Ghostface Killah proclaims that in “20-06, it’s time to build” on “Ghost is Back,” the introduction to his sixth album, More Fish. The 36-year-old rap veteran from New York City is more focused than ever, telling his supporters to demand Def Jam Records “crack open the safe” – Ghost is determined to make this year profitable.
With a product like More Fish, Ghostface deserves all the financial rewards he desires. The album predominantly consists of leftover material originally made for the superb Fishscale, the emcee’s other album released earlier this year. However, the tracks are as hot as food fresh out of the oven – More Fish certifies Ghostface Killah’s status as the most consistent emcee to date and the album is easily one of the best rap albums of the year.
Ghostface, a rapper with many aliases and personas, is a throwback to the rough and rugged New York rap of the early ’90s. More Fish pays homage to the rapper’s roots and never once sells out by featuring a radio-friendly pop track.
True hip-hop heads will be thrilled to hear the legendary Eric B.’s beat for “Juice” as the instrumental for “Ghost is Back.” Ghost’s flow perfectly compliments this classic record; he is able to intricately weave an endless number of words into his verses, using metaphors, similes and slang to cleverly expand the English language. His lines are memorable because he uses wordplay such as “In your Red Monkey jeans you lookin’ like a scene from Baghdad, that’s bad/ Flag red, death bed.” And this out-of-the-world track is just the beginning of the album.
Throughout the rest of More Fish, Ghostface proves to be the Martin Scorsese of rap. His rhymes paint vivid pictures of tumultuous underground crime worlds, his exceptional lyrics contain suspenseful plots and character development, and his voice carries a sense of urgency and desperation to emphasize the dire and violent situations he describes.
MF Doom, the acclaimed producer who helped make Fishscale a classic, employs cinematic production on the song “Gunz N’ Razors” to coincide with Ghost’s action-packed lyrical story. The blaring horns are a dramatic backdrop as Ghost raps graphic lyrics such as “Jakes that play hero, they can get popped up/ Face falling off they cheek bone, gotta take meat/ From they ass to sew it back, I’m a beast homes/ It’s ground beef in the street, so we squeeze chrome.”
Ghostface continues to develop his persona as a street hustler in the head nodding “Outta Town Shit.”S— ? Over a rhythmic piano, Ghost is entertaining as usual as he describes a dice game which results in a gun brawl – his account of the event is as detailed as a play-by-play sportscast.
However, immaculate tales of the rough-and-tumble streets are not the only elements that make More Fish outstanding – Ghost’s overall quirky and uncompromising personality has always been a great asset to his music. For example, on the soulful and danceable album single “Good,” Ghost proves to be an expert in braggadocio and exuding confidence, creating a flashy image of himself in a fur coat, jewelry and alligator-skin boots.
On top of Ghost’s solid rhymes, More Fish is also significant because it features various up-and-coming artists from Ghost’s crew, Theodore Unit, and is designed to be a prelude to a future Theodore Unit project. Sun God, Ghostface’s 17-year-old son, holds his own with his father as they trade complex bars throughout “Street Opera.”
Although Jay-Z claims his high-profile release Kingdom Come will save hip-hop and Nas declares hip-hop is dead, Ghostface has been keeping the art form alive for many years and it’s a shame he does not get more attention than he does. More Fish is nothing short of another perfect album from Ghostface Killah and demonstrates why the emcee is one of the most underrated in recent hip-hop memory.
Contact reporter Alex Rush at diversions@dbk.umd.edu.
