Fishscale

🤢🤮💩

Cohesion: - Songs are focused on a clear story - Instruments and production feels like they belong together - Perfomance suits the beat and mood - Story telling rap that bridges the sections toegether - Style seems intentional rather than confused Production: - Does sound like the rapper is fighting with the sound as theyre on the same level of volume so vocals arent that clear - Vocal recording has that 2000 feel which seems intentional - Good quality of samples and recordings - Tracks sound finished. Songwriting: - Storytelling and cinematic incorporates live recordings in the interludes which immerses you in the album and also makes the album flow naturally as each interlude links to the song and vice versa - Has some memorable beats but after the first few songs they all belong in the same family so not much of a variety - Songs develop without repeating without purpose - Reaches a satisfying ending Enjoyment: - Not that mentally stimulating as its struggled to keep me engaged - Made me reflect - I can recall bits of the moment after it ends mostly the storytelling - What I can remember after it ends is its - Balanced production, has that 2000s feel - Some of the interludes remind me of Cowboy Carter Radio Kntry which Beyonce may have taken inspiration from - kinda makes you join the world of the album - Low to medium replay value to me Songs liked: 4/27

I've never heard this one - would've assumed Supreme Clientele would make the list but I was interested to hear another of his solo LPs. It was good - I liked that he worked with different producers, although RZA is great, the influence of some other types of sound is cool - I like The Champ and MF Doom's ones too. Also interesting that he explored some lyrical themes beyond the normal gangster topics

Fantastic album, lots of fun. great tunes. Would recommend

Nope

An album for teenagers who think, that listening to this terrible collection of songs makes them cooler.

Solid album with good production and great flow. A bit long though. Rating: 5/10 Favorite Song: R.A.G.U

J Dilla an MF Doom’s contributions lift a solid rap album to a higher level.

★★★★☆ **Ghostface Killah – Fishscale (2006)** **7.5/10** I've always enjoyed Wu-Tang Clan, especially Method Man and Raekwon, but somehow I'd never gotten around to listening to a Ghostface Killah solo album. After hearing *Fishscale*, I'm wondering what the hell took me so long. This album grabbed me immediately with “Shakey Dog.” Ghostface's delivery is incredible. He packs so many words into his verses, and the way he tells stories reminds me a little of Eminem. The production is excellent too, with those soulful, funky East Coast beats that I love. “The Champ” and “9 Milli Bros.” were early standouts, and hearing the Wu-Tang members together on the latter was a highlight. At 17 rated songs on the expanded edition, this is exactly the kind of album that would normally start losing me around the halfway point. Surprisingly, that never happened. A big reason is that most of the songs are relatively short. Even when a track wasn't among my favorites, it never overstayed its welcome. The second half didn't have quite as many standout moments, but it remained consistently enjoyable. “Whip You with a Strap” and “Jellyfish” were probably my least favorites, and even those weren't bad songs. I also enjoyed the variety of guest appearances. The version of “Be Easy” featuring Ice Cube was a highlight, and “Three Bricks,” featuring Raekwon and The Notorious B.I.G., was a fantastic way to finish. It's always satisfying when a long album saves something great for the end. My individual song ratings averaged 7.06, but the overall listening experience deserves a little extra credit for its consistency, production, and ability to hold my attention throughout. I gave four songs an 8/10, and I could easily see a few of those climbing to a 9 with repeated listens. I'm settling on **7.5/10 for now**, but this feels like an album that could easily become an 8. More importantly, it made me want to explore the rest of Ghostface's solo catalog. That's a pretty successful first impression. **7.5/10 — 4 stars.**

So so close to a 5 star album probably just went a little long with to much filler.

Yeah, just not my thing

Not bad, kept moving forward nicely

This has all the problems of hip-hop albums on this list (too long, misogynistic, violent, repetitive), but to a lesser extent than other albums, so I’ll let it sneak 3*.

Vintage Kanye was so good he could elevate anything.

Just don't care

Ack. Maybe a 2.5 -- some songs were sorta catchy but it's not my wheelhouse and quite a lot of dumb interludes.

A motherfuckin' hip-hop masterpiece from GFK. With beats from Dilla, DOOM and Pete Rock and some of Ghost's tightest bars, the entire project is hot fucking fire. RIP to the posthumous appearance of ODB on this record also. Not rating the bonus tracks, but obviously they're also fire. Key tracks: "Shakey Dog," "Dogs of War," "Underwater"

Would have been 4 stars without the skits.

Meh

great stuff tbh i love all the features

Si bien me sorprendió porque pensé que me iba a gustar menos, se me hizo muy largo el disco. Pero eso, me gustó más de lo que esperaba.

A few serious bangers, big fan of a lot of the production. Solid NY rap. Was surprised by the boomer-esque "we need to hit kids again" song but only mildly. Overall a bit drawn out but like i said there are some really fun ones. Favorites include The Champ, 9 milli bros, Momma.

Easy listening, bumping delivery Highlights: "9 Milli Bros", "Whip You with a Strap", "Jellyfish"

It’s alright, some good songs, liked some more than others but overall a good time :)

Too much rap on this list.

There's a lot of people who are just out on this genre in the same way I am out on most rock from the 70s and 80s. Meanwhile, yes please.

09/29 Lame generic rap. Nothing special

Pretty dang good. I gotta get on that wu shit. He’s super high energy, an intelligent lyricist, and a good story teller. There are some gems in here, and the feature list is stacked, aside from all the other affiliates. I’m in on it. Not a full four, because it’s a long album and it’s not a full lineup as far as content, but I’d say 3.8 or so.

Yeah nah not even one song finished

En del bra melodier. Tänk om man slapp den snabba rappen och fick lite sång istället. Back Like That bäst.

Fuck! What have I done to piss off the 1001 universe? This has got to be the 8th in a row of unlistenable stuff. I'm going back to bed.

I seem to have missed out on a genre. Love the music, haven’t checked if the lyrics are problematic!

better than I expected! He's really got groove.

Mix is weird - drums and bass aren't as in your face as you'd expect. Unique sound - Kilo has distinctive soul female vocals and some brass hooks. Boom-bap with the soul samples? Full fusion of east and west coast? 9 Milli Bros has a jazzy piano Can hear that it is pushing boundaries for hip-hop, but it's hard to articulate why exactly And i like the rhyming style, stacking rhymes upon rhymes, almost breathlessly Repeated references to Tony Stark and Iron Man? Best track - The Champ, Be Easy 3 stars - It's definitely interesting and unique for hip-hop, but I just don't really like it particularly

Täähän oli ihan menevää riimittelyä

Tässä oli ihan hyvää tekemisen meininkiä, yllätti.

Saa tästä kii ja ihan jees rähinää rekordsilla. En usko, että kuitenkaan asioikseen jaksas kauheesti kuunnella. Voi se olla, että joku nykynuorisolainen tästä löytäs ihan BÄNGEREITÄkin.

Taustamusana töissä, niin ei saanut kyllä oikein mistään kiinni.

I didn't find myself really enjoying this album much until "The Champ" started playing. After that, I was hooked. I'm not much of a skits guy for albums, but I did find the ones on this album quite funny. I feel like this was a solid 4.5, but I'm okay with a 5 for this one.

Great, he seems inspired and really into it. Part of Wu-Tang. Good beats and musicality

As with anything Wu Tang related, always ridiculous but at least it has a heart.

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

Damn this album goes hard. Loved a lot of tracks on here.

Not my usual cup of tea, but the flow was killer. Way too much expected misogyny and general inappropriate-now-but-even-in-its-time, so ehhhh.

I was tangentially aware of Ghostface Killah, just from featuring on various songs. Never listened to a full album by him, and I'm glad I did. This album is so well produced. The rhymes and flow are great. The beats are all so varied and it makes the album a real delight to listen to. Sometimes hip hop gets a little repetitive, but this throws some different styles throughout. I thought I'd be more annoyed by his voice with a full album of just him, but really it just works. It's borderline a five, the skits kind of worked against it a bit.

Pretty solid rap record of the time. I enjoyed the different features and the production was also varied and good. I don't care for the skits that are present in these older rap records, but oh well it is a product of its time.

Good flows, and does use some really cool and original producing, making some great songs.

3.5

Vibes like a mix between the Fugees & late 80s gansta rap.

This is a great album. I have found myself listening to some WTC member solo efforts and feeling like they are missing, well the rest of the WTC, a lack of Variety and breadth I guess. This album gives that variety and breadth. There’s humour, story telling, just wordplay for the sake of it, there’s a whole lot going on here.

trumpets go choo choo or thats train idfk man i am soooo tireddddd aaarrgh

Not half bad, a little bit on the long side. Some good features here. Overall a pretty solid album.

The quality was good, but I don't like this style of rap as much as other styles in the genre. It felt a little too serious.

This record felt much shorter than an hour, and honestly, it was nice, but nothing special. I think Ghostface takes himself too seriously sometimes.

Som mange andre plater fra 90- og 00-tallet, kunne de fint ha fjernet 5 låter og plata hadde blitt bedre.

Kom meg gjennom hele skiva. Ikke det verste jeg har hørt av rap. Egentlig ganske variert og tidvis glad musikk, til tross for det fryktinngytende navnet hans. I sjangeren rap er dette en femmer.

Et par gode låter som underholder. Kunne blitt en firer, men her er det for mye fyllstoff.

I like this immediately maybe it brings me back to that era of hip-hop. It’s pretty long and doesn’t deviate much but I really love the core fundamental of this. Also surprise Kanye feature.

Pretty fun sound most of the time

#253/1001 🇺🇸 I would love to hear the non explicit edit of this album. I'm a bit mixed on this, didn't love it but didn't hate it. I think that there is probably a bit too much going on to really appreciate it in one listen. Best Tracks: Back Like That, Clipse of Doom, Dogs of War, Momma.

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

The beats are solid, the delivery is excellent, I'm sure there is something I'd like here... But I'm just really, really not in the mood.

3.53 stars out of 5 for this one. One thing I've noticed between West Coast Hip Hop vs. East Coast Hip Hop, the sampling is solid, but the hook for every song continues on and on, there's no real change in the flow of the song, it's basically the same sample over and over with rapping over the top of it. While this works really well, it can get a bit old on longer songs. Thankfully, Ghostface Killah keeps most of these songs around the 2-3 minute mark with some gems in the 4 minute range. Standouts: Shakey Dog Kilo Be Easy Well worth a listen or 2 or more.

Not for me, but it’s good

There is no way that I can listen to 27 songs of this garbage! I started listening and made it to song 15 and had to leave. I came back and started the album again, and I still think it is mostly just noise. Not a fan! I was so happy when it was over!

War für mich n sehr durchschnittles Hip Hop Album, warum ist das hier auf der Liste?

hab ich mir schlimmer vorgestellt. Dieser 'pure' Rap ist mir meistens zu langweilig, das war aber recht unterhaltsam.

Nicht meine Art Rap

I'm shocked I have never listened to this before; Ghostface over more modern production goes so hard. There are some really good features here too.

Skits are awful and there's some pretty lame stuff here, but songs like Shakey Dog are great

I am not a huge fan of that kind of rap music, where it's just talking, but instead I like it when it's more melodic. That means that I am also not a huge fan of this album, but also the Intro/Skit was just a bit annoying and I don't know if it contributed to anything substantial.

Good but too long, got bored listening to it.

Very good album, I’ve been meaning to listen to Ghostface Killah for a while now

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...

Still not a rap fan

A dream of an album. The whole clan. MF DOOM and J Dilla production to boot.

Some world-class production throughout this album - no surprise, perhaps, considering Ghostface Killah was able to pull some of the finest MPC-masters of the era (J Dilla and MF Doom, both taken too soon) and lay over it with a pedigree of some of the cleverest bars from his and his and crew. It's actually really, really good for an album I've never heard hints of before, but I suppose the tenure of Wu Tang commands some of the best work in the business. Even the extra tracks are excellent - that Ice Cube feature on Be Easy is killah! Fav tracks: 9 Milli Bros, Be Easy, Back Like That

Quite good and really smooth to listen to. Glad Spotify doesn't have (most of) the cringy skits.

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.

Not the worst rap album ever. Way too long but didnt hate it. High praise.

So hot and cold! There is some excellent material here. The first few tracks have some brilliant stuff. There are great lyrics (amongst problematic lyrics), great delivery, great flow, some nice beats in a few different styles. What an address book this guy has! In my opinion from my first couple of listens though, there are also some really quite uninteresting tracks. Ghostface filler I guess! I'm rating absolutely as high as I can for this level of inconsistency.

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

I'll like just about anything Wu related, this has way too many skits though and it falls off a bit in the second half, still really good

Another of the roughly 6 billion reasons participating in this has been such a great experience: I'm completely unfamiliar with the Wu-Tang cinematic universe, but I seem to like about 2/3 of it. This falls in that category.

Ghostface Killah is my favorite Wu-Tang Clan member. I love his voice and flow. Could listen to him rap the dictionary. This is a bit of strange inclusion over Supreme Clientele or Ironman. Great production on here from the likes of MF DOOM, J Dilla, Pete Rock, Just Blaze and more. Love some rhymes about cocaine. Biggest thing holding this album back is the length. Favorites are Shakey Dog, Kilo, The Champ, Crack Spot, Whip You With A Strap, Back Like That, Jellyfish, and Big Girl.

7/10 Wu-Tang members released a huge number of solo albums of varying quality of the years. One oKillahmost well regarded of those was Method Man's Tical, which I really didn't get along with. Enter the Wu-Tang, on the other hand, I found to be pretty strong, so I'm interested to hear what Ghostface Killah has in store for us, particularly with the quality of producers he's drafted in for this record. On first wash, this comes out of the blocks pretty strongly. There's power and nuance to the beat creation, a cinematic bent to the production, and Killah's rhythmical flow is the right balance of precision and personality. There's decent range across the record too, with moments that dip into a softer, pop-soul sound, and those that are more stark and menacing. Despite that range, the flow of the record is largely pretty strong and the power and groove of the rhythms ensures an engaging listen. My frequent complaint on hip-hop records is that the only range within each track comes from a lyrical point of view, with the musical content left to repeat with little variety. Fortunately that's not something that this album suffers from all that often. It does have it's moments, but there's generally enough production work or musical development to keep things feeling fresh. Unfortunately, there is one hip-hop issue that Killah does stumble over slightly, and that's the willingness to keep the tracklisting tight. Towards the later part of the album, things do feel a touch bloated, with weaker tracks that drag down the overall quality a bit too much. There are also the skits that are never as funny as they're intended to be, and frequently age much more poorly than the musical content. Luckily, quite a few of these are fairly short and inconsequential, but there are times when they do slow the flow of the tracks down a bit too much. Other than that, this was a very good album with moments touching on excellence. It's certainly enough to make me want to check out a bit more of his work and I'll probably pay this one a few more visits in time too. The Return Of Clyde Smith (Skit) - A fairly bland, hard to understand opening skit. The jazzy electric piano is quite nice, but ultimately, I wouldn’t say this opens the album with a great deal of promise. Shakey Dog - But things immediately kick into gear far more strongly than the opening skit suggests. It’s a good mix of old school from the 70’s soul sample from Johnny Johnson & the Bandwagon, and the insistent, in places breathless delivery of Mr Killah. It’s a little bit on the repetitive side, but the vibe is pretty good and it has an interesting lo-fi production style that works very well with the material. It could do with a bit more development, but it’s a fairly promising start. Kilo - A lesson that even now, America seems resistant to. It’s a great sample repurposed into something far from its intended purpose with great wit. It’s a solid groove and it injects some quality melodic flavour to the track too. Ghostface’s flow is great and we get a bit of range with a guest appearance from Raekwon. As with a lot of hip-hop, it is a touch on the repetitive side, but this has a bit more range and variety to keep it fresh and the melodic elements set really well against the rapping for an enjoyable ride. The Champ - This ramps things up again, and introduces a stadium flavour that works perfectly with the fighting theme of the track. The beats are excellent, the sample selection, particularly the horns and guitar parts are top notch, and the flow of the rapping tops it off perfectly. There’s a load of range and tonal variety across this and there’s something very bombastic and cinematic about it that I really like too. The scratching work is cool too. Top work, and the album is really starting to flow now. Major Operation (Skit) - I can forgive an Iron Man themed, seven second skit. 9 Milli Bros - Now we get a full Wu-Tang effort, produced by MF Doom no less. The sample selection is cool, but it feels like the range is reigned in a little too far, so things feel a bit too on the repetitive side while the tuning of the harmonic elements is just a touch off, which makes things a slightly more challenging listen. Doom is a great producer, but this feels a bit cluttered and lacks coherence, so isn’t a great example of his work, and it’s actually made even less coherent due to each of the clan getting their own verse. Beauty Jackson - This is half way between a skit and a song really. It’s quite well put together though, and the varying pace and slightly off kilter flow is pretty good. Nice to get a slightly more stripped back track in which the vocal is so clear and crisp. It’s a bit of a shame this one is so short, because the vibe and production are great. Heart Street Directions (Skit) - Another one of those skits that are trying to be funny, but just… aren’t. Meh. Columbus Exchange (Skit) - And another track, just for this? Only ten seconds though. Crack Spot - This is great though. The 70’s cinematic soul sound of the track works well thematically with the pusherman-esque subject matter. It’s obviously much more in your face than 70s blaxploitation, but it feels like a more modern interpretation. The groove is really good, with enough hip-hop punch balanced against the soul groove that’s imparted by the sample choices. And I’m really warming to Ghostface’s vocal delivery and flow, which has enough subtlety to not grate, but also gives things punch when required. Solid stuff. R.A.G.U. - Again, this has got a really good vibe to it. It’s another that has a cinematic edge to it, but without that overtaking the hip-hop punch of the central groove. The way the samples that chime in with the kick drum subtly shift is really nice and gives this far more range than it would otherwise have. It’s deft and clever production. And I’m still digging the grooves on this record, they’re very strong. Bad Mouth Kid (Skit) - To be fair, this one is a bit funnier. I rarely love hip-hop skits, so I’m not massively into this either, but it wasn’t terrible. Whip You With A Strap - A nice bit of Dilla production now. The sample is really cool and the way it’s been manipulated adds a cool bit of texture. It’s another that opens up the vocal to a bit more focus, which is good. The gentle funk of the rhythm is tasty, although things could do with a bit more variation. Back Like That - This almost leans into being a neo-soul-pop edged number. It’s very, very well produced. The melodic elements are very strong, but aren’t allowed to dominate, because we still get plenty of rapping from Ghostface to balance them. The groove is excellent, with really nice bounce to the beats, and a lovely roaming bass line. Ne-Yo’s vocal is superb too. It’s absolutely chock full of great elements and hooks, and delivers on pretty much every front. Excellent. Be Easy - And now, as a pretty perfect volte-face, we lean straight into something that is almost completely stripped of harmonic elements except for the odd moment. But the beat and rhythm of the rapping is incredibly strong and infectious. There’s enough range in the vocals to give this depth, and the little breaks out into the more melodic sample are lo-fi and subtle enough to not detract from the power of the central track, but are enough to give suitable breaks and range to the overall track. Another strong effort. Clipse Of DOOM - Doom’s back in the production chair again, and this is much more like it. It’s harmonically fairly one dimensional, but it does so much to build atmosphere and tension behind the vocal, making things feel like they’re constantly on the boil. The little breaks stop it from becoming to overpowering, but there’s something really interesting about that almost unrelenting musical tension that makes the rapping feel so menacing and dangerous above it. It does get a bit much after a while though. Jellyfish - This one takes that repetition and removes the atmosphere and threat that it imbues and leaves us with repetitive organ tones that overwhelm everything, and don’t leave enough space for the vocals, while also lacking in any range or development. To be honest, I’m pretty unimpressed with Doom’s contributions to this record. This was just quite draining and one-dimensional. On an hour long album, this one deserved the chop. Dogs Of War - A nice bit of Sly in the sample there. But again, we’re getting stuck in a musical rut here. The loop isn’t bad, it’s just short and essentially remains unchanged for four minutes. There’s a little bit of dropping in and out of elements here and there, but other than that, this is very draining and relentless and makes it very hard to concentrate on anything else, because the guitar is so prominent in the mix. Meh. Barbershop - It’s a skit that’s not labelled as a skit. We get a bit of music played in, but it’s essentially just a sample from the Manhattans until over a minute in. It’s pretty good from that point in, with a solid beat, and some well delivered vocals. It’s a shame, because I’d easily take a longer version of this over the last couple of tracks. Ms. Sweetwater (Skit) - Another brief skit. Big Girl - The samples here are quite nice, but I’m not entirely sure that there’s enough other production work to justify it, and the clashing of the rapping against the singing just doesn’t quite work for me. If I want to enjoy the harmonic work here, I’d probably just listen to the original tracks. Underwater - The production here is much better, and it’s got an interesting, almost psychedelic edge to it. There’s something about the rapping that doesn’t feel as free-flowing and relaxed as it is elsewhere on the record. But it’s a step back in the right direction, with good sound design and range. The Ironman Takeover (Skit) - Another five second skit. Momma - Finally, a return to form. The slow r&b groove of this is great and the vocal from Megan Rochell is really nice. It’s got a decent amount of punch from the kick, but still maintains a smooth, legato flow from the rest of the instrumentation. The layered vocal work is excellent and when the rapping and singing converge later in the song, it works really well. I don’t think it’s as strong as Back Like That, but it’s still a solid effort. Three Bricks - A bonus track now, as if an album with 24 tracks needed a bonus. This samples Biggie and features Raekwon, and it’s got a strong cinematic aesthetic to it. It’s a bit too “gangsta” in a couple of places with the screeching tyres and gunshots, but other than that, it’s very good. The shimmering strings and delicate piano work maintain a great tension, which is enhanced by the insistent, driving beats. The last couple of tracks have really pulled this record back together and it’s a shame that Killah wasn’t a bit more willing to kill his darlings, because the album ends very strongly here, after a mid to late stage lull.

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.

I remember checking out an earlier Ghostface album at one point (can't remember which one) and being disappointed, which sucked, cause I thought he was one of the more talented Wu-Tang rappers. Turns out, this is the album I needed to hear. This album has so many great tracks...hell, the first three (not counting the intro skit) are amazing. It drops a little towards the end, but not much. Just a great album.

Dizzying rhymes.

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

I like it.

Liked this a lot more than I thought I would. 3.5

No.

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"