Ghostface Killah - Fishscale

With the quality of 2004s Pretty Toney and the subsequent tracks on a few mixtapes that followed, we were already sure Ghostface’s sophomore Def Jam release would be solid. The fifth solo, another in a growing catalogue of flawless records.
This time his storytelling is even stronger. On Fishscale we’re hearing tales of dealing crack, not bloated and glorified, but real and with it’s pitfalls. While talking about his childhood and life on the street, the mundain and every day, Ghost also pulls out a fantasy on Underwater …

With the quality of 2004s Pretty Toney and the subsequent tracks on a few mixtapes that followed, we were already sure Ghostface’s sophomore Def Jam release would be solid. The fifth solo, another in a growing catalogue of flawless records.

This time his storytelling is even stronger. On Fishscale we’re hearing tales of dealing crack, not bloated and glorified, but real and with it’s pitfalls. While talking about his childhood and life on the street, the mundain and every day, Ghost also pulls out a fantasy on Underwater. One of four tracks produced by MF Doom, our protagonist takes the plunge into a deep sea world, a spiritual journey that he makes as believable as the track about the barber fucking up your haircut.

RZA’s production is absent completely this time around. It’s unfortunate but not at all noticable with a bevy of quality beats from Doom, Just Blaze, Pete Rock, Lewis Parker and our old friend J Dilla. The only flaw, for me, is Ghost revisiting Pretty Toney’s Holla rapping-over-an-entire-soul-track on Big Girl.

Otherwise, Ghost is as strong as ever, even sounding proper on the one ‘crossover’ attempt, Back Like That with Ne-Yo. It’s also good to see fellow Wu-tang members on a Ghostface solo - ODB back again - and more appropriate skits.
Without question, at 35 years, Ghostface knows what he does best and will keep doing it for years to come. He does lament, this time around, on the rap game and where he stands. On The Champ, “While y’all stuck on Laffy Taffy/ Wonderin’ how y’all niggaz get past me/ I been doin this before Nas dropped the Nasty”.