Fishscale

Loved this album, great assorted group of producers and Killah's rhymes are something else. Also, I learned how to cut a brick of cocaine, so it was also instructional.

5/10. He immediately tells us to fasten our seatbelts, which I appreciate because I am tired of listening to rap albums that don't care about the listener's personal safety. Also listening to this for the first time after the MCU made Tony Stark a household name, but knowing that this is older than that made the constant references to Tony Starks and Ironman a bit surprising. I liked that the skits transitioned very smoothly into the following songs in this album. I kinda liked Back Like That, I suppose because it just sounds like a pop song. I also like how when he boasts about women, these women are often intelligent in addition to having great asses etc, which is pretty fun.

As someone without a lot of experience with hiphop, but no particular disdain for it, I liked this album. It's an actual album. Each song is distinct, it's not a mushy bleed-together of left-overs to pad the length. But the production is consistent and each song obviously belongs on this album. Each track has interesting things that separate them from the rest, and the production is really top notch. Production is so good it probably makes it swing above its weight class. There's nothing irritating on the album, it's all consistently good. Solid album I probably wouldn't choose to listen to again, but if it came on I wouldn't be compelled to turn off either.

Another rap album, let me just go over my list: Over long - check. Skits I just don't get - check. A bit of a grind to listen to - che... wait, no, this is OK actually. Rap is never going to be my thing but I can recognise really good rap, and for me this is it. I'm not going to seek it out, but it passed the (still overly long) time.

I wasn't expecting to like this as much as I did considering other Wu Tang projects I've heard, but man, Ghosty just has a way with words that can drag me in to a story. The narrative-based rapping is definitely the strongest draw here, with a strong second going to the excellent production (I mean, come on, DOOM and Dilla? Spoiled!). There are too many skits IMO, and not every song is a banger, but this was definitely a good project.

We have an APB on an MC Killer Looks like the work of a Master Evidence indicates that his stature Merciless like a terrorist hard to capture The flow, changes like a chameleon Plays like a friend, and stabs you like a dagger This technique attacks the immune system Disguised like a lie paralyzing the victim You scream, as it enters your bloodstream Erupts your brain from the pain these thoughts contain Moving on a nigga with the speed of a centipede And injure any motherfucking contender!

The gangster thing has kind of lost its shine for me. But the art and wit of the vocal flow is impossible to deny.

Rap isn’t my genre and this is harder-core than I usually would listen to, but it was more listenable than I thought it would be. Some interesting stories on here and good performances and samples. Went on a bit too long for me but I can see why this is album is well-regarded.

Listening again today; great production and incredibly cinematic album. Def up there with my fav hip hop albums of all time. “RAGU” and “Back Like That (feat. Ne-Yo)” have got to be some of my fav tracks of all time.

Awful?

This fucks and this Aussie gives it five pairs of Blundstones out of five.

Happy I finally have a reason to listen to this album. The production on this album was quite 50/50 but the better fifty was some of the best production on any of Ghostfaces work. Suprised that this album is on this list instead of Ironman and Supreme Clientele which are two clearly superior albums, this is still good though and Ghostface is one of the best rappers of all time. 4.2/5

Een soort rap dat op clipping lijkt. Ambitieus maar ik weet niet of het wat voor mij is.

It took me three days to get through this album. Now I'm behind and resentful. On the bright side, I can say that it didn't glamorize the drug trade for me whatsoever.

Another random hip hop record in the 1001 list. It is almost a joke, thinking about all masterpieces left out of the list to make some room for boring random releases like this one. An exWu Tang Klan member trying to vindicate himself. That's ok, even a few good tracks like 'Whip You With a Strap' and hilarious skits like 'Bad Mouth Kid'... but come on...

Strangely, despite loving Bulletproof wallets when I was a teenager, I hadn't listened to this much before. That has changed now, I've listened to it 4 times today! Super album, I love Ghostface's voice and delivery, and there's some really great tracks on here.

East coast hardcore hip hop. I'm pretty mixed on this album. Like I love the energy and aggressiveness but sometimes I kinda find that the beats take a backseat, which was a big reason I liked the Wu-tang album. Ghostface's lyrics and flow were all really good most of the time, and I actually enjoyed a lot of the features. The album itself is quite long and bloated with skits and other stuff that just makes it feel so incohesive. The first half was really good but it really runs out of steam. I like variety usually but the album was mostly just all over the place which made for a big clash in sounds sometimes. That being said, I did have fun listening to it and enjoyed every song to some extent. A solid album. Probably won't revisit save for a few tracks. 3.5/5

I still don't understand skits on rap albums, but the tunes were bangers

This was great but suffered from the skits and stuff.

Lyrically, this album is incredibly stereotypical, and perhaps one of the last instancies of an album I would describe as vulgar for the sake of being vulgar. It feels stuck in the 90s, berating women, slinging drugs, murdering fools, all with the same guests seemingly on all the Wu-Tang albums. I know they were all in a group together, but jeez, find new people. However, the production on this album is fantastic, with appearances from some of the greats like J Dilla and MF DOOM (unfortunately, only producing, no raps from the mad villain here) and it really sells the entire album. I mean, there are whole songs here that purely live off their beats, and it really elevates the whole experience into something pretty enjoyable. It's too long, not a single joke hits, and it's just relatively icky, but if you wanted to show the powerhouse of production going around in the mid-2000s, this album exemplifies that fantastically. That being said, it's a sick joke that this the closest the 1001 Albums gets to, again, MF DOOM or J Dilla. That's an entire sin of its own, albeit not one that is this album's fault.

I'm not a rap guy, but this is pretty good.

You know, I'm kind of surprised it took this long to get an album from a Wu-Tang Clan member given that there are five albums from the Wu-Tang Clan and its members on this list. Oh well, it's time to talk about Fishscale. This is a solid album. I like the variety in the songs. I think a big reason for this is because of how many producers are on here. There's quite a few of them on here, perhaps the most notable of which is MF DOOM. Given that he doesn't have any of his own albums on here, I'm happy to see that he has some representation on this list, even if this album did get removed from later versions of the book. I'm not a fan of skits in hip-hop albums as a whole, but the ones on this album aren't too egregious. Ghostface Killah's rapping is alright. I can definitely hear how he and other East-Coast rappers like Nas are cut from the same cloth. The album is a bit long, but I didn't really feel like it dragged too much. The writing is pretty good for the most part. Overall, while this is not my favorite hip-hop album I've gotten, it's still pretty decent. High 3/5.

I thought this was a good album overall with some great producers. On the flip side, I don’t think this one belongs on the list. In the grand scheme of things, it’s just an average middle of the road hip hop album of its time.

As I often say with rap albums, if the skit does not serve a purpose for the next song or have some comedic effect that makes it listenable, then leave the skit off the album. Another day, another rap album I had not heard before. So, this isn't a bad album at all. I just don't know why it is in the book, as it doesn't exactly redefine the rap genre and I can think of quite a few rap albums I prefer more. This was a better album than I had expected, yet I can't help but think there isn't much going on here that is revolutionary. Would I listen to this album again? Not sure why I would.

Wow!! It is hard to listen to this album. I’m not sure why the black community thinks this is a tribute to them. It certainly describes the plight that they are in. But the way that they refer to themselves and their women, their kids, their mommas…..How can that be empowering? I can hear some of the musicality and how clever some of the lyrics are. I also love the continuity of the album and how they tie each song to the next. I just can’t how the lyrics are tolerated.

I'm not really into rap, but I did enjoy this with some standout tracks

Tu peux remercier Ne-Yo

The Champ

I have no real way to evaluate if this is a good hiphop album since I am not a fan of hiphop. The gunshot made me flinch since I was outside listening to this. Takeaways: Drugs. Objectifying women. Numerous puzzling references to Tony Stark. I’m sure I just don’t get it.

Heart Street Directions was so astonishingly cringe it made me want to vomit. Who listens to this shit? Pure trash, just like 99% of all other "music" of similar genre.

What? More unlistenable vulgar misogynistic (c)crap. Racist with no talent.

Ah, the best member of the Wu Tang Clan. My man is underrated as heck. This album is smooth and cohesive, with incredibly well written and performed raps, and the beats are awesome. It's a classic 90s hip hop album brought into the 2000s with no sign of age. Excellent work.

Wu-Tang forever. As east coast rap as it gets. I also never realized that Action Bronson is essentially white Ghostface both in sound and rhyme scheme. Just crazy.

I'M THA CHAMP!

Couldn’t listen to the record. It wasn’t available on any streaming service. So.. 5 stars.

In 2004, I began my love of hip hop with the release of Madvilliany by Doom and Madlib. A year late came Fishscale, the Sgt. Pepper of rap with the dense Shakey Dog to Whip Me With a Strap, a J Dilla beat heavy testimonial, and Kilo, a stuttering, horn heavy masterpiece. A great entry for hip hop neophyte.

More classic hip hop. Great album

kanye if he was good

Absolutely loved it. Ghostface is quickly becoming one of my favorite rappers. Very versatile rap albums with a lot of fire. I've already listened to The Champ like 20 times after listening to this album

Loved that!

a notably late classic on the overall wu tang timeline, theres not even any rza production on this (tho with occasional material from j dilla and mf doom its hard to complain, not even considering the high quality of the whole project), tbh if anyone was gonna stay vital past wu tangs prime its not a surprise its ghostface. theres something rly cohesive ab this whole record, the skits sticking everything together and the different angles each track takes on a heightened self-portrait character study,,,its not like an album-wide story i dont think (tho obviously there are plenty of self-contained stories on it) but as u get deeper into the tracklist ur perspective on the whole changes a few times. just in general theres a good mix of self-mythology and vulnerability on here, definitely not in equal portions lol but the latter often (re)colors the former...some lyrics on Momma feel like theyre a reflective shift from Whip You With A Strap for example. im not rly sure how to articulate the overall effect but i feel it under my skin in the aftermath of the record...it can be humane or silly or cruel and theres this darkness bubbling underneath all of it but theres also these quiet embers bubbling underneath That. deffo a record to sit with, and also just rly engrossing with a lot of great production and a forward momentum thats actually Carried by the brief skits instead of being punctured by it. hope supreme clientele is on this godforsaken list lol i remember rly liking that one

A classic album from Ghostface, that is a banger from start to finish. While his Ironman album is my favorite of his, this one is definitely a close second. Wanted to get out my vinyl copy, but had a bit too much of a backlog of albums I still needed to get to, so settled on streaming it.

Great album, honestly. Enjoyed this one a lot.

Not what I would normally listen to but I enjoyed it thought it was very good

WOW I could smell Staten Island Excellent

Dope album. Who am I to give notes to Ghostface Killah?

Great beats, great bars. There's not much else to say.

I love east coast hip hop and I can honestly say that this is one of the best hip hop albums from the east coast ever.

A big return to form by Ghostface, I remember this coming out and listening to it. So many great songs here, though long it doesn’t weigh the entirety of the album down.

Fishscale was my first real dive into Ghostface Killah’s solo work — I’ve only heard one Wu-Tang album before this — and going in blind turned out to be the best way to experience it. From the jump, this album is immersive, detailed, and sonically rich. The Dolby Atmos mix really brings it to life — the beats hit hard, the samples are layered perfectly, and Ghost’s voice cuts through with clarity and weight. The artist features are top-tier: Raekwon delivers as always, and unexpected appearances from Ne-Yo, Ice Cube, and even Ye add variety without stealing the spotlight. Ghostface holds it all together with his storytelling — “Whip You with a Strap” and “Momma” in particular feel like vivid scenes from a movie, personal and raw without ever dragging. The production is fantastic throughout. I loved the use of Biggie samples, especially on “Back Like That” — it gave off Song Cry vibes until I realized it was directly nodding to it. There’s a real sense of craft behind the sampling, not just nostalgia. “Shakey Dog” opens the album with a bang — intense narrative, killer beat — and “Champ” keeps the momentum with an energetic, funky intro that feels like vintage soul dipped in street grit. But the highlight for me? “Clipse of Doom.” That track is a monster. The energy, the flow, the instrumental — everything clicks. There’s no filler on Fishscale. It’s sharp, consistent, and packed with personality. As a first-time listener of Ghostface solo work, I couldn’t be more impressed. Five stars, easy. Now I’m wondering what took me so long. Favorite song: "Clipse of Doom"

everything a girl didnt know she needed

There are a lot of great rappers out there and ghostface killa is a great one. Amazing MC and one of the best in the Wu. Although not as good as a wu-tang album because its the same voice and similar flow and style of that era a few great tracks that were surprising but not many. Found this time around the beats are pretty repetitive and lacking cuts to make them more dynamic. Some good sampling well thought and on the dot. Very good album maybe one of the best wu-tang members solo project but still the wu-tang goat was method man as a rapper and RZA as a producer Remember most stuff is temporary but wu-tang is 4ever

I have to say I’m shocked. I’ve never been a huge fan of Wu-tang clan, and the solo projects have also been a little underwhelming and same-y. However, this album was so freaking good. Like the Peter Gabriel album earlier, this album is probably a 9/10, but because of how much it shocked me I’m going 5 stars.

5/5 for beats, hooks, themes, verses, and features

I know Ironman and Supreme Clientele but for some reason never got around to Fishscale. As someone from Staten Island, grew up a big Wu-Tang fan. How did I miss this? Definitely will be keeping this in rotation for more listens.

Idk why but Ghost’s voice over these beats will never get old, no matter how many times I hear it. Classic voice, classic underrated album and shoutout to Ne-Yo for the classic hook!!

This came up in the randomizer in a surprisingly timely fashion. There's a commercial that's been airing during the US Open set to "The Champ", and it's the rare commercial that I want to turn *up* every time it's on. So of course I put the album on a couple of days ago, and of course it holds up. It will rightfully go down as the Last Great Wu-Tang Album, the final major peak of the collective's career of joint and solo records. There's a good chance it's the best album from 2006, even.

There's another coke-rap opus from 2006 I like more than this one, but the fact that I can say "coke-rap opus from 2006" to describe more than one album remains nothing short of incredible. Fuck it, it's a 5.

my favorite of the rap records so far

That was reeeeally good. I usually don't like albums longer than an hour but this felt so quick because of how much variety in the songs there is. The samples and features were great, the skits were entertaining even if a little ridiculous sometimes, and just overall really enjoyable.

Ghostface is one of the best to ever do it. This is an excellent record all around.

When I was a young Killer B, it was all Meth and RZA for me. Age and wisdom have shown me it was Ghostface all along.

What a record. Musically perfect end to end - first time listening to it and it blew me away.

This is the best album of former Wu-Tang Clan member Ghostface Killah. Great rap album with lots of contributions of famous (Wu-Tang Clan) rappers (Raekwon, Trife, Cappadonna, RZA, GZA, Method Man, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Ol' Dirty Bastard, The Notorious B.I.G.). Some rappers improve with age.

As a group or individually wu tang and it’s meme era are the best to ever do it

Having experience from the Wu-Tang Clan, Ghostface Killah knows how to make a good album. The MF DOOM produced tracks are sublime. "Fishscale" has a lot of classic guest artists like the rest of Wu-Tang. GK's verses are often brilliant. The skits aren't terrible either. 5 stars for this endeavour.

Rocky III gets some love. Respect.

GHOSTFACE KILLAHHH 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 one of the best to ever do it absolute classic 5/5

Best Wu album this side of 2000. Getting Dilla and DOOM is was absolute genius and Ghost face sails round the beats like the prizefighter he pretends to be early on on the album.

Soft 5

Loved this album in 06 and still love it now. The sampling is on point! It’ll make you get up and do the Damon Dash

I’m not much of a rap fan, but this was awesome! There’s clear talent here, and this stuff is always elevated by using real instruments.

How do you choose a single member of Wu-Tang to highlight and not then highlight every other one of them? In my opinion they’re the best collective in hip-hop. Every single rapper is a genius who helped craft the sound of 90s rap. And then how do you choose a single album in Ghostface’s enormous catalogue? He is so prolific, and really hasn’t taken a wrong turn. This album is excellent. Bring the ruckus.

This album is phenomenal, I was never a GFK fan growing up and I feel like I missed out. Everything song is unique and tells a great story, there are too many skits as always but some are pretty funny and The Champ is a certified banger and goes in the general playlist.

Rating: 9.5/10 Amazing album, my favorite album by Ghostface Killah. This album takes you on a journey and to me embodies all of Ghost's best characteristics and content matter: vivid storytelling, drug dealing stories, family issues/relationships, insane street slang, and all of this with clever wordplay, expansive vocabulary, great rhyming, and of course his iconic voice and delivery. There is an introspective and emotional aspect that this album does better than Ghost's others I think while still being amazing lyrically. The production is also great throughout, every song feels unique. Even though this album is over 25 tracks long it always passes by so quickly whenever I listen to it; a sign of a truly great album. Favorite songs: Shakey Dog, Kilo, The Champ, 9 Milli Bros, Beauty Jackson, Crack Spot, R.A.G.U., Whip You With A Strap, Back Like That, Be Easy, Jellyfish, Dogs Of War, Big Girl, Underwater, Momma, Three Bricks. Worst song: Clipse of Doom.

I was pleasantly surprised with how I’ve rated some of the other Wu Tang member’s solo albums, but this was fantastic. It had a variety of styles and did not overstay its welcome even though it’s a double LP (at least the extended edition is).

can't believe i've never listened to this before. compare yourself to david koresh and spongebob squarepants and sing about getting rid of posers by selling them on ebay and baby you got a stew going

Best old school hip hop I’ve ever hear makes biggie sound like a first grader who just learned how to rhyme

tour de force of an album

This was a surprise. Really good!

This album is sweeping in its scope and cinematic in its storytelling. Ghostface Killah is one of raps greatest lyricists and this album puts that on full display. The narrative about cocaine running is compelling and is so detailed that it’s going to take a few listens to get all the details. The music itself spans several decades and includes doo woo, lounge music, up through funk and R&B. Overall, a fantastic album.

Just brilliant. Kilo should have a single, it would have been one of the best of the aughts.

Dope

Ghostface might be my favourite rapper of all time. Also great to see Americans embracing the metric system.

I was legit sad when this album ended, it was so well produced and fit the vibe of the day perfectly. Will definitely return to this one!

Awesome album from beginning to end.

Kilo is a thousand grammes, easy to remember! I wasn't expecting to see a Ghostface Killah album come up, but it was definitely a pleasant surprise. I would be hard pressed to pick just one of his albums to put in this list, but I guess if I had to choose, then this would be the one. Even though there's so many guest artists and producers, this is always a Ghostface album, and all the better for it. It was always a bit of a disappointment for me that some of the members of the Wu-Tang Clan went on to pretty dull solo work, but there was still plenty of good stuff that came of the project, Raekwon and GZA spring to mind, but Ghostface was probably the most prolific and also the best for consistent quality. Easy 5 star album that was a delight to listen to again after not hearing it in a year or three. I still sing "whips me with a strap" on a weekly basis.

Another solo wu tang album that is magnificently produced and has excellent flows. I still think I like liquid swords more but the first like 5 songs on this are all bangers especially shaken dog, the champ, and back like that. The sheer star power of both the features and the production are also insane and works as a great bridge between old school 90s rap and more melodic 00s stuff, back like that and it’s remix with Kanye come to mind the most. Idk if I’m getting softer with my 5s or getting a chance to listen to the album more and thus appreciate it more but after listening to this album multiple times throughout the day it’s pretty great all the way through and doesn’t really drag at all.

top notch. cohesive record that tells a story. i loved the skits, especially heart st directions and bad mouth kid. not a bad track, features were fire, production was beautiful. rhymes and stuff all very great!!

Man this was so good. Very well put together

The Wu-Tang Clan is one of my favorite rap groups, and Ghostface is one of its most talented rappers; his flow is impeccable, and his lyrics are often great to match. While this isn’t as good as, say, Supreme Clientele, it all comes through on this album. Just take ‘The Champ’, which is such an enjoyable song just because of how he raps. Definitely viable for inclusion, though it’s reasonable that they cut it in other editions.

sick

Loved this. It wasn't on my radar when it came out but this is absolutely what I loved in like 2003

This is the album that kept me from listening to the last 10+ days of 1001 assigned albums. This album absolutely floored me. I’ve listened to it countless times. The storytelling is so vivid, the wordplay so nuanced, and the production and sampling is just some of the best ever. I could go on…but it’s just all-time hip-hop album.

Amazing.

Perhaps the craziest thing about Wu-Tang was the number of incredible rappers and producers who were part of the crew from it's outset. Ghostface is a great example of that. He's one of the greatest rappers of all time, and yet when you list of the members of Wu-Tang who were most important to rap history, Ghostface barely sneaks into the top 5 (I'd put Rza, Method Man, ODB, and perhaps Gza in over him). Despite that, Ghostface clearly shows how well his style ages here. More than 10 years after 36 chambers, Ghostface comes in hot with Fishscale. It helps a lot that this album features some of the greatest producers of all time at the height of their careers. One of the coolest things about this album is getting to hear some of my favorite songs off of Donuts by J Dilla employed by a rapper whose style meshes well with Dilla's. I can't think of another rapper who can tell a story in verse the way that Ghostface can. His flow is incredible, but the way that he paints a picture while he does it is his true skill. I can't believe that I'm going to give another Wu-Tang rapper a 5/5 album, but here we are. This album is undeniable 5/5

Some of the best rap I've heard in a long time. Loved all of it. The flow, the samples (these guys love their comic books), the collaborations. All of it!

LOVE me some Wu-Tang, and Ghostface might just be my favorite member. In a group with no lack of hip-hop titans, Ghostface still manages to grab the spotlight and throttle it like it stole something from him. The man's a poet, plain and simple. "Supreme Clientele" gets a lot of attention (and rightfully so--it doesn't get much better than "Apollo Kids" and "Cher Chez La Ghost"), but "Fishscale" is my favorite Ghostface album. The skits are utterly skippable (ranging from the mildly amusing "Bad Mouth Kid" to the cringey "Heart Street Directions"), but basically every track is worthy of a place in my regular playlist rotation. And it's no wonder. Not only is he a master storyteller, but his fellow Clan members back him up regularly on this album (most notably on "9 Milli Bros."), and the tracks are produced by hip-hop greats like Pete Rock, J Dilla, and MF DOOM. I could list my favorite tracks, but it'd basically just be two-thirds of the track list, minus the skits. That's how solid this album is. Casual hip-hop fans might find this album a little inaccessible, but for those who appreciate the Wu-Tang style "Fishcale" is solid gold.

Massive energy. The backing is so full of hooks and great grooves, could listen to it spinning all day long. Lyrics are fast and furious with passion and feeling. Loved this album

Gimme a pen and pand