The most consistent member of the Wu-Tang Clan, Ghostface Killah,
definitely has a KEY ear for production, not to mention a unique yet
entertaining way with words. And like
MOST of the albums I own, this one holds a STRONG nostalgic vibe with
me, as I received this as a "semi surprise" Christmas gift in 1996, and I
own that same CD too.
I also recall trying to get my friend Andre to trade me this on cassette
for Mobb Deep's "Hell On Earth," and this was about a few weeks
before I started actively collecting CDs. I had no problem with Mobb's
album (which I copped a few weeks later), I just couldn't wait to get
this Ghostface joint. With all this being said, let's get to it.
All tracks were produced by The RZA except one.
1. "Iron Maiden" (Featuring Raekwon & Cappadonna)
Beginning with this classic opener, we would see a continuous presence
of Rae and Cappa all through this album. I remember going crazy when I
first heard this song, and I get those similar vibes when I listen to it
today. And regarding Ghost, he uttered a line in this one that I'm
STILL trying to figure out to this day: "my telephone watch'll
leave bartenders topless." What, lol???!!! Dope song nonetheless.
*5 out
of 5*
2. "Wildflower"
On this scathing track towards "the wrong type of woman," we see another
side of Ghost that I don't think we have ever seen to this point. Some
of the lines were harsh and funny, but you can't help but be
entertained.
*4 out of 5*
3. "The Faster Blade" (Featuring Raekwon)
A solo spot for Raekwon. Sounded like it *could've* been on the "Only
Built 4 Cuban Linx" album, and much like Ghost had a solo spot on that
album (Wisdom Body), Rae gets similar treatment here.
*4 out of 5*
4. "260" (Featuring Raekwon)
We get some form of a story for this song (and please don't ask me to
attempt to try to figure out the topic); it's just another dose
of the awesome chemistry between Rae and Ghost over a slammin' RZA
production.
*4 out of 5*
5. "Assassination Day" (Featuring The RZA, Raekwon, Inspectah Deck, and Masta Killa)
To this day, I still don't know why Ghost was nowhere to be found on
this track, and why Inspectah Deck was not credited for his appearance. (After a bit or research on my part, the following is what Ghostface had to say about not being part of this song during an interview with complex.com, --> "I found out I was a diabetic around that
time, and I was just stressed out. My mind wasn’t all the way there.
Certain joints I couldn’t really catch. I was going into a slump during Ironman. Like the one I
had Masta Killa and Deck and RZA and them on, ‘Assassination Day.’ I
couldn’t catch it. I let it live, but like, ‘Fuck it, I’ll back out of
that one,’ and kept it moving." )
Other than that, this song is dope as hell.
Other than that, this song is dope as hell.
*4.5 out of 5*
6. "Poisonous Darts"
A 2:16 track here, with Ghost delivering the
usual. This track hit a few mixtapes prior to this album's release,
incorrectly titled as "The Sky's High." When I first heard this joint, I went completely crazy as you would expect.
*4 out of 5*
*4 out of 5*
7. "Winter Warz" (Featuring Raekwon, Cappadonna, U-God, and Masta Killa)
This no doubt was the best track on the "Don't Be A Menace" soundtrack.
Everyone did their thing on this one, but the true star/show stealer
here was Cappadonna, as he delivers his best verse ever. Classic.
*5 out
of 5*
8. "Box In Hand" (Featuring Raekwon & Method Man)
Man, the future Wu-Massacre team absolutely kills RZA's banger of a
track, especially Meth, as he just lights things up with his final
verse.
*5 out of 5*
9. "Fish" (Featuring Raekwon & Cappadonna, Produced by True Master)
Nothing about this song touches on or references anything dealing
with "fish," but it's all good. It's still a True Master produced
banger.
*4 out of 5*
10. "Camay" (Featuring Raekwon & Cappadonna)
A smooth sample by the late Teddy Pendergrass carries this one (in
addition to the MCs), and it's a pretty dope track for the ladies,
Wu-Tang style.
*4out of 5*
11. "Daytona 500" (Featuring Raekwon & Cappadonna)
This is another track I went crazy over when I first heard it. RZA's beat knocks as Rae, Ghost, and Cappa fire lyrical darts with aggressive ease.
*5 out of 5*
12. "Motherless Child" (Featuring Raekwon)
One of the highlights on the "Sunset Park" soundtrack. We get another
look into Ghost's storytelling prowess on this classic.
*4 out of 5*
13. "Black Jesus" (Featuring Raekwon & U-God)
Another RZA produced banger, this time U-God absolutely kills one, in
what was one of his top 5 verses ever. I also read in a review on this
album that this song was missing the obvious "check out the rap kingpin,
the black Jesus" sample, which I agreed with, but it doesn't hurt the song at all.
*5 out of 5*
13. "After The Smoke Is Clear" (Featuring The RZA, Raekwon, and The Delphonics)
Looking at The Delphonics appearing here, you would think this would be
one for the ages, and it isn't unfortunately. Honestly, everything here,
including the beat, the lyrics from Rae, Ghost, and RZA, plus
Delphonics' sung hook ALL comes across as phoned in. Clearly one of the
worst songs on the album. 3 out of 5 (Phoned in? Not really. Granted, it could've been a bit better than what it was, but overall it's a good song. "4 out of 5" for this one.)
14. "All That I Got Is You" (Featuring Mary J. Blige)
The word on this song is that either Mary J. didn't give permission for
her vocals to be used or it wasn't cleared. With all due respect, this
song is still amazing, with or without Mary's vocals, and it's probably
the most heartfelt song of Ghost's career. Ghost's story of how things
were for him growing up must be heard to be appreciated.
*5 out of 5"
15. "The Soul Controller"
This was cut from future pressings of the album due to an uncleared
sample (which would plague/alter future albums from Ghost), but I'm
thankful to still have to original pressing, because it's one of my
favorite tracks on this album. I especially love the way RZA switches
the beat during Ghost's third verse.
*5 out of 5*
*16. "Marvel" (Featuring The RZA)
This was a bonus track for those who copped the CD (remember those days,
when the CD most of the time would get the bonus tracks and the
cassette didn't). It's your standard Wu-Tang fare, although RZA
drops some serious lines in his verse referencing the womb.
*4 out of 5*
I know there are quite a lot of "4 out of 5" ratings here (I updated the ratings on most of the songs.), but due to
the consistent strong ratings for the songs, the nostalgic vibe (which
is also STRONG), and my long time support for the Wu, this album gets the 5
star rating from me. Yes, it wasn't the album that "OB4CL" was, and it
didn't try to be either. This was the first album in what would become a stellar discography
from Ghost, as well as the only Wu-Tang related album to drop in '96.
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