by John Bear
Daily Lobo
Ghostface Killah returns with another noisy, definitively Wu-Tang record, Fishscale.
And I cannot, for the life of me, understand a word of it.
Finding meaning in Ghostface's lyrics has always alluded me. Here is the guy who brought us the classic lines "Why is the sky blue? Why is water wet? Why did Judas grab the Romans while Jesus slept?"
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At first, these lines make sense on some level. But then he adds "Stand up. You're out of luck like two dogs stuck," and the meaning is lost in translation. There is no context if you are not standing inside the mind of this lyrical madman. Who knows what he is talking about? Not me.
This is not necessarily a bad thing. I have always enjoyed a nonsensical flow from the MC also known as Tony Starks. And if you buy one of his albums, you are assured at least five songs will feature long-time collaborator and equally hard to comprehend wordsmith Rae Kwon the Chef.
Ghostface released his first solo album Ironman in 1996. He released two more before Fishscale, but I was on some punk rock tangent at the time and missed those. Judging by the sound and subject matter on his latest effort, he hasn't changed all that much. Normally, lack of progression is a bad thing, but here, it works marvelously. The sheer amount of garbage fouling up hip-hop music makes nostalgia-ridden Wu-Tang releases a breath of fresh air. Rather than follow trends with crunk-infused idiocy, or G-Unit style drug dealing flows with sing-songy hooks, Ghostface comes with what he knows best - flows vaguely about dealing drugs over soul-sampled beats with nary a catchy hook in sight. It works.
The album opens with Ghostface yelling about something. I am not sure what, but he is yelling. The pitch of his voice has been brought down several octaves so it sounds like he is angry about being caught in slow motion. This is the first of seven rap skits on the album. Wu-Tang has always been guilty of overdoing the now infamous rap skit where rappers scream gibberish at one another. Someone usually gets shot. They sort of invented this, and don't seem prone to quitting any time soon. Usually this is annoying, because the skits are listed as tracks, leaving the consumer feeling somewhat ripped off when half of the so-called tracks are nothing but screaming about where one's "Killer" tape is at. No bother, the album boasts 24 tracks, so you still get a lot of bang for your $11.
The tracks on the album fare well. The track "9 Milli Bros." features several members of the clan in a classic trading of verses. "Whip You With a Strap" is probably the only song on the entire album that makes any sort of real-world sense. Ghostface waxes philosophically about his momma whipping his ass with a strap. Ouch. "Jellyfish" features Cappadonna, Shawn Wigs and Trife Da God trading verses over a decidedly spooky MF Doom beat.
Speaking of production, it is all on point here. Several Industry heavyweights show up to drop different yet wholly Wu-Tangish beats that give the album an overall cohesive sound. In addition to MF Doom, Just Blaze, MoSS, the late J. Dilla and the legendary Pete Rock all contribute tracks. Ghostface even mans the boards on "Big Girl."
Fishscale, though Ghostface fails to make a lick of sense most of the time, works on all levels. His rhymes are at their best, and the production is top-notch. Only the endless rap skits detract, minimally, from a fine effort.
Fishscale
Ghostface Killah
Grade: A
