Ghostface Killah, a legendary member of the world famous “Wu Tang Clan” has had his feet planted firmly in the Shaolin slums doing his solo thing for over a decade now. He has supplied the streets with hip hop classic albums such as Ironman, Supreme Clientele and Fishscale. Ghostface has no problem with painting vivid pictures in the minds of his listeners by recounting his escapades with honesty and razor sharp detail. We should have all been seeing an album like this coming from Ghostface one day. His latest project, Ghostdini: The Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City is an R&B seasoned album that special Ghostface twist to it.
To be quite honest I was shocked when I first heard the record. I hadn’t heard any reviews for the project so I was expecting the usual raw Tony Starks swagger that I’m use to getting on every Ghost album that I have ever purchased. This was not that record. If you are looking for that same ole Ghostface style then this is not the album for you. Every song, (and I do mean EVERY single song is about women and relationships). The whole album is R&B hip hop. I put the record in for the first time and was actually very disappointed. Ghostface has had R&B singles that have been amazing don’t get me wrong, songs like, “All that I got is you”, “Big girl”, and “Back like that”, have all been slower more R&B feeling songs. But, these were the only songs like that on the whole album and the rest of the tracks on the album were all head banging Ghostface style anthems. This album has no songs like that at all.
Artists have been known to do projects like this all the time. Usually when artists have reached great success, they tend to do projects that are different from their usual style. With success comes the luxury of being able to do projects without having to worry about selling records since the artist may have already proved themselves in the past by selling millions of records. These projects are usually hit or miss records. Either the people love it or hate it. Kanye West’s last album, “808s & Heartbreak”, and Lil Wayne’s, “Rebirth” all rock album, are examples of such projects. The new Ghostface album features heavyweight R&B hitters such as Estelle, Raheem DeVaughn, John Legend, and Ne-Yo. The rhymes on the album are still intense and razor-sharp like Ghost always provides, it’s just the things he is rhyming about on every song that might steer people away from this album, women and relationships. This is not the album to sit up with your friends and rock out to in usual Ghostface fashion. I tried to do that and was looked at by my homeboys like I put in a Maxwell CD. This is an album for you if you’re on that softer tip. If you want the dope rhymes about girls and sex and relationship ups and downs, then this album you will love from beginning to end. It is also a great album if you are with your girl, or a group of girls. The ladies will love this project for sure.
All in all, Ghostdini: The Wizard of Poetry is a project that has taken Tony Starks to that next level. Ghostface is constantly improving his craft and exploring the different chambers of hip hop. This is Ghostfaces’s most eclectic project yet and will be getting many mixed feelings and reviews. Some will love it, and some will hate it wish a passion. Depending on what you’re expecting will justify how you feel about the project. I hated it at first, but then it grew on me a little, but I still can’t sit and listen to it for too long. R&B hip hop just isn’t my thin, especially coming from one of my favorite long time favorite Shaolin shadowboxing mc’s like Ghostface Killah.
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