Fishscale

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.

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.

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

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

Du rap

way too long

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

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.

This grated on me more than most of this genre.

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 ⭐️⭐️

Never after listen this artist & album! its fine

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

Average album, nothing substantial or groundbreaking.

Ok

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

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 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.

Meh. 2/5

Tönt immer ein bisschen gleich

Meh

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???

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.”

More rap...

Didn't totally annoy me.

Stereotypical hip hop

Rap

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

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

2.5

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

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.

OK.

nah

Raps not my thing. Sometimes it catches me and it think it's great, others it does nothing for me. This was the later. I couldn't not focus on it at all. It got to the point that I was just waiting for it to be over.

Meh. Not as good solo as with Wi-Tang Clan

Ghostface Killah, iconic with Wu Tang Clan but this album did not resonate with myself. Felt overly generic lyrics and not hitting home enough. It may be a generational gap but was not what I expected.

What's the point of all the skits? It's already very long even without them. I was happy to hear Biggie, but that's about it.

Hip Hop/ Rap is just not really my thing. I listened all the way through but didn’t really connect with any of. I am sure for people who love this genre this is a great album but for me I am sorry it is not.

I think Heart Street Directions deserves special mention. It's not even that offensive, it's just unfunny, distracting, and derails the album. It's just a horrible inclusion on this album. It's another case of skits on rap albums undermining the actual music. Other than that, it was okay. It got old toward the end of the album, with occasional features at least sparking interest, though usually not meaningfully contributing.

I don't like rap, but this was somewhat tolerable. Still didn't like it but I didn't actively hate listening to it. I don't want to sound like a pearl clutching prude but I didn't like the sexual lyrics, especially some of the skits.. Back Like That was an alright song

Really unclear why I needed to listen to this.

A pretty solid hip-hop album, but it just didn't grab me.

(2/7) if you're looking for something to sing along with I'd recommend skipping this one

01) The Return of Clyde Smith - / 02) Shakey Dog - 5,5 03) Kilo - 6,0 04) The Champ - 6,5 05) Major Operation - / 06) 9 Milli Bros. - 6,5 07) Beauty Jackson - 6,5 08) Heart Street Directions - / 09) Columbus Exchange/Crack Spot - 5,5 10) R.A.G.U. - 6,5 11) Bad Mouth Kid - / 12) Whip You With a Strap - 6,5 13) Back Like That - 6,5 14) Be Easy - 6,5 15) Clipse of Doom - 6,0 16) Jellyfish - 5,5 17) Dogs of War - 5,5 18) Barbershop - 5,5 19) Ms. Sweetwater - / 20) Big Girl - 6,0 21) Underwater - 5,5 22) The Ironman Takeover - / 23) Momma - 6,5 24) Three Bricks - 5,5 TOTAL: 6,03 (60/100) Current ranking: 636/814

I added like 3 songs,it does sound pretty fire just not my type of music. I like how the album is like a story with the skits and stuff.Very cool

Obviously not my thing but I added a one song so tbere is it

2006. Ghostface being the most notable of Wu Tang. This had a great narrative element with a nice mix of artists and style. Its not the kind of rap style that resonates with me but it did evoke an older rap style.

Heavy on drug/crime themes and not really my jam, but I'll grant that it's well-made. Highlight: "The Champ."

Skits on rap records age so poorly.

4/10 How long is this album? I am sure I've been listening to it for 2.5 hours and I've still got 4 tracks of mysoginy, violence and profanity remaining. There is an element I enjoy - that being the music that is sampled. Should I give credit to this artist for that? If anything, it makes the originals considerably worse

Not made for me; I don’t hear anything that makes this better than other rap albums.

favorites: track four: the champ, track fourteen: back like that

His fifth album. Hip Hop. The production on this is really very good. Other than that it's full of pretty shitty lyrics, overused tropes, crap skits and is just too long, it went on and on. Yesterday I had a Mike Ladd album that was so bad I gave it a one. This album too is going to lower my average. Another bad Hip Hop album today (there are some great ones on this list). This scores two based on the production.

2006 my ass. Same old shit from 1984

I was moaning about how many shit albums I had ahead of me to my friend and he said "Oh, you have Ghostface Killah up today. At least you'll feel a bit gangsta" I did in fact NOT feel gangsta listening to this.

I don’t get it. I didn’t dislike it but what’s this album doing on this list. It’s not even Ghostface Killah’s best album.

I get why a Wu Tang album may be on the list, but this isn't deserving, it just sounds like another wannabe rap album.

Not a fan

not my jam on this one. it's quintessential mid 2000s hip hop which tends to bounce right off me. i don't care for ghostface's rapping style. it feels one note here and largely kinda exhausting, so for a album this bloated in length, i was itching for it to end. could not appreciate the emotion in this at all. it's not Bad i just really would like to listen to anything else than this.

Not a fan of rap / hip hop and this album hasn’t changed my mind

Random rap

He'll leave a ring around your eye and tread marks on your back. He's an animal, he's hungry. You ain't been hungry, since Supreme Clientele. Remember what you first told me when I took ya in. You wanted to be a fighter (Yeah). You wanted to be a killer (New York, stand up). You wanted to be the Champ! (Got your boy in the booth, nigga). You ain't hungry. Matter of fact I don't want you in my gym.

2.5

Another rap album I couldn’t get into but it was better than others I’ve listened too

I want to like it

HIs rapping is coherent and melodic and pretty good....just too much fluff in between songs on the album, makes it a tough listen.

Stretched the Wu-tang connection too far

He sounds very angry. I found the whole thing a bit monotonous after a while, and this was a looooooooong album.

A lot of voices heard previously from gorillaz records, but have never listened to any of them on their own. I guess it's more than ok, but once again it is not the music Į seek out on my own. Runs a bit too long though, especially with all the skits

It's not my style, it has no influence on me, but I admit it's worth listening to once, but not twice.

The first half was quite painful to listen while the second half provided more appreciable sounds and rhythms. Will probably not revisit this

This is a prime example of the type of rap music I don’t like. Since the music is shit, I’m forced to listen to the words. But that just makes it worse. I don’t understand how this can be popular. Are there many people who can relate to this? What I wrote might sound harsh, but I’m not going to give it a one star rating. Those are for next level crap like Arcade Fire and that horrendous Special Sauce album with the singer who sounded like he had a mouth full of food. Sorry. Rant over. 2/5

Some tracks not bad but others really not to my taste.

I’ve tried with Gangsta Rap, I really have. However, for every clever rhyme or interesting musical motif there’s another scatological skit or a barrage of m-f’in n words or an inexplicable reference to Tony Stark. By far the best track on here is a harrowing childhood memory “Whip You With A Strap” which I wasn’t surprised to see was one of two tracks on this produced by J Dilla. Two stars, purely for that track.

Instrumentals are class, pretty fantastic production, but the skits are so awful and a couple of the songs are so corny that both break up the flow so much that I can't recommend this.

2 but only because i don’t feel like listening. Will revisit later

Imagine having talent, then actively choosing to make this instead. 1.5

Even though there’s some cool beats, no. Not for me.

Wu wu!! Great samples and rhythms with misogynist, dick-centric lyrics. Man, why do you go and do that?! This could be listenable/shareable/even likeable music, but instead it’s a tasty cake covered in soap flake icing (like on my 6th birthday, but that’s another story…)

Not for me this style but sounds great for those who do like it, thx!

Great beats and all but you'd think by 2006 Ghostface Killah would have less misogynistic lyrics

A few decent samples here and there, but so not my jam.

Not my favorite

this was a bit fishy to me

Good production and flow but to me not the most exciting record.

The samples were decent. I thought the rapping was annoying. Most of it is quite aggressive. The best song was Momma.

I didn't really get it. I can tolerate rap and hip hop pretty well, I prefer the 90s stuff, but none of this really landed for me. Skits are stupid, Sharkey Dog probably the best track, not for me, thanks.

Sorry I do not care

No idea what this guy is singing about

This was my introduction to Ghostface Killah with his album "Fishscale". It wasn't a successful introduction. The album's concept didn't resonate with me and I found the skits to be an annoying intrusion, adding little value. But the real disappointment was the music itself. I was left wondering how the music was supposed to make me feel because listening to it caused elicited almost no emotional response. The lyrics, which I found to be clichéd and unimaginative, also failed to create any emotional impact. The album never surprised me or moved me. As an album "Fishscale" didn't connect with me at all. Two stars. 1 "The Return of Clyde Smith" (skit) (1/5) 2 "Shakey Dog" (2/5) 3 "Kilo" (featuring Raekwon) (2/5) 4 "The Champ" (3/5) 5 "Major Operation" (skit) (2/5) 6 "9 Milli Bros." (2/5) 7 "Beauty Jackson" (3/5) 8 "Heart Street Directions" (skit) (1/5) 9 "Columbus Exchange (skit) / Crack Spot" (1/5) 10 "R.A.G.U." (3/5) 11 "Bad Mouth Kid" (skit) (1/5) 12 "Whip You With a Strap" (2/5) 13 "Back Like That" (3/5) 14 "Be Easy" (2/5) 15 "Clipse of Doom" (1/5) 16 "Jellyfish" (2/5) 17 "Dogs of War" (2/5) 18 "Barbershop" (2/5) 19 "Ms. Sweetwater" (skit) (2/5) 20 "Big Girl" (3/5) 21 "Underwater" (2/5) 22 "The Ironman Takeover" (skit) (1/5) 23 "Momma" (2/5) 24 "Three Bricks" (3/5) Total - 48 Average - 2.00 103/1001

I finally got round to this. I didn't want to listen to an hour long album about organised crime and I didn't really enjoy it. The backing tracks were often alright, if you drifted off and just listened to the rhythms of the tracks it was ok, but if you listened to the lyrics, it was aggressive and messy, and sometimes really stupid. "A kilo is a thousand grams, easy to remember." Are you kidding me? Do they not know that a kilo is just 1000 of anything. Welcome to the metric system I suppose. Flipping stupid crime lord though. Also the intro to the champ sounded like Danny devito as the penguin. So it was hard to take any of that seriously. What to say. I heard it. They're clearly talented. I didn't enjoy it much and then it ended.

Surprise, I did not like this and it makes me feel old for saying so. It's loud, it's obnoxious, it's lewd, and it's just not that great lyrically, musically, or creatively. The only song that was ok was the one with all the wutang dudes.

Idk I didn’t think this album was that interesting and it was on the longer side. I expected more, especially considering the producers. I’d say 1.5 but I’ll round to 2.

Not my thing, just average rap

2.5 - decent

Download this song for free at Youtubepromo.com 4/10

Rap. Interesting. Some good backing tracks, lyrics pretty much of a much.

Women and drugs and guns, oh my!

Not for me, but I can acknowledge that it is good for what it is.

Fun listen. Lots of skits. I did like two songs on the album and added them to my "Likes" on spotify.

Not my vibe

Not my taste

Je l'ai écouté. C'est ça.

I was surprised to see this record was from 2006. I assumed gangster rap was completely played out by then, and it shows in this way this album comes together. The writing and production are tight and create some interesting songs, but the whole package is woven together with uninteresting skits, excessive sexism, and unending references to violence and drug culture. I guess one part of the album can’t exist without the other, but it weighs heavy on how worthwhile it is to visit the album almost 2 decades later.

Standouts The Champ

As someone who doesn’t typically gravitate toward rap music, Fishscale was an intriguing listen, though not entirely enjoyable for me. Ghostface Killah’s lyrical prowess is undeniable—his storytelling is vivid and often cinematic, painting gritty urban scenes with impressive detail. However, the rapid-fire delivery and dense slang made it hard to follow at times, leaving me feeling more overwhelmed than engaged. The production is eclectic, with soulful samples and hard-hitting beats that occasionally caught my ear, especially on tracks like “Shakey Dog.” Still, the overall sound felt chaotic and disjointed to my tastes. I can appreciate the artistry and passion behind the album, but it didn’t resonate with me emotionally or musically. For fans of the genre, I imagine Fishscale is a standout. For a middle-aged white male, it’s more of a challenging experience than an enjoyable one.

I even liked it at first for the sound and work with samples but it's impossible to listen farther without skips

So so.

Enjoyed more than expected - Sian Deb did not listen

Great raps. Great beats. Usual issues I have with rap with the unnecessary interludes and language. Deserves a higher rating but not something I'll listen to again.

Started to like this then fell off for me v quickly. Some bizarre skits as well

2 out of 5. It ran a little too long but there were some good songs here.

Not dissing the bars and all but did not find it to be easy listening back to back. There were a few standouts, like 'Back like that', however.

i really want to like this. the j dilla/mf doom songs are fantastic, but there is just too much inbetween to justify coming back regularly.

This did not do it for me - the 00s R&B vibes really do not mix well with the Wus and the themes. Also, obviously too long.

Listened on holiday in Crete after day at the pool. Have heard of Ghostface from Wutang so had some expectations and was pretty much what I thought. Not my sort of thing at all. Didn't enjoy the misogynistic tones which I thought had gone by the time this album was released, but was littered throughout. Didn't get the Tony Stark references and even the samples didn't hook me in. Not really for me, which is maybe the point.

In the right mood maybe, but I’m pretty much never in the mood for this.

Supuestamente el mejor álbum en solitario del que muchos dicen que es el miembro con más talento de los Wu-Tang Clan. En principio, promete. Musicalmente es una mezcla de temas entre el gangsta rap de los 90 y el rap/R&B más melódico y con una producción más compleja de los 2000, lo que hace que el álbum no se haga aburrido a pesar de ser bastante largo. Hablando de la producción, es especialmente buena. Las bases son una pasada, llenas de capas y efectos, y con mucha variedad de una canción a otra. Las letras giran alrededor de las cosas típicas del rap de su época (drogas, violencia, mujeres, etc.), cero innovación por ahí. Pero las rimas, por lo general, son interesantes y el flow es genial, la fama está bien merecida. Cada dos por tres hay algún skit de esos tan típicos, que llegan a irritar un poco. Pues no sé cómo calificarlo… un álbum de rap más. Muy bueno dentro de su estilo, sobre todo la producción, pero tampoco es que sea algo revolucionario.

Nothing life shattering here. Just some ordinary rap album. Didn’t recognize a single track.

Long.

I went in expecting to hate this because I assumed it was more gangsta rap. It was and it certainly wasn’t for me, but I could recognise the quality of it. I didn’t care for the skits throughout it and it went for too long but I didn’t hate it.

maybe in 10.001

Not the worst Hip-Hop album I've ever heard, but I just don't get it.

Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh

Meh. There are better versions of this

Kan godt lide lyden.. men som altid er hiphop stilen / attituden / sproget ikke noget der tiltaler mig..

Fine, a few bits that have stood the test of time but plenty that made me cringe with today's views

Fine/okay rap, not for me.

The was meh for me. Wu-Tang hit hard for me, the solo album from a member just didn't have the same vibe. Nothing notible in this album minus a couple decent lines.

Standard disclaimer...not a fan of the genre. Technical pieces were fine. Won't be on my playlist

Solid, glossy rap, but goddamn is this thing long.

Aggressive rap, could've been worse

Not my jam. Too hokey, and soooooo long

It all sounded the same after a while. Some good parts here and there but I just couldn't get into it

On the one hand, great production and beats. On the other, and I say this with full awareness of what hip-hop has always been like, the lyrics both bored and bothered me in equal measure. I'm quite keen to fill in the gaps of my own knowledge when it comes to the Wu-Tang Clan and their associated solo projects, but having filled this gap, I can ignore it from here on.

Ghostface is regarded by those in the know as the strongest rapper/mc in the group but I think in that case, because he’s so imitated his stuff doesn’t stand out at all. The highkights were when others like GZA and ODB showed up

Beats er fine, tekst er tung, siger jeg inta og en skid.

Dum 00er Hip Hop

First and probably last time that I’ll listen to any of the songs on this album. I just don’t dig the style.

I would have figured more from one of the Wu Tang.

Not my brew

I tried 4 times to get into this album and couldn’t :/

Pants

This wasn’t really my thing.

Not great and them childish skits get annoying after a while.

Greit nok til ein rolig lørdag

I am not a really big rap fan. I did like learning about cocaine, though.

In high school, Wu-Tang Clan could unite hip-hop heads, punk kids, and sportos as easily as red Solo cups. Half of the appeal was the music, half was buying into the mythos. Maybe that’s a backhanded compliment or just a sober assessment decades later. Listening to any Wu-Tang related record means setting aside some sensitivities—the celebration of the life often comes with a heavy dose of misogyny and profanity. Fishscale is no exception. The strongest tracks are Ghostface at his best — no one can deny The Champ, Whip You with a Strap, and Back Like That— but the album is longer than it needs to be. There are more I'd keep around: Three Bricks, Be Easy, Dogs of War, Clips of Doom, Shakey Dog, 9 Milli Bros, R.A.G.U., and Kilo. But the weaker tracks can’t run with the rest. And, the skits? I’d filter them all out. The best moments save the record, but they’re working hard to hold it up.

Raps not my thing but if I’m going to listen to rap this is a style I don’t mind. Enjoyed quite a few songs. But holy cow I don’t have the attention span for that entire album it had like 27 long songs. Did not finish.

didnt listen to the whole of it, and it isnt really the usual stuff i listen to. not bad but wouldnt listen to again

not for me

Orders of magnitude better than the near-unlistenable 36 Chambers. Here, we see Ghostface Killah's evolution into a hip-hop artist who actually knows how to place interesting instrumental loops behind his vocal. The rapping itself is not great, with Mr Killah having a pretty standard voice for the genre and the overuse of expletives leaving little room for lyrical creativity. But that's a problem with all post-1990 rap. And, like most of the genre, I've learned to mostly tune out the lead vocal, because there's nothing interesting to find there. The little I gleaned from this album was glorification of gang and drug culture, which I'm not a fan of. 9 Milli Bros, Kilo, Underwater, and most others highlight these themes in a stark spotlight. I have to give a shoutout to Jellyfish for having the most obviously terrible lyrics on the album. (I'd give an example here, but the entire song is at fault.) What of the music, the compositions, themselves? The album starts off pretty well in that regard, with the non-skit consecutive songs Shakey Dog / Kilo / The Champ / 9 Milli Bros actually making an enjoyable run of tracks. I've gotten used to the muted, "radio"-ish quality to hip-hop production from this era and it's used skilfully on the horns in Shakey Dog and The Champ. Lots of head nodding from this guy. The light guitar picking, backing vocals (especially in the chorus – it's darn memorable), and saxes in Kilo are also great. The choruses of Back Like That involves singing by Ne-Yo, which is also pretty fire. It's no wonder that this song was the biggest hit off the album, and that Ne-Yo would go on to be a much more successful artist than Dennis Ghostface. 2/5 Key tracks: Shakey Dog, Back Like That, Three Bricks

Didn’t enjoy the skit interludes. Very, very angry album. Not my bag.

Impossibly too long

I can see there's talent here but it's nothing I can listen to.

Bufff, este pese a durar lo mismo que el otro se me ha hecho mucho más largo. Me gusta Wu-Tang y gran parte de la producción está chula, pero el gangsta rap de este palo no me suele gustar y este es un caso claro. No me parece nada destacable y me he aburrido demasiado para que me parezca decente. Canción destacada: Back Like That

Unc the album

Boy there are some big names attached to this album but it just doesn't seem to hit the spot for me. Goes to prove that you can't get it right all the time.

It’s ok

Not my jam. I liked the sound of some of the songs, e.g. Big Girl, Three Bricks, with the strings and horns behind the rapping, but I didn't like the rapping itself. The meter, rhymes, and subject matter were not appealing to me. Reading the wikipedia page, I seem to have missed the narrative complexity of the album.

Not my style

Enough with Tony Stark

Not for me

It has a few good songs, but it drags for too long IMO.

Could be the greatest rap / hip-hop album of all-time but the whole "skit" thing is just baffling to me. Some cool tracks here, but just can't get my head around this particular structure of album.

Meh. It wasn’t terrible, but it definitely didn’t hook me at all.

No. Just no.

It didn't sound bad but it just didn't grab me for whatever reason

There were a few moments I enjoyed, but overall this was just not for me. My standout: The Champ

Räbälinja jatkuu. Keskimäärin vähän kädenlämpöiseksi jää kyllä tämä.

Did not finish. I guess I liked it musically but. I know rap is misogynistic but it was just a lil hard to listen to.

Not a fan of rap but I liked the backing music and samples. Didn’t enjoy the subject matter.

First of all, not my jam. But did have some energy and interesting hooks that rose this effort above others that I've heard in this genre. Gives it a bonus point...

Quite boring hip hop following similar patterns of standard verses followed by high pitched chorus/riff. 2.5

No thanks

2006 hiphop had better to offer than this

Kinda Wu tang vibes from this, not much of a fan. Middling 2.

Albumi #47, 13.09.2024 Wu-Tang Clan -jamppa Ghosface Killahin viides sooloalbumi ilmestyi vuonna 2006.

Large hip-hop album with a bunch of skits. Was ok. Stand-out: Back Like That (Remix)

2/5

Another complete surprise choice for any Top 1000. I know the name, heard a few songs over the years.

The best thing that came out of this album was Heart Street Directions

More songs about motherfuckers and bitches.

Very explicit. A little conform.

To all the Americans who write reviews about twee British Indie music that they think shouldn't be on the list; this is my version of that. I like a fair amount for rap, but this seems to bring very little to the genre. Boring skits, bitches and hoes, some fair beats. I've heard it before 100 times and don't see the value here.

# 298 : meh! Rap is STILL not my thing. Shakey Dog

Ghostface does a good job creating some interesting stories, and is very talented lyrically. I just feel like the gansta rap thing had kind of run its course by this point, and this one starts to wear out its welcome partway through.

I didn't really care for this album.

Some really nice grooves. More diversified and more listenable than other hip hop stuff. But a full hour of hip hop is still too much for me. 🤷‍♂️

It's good for what it is, but I just don't care about it.

Ik had hier zoooooo geen zin in. En ja hoor, meteen begint het geklets weer. Toch is er enige afwisseling, en zowaar dezelfde grap als ooit gemaakt in de Stratemakeropzeeshow: 'Kunt u mij het Drollenpad wijzen? Nou, dan moet u daar de Piessteeg door, dan het Poepjesplein, dan de Lulletjesbrug over en dan Kutjesstraat rechts...' Ghostface Killah is de Aart Staartjes van de hiphop! Probleem: ook dit album is weer veeeeeeel te lang. De begeleiding (of: de collectie gejatte samples) is nog enigzins funky. Dus om nou Frans Bauer op te gaan zetten, da's ook weer zo wat. Een heeeeeel mager tweetje.

I liked this album. As with 99% of rap albums that indeed skits, they were of course absolute shite. Enjoyable throughout though.

it’s hard for me to look past how gross and stupid so much of this sounds

fish

wu-tang club really isnt my vibe. from liyrics to vocals to production everything is ass. maybe with a different cultural background I would like it more.

Призраколикий убивец. Окей... рыбья чешуя... окей... жанр -- хипхап... океееей....... Я уже настроен скептически, а вступление уже лоупитчем бухтит ЙОУ СЛЫШ БРАЗА ТЫ НЕ ПОПУТАЛ КОРОЧЕ СЛЫШ Я РАЗЪЕБУ ТЕБЯ СЛЫШ. И чего и что.

starts of bad, gets decent for a couple of songs, then back to bad

Snore

Not my favorite Wu Tang solo album, but it was ok. While nothing really rubbed me wrong, it just didn’t hold my interest, so I probably wouldn’t listen again.

a kilo is a thousand grams, it’s easy to remember!

"Liar, liar, pants on fire, you burnin' up like David Koresh" I can recognize the talent, but I don't much care for this style of Rap & Hip Hop.

Wu Tang & Staten Island, a lot going on…at the least, I now know how to get to Heart Street. For a first & probably last listen, it could’ve been worse.

Some nice beats here and there, almost too good for the album. It would be so much better as instrumental record, instead there is too much of bad style rapping all over it. Pretty hard to to listen to the whole album in one go.

Didn't stand out much to me.

Finns trots allt någon form av melodi i några av låtarna.

Not my cuppa tea

Good grief. This was interminable and boring. I don’t like his voice and don’t get the point of the skits. Nothing grabbed me on a casual listen

2.4

Mas hip hop, bastaaaa.

Album 334 of 1001 Ghostface Killah - Fishscale Rating : 2/ 5 Decent album. Still not my thing, but this one was not all bad. A bit juvenile at times, but aren't we all?

Enjoyed a couple of tracks

Decent background music, not a fan of the skits

So many rap albums age poorly. This is included.

Thought I was going to like this album, but I did not. Ghostface Killah's rapping style is just too abrasive.

- "Rip your guts out like a hysterectomy" - Not my thing but I respect it - 2.5

I am not the audience for this.

Not my style of music but there were some songs I liked more than the others like Be Easy.

I am curious....this must be a list for folks in their 30's

1.5 - I'm a bit conflicted on this. As a disclaimer, I am way outside of my comfort zone, as I hardly ever listen to rap unless it's for the 1001 albums list. I did listen to Enter the Wu-Tang forever ago and thought it was kinda good, but none of their solo efforts that I've listened to have been as good. The beats here are fine. I could see some of them being used well by rappers that I do like, but I don't really care about the way they're used here. I didn't appreciate the misogyny in some of the tracks. It rubs me the wrong way, but I fully expected it to be there. Some of the subject matters on this album overall were questionable, from what I gleamed, which is why it's getting such a low rating. I'm not one to usually comb through lyrics, but they're hard to ignore in rap a lot of the time. I promise, I can like rap, but this isn't exactly what I'm looking for. Oh, also, the skit about threatening to beat a kid felt weird. Like, I get that maybe it's funny that the kid is cursing at him, but him threatening to beat what I assume to be someone else's child is crazy. I don't really get why that'd be funny, but I usually don't get rap skits anyway. But yeah, really not what I'd usually listen to, and I don't know almost anything about Wu-Tang Clan or the members, so I don't really have any knowledge of the influence or importance of this record.

It was okay

Pretty generic sample-heavy hip hop. I much prefer when there’s a written synth line or when the samples have been so chopped up that they aren’t recognizable. This is just straightforward samples under pretty straightforward bars. Way too long too.

I don't know I tried to give it a shot

I didn't really like this one. Will I listen to again: 0%

Like hearing Biggy but other than that not for me

I thought it was a bad album I know a lot of people will disagree but it was almost like it was trying to but every type of situation you could rap about almost like a checklist.

Ghost’s flow and lyrical ability are almost always great but the beats, samples, background vocals and interludes in this album were mediocre at best and brutal and cringeworthy at their worst. A couple of tracks were worth saving on a playlist but I don’t think I’ll be seeking out the rest anytime soon.

Greit nok til ein rolig lørdag

Good rap album but I generally don't like rap too much.

another solo album by a member of the wu-tang clan. i am white, and i'll freely admit i am probably missing nuance on this album. i'm not quite sure what ghostface killah put out on this album that wasn't already out there. it's fine for the hip hop genre, but i don't understand its presence. i do also believe this album was simply too long; it didn't need to cross over the 1 hour threshold, at all. the misogyny of "back like that" was unfortunate since that's one of ghostface killah's biggest hits.

I will say, it has been interesting to see and observe on this project how several members of Wu Tang Clan have gone on to have successful solo careers. However, I'm already not much of a rap or hip-hop fan, so I find the majority of these works to not really be for me. This album wasn't an exception. In any case, I'm grateful for the continuing education on the breadth of success that the members of WTC have had.

Not a great listen, forgettable

Has some good moments with nice beats and flowing rap, but overall, this was a mostly annoying and too long gangsta rap album.

Music 👍 lyrics and skits 👎

I was going to have a really long rant but I'll keep it short and polite by just saying I really detest this "in your face" attitude and culture. I can appreciate some of the finer musical moments and beats, but seriously, just fucking grow up.

What I love about Ghostface killah or old Ghostie is his love of the small things. Ever the gent Ghosties lyrics deal with the minuatie of life with tender articulation and considered verse. For example his song 'coffee and crumpets' is about a conversation he had with his friend about undercooked crumpets and poor coffee. Being a great lyricist, he has actually used a metaphor, what he's really telling us about is mental health and the difficulty for men to express their feelings in an environment of extreme preducice and brutality where toxic masculinity is their only defence. There are also some playful and creative songs like 'fly unicorn fly'. Which atempts to describe what a unicorn might see and feel as it flys over a rainbow! Good stuff.

Yet another ex-1001 album!™ http://1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie.wikidot.com/album-artists-a-z-ex I wasn't too fussed with this.

I appreciate the skill and the construction of this album. I like the sampling, the backing tracks, backing singers. I just don’t really appreciate that themes and rapping.

I never gravitated to this era of hip-hop. Wu-Tang never landed for me, so it leaves me kinda cold.

Ok

Doesn't do much for me - it all seems a bit hackneyed

Just not enjoyable.

Enough with the fucking skits.

One of the better albums of its genre but still not my thing

Nope

5/10

A late release for the gansta rap genre. Some nice songs, others not so. I am not an specialist in any shape or form, but couldn’t find anything special in this work. I don’t think it has been influential for other artists, or if it took risks and pushed the boundaries of the genre. Not a bad album, but I am trying to understand why I need to listen to this before I die.

Able to tolerate this more than others of the genre. The scats are naff.

Little too long but production was good

I learned something recently. Rap stands for 'rhythm and poetry'. It differs from hip hop in that rap is a vocal style and hip hop is a musical and cultural movement. Hip hop apparently has four elements. Based on this album I would have guessed those four elements are: misogyny, violence, homophobia and drugs, but it turns out they're actually: DJing, MCing, graffiti and dance. Rating: 2/5 Playlist track: The Champ Date listened: 01/04/23

Some of this was surprisingly fun and catchy, like with the repeating choruses at the beginning of the album. The album could definitely benefit from better editing though.

Yeah nah.

Albums with lyrics like “I shot one of my bitches, she wasn’t trick enough” tend to just drop really low on the chart for me. Cool instrumentation for a rap album. That’s all I got.

njooooooooooo

Toffe beats met tering teksten, zo jammer.

Zonder rap klonk het als een fijne laidback versie van Funkadelic en Parliament. Maar dat was niet zo.

Helemaal met Sander eens dat een instrumentale versie van deze plaat me een heel stuk beter zou bevallen. Maar dat oeverloze gezwam over allerlei stoere dingen die meneer Killah heeft uitgehaald in zijn leven is doodvermoeiend en ronduit vervelend.

Bij de eerste track liep het me bijkans dun door de broek. Gelukkig werd het nog iets minder erg. Duurde wel veel te lang.

Aight

Rapping innit

As background music, I quite liked the sound of most of the tracks. But on closer attention to the lyrics - no thanks!

I didn't hate it, but not really for me. Too dark and violent.

It was OK.

This is okay. Kind of like Jay-Z with way more gratuitous swearing. Parts seem very interesting with good samples, but I don't quite see how this is a breakthrough in music.

Uhh. Yeah, hate the topics and personality of most all of these songs, but totally dig the beats behind a couple of them. 9 Milli Bros, for one, is great. Also, dig the 1970s vibes that run behind a lot of these songs. However, the underworld thug-y garbage themes rest above the beats is super-disappointing and difficult to listen to.

At least the samples he uses are from good songs.

I looooove the sound of Whip You With A Strap’s main hook. Getting whipped does not sound great. I imagine that people with that sort of fetish (not that there’s anything wrong with that…you do you) feel something as sumptuous as this lady singing, “Take me across her lap, she used whip me with a strap,” when the impact happens. Most of the music and samples are fine enough, but I’m at the point in my life where overt misogyny is a turnoff.

Rapmuziek is niet mijn ding. Ook dit album niet. Moeite om me op de muziek te concentreren, en idem voor de tekst

2.5/5 neat, starts strong but tapers off as it goes on

it's fine

Way too long, too many dicks, too many skits. Gets a two because some of the beats were catchy.

Bang average rap record.

Man I get so bored of hip hop. I did sorta like the few more soulful R+B tracks. No disrespect but it ain’t for me

As with my previous reviews of Wu-Tang Clan and Raekwon, these types of rap albums really struggle to hold my attention. According to spotify there are 27 tracks on this expanded album, and I just haven't the patience to work through all of them. So I am bailing after two tracks. I'm just not into this

Some ok tracks and didn't hate it but overall a bit generic and didn't love it. So 2.5 stars? Afraid it'll round down to a 2.

Not for me.

Not really my typical music.

2, some good ones but also long

Know thyself. I'm 34 years old, white, from the suburbs. I can't relate to a life of drugs and crime. I don't want to live a life of drugs and crime vicariously through Ghostface either. I just don't really give that much of a shit about hip-hop. I can appreciate that it's got catchy hooks and great production, but ultimately Myself knows this is a respectful no thank you, Mr. Killah.

Dude was 15 years late to the party without a fresh idea. I bought a hip-hop t-shirt yesterday. It was not this.. We haven't had any Carpenters, Zappa, Farnham, Fu Manchu, Thelonious Monk, Queen, Something for Kate, Russian Circles, Tori, Bjork, Beastie Boys, RHCP, Ben Harper, Doors, Avalanches, America, Hendrix, RATM, Skrillex, Low, Sunn, Soundgarden, Leadbelly, Cat Stevens, Kiss, Pink Floyd, Metallica, A Tribe Called Quest, 10000 Maniacs, Lauren Hill...,. But this - m Kay.

While I don't enjoy it, I do acknowledge it is an coherent album, with fitting concepts and relevent skits. Also the production is very good. I don't mind hip hop but this couldn't stick in my brain.

Hip hip. Coñazo machacón y repetitivo.

Not really liked

Better than I had expected

This seems a transition between OG (rap style) and OG 2.0 (music behind the rap). I prefer the OG.

Definitely better than some of the rap albums we’ve had, enjoyed hearing a bit of Neyo and the song Momma was quite nice. Felt like a long album

Not the worst

I do love the music. The "skits" are totally grade-10 juvenile stuff but still provide some interest - to a point - in making this feel like an album rather than a collection of songs. His voice/vocal style and lyrics are tough, though. Real tough. There's this urgent-sameness to his vocals that I do not love at all on the most uptempo songs. And as much as I try to - and mostly do - ignore lyrics, they're just .... ehh. Way too much gangster for me and at some point it's like...come on. Rating wise i'd have given this a 4 for the music/production but the vocals/lyrics completely submarine it as a fun listening experience for me - after the first handful of cuts I was ok with it but holyhell by the end I was desperate for this to be over. 3/10 2 stars

I've never heard an album by Ghostface or any of the Wu-Tang clan, so had to have a couple of listens before elements started clicking and coming together. At first it didn't move me at all, but second time round Ghostface's lyrical talents came into focus and I started to pick up on some solid storytelling (see the opening proper, "Shakey Dog"). I definitely appreciated it more by reading the lyrics alongside it- the more I immersed myself, the more I understood why it was praised as a cinematic album. Although the narrative tracks stand out, the repeated braggadocios between Ghostface and often other Wu-Tang members ("9 Milli Bros", "Be Easy", "Clipse of Doom") do nothing for me. "The Champ" is the strongest of these and would have done the running time a lot of favours by standing on its own. As for the skits, I didn't find them too distracting by the end, but there seemed to be quite an overreliance on them at the start which disrupted the momentum. The second half had some hidden gems, from the surreal narrative of "Underwater" to some lovely lush soul samples ("Jellyfish", "Big Girl", "Whip Me With a Strap"... though these did just make me realise I'd rather be listening to soul music). I was torn between whether using a whole Stylistics track in "Big Girl" was an ingenious move or just lazy sampling. Either way, it made for one of my favourites. Finally, props to Ghostface for showing a more positive, nuanced representation of women in tracks like "Jellyfish", "Big Girl", and "Momma" than I've heard in other rap. I'm giving this one two stars for now. Even though there was a lot I liked on second and third listens, I had to really make an effort. It's just not my usual style, and when listening without the lyrics it began to feel really long and dragged quite a lot for me.

More garbage

Знаю 2 трека, Kilo и The Champ. Реп 2000-х, по большей части отличается от остальных треков этого времени, наверное его можно назвать хорошим представителем своего времени. Нового и интересного не услышал.

eeeeeeh..... it was banging but the potty humor and anti-women stuff made it a miss for me

It's ultimately just not my cup of tea. It's impossibly to not let personal preference get in the way of voting here. But I'll take this over Bon Jovi or Kid Rock any day. Awful first track, but the remaining tunes are decent enough.

Its good hip-hop ; really creative samples. I like that there are a lot of textures. Other than that, definetly not my thing

бля не понимаю как этот чел отбирает альбомы ну это пиздец. в 2006 такой реп уже устаревший был и у того же гостфейса есть и получше материал

Unremarkable for the most part. "Kilo" is kind of good. N-word is used a lot throughout the album.

This one surprised me a bit. I expected it to be 0-star level atrocious. Instead it was actually very decent and I even really enjoyed a couple of tracks. I absolutely hated the "skits" and interludes. Luckily there were less of those as the album went on. And admittedly I didn't read up on the lyrics and didn't pay attention to them. But from the scraps I consciously heard here and there I suspect I might possible have rounded the album down to a 2 if I actually read them... But instead I'm rounding up because it changed some of my preconceptions and that's a good thing.

Reggae and Hip Hop are gonna be two genres I'm gonna struggle with a lot. I'm sure it's good even tho it's not for me.