Ghostface Killah revives the Wu-Tang Clan
By TODD CALLAIS
Scene Music Critic
From the slums of shaolin, Wu-Tang Clan strikes again. Call him Ghostface, call him Tony Starks, call him Ironman, but make sure you start by calling him talented.
It has been many years since Ghostface Killah's solo project, Ironman, and his sophomore album were definately worth waiting for.
The new disc, Supreme Clientele, is a hip-hop masterpiece that anyone who doubted the Rza's production capabilities and the Wu-Tang Clan's staying power will be listening to with shame for years to come.
After the success of early Wu-Tang solo projects by Gza, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah and Ol'Dirty Bastard and the multi-platinum fame of the collective effort Wu-Tang Forever, it seemed that producer Rza had started a dynasty that would never fall.
Then the group began to become more distant and Rza stopped producing many of the solo projects to focus on his smaller groups like Killarmy and Sunz of Man: The Wu-Tang dynasty began to crumble. The sophomore slump hit hard with disappointed responses to Raekwon, Ol'Dirty Bastard and Gza's second attempts.
First attempts by U-God and Inspectah Deck fell on deaf ears as well. Rza realized it was time to get back into the swing of things, and the result is the brilliant album by Ghostface Killah Supreme Clientele.
With an intro that sets the tone of action/adventure for the album by making Ghost-face Killah's alter ego Tony Starks a superhero, the listener is immediately entertained.
Ghostface starts off strong with the song "Nutmeg," a solid track with a great bassline. Then there is the track "Saturday Nite," which could be the best song on the album with its smooth lyrics and great musical flow. "Mighty Healthy" is probably arranged the most interest-ingly; it almost sounds like it was recorded in a garage. For some reason it works though, and the song has an intensity that makes one remember the days of the "36 Chambers."
These are all very solid solo marks by Ghost-face Killah. He has one of the most solid voices in the Wu-Tang Clan and this album makes fans remember that.
What is also great about this is that we get to hear some collaborations of the Wu-Tang members: RZA style.
The track "Apollo Kids" brings Ghostface back together with his Cuban Linx partner Raekwon to form an awesome raw song that will appeal to anyone that appreciates flow. "Buck 50" starts off with rhymes by Wu-Tang All Star Method Man and later brings in Masta Killah and Wu-Tang friends Cappadonna and Redman to form an incredible hip-hop collaboration. Inspectah Deck joins the fun by mixing the track "Deck's Beat," which includes a guest appearance by 60 second Assassin.
The crowning achievement of the album is the last track "Wu Banga," which features GZA, Cappadonna and Inspectah Deck in their best form.
It is hard to find a bad thing to say about this album which is great for all of the die hard Wu-Tang fans that have been faithful through the good and the bad.
Supreme Clientele is a great album on its own and sets the stage for up-and- coming Wu-Tang albums including the long awaited Masta Killah solo project, the third and final Wu-Tang collaboration and new discs from RZA, Method Man and GZA. Any hip hop fans will want to keep Ghostface Killah's album close by, and anyone new to the musical genre should really give this album a shot, you could be the next person to enter the swarm of Wu-Tang Clan fans.
All Scene Stories for Tuesday, February 15, 2000
