Culture Blues

Fans of Ghostface have always been aware of the fact that he has a sensitive side. Throughout the thirteen years he has been dropping records, he has always managed to pepper in some R&B and soul influences into his efforts (even if just for a track or two). Therefore it should come as a surprise to no one that Ghostface has fully embraced this predilection, and released what can best be described as an R&B concept album. Such an experiment would never be attempted by most of his peers for fear of coming off as weak or perhaps "non-macho", but an emcee with the credibility and track record of Ghostface certainly has the confidence and clout necessary to take such a plunge.

Ghostdini: The Wizard of Poetry is, without a doubt, going to be a very polarizing record for fans of Ghostface or the Wu. Is it buttery slick? Yup. Is it overly commercial? Oddly enough, not really (although you can practically envision the calculated Def Jam meeting that green-lit this project). Is it a great album? Well, that all depends on why you enjoy Ghostface. Gone (for the most part) are the street banging beats, and the "Chipmunk Soul" dizzied production that has become the staple of hip-hop this millennium (thanks Kanye); they have been replaced with Al Green-like hooks, and the kind of riffs that your parents probably lost their virginity to. This aural shift is not unwelcome; it just won’t be burning up Hot97.

The true beauty of the record is, of course, the storytelling. Ghostface's unparalleled ability to weave gritty and intricately detailed narratives has always been what sets him apart from other rappers, and he is still on point through most of Ghostdini. The stories are for the most part still just as vivid although the lyrical content has changed on this effort; the gun blazing crime dramas of previous releases have been replaced with mature and explicitly candid tales of love and loss. Standout selections like Do Over and Let's Stop Playing are perfect examples of the Soul-meets-Rap confluence Ghostface was trying to achieve on Ghostdini. Sadly, there are not enough of these moments.

Other notable numbers include Stapleton Sex (one of the most graphic songs about sex you will EVER hear), and the albums peak, Guest House, is a potent and tense account of Ghostface looking for his wifey around town, only to find her sleeping with the cable guy (played by a hilarious Fabulous). As for the rest of the record, it isn’t bad, it’s just lazy. There are a few, more traditional, East Coast cuts on the record but they seem out of place among the pianos leads, and Mo-Town inspired guitar accompaniments (these tracks almost come off as pandering but are genuine enough to not be insulting).

Ghostface had a pretty interesting idea; it just never reached a point of brilliance. Instead Ghostdini the Wizard of Poetry will probably be considered more of a blip than a seminal moment.