s lyrics improve the second time he appears. Method Man finishes off the song but he isn’t as strong as the first time he appears. Still the combination of all those greats makes this a great track. Score: 5

Track 8: Mighty healthy
The beat is the strong part of this song. It has a piano or something like that mixed into the beat. However the lyrics really aren’t that well thought out. It is a real simple song and there isn't much worth mentioning. Score: 2

Track 9: Stay true
I really didn’t like this song much. The beat has an interesting sound to it. Towards the end the song slows down and the featured artist 60 Second Assassin finishes off the song with a well-sung ending. However the rest of the track kind of blows. Score: 2

Track 10: We made it
One of the best beats on the album. The lyrics are also very good. The beat has violins mixed into it. The beat is very up-tempo and does very good to capture the victorious song of the track. The song starts off with Superb he does a very good job with his lyrics. There is also another rapper on the track, I believe its Inspectah Deck but don’t take my word for it, that follows Superb. Deck delivers a great verse. After that Ghostface goes up and delivers a rather average a great new rapper follows verse but him. I first heard of Hell Raizah from the second GZA album and he caught my ear. He does a great job on this track. The song ends with them singing “we made it” a great finish to a great song. Score: 4

Track 11: Stroke of Death
This song starts off with a very annoying skipping mixed into the beat. A rapper that starts off this song doesn’t really go a good job. Of course I can’t really tell what they are saying with the annoying skipping thing. The RZA makes another appearance but with the horrible production on this beat I don't really care.... Score: 2

Track 12: Malcolm
The beat on this song is very simple, as are the lyrics. Ghostface seems to be telling a story but it doesn’t really keep my interest. The chorus is done well and has a message to say, as does the whole song. I like this song for the message that it sends. Still the verses aren’t done well. Score: 3

Track 13: Child’s play
This is a good song because it has a good and positive feel to it. Ghostface is rapping about the love of his young life. The beat is also very child-like and it does capture that child love feel. This track is produced by the RZA. It’s a good song and worth a listen I guess. Score: 3

Track 14: Cherchez LaGhost
This is the second single realized. The song is starts off with a woman singing for a while. As the song progresses I see that there are two 30 second verses and the rest of the song is the young lady singing. It’s an interesting song but I paid for a rap album! U-God also makes an appearance on this track. Score: 3

Track 15: Wu Banga
This is another great song. The beat is mixed in with vocals like in “one” and the bass and drums are also good. The song starts off with my favorite rapper ever: GZA. He has a great flow and his lyrics really pack intelligence. He also has the only second-generation Wu album that was good. He does a great job on the first verse. Ghostface then follows with a story about a bad church. Raekwon, who does a better job on this track than on Apollo Kids but still lacks impact, follows him. Cappodonna who does a good job but still raps kind of song follows him but he finishes off strong. Masta Killa who delivers a very fine verse then follows him but it’s rather short and Ghostface Killah who finishes off the track with an okay verse interrupts him. A great track with great rappers and a captivating beat. Score: 5

This album was a rather average album for a Wu-Tang production. Most of the songs Ghostface Killah does solo aren’t very good. I like the one’s that have numerous artists on them. It seems that all the new Wu-Tang stuff hasn’t been done very good. “Killer Bees”, Raekwon’s second album, and this one are rather disappointing. I’m only hoping that the new Wu-Tang album is done better. We can only hope.

 

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