Fishscale

Eipä jaksanut innostaa. Meni taustamuzakkina.

Ghost is at his best here, but more than that this is a production masterpiece. Probably a 5.5 but loses 1 for having too many skits. Still rounded up to 5.

A few catchy ones in there for me to enjoy. For me won’t go down as an all time rap classic, but lucky for me this is the genre of music I enjoy

Not a voice that grabs my attention. I did dig the music, but not the vocals. I'm still a Method Man fan among the Wu options.

this album is pretty hard considering it's not exactly from the early days anymore

I really should listen to more rap.

Ghostface Killah = instant charisma on the mic. He is so entertaining to listen to. I just love his energy and presence. Even tho this album isn't really in his prime era, he hasn't lost an ounce of skill, still raps like his rent is due. His production choices can be hit or miss but this is really one of his strongest albums in terms of beats. The lineup is so impressive, DOOM, Dilla, Just Blaze, Pete Rock... For example The Champ has such a majestic beat, pure triumphant energy, sounds nasty and Ghostface is spitting hard over it. 9 Milli Bros is a classic Wu-Tang posse cut and that's really awesome. The album overall seems like a bit of a throwback with some amazing old-school type boom bap and hard verses and I'm all here for it. I can imagine in 2006 hip hop fans needed a record like this one to remind them why they love the genre. The album dishes out so many bangers. Whip You With a Strap is just classic Dilla, the vocal chops in the beat are gorgeous. R.A.G.U is also such a majestic instrumental. I don't even mind the much poppier Back Like That, sounds great. One of my favorites off the album is Clipse of Doom, that beat is just hauntingly nasty. The album is a really awesome collection of bangers and despite being long doesn't lose steam or consistency.

It’s an interesting concept piece, but not something I think I’ll revisit very much.

Ah another rap album. I wonder what this one will rap about…definitely not bad rap, but glorifying gang culture and misogyny just doesn’t age well.

All very good although the misogyny feels very dated now 😕

He's a great storyteller and many of these songs were like sonic short stories. It's more diverse than a lot of rap albums and kept me engaged throughout. There's still the standard swagger and misogyny but, overall, I enjoyed this a lot.

This really stood the test of time compared to so many rap albums of the 2000s bling era. Ghostface Killah is easily one of the more talented Wu Tangers, with a distinct flow and the art of storytelling. But really its the production here that stands out - it sounds great, very little dated sampling, terrific beats, and great hooks like Ne-Yo's turn on Back Like That. I get a little tired of the tough guy persona over the course of an hour, but still, well worth a listen

I wouldn’t ordinarily choose an hour of cocaine trafficking stories, but damn if this isn’t entertaining.

Very very nice. Liked back like that. But I guess more credits should be given to Ne-yo. And this album is on the edge of being toooo long.

Ghostface Killah out here absolutely cooking its apparent that when hes in his element, hes in his freakin element. the beats are awesome, and the lyrics he brings are awesome. i only wish i could have listened wit hthe lyrics up on the screen to really dive into his work. currently a 4 star, but could easily see this bumping up to a 5 for me

Basically a Wu-Tang album without ever actually being a Wu-Tang album. All kinds of features, great beats, great lyricism, and a really good album. Little long, but it was a nice break in the style of music the list had been generating.

I could not get into this album. I started and stopped it 5 or 6 times. I can appreciate it for what it is, but rap is typically not my style and I just wasn't in the mood for it. Wrong person at the wrong time for this review.

I liked the album, despite its length. I guess dude was sitting on a 10 year old Biggie verse that had never been released for that track at the end of the album, which was an interesting and cool addition. Good theme of organized crime throughout, storytelling rap, and most of the features are really good. Unfortunately it has the same problem the other rap albums I’ve had on here have: skits. I do not understand the fascination with them. Apparently, it’s due to rap being such a singles heavy genre, that, because the albums are really just collections of singles without a cohesive thread, the skits were originally created in the 90s to stick albums together and give them some segue/flow into the next song. I disagree and think it really breaks up the flow, but what do I know? ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

na ja ?

Enjoyment: 4/10 Replayability: 3/10 Cohesion: 5/10 Flow/Pacing: 4/10 Artistic Merit: 5/10 Weighted Average: 4.05/10 Review: I knew going into this that hip-hop and rap will be my lowest rated genres because they're not the music I typically listen to. That being said, this wasn't a bad album - it's just not for me. Liked Song(s): Shakey Dog, The Champ, R.A.G.U., Back Like That, Be Easy Disliked Song(s): Whip You With A Strap Recommend? Maybe Heard Before? No

Yeah what else

Rating: 4.7/5 Short Review: This thing barely sits still. Ghostface can be telling a detailed street story one second, saying something completely ridiculous the next, then suddenly getting personal. Half the time I’m just trying to keep up with him. The production is great too. Soul samples everywhere, but it never feels overly polished. A few stretches lost me, and it’s definitely dense, but there’s so much personality here that even the messy moments are entertaining. Favorite Track: “Shakey Dog.” Holy shit. It feels like someone telling you an increasingly insane story without stopping to breathe. I had to play it again just to catch what I missed.

enjoyed this way more than i expected. what a wordsmith. fave tracks — 9 milli bros, be easy, jellyfish. I am not sure why this is on this list and not Supreme Clientele though?

Removed Album #39 (List: https://pastebin.com/cSThNiK9) From the Vault #34 (February 27, 2026) Another removed album. Cool, cool. I just took a massive leap in the hip-hop list. I went from being in 2004 yesterday to being in 2006 today. We're getting there - I only have ten-or-so hip-hop albums to bulldoze through. Anyways, I'm pretty sure Ghostface Killah is a Wu-Tang Clan member. I'm surprised to see that a Wu-Tang album got pulled from the list, though, to be fair, there are six-or-so of them in here. I've nothing more to say, so let's get into it. Twenty-six fucking songs. You're shitting me. Even if you cut out the skits there's still twenty-or-so songs left for me to engage with. That's fucked up. Anyways, many of these instrumentals rub me the wrong way. The more hardcore tracks on here have these aggressive, blown out, all-consuming electronic tones which just sound like shit to me. The of-the-time production techniques are better - notably the soul samples and the grandiose, party-safe sounds. What seriously lets them down is the vocals. The collaborators didn't bother me much due to their diminished presence, but Ghostface Killah puts me off. He has that quintessential hip-hop vocalist sound (particularly for this era of music), but he sounds ever-so-slightly asleep at the wheel, which bugs me more than if the vocals were outright bad. I'm not sure whether that boils down to the songwriting being lackluster of if he just doesn't have the oomph required for the role. I wasn't too interested in observing the lyrics of this album. Overall, I didn't bother this album, and this album didn't bother me aside from a few annoyances. Book time. Added to the 2008 edition of the book, removed from either the 2018 or 2021 revision of the book (I don't have a scan of either). A solid run. The book entry says that this album had "...more street appeal than the cerebral GZA and a far more experimental edge than the weed raps of Method Man...", for what that's worth. Influenced by 60s soul. Many collaborators. "The sum total is a record that blends the classic breaks of yesterday and experimental hip-hop of today into something you'll still want to listen to 10 years from now..." Oof. That last comment didn't hold up too good, though I suppose they didn't specify whether we'd be listening to it more than 10 years later. Wikipedia reveals that this album charted well at first, was a smash with critics and has a fuckton of personnel. There's gotta be like 60 names on that list, including Diddenstein. I'm at a loss as to why this album was removed, which is the first time that's happened. I can usually boil the reason for why an album was removed down to a lack of prominence, zealotry on behalf of the list makers or the album simply not being very good, but this album doesn't show such weaknesses. I think it comes down to how strange this album is stylistically. Most of the tracks are your usual gangsta rap affair, whereas the remaining offerings feature either the of-the-time hip-hop party production or a soul-influenced sound. 50 Cent's album was also removed from the list, so I think the curators want to relegate gangsta rap to the 90s. That isn't enough of a reason for it to be removed, so I'm saving this album from the woodchipper. I cosign this inclusion.

Un gran álbum. Tiene una muy buena selección de Beats y unas rimas increíbles. Tiene algunos skits, pero todos aportan algo al album en el sentido cómico.

Wow! All of wu tang so talented

el album es innecesariamente y esta repleto de skits que no aportan absolutamente nada, varias de las canciones se hacen muy repetitivas a excepción de algunos temazos que se salvan por el flow que tiene este hombre, pero creo que en cuanto a hip hop de la costa este se queda muy detrás 5,5/10

I generally like rap and hip hop, this was not it for me, though. Rappers are generally braggadocios, but here the album was stating his toughness credentials again and again, it's just a bit wearing. I think a big part of that was the tedious and repetitive backing tracks.

Fine, I guess. More often than not, the solo Wu albums just don't hold up for me. That whole cocaine/turf wars bit has always bored me. Great producers and some decent beats/lyrics scattered about the album. Nothing that I'm overly excited to come back and revisit.

Listens: 3 Standout Tracks: Shakey Dog, Bad Mouth Kid (Skit), Whip You With A Strap, Three Bricks If you're going to go all in on songs about drug dealing, violence and objectification of women, you might as well commit and make it good. Ghostface Killah did exactly that. The beats are slick, most of the skits hold up today, its got a butt-load of awesome producers attached and plenty, plenty of featured guests, including a posthumous appearance from The Notorious BIG. I also absolutely get a kick out of the super-hero/super-villain sub-genre of rap. All these callouts, samples and references to Tony Stark and Stark Enterprises are really amusing. I also took the opportunity to go back and listen to Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... again, just because I was really in a hip-hop mood today.

I just have no frame of reference for this stuff. If you told me this was one of the best hip hop albums of 2006 or if you told me it was a record from someone who was washed up or had never been, I wouldn't know the difference.

Too. Fucking. Long. 30 minutes less and it would have been 4 star

This album is ridiculously stacked. A relentless storm of bangers, thinking one song is easily the best of the album only to get outdone with each passing song. On "Back Like That" Ne-Yo really sells that hurt so well in his vocals, good lord what a great chorus. I adore the apprecitiation for the female form throughout the album. Big ass, big brain Ghostface Killah went OFF!!! God I love this album. Also "The Champ" gave me plently of good memories of playing Smackdown vs. Raw 2007.

still just not a big rap fan. this one is fine. enjoyed the rnb bit with ne-yo the most

I hate to play favourites with the Wu-Tang Clan, but Ghostface Killah, I think I might love you most of all. When everyone else was losing their sense of quality control, he was still making classics like this.

I've got a soft spot for the former Wu-Tang crew. They're such nerds, but they also make fun music. Generally some of the more enjoyable hip-hop/rap on this list.

3.5

Album meeldis mulle üllatavalt palju. Ma küll sõnadest ei saanud paljut aru, aga biit ja see kuidas meloodiad ja räpp segunesid oli mu kõrvadele väga meeldiv. Kuigi üksi laul ei hakkanud mulle individuaalina kõrva oli mitmeid mida mängiksin nt kui mul on üritusel aux. Parim räppmuusika album mida ma siiani (31.07.2026) kuulanud olen. Mul on suur kiusatus anda talle 5 tähte, kuigi ma ei salvestanud individuaalseid laule. Kuulasin rongis Gdyniast Łódźi.

so silly. not fully my vibe. had some fun though

Big dick ass music, feels like action bronson if he went back in time got a tan and became a good rapper. SUCK MY DICK ITS NEW YORK PUSSY

I was kind of distracted during my listen but I think this album is one of the better hip hop albums I’ve listened to. I added “Whip You with a Strap” to my playlist.

So glad it's on this list. RYM: N Saved a song: Y

Even as someone who doesn't listen to much hip-hop, I do really like 36 Chambers, so I had high hopes here! Unfortunately, it didn't really have any moments that felt standout to me. But at least it didn't feel like it dragged too badly for being over an hour long, so he's got that going for him.

It just didn't appeal to me, though occasionally I would hear a nice R&B groove.

Hell yeah, this album SLAPS!

Another solid Wu-Tang affiliate album.

Super good, the production is incredible and the only complaint I have is the number of skits.

The soul songs are all right. Too bad there's only a couple of them.

The rap is witty and flows well. Too long, not a fan of the skits

Honestly not bad. The remix at the end with Kanye went dummy. Rap needs to bring back skits!

Добре, але дуже затянуто. Хоча альбом йде трішки більше години, але відчувається на всі півтори. Можливо, це через постійні скіти, можливо через однорідні біти. Не знаю. Але, не дивлячись на це, альбом мені сподобався. Оцінка: низька-середня 6

Smart lyrics, good production, just over-long

Woof, what an album man. Wu-Tang is obviously one of the greatest and Ghostface is part of that reason. Combine that with some J-Dilla and DOOM production and you get something incredible

Ok

This was pretty great. It especially cranked up toward the end (Momma, Three Bricks...). I might be favoring hip hop unfairly cuz it's so different from the malaise induced by 1972 rock albums. But I'm a adult and i can dew what I want. 4 or 5.

kilos baby very clear directions to heart street :grimacing: ne-yo ice cube some big names dude jellyfish gives ice jj fish vibes sometimes saved The Ironman Takeover (skit)

3,1/5

JL : 4, Whip You With A Strap A : 3, Back like that (can round up to 4)

Maybe my favorite of the Wu-Tang Extended Universe albums of this list? Boys were back in town, the variety was good, the skits were short and infrequent. 3.5

not for me, thanks

There's some parts of this album I like, some that I don't. I could do without the skits.

Not my usual thing, but I really liked this.

Ghostface is fantastic. But this is my fourth hip hop album in 5 days. I'm tired, boss. What's funny about this album is that on top of including skits every few tracks, the beginning of every real song is at least 30 seconds to a minute of "fluff:" "Captain Kirk? What, it's the fucking Stark Enterprise, the Enterprise shit outside, or some shit?" etc. etc. It's...... kind of silly? It's also hilarious that Ghostface chose Ironman/Tony Stark as his on-record alter-ego, given that a couple of years after this record's release, Iron Man would become incredibly popular out of nowhere. Anyways. It's fun to hear Wu-Tang back together for a track here, but Inspectah Deck and U-God really seem to be phoning it in. Raekwon and Method are always locked in though...... And then they necro'd poor ODB, poor chap. Also - Ghost keeps asking people to turn the water down. Is that a euphemism I don't know about? lol "Back Like That" has a great hook. I like that Ghostface is pretty vulnerable on some of these tracks. He's getting cheating on, beaten with a belt for wetting the bed as a kid, fucking up a robbery..... it's a welcome change. I'll say this for every single hip hop album, and I'll always be right. It's too damn long. Good God. Why are they leaving money on the table? Release an album with 10-11 tracks in the Spring, and another 10-12 tracks in the Fall. Double the money! Right? Anyways. I enjoyed this, but it's too long, and there's too much fat on it. THREE STARS

Never listened to the WuTang clan, so did not have an excitement about listening to this either. Another hip-hop album with crude intervals, which instantly puts me off. There were a few ok songs, but they were lost in all the rest because it was way too long. Took me two days to listen to this. I would have no interest in listening to this again. Standout song was be Easy. second half was better, but still too long overall. 2.5 stars

Not quite Supreme Clientele.

This is awesome

Shakey Dog

There were definitely some standout tracks on here, like Barbershop and the really great closer Momma, but I think the more East Coast hip hop I hear on this list, the less East Coast hip hop I need to hear overall. Come on, give us some more West Coast already!!

Eh. I’ve enjoyed other rap albums on here significantly more than this. I also think it’s kinda unnecessary to hear these solo side projects from Wu-Tang members whose names didn’t have nearly as much staying power outside of the group. But I also admit I’m probably uncultured in this realm.

Nothing too mindblowing, but it's a solid rap album! The production is consistently great, and Ghostface Killah's flow is especially smooth on top of the more soulful beats. Also, the skits on this are fun! Bring back actual rap skits!!! Weirdly enough, the one track that I thought aged the worst (sonically, at least) is the final one with B.I.G.. The rhymes are clean, but the instrumental sounds like some free "grimy type beat" you'd find on YouTube. Standouts: The Champ • R.A.G.U. • Back Like That • Be Easy • Big Girl • Momma

The inherent flaw with all these best albums of all time lists is their insistence of including every Wu Tang member's indistinguishable solo albums. I'm tired, boss

As I age my interest in hip hop wanes and my love of Dad rock grows. Notwithstanding this I did enjoy the album - lyrically I generally struggle with rap with drugs/ gangs/ violence and cussing. This has the usual Wu Tang cultural references with the Tony Stark references being interesting as I think pre date the modern Marvel Behemoth. I like the Wu Tang and I like east coast beats so happily bopped along. His delivery is not bad but never a good sign when you prefer the cameo artists to the main event. Shame Kanye appears at the end to stain the album but no points deducted for this.

Fishscale I’m not sure where he sits among the Wu-Tang rappers. Method Man is probably my favourite but Ghostface Killah is up there, he’s got a distinctive cadence and tone to his voice, it’s very 90s NY sounding but it has a kind of controlled forcefulness I really like. The list of producers on here is quite mad, both in terms of numbers and names, and I particularly like the sound of J Dilla and MF Doom’s track. Although overall it has a great sound, a move away from RZA’s sound into a more well rounded and slightly more polished feel, if it doesn’t quite have the creepiness to it. He is a great storyteller, there’s some great narratives and lines, and it does share in the cinematic, filmic vibe as much of Wu-Tang, and he hits his straps early on, Shaky Dog, Kilo and The Champ are a great opening trio, with great samples and groove. As is usual with so many rap albums the skits upset the rhythm, but it picks up again with the MF Doom produced 9 Milli Bros with the rest of WTC. Ragu has a bit of a RZA vibe, and the Bacharach sample, particularly the high pitched strings are great. I love J Dilla’s typical percussion part on Whip You With a Strap, although the lyrics are a bit old man bemoaning children not having the shit kicked out of them anymore. Back Like That and Be Easy are probably the catchiest and most immediate tracks, and the version of Be Easy without Ice Cube is better I think. Clipse of Doom and Jellyfish are again great MF Doom productions, Jellyfish in particular is excellent. The Family Affair sample is great on Dogs of War, and Underwater is yet another excellent MF Doom track. I’m not as keen on Momma, the David Axelrod sample is good, but it doesn’t quite land for me. I like this and I like Ghostface Killah, but it probably isn’t at the same level as Liquid Swords, Tical or Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, so it hovers around 3 and 4. It is long, and the skits as always disrupt things, but I’ll tip to 4 as there are some great highlights and I enjoyed letting go round on repeat 👻👻👻👻 Playlist submission: Jellyfish

This feels like Ghostface (real name Dennis) has been on a highly rewarding crate-digging exercise and come up with some luscious finds, mainly late 60s-era soul (Stylistics, Delfonics, Freda Payne etc). It adds a velvety backdrop to what is a rather hackneyed ride through organised crime in the hood. The album is long, and there are a host of tracks that could've been culled, including myriad skits. It's trawls through the tropes of dealing crack, street crime, a struggling Mum that we all know appreciate even we didn't at the time, and smashing ladies with big buttocks.

Happy birthday to me. Too many skits but every rap album from approximately 1994 to 2007 has that problem. This shit fucking bumps. He is an incredible lyricist, imposing, quick witted, detailed, hilarious. Speaking of skits, Heart Street Directions had me audibly laughing even though it's 7th grade humor. Be Easy is an immediate add to the rotation. Production is almost uniformly awesome too. J Dilla and DOOM RIP. "I muffle motherfuckers up like Meineke". "DIDN'T I TELL YOU DON'T TOUCH THE SIDES? I'M GOING BALD ON TOP". "SpongeBob in the Bentley Coupe, bangin' the Isley's".

4.5 Was surprised that this was on the list over Ironman which was the album of his I'd heard before (and is great) but honestly this is fantastic too so fair enough

Den er egentlig alt for lang og spænder alt for bredt, men han er bare så god at det næsten er ligemeget

Elskede den her som teenager og jeg havde fat i den lange ende! Næsten ingen filler, vildt fede beats

Pretty long, but most of it was very good. Trying to bump my average rating a bit here...

Never felt too long despite being a long album. Didn’t really notice the skits.

Sigh. 1001 Rap albums to disappoint you before you finish. I've had three in the past three days. I'm done with this shit.

Im surprised by how much I am enjoying this - every song is so much fun to listen to if that's even the right word. I like this!

Some of the singing was off key. Some of the songs were pretty depressing. Skits weren't great but I've heard worse. Pretty typical 2000s rap.

This felt like a chat with The Champ at the local Barbershop.

This hip hop album is tremendous. (It even does skits well—short and sweet.) The beats go hard and are so re-listenable. Top tracks: "9 Milli Bros.," “Be Easy,” “The Champ,” “Jellyfish,” “Shakey Dog,” "Clipse of Doom"

weird.

--Shakey Dog...production is cool. vocals less so --Kilo...head bopper. sweet groove --The Champ...production is nice again but this is yelling not rapping --9 Milli Bros. (performed by the Wu-Tang Clan)...a little too chaotic --Beauty Jackson...almost a full idea --R.A.G.U....just not really digging the flow. or the lack thereof --Whip You With a Strap...can't argue with a Luther Ingram sample --Back Like That...Ne-Yo is here to add some much needed R&B --Be Easy...head bopper --Clipse of Doom...nice beat. that sustained guitar note in the background shouldn't work but it does --Jellyfish...I like the organ sample, but I've found the rapping on this LP subpar --Dogs of War...another cool sample --Barbershop...half track half skit --Big Girl...once again the sample is doing the heavy lifting --Underwater...the kung fu film wood flute sample is great --Momma...solid pop --Three Bricks...I'm getting conflicting info on whether or not this is a bonus track, so not sure if I should count it. If I were to count it, it would rank as one of the better tracks because it includes Biggie; whose flow is much better than Killah's

I like how lyrically dense a lot of the songs are. There’s a good variation, some fun samples and I love the trumpets and sax that show up. I think it goes too long and I’m not a huge fan of some of the skits. What’s with hip hop albums having an “I love my mum” song part way through, this is the second one in a week, doesn’t pair well with the way the rest of the album talks about women. Fav song: Kilo Least fav: 9 Milli Bros

There are some real fun songs and some great samples and sound effects, but I think lyrically and musically we’ve had better rap albums. I’m really just not a fan of his voice. Also all the iron man references and then skits like Heart Street Directions make parts of the album come off very childish to me. Favourite song: Dogs of War Least: Jellyfish

4/10 Coincidentally, I just got Wu-Tang Clan's debut album two days ago, so this album is quite timely. Unfortunately, as with Enter the Wu-Tang, there is very little of interest here for me. I appreciate the production and the beats, but that's about it. The lyrics are waaay too obvious (and downright awful at points), the rhymes are lackluster, and the album is roughly 10 songs too long. Just not for me (again).

Classic Ghostface. 9 Milli Bros is an epic Wu posse cut. Same for Dogs Of War. Choice Dilla tracks. Clipse of Doom is wild. Gotta shout out Cappadonna, love whenever he pops up. Classic album.

Yawn

Me parece que tiene canciones bastante pegajosas y los samplers lo hacen más entretenido y digerible

Jo - ist halt Rap. Ich kann damit nichts anfangen. Ein paar Lieder gehört, reicht für heute. 1-2/5

Thank you Marvel Comics for inspiring autistic black men to have amazing rap careers

This album felt stylistically all over the place. I enjoyed some tracks but felt out of the loop on others. Some really good raps from others featured on some songs as well.

Ghostface Killah’s rapping sounds effortless, smooth as butter. The beats go hard. The album would benefit from a trim.

Rhymes about hotties and selling coke that'll make your head spin—all over smooth old-school beats. Exhausting like a good autobiography. A thing I will probably never say: "Man, I really feel like listening to Fishscale today."

i liked this ehehe.

This manages to stay interesting all the way through and it’s a nice switch since this list seems to not have many rap records so far. 7/10

Pretty sure this dude wouldn’t be heard if he wasn’t in Wu-Tang. Fishscale falls flat.

Some great stuff on here. Good mix of rap hip hop and storytelling.

Meh

I usually avoid all rap since around, say, 1990. But this was alright, and although a bit long, listened to it all this way through and found my self rather enjoying it. Fair play.

As far as coke rap goes, this is as dense and tense as it got. An hour-long panic attack (but with beats!). I like Ghost just fine but in small doses as part of a crew. Here it’s just overwhelming.

The last of that 90s production

Ghostface is always a great rap storyteller, but the standout on this album is the incredible production. Dilla obviously kills on his tracks, but across the board the beats that are present for Ghost to work his magic on are excellent. Slightly too many features and skits and being slightly overly long brings it to a 4.

Seems cool on first listen. Never listened to any solo Wu Tang stuff before. Of course there are too many tracks and on future listens I'll skip the skits, but it's good.

Not really for me

It's fine. A few songs on this album are really good. Most are ok.

Classic

This felt like a "bulldozer with a wrecking ball attached" in 2006, and it's aged beautifully. He's a consummate storyteller, able to weave tall tales with such specificity that they must be true. And every track here* is filled with explosive writing and performances. Some people will qualify its excellence by pointing out his age and insist that part of what makes it great is that it's one of the best albums by a late-period rapper who is well outside their prime. But no qualifiers necessary. Is he wistful? Sure, but that was present on his other albums; this isn't someone looking back on their career and trying to make one last triumph. This is a rapper at the top of their game, age be damned. Now, does getting this album in the week when I'm still basking in the glow of a Knicks championship mean I'm possibly inflating it to a star? Whatever. Ghostface is my favorite Wu Tang rapper, and this is my personal favorite Ghostface solo album (and there are plenty of contenders). Five stars. *I appreciate living in an era where I can make a playlist of all of these 90s and 00s rap albums and omit the skits. So many skits.

Old school rap / hip hop with cool backbeats and dollops of intelligence amid the drugs-and-violence lyrics. It takes a bit of an effort to plough through a whole albums of this nowadays, but it’s pretty good.

1. The Return Of Clyde Smith (☆☆☆☆☆) 2. Shakey Dog (★★☆☆☆) -La instrumental se llevó las dos estrellas, el resto es pura mierda de negros... -Yiia yi-yi yiiia, yia nigga, yiayiayiayiayiayiayia niiiggaaaa... yi-yi-yia 3. Kilo (★★☆☆☆) -yia yia, yi-yi-yi-yi-yi yiiiaaa nigga 4. The Champ (★★☆☆☆) -yiia yia nigga, yiyiyiyiiyiyiiyiyiyiiyiyaaiyaiyaiyaiayaiyaia 5. Major Operation (★★☆☆☆) -La base se lleva las dos estrellas, el resto es mierda de relleno... 6. 9 Milli Bros (☆☆☆☆☆) 7. Beauty Jackson (★★☆☆☆) 8. Heart Street Directions (⯨☆☆☆☆) 9. Columbus Exchange (☆☆☆☆☆) 10. R.A.G.U. (★☆☆☆☆) 11. Bad Mouth Kid (⯨☆☆☆☆) 12. Whip You With A Strap (★⯨☆☆☆) 13. Black Like That (⯨☆☆☆☆) 14. Be Easy (★⯨☆☆☆) 15. Clipse of Doom (★☆☆☆☆) 16. Jellyfish (★⯨☆☆☆) 17. Dogs Of War (⯨☆☆☆☆) 18. Barbershop (☆☆☆☆☆) 19. Ms. Sweetwater (☆☆☆☆☆) 20. Big Girl (☆☆☆☆☆) 21. Underwater (★⯨☆☆☆) 22. The Ironman Takeover (☆☆☆☆☆) 23. Momma (☆☆☆☆☆) 24. Three Bricks (☆☆☆☆☆) -TOTAL = ⯨☆☆☆☆ (0,8) -Yia yia nigga, yiyiyiyiaaa ni-ni-ni ga-ga-ga, yi yi yi yi yi yi...

One of the better hip hop albums I’ve encountered. Few of the aversive turntable smeary sounds and a couple of really catchy tracks. May actually listen again voluntarily.

I just can't latch on to this style...

I was not previously familiar with the artist or album. It's a rap album, not something I'd ever seek out. Compared with other rap albums that have come up previously in this exercise, this one is not awful. I really don't care for the lyrical content, but sonically it's not bad. I still didn't get through the whole thing, and I wouldn't come back to it.

great album!

I hate skits. Why was this ever considered a good thing? Other than that I actually liked this album maybe a bit longer than it needed to be.

A star studded line up from great producers such as Pete Rock, J Dilla, and MF to solid feautures from Wu-Tang Clan members, Trife da god, and even Biggie. Ghostface is able to execute a messy yet interesting collage of stories relating to drugs, women, and his alter ego as Tony Stark (Iron Man). He attempts to grab the attention of both the general public and hardcore hiphop fans, and I believe he was able to succeed in that through both his rapping and layout of the album itself. Although I am usually not a huge fan of interludes in general, there were definitely a couple fun ones in this album and they did help in the story telling of the album as well.

Overraskende godt og groovy!

kind of an overwhelming thing to get one's head around in 24 hours but luckily you've got Shakey Dog right out the gate, announcing to you that you're listening to something hugely special. bursting with detail, electric, Ghost's raps somehow even bigger than the massive beat, sticking out at wild, electrocuted angles. a brief survey of other things i love: the posse cuts, the tenacity to just rap over a straight-up unedited r'n'b song on Big Girl, the way Beauty Jackson just dissipates into the wintry air, Whip You With A Strap's nostalgia-poison, Momma's jazzy, mournful rawness, and the attempted invention of a new subgenre (underwater rap) in Underwater

The back-to-back of Carole King & Ghostface Killah gave me a laugh. Good album packed with solid songs & lyrics. I liked most all of it and can tell he was an awesome member of Wu-Tang. I used to play as Ghostface on the Def Jam Wrestling video game.

Bra men ganska utdragen. Be easy tycker jag var klart bäst. Många kul gästartister, bland annat från Kanye West innan han blev ond. Rap från en svunnen tid som jag kan bli nostalgisk efter. Den här typen av hiphop finns ju inte längre, vilket är synd. En grej som drar ner betyget som vanligt är sexism, så jävla tröttsamt. Till Ghostfaces försvar är det i allafall inte så mycket av den varan. Helt ok album trots några djupdyk.

Excited for this album because I know it will be my style. Not excited because I can think of 10 better rap albums from the 2006 era that I’m pretty sure aren’t on this list but this one is. Into skit is fine. I don’t get the reference if it is one. Production on shakey dog is really really good. Love the horns. And ghostface can rap there was never a question of that. Really good story telling. Don’t like the beat as much on kilo. Very 90s. The champ is classic just blaze production. This song is really fun. Not sure about 9 milli bros. I don’t like the beat at all. Just a little repetitive. I’m such a sucker for skits and interludes. Not enough of those these day. Crack spot is much better. Cool production and again great story telling. Ragu is good not great. Another ok beat. I like when the sample comes in, those strings are really cool. Whip you with a strap is a banger. Sick beat and great lyrics. Love the piano on back like that. Good chorus too. This is a fun song again. Clips of doom is good wrapping but don’t like the production. A good bit of that on this album. Love jellyfish. Production is simple but works really well, sick bass line. Great bars again. Very interesting beat on dogs of war. I think Ikke it a lot. Cool sample too. Another good song. Barbershop is fine. Just a long interlude. Big girl🔥🔥. Another sick sample. And ghost face just keeps spitting. U like how it’s slow enough to understand. Underwater is good not great. Cool sounds but a little generic. Momma is an awesome closer. Sick beat, obviously I love the piano. Needed more r&b hooks like this. Overall I was blown away. I knew I’d enjoy it because I just like this type of music but didn’t think I would this much. Like I said at the beginning, there’s so many outstanding rap albums from this era and I thought since I’d never heard of this one it must be a tier below, it it wasn’t. It’s just another mid 2000s banger rap album. Not perfect, but a ton of really good songs. 4.1/5 stars.

I am not a a fan of hip hop in general, so my review isn't really necessary. Anyway. I found this annoying to listen to. It was relentless, overly long, and put me in a foul mood. Why all the Tony Stark references? Why all the inane skits? Exhausting.

Ghostface Killah не самый мой любимый Wu-Tang. Есть у него неплохие песни, но на этом альбоме ни одной

enjoyable!

I enjoy albums like this but probably in the same way that someone that knows nothing about jazz enjoys jazz

I've never been a fan of Wu-Tang Clan so I wasn't expecting to like this one but actually it rules, would've liked it more without the guest tracks and skits though lol

I like fish but not this.

Beats are good, but a lot of the raps sound the same. No need to be this long

Du rap

Pas mal

Sympa!

Favorite Track: Back Like That

I'm glad I read the positive reviews and didn't skip this. A rare rap album that I didn't feel entirely alienated from. Saying that, there's always so much swearing and death, isn't there? But: some great funky melodic backing stuff going on, giving it a totally 70s vibe. I'm going to say this VERY quietly, but I thought it wasn't a million miles away from Hamilton in places; it's his voice and phrasing. He's a great natural storyteller, as is his reputation.

Finally a wu-tang project actually worth listening to.

Loved this whole album from the sampling to the production!

way too long

This was let down by the length, I think... I really enjoyed the tracks individually, but this is a rating for the overall album, and it was too much to listen to start to finish without getting slightly bored or it feeling tedious at times. A good album should flow from top to bottom, and sometimes tell a story in a way. This doesn't feel like it does that due to its length. Again, the tracks individually are really good to listen to, with some outshining some of the others by quite a margin. I enjoyed the beats, lyrics, vocals, and instrumentation. Favourites: Whip You With A Strap Back Like That Kilo

twas aight, big on da gangsta life n shit but lowk mid ngl.

Got through 75 % of this and bailed. It takes skill and talent, no doubt, just not for me. 3 stars

намного дольше надо слушать чтобы прикипеть; за такой промежуток только поняла что все реперы хорни

I don't get this Skits stuff; it's just superfluous. I'm no Rap fan, but I respect Wu Tang, and this was pretty decent, not like the Raekwon album.

Wow! Amazing beats and amazing rapping. I feel like half of the hip hop albums on this list are from Wu Tang members and that is perfectly fine with me, because I've really enjoyed them all. Everytime a new solo album from them comes up, it becomes my new favorite. High 5!!!

not my thing

Dropping the needle on Ghostface Killah’s Fishscale brings an immediate wave of intense ennui. It is yet another mid-2000s rap album built on the exact same predictable foundations. You get the standard cinematic soul samples, gritty tales of cocaine cooking, and dense street slang. While the production is crisp, it feels completely indistinguishable from dozens of other highly acclaimed records from that specific era. Tony Starks delivers his signature frantic energy, but the formula feels exhausted. It is a well-crafted but Ultimately generic time capsule.

me ganhou nas beats pqp produção incrivel, meu casa assassinoh cara fantasma mandou demais nesse aqui

ou, esse eh bão hein. bem variado, beats fantásticos, bom uso dos samples, flow dum JOVEM vindo dum mano de 30 e poucos anos. bacana demais!!

Great album! Didnt know big girl was from Ghost. Loved it!

Pretty good! Not as good as Wu-Tang, but I enjoyed it.

Not as good as Methodical Man but it's WuTang. The Tony Stark storyline was interesting so I need another listen for that.

Never quite gets going, some of the tracks towards the end with collaborations are ok (Ne-Yo, Ice Cube)

Not for me.

oooh that's how you start the album. but got bored later, didn't listen the whole album

It was ok. 3/5

Meh

very dramatic kinda fun to listen to

Pretty solid.

Again, cringey skits bringing an otherwise pretty good rap album down.

The skits transition seamlessly, and the lyrics are definitely comical at times. Then, for whatever reason, the back half of the album blends in with just instrumental noises, and murmurs. I still don't know what to think of Ghostface Killa, but this is a great 2000s album, which unfortunately isn't common in this generator. Favorite Track: "Whip You With A Strap".

Actually vibed so hard lol

⭐⭐⭐ Hel ok, jag kan lyssna igenom hela albumet utan att hänga upp mig på spår som jag inte gillar. Men det är också lite för få spår som sticker ut som riktigt bra och albumet är för långt. Det blev dock några ads till gillar listan. Det får bli en 3a. Bäst är Kilo, The Champ, Back like That, Be easy, Dogs of war.

Like it 3/5

Rap/hip hop is the involution of music.

Capaz le de una segunda oportunidad, pero por el momento no destacó como un gran álbum para mí. Sí quiero indagar en esas colaboraciones de artistas porque había varios features muy buenos.

Too much fish, not enough scale

This grated on me more than most of this genre.

I enjoyed this more than expected. Clever use of rhymes and at times just plain funny (e.g., singing parts of The Champ as if Mr. T/Clubber Lang from Rocky III). Each song has its own distinct sound which made it feel more like a true album, unlike many others in this genre which sound like one long drawn out song that requires a lot of listening energy to get through. Not the case here. On top of that I learned a lot about cocaine. So, there’s that…

Open track/skit had me a bit worried. Though I would not like this but really liked it as it got going. Great collabs and I really liked ghostface. Only way I can think of describing his style is relentless. Shakey Dog is a great example. He just goes hard in the paint and I liked it. A little long and heart street directions was stupid. Oh and Kilo was great. Sounded like some gangsta school house rock. “All around the world today, the kilo is the measure. A kilo is one thousand grams. Easy to remember.” Love it. 3.5 but I’m just not there to round up. Very close.

I was enjoying this quite a bit and then Biggie showed up in a later track and that sealed if for me. 3.75/5

A few catchy songs that I liked the sound of, a fair few filler songs and I didn’t enjoy the skits that much

I tried and couldn't do it.

By far one of my favourite rappers. One of the best solo WuTang albums I've heard so far. The beats and samples are perfect, every guest verse is great and Ghostface's storytelling is off the charts. Won't call it perfect, but it's an incredible album, nontheless. 4.5/5

Not the best, but still enjoyed it

it was decent

This was really not my thing. When I think of hip hop that I do not like this is the kind of thing I imagine. There were some standout tracks I quite liked: Kilo, Jellyfish and Big Girl, but overall did not care much for it. Favorite Track - Kilo Least Favorite Track - Clipse of Doom ⭐️⭐️

Not for me

Never after listen this artist & album! its fine

Decent, catchy at times, but on first listen nothing that upped it to a 4 for me.

Didn’t realize how much of this album I knew. This came out right when I started doing a hip hop deep dive and I loved it, haven’t listened in a loooong time.

Really great. The beats were nice and he’s a great rapper.

Didn't mind that

my man balls be around there love coke rap so much. so good

Algunas están buenas otras hablaban demasiado de frota no es mi tipo de música

This was really good! Why haven't I listened to this more?

Loved it. 'Whip You With A Strap', 'Big Girl' stood out but I understand why this album is highly regarded

But why were the bonus tracks the best ones on the album?

Average album, nothing substantial or groundbreaking.

probably wouldn't listen to it again but i liked a few of the songs and liked the album as a whole

Solid Wu spin off, great production, samples and beats as always with RZA.

Ok

Solid

I'm not a huge rap fan but this was absolutely solid if not a touch too long.

A lot of intense subject matter. Ghostface is smart in both his social critique & his rhymes. The musicality is high level, although he loses me when he tries to sing. The album suffers a bit in its composition, GF is a bit unsure which character he wants to present— street sage, young punk, womanizer, or defender of women. I should listen again, but for now this is a 3+.

I really enjoyed the Wu Tang Clan album I had previously, and there were elements of it here but not as consistent for me.

Auf der Waage stinkt der Fisch und ich hör den scheiß dann nicht

It has its moments. Overall kinda meh for me, with a few standout tracks.

Een prima album maar het grijpt me niet echt. Ik heb het op verschillende dagen een kans gegeven dus daar ligt het niet aan. Er staan weinig tot geen nummers op die me heel erg aanspreken, maar ik heb dan ook weinig op met cocaïnehandel. Toch werken er potverdikkie grote namen aan mee. Uiteraard iedereen van Wu-Tang, maar ook J Dilla, MF Doom en Pete Rock. Dit tik ik uiteraard gewoon over van de Wiki, alleen bij '9 Milli Bros' had ik zonder toegang tot de Wiki met wat geluk goed gegokt dat het van de hand van MF Doom kwam. Ik heb het idee dat ik het onderwaardeer. Drie sterren. Het is niet anders.

There were some decent beats, but this album didn't do much for me at all.

Pretty good for what it is. 3.6

I thought this was really solid, probably my favorite solo album from a member of Wu-Tang Clan that I've gotten so far. Ghostface Killah's delivery is great, and his storytelling is sharp. The beats were well constructed and added a lot to it too. Perhaps a bit too long, but that's all right.

🐝

Ghost is for the children

Haven't seen this guy since 30 Rock! Great beats

An education

We used to make hip hop in this country.

Not bad. Some decent tracks here, good production. A bit long, but a lot of albums from this genre are.

Hasn't listened to anything last the second generation of Wu Solo releases. This was good, very cohesive

I had a rough time with this initially, but then it gradually got better by the second half, which is surprising because I usually just dislike an album I’m already not enjoying as I continue listening on. I liked the Iron Man stuff.

I was hoping I would enjoy this, but it’s just that one paced, slick, noughties hip hop that this middle aged white man gets absolutely nothing from.

This was ok, but ultimately not very memorable with nothing that leapt out. Blended in to the background. I’m dithering between 2 or 3 but will probably end on 3 as I don’t think it was bad. Just pretty non-descript.

This makes me feel old. Hip-hop after about 1991 - with some big exceptions - kind of loses me. That's 35 years! I feel like Abe Simpson - "I used to be with it but then they changed what it was..." It might have got three but I really hate skits between tracks.

Another album I worry that some of the themes are not ones I should be enjoying - but on a first listen I liked it quite a lot.

Meh. 2/5

I can't say I loved this one but it was pretty good for what it was

ja, definitiv. 4

Tönt immer ein bisschen gleich

Track numbers are according the extendad version on streaming platforms) Track 4 is such a banger, man... Also 9 and 10. 13 has very interesting production. 14 is really sweet. It actually starts a ran With the hard hitting 15, the incredibly produced 16 17. MF Doom production. 21 is a strong track 22 is another doom production. Nice one. 24 Is lush and lovely. One of my favorites here. I'll tell you what, It's a good album. With some bangers, and hard ones aswell. I really appreciate Ghostfece's rapping, and most of the production (especially MF DOOM, I mean...) as well. But I think it's to long. And some songs fell back to the sound that I less appreciate, of the 2000's hip hop scene. Still, got to respect it with a 3.

This is indeed the birth of cool

Meh

I wish I was more of a Wu-Tang Clan fan (or even afficionado), but there's something about each album from the Clan in this collection that just doesn't click for me. In some ways, though, "Fishscale" might be one of the more accessible and entertaining of the Clan-related albums so far, and I enjoyed his plentiful 60s throwback samples throughout. It's far too long (at least twice as long) for what it delivers, which seems to be de rigor for most of the hip-hop albums in this collection, and the skits are just annoying and useless, unfortunately. The highlights for me among the 20+ tracks are probably "Kilo", "Whip you with a strap" and "Be easy" (both versions).

Some great moments but hasn't aged well.

No private session used. Music was ok, but I don't like skits in my music and too much use of the N word. Won't ever listen to it again, almost didn't make it through one time. dafuq with all the ironman references???

Smooth production, great lyricist... all you can ask for in hip hop. A good album but nothing really stood out as amazing. It's a solid 3.5/5.

I liked it. Nice beats and flow. Favorite songs: Kilo, The Champ, Be Easy, Underwater

Was pleasantly surprised!

this was fun. classic 90s rap. i like classic 90s rap. thank you website for showing me that i like classic 90s rap. think i saved 3 songs

Was intimidated by the runtime at first, but the record turned out to be really great. Will return to.

This slaps for the most part

No idea who this guy is and didn’t really listen to the lyrics but the flow and style I enjoyed a lot. Plus, that’s a great name, fits the music perfect.

alright

The first half was a lot more captivating than the second. Seemed like he was fishing for a hit later in the album. Loved the first half though.

Cocaine tales, Wu-tang Clipse of doom

The first half of this album - sounds off. The mix is super thin. It's missing mids and lows so it sounds tinny. Listened on a couple different sources (Spotify, YouTube). Really like The Champ - just wish the mix had the instruments, beats and bass more filled out. 9 Milli Bros is great. Be Easy is the first track that sounds more full - bass hits better. Love the keys on Jellyfish. Then the next track sounds thin again. Man. This would be fire. The mix is just thin. If it was full, this could be a 5. Still a great discovery for me.

3.5

Everything Wu-Tang touches is great. I've yet to find a counter example.

I don't know if this is good or not, and I have no business telling anyone I do.

Didn’t hate it but don’t need to hear it again. Not a fan of this format where the music is broken up by “skits.”

I don't know enough about modern hip hop. I never in my life would have decided to put on music by someone called “Ghostface Killah”, and not to judge an album by its cover, but I wouldn't ever have been enticed to pick this up in a record shop. Well, I would have missed out if it wasn't for this project. It's really brilliant stuff. Ghostface’s rapping is great, but those samples are something else. Absolutely fantastic old funk and soul samples are the building blocks for some really catchy tunes. It feels like a loose concept album too, more like a group of themes with a strong sense of place and time. It gives off retro vibes, like hip hop from the 80s blended with more modern styles. “Shakey Dog” is definitely my favourite track here, but there’s stiff competition from the likes of “The Champ”, “Be Easy”, “Jellyfish”, and “Dogs of War” to name but a few. You’ll notice that these songs all have something in common: amazing use of samples from old 70s funk and soul records. The musical patchwork that makes up the production is so good, at times it reminds me of Kanye. Before today, I didn’t even know who Ghostface Killah was (I didn’t realise he was a member of Wu-Tang until I read up on this album). This project has served well so far as a much needed education on jazz and hip hop. And without it, I’d likely never have discovered the excellent music of “Fishscale”.

Pretty sick

More rap...

Good

Horrible. Wikipedia says "The album follows an organized crime theme, and is named after a term for uncut cocaine", and it's just pretty rubbish.

Not the biggest rap fan

Great, if a little samey. Production is crazy

Didn't totally annoy me.

Stereotypical hip hop

This album has so many little things in it that threw me back and it's classic early 2000s hip hop, complete with a "lost" Biggie verse. What sets it apart for me is the raw lyricism. He touches on quite a few topics (such as child abuse) that you don't hear much about in music. For being raw and honest I think it deserves a higher star than what I originally thought.

Flow starts off relaxed and slow, then picks up momentum. Each song has a different yet similar vibe (i.e. samples, genres, features), which I really love. I think "Fishscale's" forte is its ability to form a cohesive message within each unique sound. It continues the trend of 90s-aughts gangsta rap but with more storytelling than just straight up boasting. (4-4.5)

Nice for it's age, pretty listenable, but nothing particular that surprised or impressed me.

Rap

Len Houmous once ate 2kg of fish scales to impress a fisherman’s daughter. It worked. He married her. 4.2 27/27 Back Like That - Remix

Very good album

This is a really solid rap record, good variety of beats and styles which I think helps because Ghostface Killah has a very specific delivery. Love the Dilla beats :)

Lowkey vivid.

Great album, truly a legend

Ghostface is my favorite WuTang member individual discography. GZA might have the best album in Liquid Swords, but GFK is all over Wutang's and everyone elses best tracks. This might be my 2nd favorite of his, after Supreme Clientele of course. The production is pretty consistent even though there's so many contributers, I recognized Dilla and DOOM, and great to know Pete Rock hands in a couple. The skits as usual are pretty distracting, but the highs are pretty high. If it were a little more concise it would be perfect. My favorite tracks are 9 Milli Bros, Ragu, Jellyfish and Three Bricks. Honorable mention the Biggie, Ice Cube and Ne-Yo features.

Strong 3,5

This was great! Loved the features

26/03/2026 1. the return of clyde smith (skit) - not much to say! *2. shakey dog - like the beat... bass is nice. loove the horns. lyrics are reaaallly nice! *3. kilo - loooove the scratching and sampling immediately!! horns and bass are fantastic! *4. the champ - looove the beat drop! energy in this is fantastic!! guitar is great!! looove the wrestling bell!! lyrics are innsaaanee!!!! rip they guts out like a hysterectomy!!!??? samples are phenomenal!! scratching near the end! 5. major operation (skit) - this is literally six seconds. 6. 9 milli bros - loove the piano sample. really nice :) 7. beauty jackson - the strings! the bass! nice! love the end! 8. heart street directions (skit) - not massive on this skit lol. great ending!! 9. columbus exchange (skit) - 10 seconds.... 10. crackspot - had to change the version of the album to listen to this one... love the beat! love the strings and horns! *11. r.a.g.u. - love the sampling and strings throughout this album!! real nice again!! 12. bad mouth kid (skit) - not commenting on the skits anymore!! *13. whip you with a strap - love the sample and the siren sound... 14. back like that - nice! very smooth! *15. be easy - oo liking the start!! love the scratching. horns are great! *16. clipse of doom - love the guitar? electronic drone? in the background!! 17. jellyfish - still reallly liking this album, but getting sooo long right bow! love the organ? in the background. nice :) 18. dogs of war - definitely feeling the longness right now! still not bad though :) *19. barbershop - oooo love it! strings, bass and drums are fantastic!!! loove the backing vocals... 20. ms. sweetwater (skit) - 21. big girl - love the backing vocals and the organ in the back! good message i think? 22. underwater - liking the start... niice :) 23. the ironman takeover (skit) - 24. momma - the horn at the start.... kindof western? love the bass! like the rap sections more than the singing. not as mad on this one.... might be because i'm on track twenty-four!!!! 25. three bricks - as much as i've liked this album, i'm not complaining that it's almost over. not massive on this one either :/ reaallly liked the whole album, but my favourites were definitely 2-4 (completely phenomenal!!!) so it felt like it kindof fizzled out a bit, especially with the length of it.... an hour isn't toooo much, but with the sheer amount of tracks, it started getting a bit boring around track 16 - which would be fine if it had a normal amount of tracks, but isn't great when you still have nine more to go!

Yes! Finally something really good. 4.7

And so it goes that every member of Wu-Tang must have a solo album on the 1001 albums list. Unsure why. Nothing of interest to hear on this.

I love everything from the Wu-Tang and its various members and this is no exception. Fantastic production! So many good beats and, as always, great lyricism.

Some good beats and I don’t mind his flow but I didn’t find it anything special overall. Definitely didn’t help that I had to listen on YouTube and the songs were constantly out of order, like all the skits were together etc. and the experience was so plagued with ads (YouTube is taking the piss these days, the ads are absolutely endless).

Very good!

Maybe not as strong as some of the other Wu Tang solos and offshoots, but still plenty of great stuff here.

A kilo is 1000 grams, it’s easy to remember.

Ghostface is definitely one of the most consistent members of the Wu-tang and his albums are always worth a listen. This is the first time I've heard this and I was aware that it was considered one of his best. And I can't deny that there's a lot of great stuff on this, albeit like many hip hop albums, it's too long! But I'm not sure why it's in the list over either _Ironman_ or _Supreme Clientele_, which I think are more pioneering and in many opinions, better albums. They were certainly more impactful for me although this could just be because I'm coming to this much later. Anyway, after much deliberation this sneaked into a 4 star rating.

Gangsta!!

I'm not usually a hard rap person but I enjoyed this album!

Needs to be a lot more creative to be this crass in 2006

i'm sure it's very good but i still didn't enjoy it

Absolutely fantastic.

The usual hip-hop crap. The best part is that I finished it quickly and could go back to listening to music. 1/5

Pffft. This isn’t any different than anything else I’ve heard in this genre. Would I listen again? No.

I note that this album "received universal acclaim" upon its release which is strange because it's absolutely terrible, so clearly not everyone was consulted.

After a run of 9, that’s 9! classic brilliant albums I get this one. Know the genre and it’s not for me, but I really liked this, I thought the melodies and production were ace. Now I am actually thinking I will like Wu-Tang Clan if I get them. Who knew. I felt the skits detracted a bit from the album though. First skit – Return of Clyde Smith - What?! The second about directions to Heart Street and letting the young lady know it’s just off “D**k Lane made me nervous, until her well put “f**in pervert”, but the one about the kid swearing? Gosh this meme has been done to death, better than getting some poor kid to swear for your album would be to teach them how to spell. Its Killer not “Killah”.

Decent rap album marred by stupid rap skits. 2/5

6/10 The previous album by a wu tang clan member I got on this list still tops my list for the worst albusm so far (505 albums in), so I didn't have high expectations coming in. However, this one surprised me. It's not at all bad actually. It's still too long, the lyrics still contain a bit too much of the same hiphop cliches (and I care more for music than for lyrics anyway which is one of the reasons hiphop isnt generally my cup of tea), but the storytelling is better than most and the beats were fun and very listenable. Highlights: Shakey Dog Underwater

Oh god no

Ghostface's mile-a-minute stories and free associative lyrics, which make him one of the most fascinating Wu Tang Clan members, are on full display on Fishscale. But here he trades in the minimal beats of his early albums for lush, layered beats from a variety of producers, and they fit his rapping so much better that this is easily his best album. The hook on "Kilo" and the chopped up Sly Stone sample on "Dogs of War" are two of the best moments. Some of these songs - "Back Like That," "Big Girl" - are basically pop songs, but the rapping is still so good that the hooks don't make the songs sound less gritty. "Shakey Dog" is the total package, an exhilarating beat and one detailed, crazy verse that lasts for the entire song. This could be shorter and would benefit from fewer guest verses on the back half, but that doesn't stop it from being one of the best Wu solo albums.

2.5

So this isn't my thing. But. I wasn't bored, at least not usually.

The real hip hop

Fun album. Not my favourite to come out of the WuTang camp, or even my favourite Ghostface album, but there are some great tracks here.

Enjoyed this album...need to relisten to it and explore more in this vein.

This one really took me by surprise. The production was incredible and didn't get bored during the hour. 4S

Liked this more than I thought I would although it is a very long album - the skits were not as abrupt as other ones in other albums

This was very exciting to listen to! I loved the sampling and the multidude of genres explored in here, and, therefore, the beats and the instrumentals overall are just great. The flows are incredible, and some bars in here are so funny or perceptive or memorable. Definitely a bit on the long side; 24 tracks is a lot to listen to and, of course, some were less memorable than the rest. Favorites: Kilo, The Champ, Beauty Jackson, Heart Street Directions (Skit), Clipse of Doom

The theme doesn't really do anything for me, but I love the sound of this record. Love the samples, love the flow. Of course Ghostface gets great guests, of course he gets some of the best producers. You got DOOM, you got J Dilla, you got early Kanye, you got Pete Rock... it's almost unfair. Easily one of the best rap records of the '00s.

The back end of this album is much better than the start.

This was a surprise. I generally don't care for rap, but this was fantastic.

# Album Name: FishScale # Artist: Ghostface Killah # Rating: 4/5 # Comments: Some good beats on this album. I enjoyed it. One of the best rap albums ive heard on this list. It still suffers from the dreaded skits and long length though. # Top Tunes: Shakey dog / champ / 9 bro / bacl like that / be easy / doom / jellyfish / dogs of war # Would I listen to it again? Yes

I'll never forget the grand in a kilo again

Люблю рэп, но это не понравилось. Судя по отзывам, это бывший участник Ву Тэнга. Такое себе.

Another gangsta rap album crossed off, hopefully there's not many of them left.

Beats, flow, message

Rap is not my thing but do have to admire the story telling and rhymes. Definately a drug culture theme. Much prefer Australian hip hop and rap.