Fishscale

Favourite track(s): Dogs of War; Three Bricks Don't know why you would start an album with incoherent babble for one minute. Maybe that was just for the Expanded Edition. Also, I dont like skits on albums unless they are absolutely iconic, which in this case they are not. Some big names on the album but I had never heard of Ghostface before. Even though it is his album, he does remain quite flat in comparison to B.I.G. or Ne-Yo. Doesn't help that the album is just too long. While that seems like a lot of negative thoughts, the album was actually fairly listenable. It just did not spark all that much emotion.

tykkään Ghostfacen tyylistä, mukava kuunnella ja sopivan ei-niin-väkivaltaisen gansta. meni hieman tasapaksuksi puuroksi taustamusiikkina kyllä

Myönnettäköön heti alkuun, että tämä levy tarvitsisi kuuntelijan, jolle on luontaisempaa keskittyä sanoituksiin kuin itselleni. En sano näin siitä syystä, että levy on räppiä, vaan siksi, että sen tarinankerronta vie minutkin mukanaan aina, kun onnistun keskittymään siihen. Tämän lisäksi kappaleiden taustat ovat lähes kauttaaltaan tyylikkään melodisia, ja niihin on lisätty pieniä musiikillisia yksityiskohtia, jotka toimivat parhaimmillaan koukkuina. Uskon, että voisin pitää tätä neljän tähden levynä pitkitetyllä kuuntelulla.

Some good stuff but too long! You know the rules. 46 minutes or under

I appreciate Mr. Killah's enthusiasm for explaining the metric system on "Kilo" and his Iron Man references before they were cool.

There’s a couple songs I was more into. As usual, could have done without the skits.

Bit of a mixed bag: the stuff I liked I really liked, but also lots of less good stuff, and the skits...

Not for me, but not bad.

3.5

This genre is my Achilles' heel, but I'm glad I listened. I enjoyed the story telling, vignettes & the weaving of other musical genres into the songs. My major criticism is the overt use of curse words & sexually explicit content - that has been the main reason I'm generally turned off by this genre (it's lazy, in my opinion). But the album was solid & ended up listening to more of his music. 3.5 stars.

Listened Before? N Man, I really liked this as far as modern-ish rap albums go. He's got a unique style. That being said, some of the collabs and especially the extended cuts on Amazon are really bad. Just a keyboard sample with unorganized rapping over it. I'll give him a break though because that was clearly not part of the intended album. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Shakey Dog

decent rap album, more storytelling than albums nowadays are. Musically its also good.

I can't really judge this album - as i don't know hiphop that much. I know Dr Dre, Eminem, various other more well known artists, but nothing about Ghostface Killah. What I got was that it was average production, some OK rapping, but nothing amazing, and fairly basic loops. it's OK

I liked it, but probably more appreciated by the Wu-Tang aficionados. I can see why Action Bronson almost got beatdown for sounding like and talking smack about Ghostface Killah.

Pleasantly surprised with this one. A lot of great tracks. Some duds. Not normally my scene but pretty good.

28th June 2022 Listened while in the office. Went to see Jack white in the evening with sav and Nathan. Liked this but not as much as other rap albums I’ve been given so far on here. Whilst a wu tang legend, I wasn’t sold on the whole tony stark skits.

Some good, some meh, none bad

Некоторые треки понравились, но, в целом, альбом не показался выдающимся. Обложка очень четкая;) Будто вернулся в РФ 90-ых годов. 5 из 10

I like the production

Was better second time around, think it can improve the more I listen to it. Should come back to it. 6/10

Not really in to rap - enjoy more laid back hip hop but I liked some of the tracks e.g. Back Like That.

Un bon projey solo mais loin du wu 3

It's aight.

I appreciate this man’s love of Tony Stark.

Terrible name, okay tunes.

Decent hip-hop record, I like The Champ the most with the horn arrangements. Otherwise, it doesn't strike me that much - a lot of songs about vengeance and pussy which doesn't interest me that much - still the general sound of beats and his vocals are much preferable to e.g. Cypress Hill. You get small wiffs of WuTang Clan but it is more straight.

There's a song from SDvR 2007 in it so good throwback

Im not really great at identifying good hip hop but I know how to turn off what I absolutely hate. This aint it.

Hell of a solo WU album. Have to imagine being produced outside of and not featuring a lot of WU chums this outing is all Ghost. He can hold his own to fill an album. 3.5/5

This album was removed from my version. Another example of a newer album added and then tossed out instead of pruning the moldy old sacred cows. I don't love this album. I'm a Wu-Tang fan, but I take the unpopular opinion that Ghostface albums aren't that great. He is an undisputed master of storytelling, but I don't find his albums compelling as someone listening to a piece of music. Fishscale is a concept album about coke dealing, so more than most even, it's a thick narrative with the songs themselves de-emphasized. On top of that, it is 24 tracks with far too many skits. As an adult in their 30s, I want my hip-hop albums to be about 14 tracks with zero skits. I'm a firm believer that each genre has its own optimal album length - it's not a hard rule, but on average, I want my punk albums about 25-30 minutes, my hip-hop albums to be about 45-50 minutes, my rock albums to be about 50-60 minutes, and my drone albums to be about 100 minutes. At 65 minutes with 7 skits, this album drags. Still, it's not terrible. There are plenty of forgettable Moby Grape and Love albums on this list that deserve to be on it way less.

Wu. Wu peed on your rug.

Man Ghostface, you got bars. It sucks that your delivery is so grating to me. The production here is top notch as well, with some excellent features throughout.

Pretty good hip hop album, too long as usual but some interesting musical choices and there were some very interesting rhyms. However a little to samey to earn anything higher than a 3.5 🌟

Not my taste

Really cool

Rap is growing on me. The gangster violence and threats, misogyny, drugs, potty-mouths and tales of impoverished "life is harsh" must be becoming normalised for me as I didn't mind this LP of drug lord iron man peddling "fishscale". It helped that the samples and bscking music was familiar, soulful in and funky and not too abrasive. The rapping was rhythmic and clear. I might even look forward to more Wu Tang related material...

it wasn’t terrible but it also wasn’t anything new I think it was just completely mediocre I actually liked some of it which is surprising to me but it wasn’t out of this world

Enjoyed it. Nice album.

not really interested

Hip-hop sin miramientos. Muy del estilo. Sin nada especial que destacar. En ocasiones un tanto más intenso. Lenguaje típico

I preferred Ironman and Supreme Clientele.

alrighty

Pretty good

Dilla, Doom, yes. Ghostface, sure. Overall, I guess so.

Good stuff. The guy is an incredible lyricist, but I felt like I had to pay too much attention.

im a huge fan of enter the wu-tang but the rest of their stuff just never really resonated with me. This one is still a really nice hip hop album and sounds better to me than most of the other solo projects.

Pretty good album by ghostface. The features were solid. Interesting to have the same song on there twice but with different artists. Lyrically it was good but not great. 7.2/10

The production was excellent across the album. The delivery and flow of the rhymes weren't to my liking.

More easily listenable than Kanye, in my opinion. Still not a big rap fan.

Listened to this one passively but I liked some of the beats I heard. Was much longer than anticipated

One time, Ghostface Killah's manager threatened me because they didn't like how I was selling his merchandise at his concert. So I have beef with Ghostface. But he does good raps, lots of words and keeps it going. The skits are fucking lame though.

Gangster rap. Pretty good. Some parts boring for me. Fav songs beauty jackson, kilo, the champ, momma

Was okay.

Inte jättebra för att vara rap

Something i never expected is ever heard an Rnb song with ghostface killah in it, it's different but its good

This was hood. Some great hooks going on and some great collaborations too.

c'etait pas nul, c'etait pas particulièrement bien non plus. Un album à très vite oublier, il faut se reconcentrer sur le prochain match

сопливые переживания ниггера по поводу того, что мамочка порола его ремнём

По саунду звучит будто старше своего времени, почему-то вижу стык тысячелетий. Но упоминание PlsyStation 3 немного молодит. В целом норм альбом почилить на фоне, настрой задаёт. Однако интересным ни на трек не кажется.

It's rap, but with so much variety. V good.

rap just isn't really for me. i understand i'm supposed to love wu tang and all that is associated with it, but in all honesty it just doesn't do it for me.

Oh yes, I enjoyed it. With "Be easy" being the Best song.

I approached this album filled with dread. I haven't had much luck with the hip-hop albums on this list. I'm still waiting for a great hip-hop record. This isn't it, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I expected. The first cut isn't encouraging. It's a skit, but the voice is so distorted, you can't even make out what the person is saying. It gets better from there. Now, it's true that the subject matter is mostly the same old, same old. But at least the imagery is inventive and vivid and the gangsta vibe is heavy. Not my thing really, but if you're gonna do it, you might as well go for it. The samples and loops are well-chosen and varied. Best of all, the beats are bangin'. The loops and the raps intersect in ways that propel the music forward like a rocket. Now, I wish the music was a bit more complex and it would have been more interesting if the tunes were punctuated with live instrumental breaks, like Cameo did in the 80s with the likes of saxophonist Michael Brecker, or even some decent scratching, but Ghostface Killah wisely keeps the tunes short, so you don't have time to get bored. He also intersperses the tunes with "comic" interludes, which also helps. YMMV. I'm conflicted on how to rate this. On the one hand, Fishscale is damned near perfectly realized. This is EXACTLY what Ghostface Killah was going for. On the other hand, I despair of the lack of ambition and Ghostface's narrow vision, both musically and lyrically, given his obvious talent. Update: Ghostface also skillfully integrates modern R&B vocals into the mix later on in the album, which is a plus, and there's a bit more variety to the subject matter than I first thought. I added half a point.

Fuck I forgot to listen to this. Default 3. Sorry ghost.

Production: 13/20 Songwriting: 12/20 Innovation: 11/20 Bangers: 10/20 Emotional response: 13/20 =59 Yes I very much enjoyed this - only one mark off a 4*

Ok

Meh. I just don't like swearing in my music. Takes me right out of it.

Very mid noughties

Er, hoje não, Faro.

7/10 - Cool rap album, doesn't bring nothing new in 2021 of course

I've not listened to Wu-Tang / Ghostface Killah before, and I'm surprised at how much this album reminds me, in structure, to Tenacious D -- I know it's really probably influenced the other way, but the skits and the over-the-top lewdness. Kinda fascinating. Highlights: "Kilo", "Whip You With a Strap" and "Back Like That"

I like the semi Lo-Fi vibes. Killas flow def wears me down, hes only got one sound and speed. Top 3 songs Shakey Boy, Three Bricks, and the irreverent Kilo 3 out of 5

skip the skits, they dont add anything and are too disjoint to make this any attempt at a concept album. "9milli bros" is the hype-anthem and would have been a strong album opener. "the champ" is worth a listen. "Be easy" is also another stand out, but becomes repetitive with the forced syncopation.

Never actually heard him out of Wu Tang, pretty cool

Semibängeri Slässic hip-hop

Freshe beats für einen jungen mann wje mich

Better then I thought. Like the horns, background singers (esp on kilo). The Tony Stark references are funny (I guess this was when Iron Man was out), but its never going to be an album I would recommend

Wutang Clan Forever, maybe this album only once in a while - a few tracks were amazing, several samples felt juvenile.

Never heard this before - pretty bad ass - such a tough sound. I defiantly have ‘n word’ fatigue - Rap has got to evolve - the first track is horrible

I enjoyed this much more than I was expecting.

Not really my style but I can respect the production values and thematic vision. Listening again, it’s growing on me, it’s very tight

Fresh beats, tight rhymes. What more could you ask for?

Like a series of The Wire, on an album. Read the lyrics while you listen

false

Solid hip hop.

Great hip-hop, waaaaaay too many skits.

Solid album, shows the dominance of the members of wu-tang in the 90s

was ok. I don't like the skits..?

Got better as it went. Liked the R&B stuff and Be Easy.

goeie hiphop staat bij mijn favorieten 3.5/5

Too many skits - wasn’t as good as I thought it would be

Not as much my vibe, but I like the beats/production.

The Champ is too good!

Wasn't too bad considering its not my thing and went for over an hour. Some really catchy tunes among the filler. 3/5.

Taustamusana töissä, niin ei saanut kyllä oikein mistään kiinni.

Mais um disco de intermináveis interjeições onomatopaicas: Yo, yo, yo!

He's a great story teller. Some of the background music is excellent. Just not for me.

Nicht meine Art Rap

Perhaps I wasn’t in the right headspace when I listened, or maybe it’s because I can, in no way, relate to this genre or Ghostface, but this really didn’t land with me.

Ruined by countless interludes, and a pro child-abuse track

I like some east coast hip hop, but ghostface's yelling vocal style gets a little grating when the album is over an hour long. I like some of the beats, but unfortunately my favorite song on the album was Back Like That - Remix, which is just a song by k*nye...

There were some good tracks on this but it is ruined by the skits. Why? Why do they put these in? Do they actually sit there and write them? What do they add to the album? Are the execs sitting there saying “We love the tracks you have here but it would really benefit from some random snippets of conversation that sound like they have come from a low quality soap opera and are equally poorly acted. That would take this to the next level.” Could we please have skit-free versions so we can just focus on the music?

Okay in places, and the delivery of most of the lines are confident and have a good flow but again, the problematic content, and bitty nature of it as an album is really shown up here. The album also lacks a really killer song or at least run of better quality tracks again, exacerbated by it being broken up so much, I’d much prefer if it found its groove and stayed there.

There is so much talent on show here. The subject is the usual ‘gangsta’ one of killing, threatening, misogyny & too much the N word (which if I say it, it’s racist). Spoils good tunes as they’re relegated to the background a lot of the time. Obviously too old

Meh meh meh. Beats meh, bars meh, lyrical content weird and bad. Not my fave

I think im just not meant for WuTang's sound. I was in a horrible mood for this listen and there were moments but very very few.

Not my favorite hiphop album. I found it quite forgetful and boring...

Can't do it today

It’s another hip hop record. On the positive side, there is some music and singing on the album. (We learned that Ghostface can’t sing). The samples that were used show a lot of knowledge of older music. On the negative side, the album is a bit too long. And as usual, there is too much talking about violence, shooting, and drugs for me.

I don't like 90s hip hop, but maybe 2006 hip hop will be more my speed. Turns out: nope. Major themes: violence, drugs, women (negative). The beats are more interesting than 90s stuff, though the delivery is less melodic. Had to search out some of the missing tracks, mostly all the "Iron Man" related ones, which was annoying. Lyrical content definitely not my speed. I wasn't mean to join the [[[Wu-Tang Clan] Fan] Clan]. (Bilingual) slur count = 110. Highlights: Some good vowels. The track with Kanye (alas) and Ne-Yo, 'Back Like That'. Hm, does Bruno Mars reference this line in 'Uptown Funk'?: "Sometimes I look in the mirror and want to kiss myself, I'm so pretty"

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

Ok

not for me, thanks

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

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.

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

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.

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

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).

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

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."

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

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

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).

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.

4/10

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.

Some good beats and samples but his voice doesn’t work for me. Also the skits were super stupid and annoying

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