The Inscrutable Ghostface
Why do critics love Ghostface Killah?
By Ben Adler
Monday February 12, 2007
Paging through The New Yorker last March, I came upon a review of “Fishscale” an album the rapper Ghostface Killah had just released. “Here we go again,” I thought, remembering the curious accolades that an earlier Ghostface album had received in other hip outlets like The Village Voice. The reviewer, Sasha Frere-Jones, praised Ghostface’s rhymes in a manner verging on a parody of a modern critic in any medium. He explains the brilliance of the song “Barbershop” with this insight: “The point of the song isn’t what happens but that nothing much does,” and he excuses Ghostface’s scattershot lyrics by noting “Ghostface likes to interrupt himself.”
But perhaps nothing better captures the intellectualization of underwhelming rhymes than Frere-Jones’ reference to an earlier Ghostface song, about which he says, “what you take away is mostly Ghostface’s joy in the sonorous possibilities of the English language.” And here’s the lyric he quotes from it: “Swing the John McEnroe, rap rock’n’roll, Ty-D-Bol, gung-ho pro, Starsky with the gumsole. Hit the rump slow, parole kids, live Rapunzel but Ton’ stizzy really high, the vivid laser eye guy.”
Well, maybe Frere-Jones’ interpretation is one way to analyze it. But wouldn’t “Ghostface throws a bunch of random words together for no apparent reason, except that he’s probably high,” be a more straightforward one? (In homage here is my personal equivalent of that verse “Take the taxicab/used to act, and I ain’t that bad/Please, still got the allergies.”)
Alas, the critical adoration of Ghostface is not a quirk limited to one writer. “Fishscale” received plaudits from Slate, The New York Times ("he raps like a man on fire, evoking not only the excitement of an adrenaline rush but also the heightened perception that accompanies it,") Billboard, Rolling Stone, and Newsday. These appreciations were reiterated a few weeks ago as the music criticism world looked back on the past year. Metacritic awarded “Fishscale” its 7th best reviewed album of 2006, and the virtual hipster hangout Pitchfork Media ranked “Fishscale” the fourth best album of the year. Around the same time, reviews came out of Ghostface’s next album, the just released—and dare I say brilliantly named—“More Fish.” Sure enough, Pitchfork’s rival Stylus magazine, gave it a glowing review.
Why do all these hip critics love Ghostface? The answer actually lies in the Newsday review, which justified its esteem for Ghostface thusly: “‘Street’ doesn’t have to be stupid. ‘Gangsta’ doesn’t have to be immoral. ‘Smart’ doesn’t have to be boring. And anyone who still believes Eminem and 50 Cent are the best rappers around hasn’t heard Ghostface." This is all true—Ghostface is far more creative and original than most major commercial rappers right now. But this does not explain the level of glowing admiration for him. The fact that Newsday addresses a straw man who would be so moronic as to assert that 50 Cent or Eminem is the best rapper around does provide a clue though.
In recent years, hip-hop critics have continued to focus their reviews on well-known rappers from major labels, even as radio and television consolidation have choked the creativity of mainstream hip-hop and the innovative work has been forced underground. So, if you are comparing Ghostface to a stock character like 50 Cent, then yes, you find him a breath of fresh air. If, on the other hand, you are listening to the best hip-hop coming out of the underground, your whole metric is different. Plenty of underground rap groups, like Dilated Peoples and Jedi Mind Tricks, are street without being stupid, gangsta without being immoral, and smart without being boring. That Ghostface also manages to do so—sort of—is only a rare feat if you are unaware of most of the good hip-hop being produced these days, or you assume that your audience is.
A good example of the infuriating narrowness of the range of hip-hop covered by supposedly with-it outlets would be Time Out New York’s recent cover story on albums by new mega-rappers Jay-Z and Nas that declared “Few would deny that New York City rap has lost the battle to other hot spots in recent years .” This is utter nonsense, spewed by an ignoramus named Jesse Serwer, who apparently thinks that hip-hop begins and ends with what he hears on a Clear Channel-owned radio station. The South would seem a whole lot less dominant, and New York a whole lot less passé to Serwer, if he paid attention to immensely creative current New York rappers and producers like Aesop Rock and El-P or the new releases of great New York old school MCs like KRS-One. Of course, there is good underground rap in every region of the country, but Serwer is not paying any attention to, say, talented West Coast underground groups like the Freestyle Fellowship either.
Perhaps that explains why the same popular outlets give excessively positive reviews to even more undeserving beneficiaries than Ghostface. Take, for instance, Clipse: If ever there were a rap group with nothing particularly positive to add to the world, this would be it. But their monomaniacal focus on the same tired themes of rap from the bygone era of the crack epidemic is actually lauded by critics. Jonah Weiner, writing in Slate explains, “What separates Clipse MCs Malice and Pusha T from their gangsta peers is how they rap about the cooking, bagging, and selling of cocaine to the exclusion of literally everything else. … In this way, Clipse leave those of us whose neighborhoods haven’t been ravaged by crack to sit in the stench of our own voyeuristic enjoyment.” Only a professional critic who over-thinks simplistic lyrics for a living will take that lesson away from what amounts to a drug dealer’s industry trade magazine in album form. Similarly Evan McGarvey, who reviewed Fishscale for Stylus, gave Clipse’s “Hell Hath No Fury” an A-.
From a critical perspective, Ghostface is perfectly positioned. He is a member of the hugely popular Wu-Tang Clan, a group that real hip-hop fans value for its innovative styles and beats, less so for their sometimes incoherent lyrics. Ghostface maintains a certain idiosyncratic style and connection to the underground (MF Doom, one of the most interesting producers in hip-hop, did four of the tracks on “Fishscale.”) Simply put, he is one of the only remotely interesting rappers mainstream enough to get reviewed by these outlets.
So the problem isn’t with Ghostface, it is with hip-hop coverage in the mainstream media. If major magazines and newspapers woke up to the fact that there is a whole other world of hip-hop out there, then they would give rappers like Ghostface and Clipse appropriately nuanced reviews. In the meantime, hip-hop fans will just have to take all their reviews with a huge grain of salt.
Correction: This article originally referred to Madlib as a New York-based artist, when he is in fact from Los Angeles. We regret the error.
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Comments
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I agree with this for the most part — 50 cent and Newsday are a joke.
— Adriel - Feb 13, 11:00 AM - #I’m sick of hipster exaggeraters.
I agree with you in that rap is approached by the mainstream with a sort of timidity/caution that shows most critics don’t have any intention of pursuing the various issues underlying the rise of hip hop to the mainstream and the effects that has on the message. Ghostface gets an absurd amount of coverage due to his Wutang status, and while I personally love him and admit to having the CD Fishscale — someone left it in my car, I swear— I find whats happening in hip hop these days is more behind the scenes. Producers like MFDOOM create LP after LP of provocative, innovative and collaborative work that is largely ignored by not only newspapers but listeners. Moreover, the story of hip hop production is not as valued as it should be, and the hype often goes to the frontman/rapper while there are a string of extremely talented, diverse and intelligent individuals supporting that quality, bass-thumping, I-pod make -you-head-bang sound.
Ever since I saw that episode of the Sopranos where some older cat asks the Soprano boy why he still listens to rap, I realized I should have been asking myself the same question. Thanks to the interplay of media forms — tv, movie, music, etc— it becomes easier to find a critic than it is in popular news media.
— Natasha - Feb 13, 02:23 PM - #Dear Ben-
You sound like Bill O’Reilly.
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/02/12/ludacris-gives-oreilly-some-love/
XOXO,
— Mark - Feb 13, 06:52 PM - #Mark
Much love for shouting out El-P and Madlib, but I’m going to be honest — Aesop just doesn’t do it for me.
As it stands, when it comes to Wu-Tang, I just stick with the group albums. There are occasional exceptions, like GZA’s solid “Liquid Swords”, but in the end the classics — songs like Triumph, Bring the Pain, and Protect Ya Neck — only really come when they work together.
You’re basically right – Ghostface gets extra love because hipper-than-thou writers and some of the more noxious music review outlets like Pitchfork want to show that they “get” hip-hop.
But last and most importantly:
THANK YOU, DEAR GOD THANK YOU, FOR POINTING OUT THAT THE CLIPSE IS OVERHYPED.
It needed to be said.
— Joe - Feb 13, 09:19 PM - #On the contrary, I think it is people who think they’re so underground by name-dropping Aesop or Jedi who don’t “get it,” whatever the hell “it” is to “get.”
You embrace underground for the sake of its exclusivity, for that facts that more people will say, “Who?” when you mention Aesop Rock than when you say Wu Tang.
Ghostface is sick. Fishscale was my favorite album or the year, and More Fish wasn’t too bad either.
So, enjoy the groups that you think are underground. I’m gonna go bump some Ghost.
— Michael - Feb 16, 01:55 PM - #I’m surprised you didn’t mention Immortal Technique! Talk about impressive
— Erik - Feb 16, 02:32 PM - #lyrics!
Ghost is great and by far the most consistant of any wu member. Your comments at the begining about his lyrics being jiberish border on ignorance. You obviously don’t get ghost and probably don’t get hiphop either. That’s ok, but just remember its not for you. Hiphop is not for you, and your opinion is irrelevant. Clipse are the best of the cocaine rap genre and extremely descriptive wordsmiths. I agree alternative hipster publications give ghost and clipse a lot of love, and sometimes it is really corny, but they got it right, the streets confirm this. Again your article strikes me as extremely ignorant. You really shouldn’t be writing about hiphop. Chump
— daver - Feb 16, 02:58 PM - #Ben,
— coolguy - Feb 16, 05:52 PM - #Daver is right. You don’t seem qualified to be writing abt hip-hop. Stick to politiks. Us real hiphop fans, as you put it, don’t give a damn about the critics you mentioned. No real rap fan looks to those critics for advice. We do however get excited when they finally pick up on the trends and give rappers like ghost and clipse some shine.
As for the “underground” artists you referenced, they are basically boring and not very exciting to fans who grew up on 90s era rap when most hiphop was alternative to the mainstream. That’s why we are more into the new nas, busta, az, ghost albums then we are into music made by alternative rappers for rap newcomers who don’t understand the grime of golden era rap.
You really are an asswipe. You’re the last person who should be commenting about the state of hip hop coverage in the media. What do you know? Please stick to what you’re relatively ok at, that blog thing you do.
— Eni - Feb 18, 09:47 PM - #I have to say that coolguy really got it down. While I listen to both Ghost and Madlib (who is from L.A. by the way) equally, you don’t really seem to have a grasp on the former’s history or where is coming from. Ghost gets mad respect in the New Yorker and what not, but its not like that really helped boost the sales of Fishscale, because the people who are reading the New Yorker aren’t going to buy a Ghostface album no matter who endorses it. They simply aren’t interested in it. It’s great that after 15 years and 6 solo albums in the grind Ghost is finally get attention, but it almost seems too late, I remember reading that Ghost said he has given up on New York hip hop, because the passion for creativity AND wanting to be in the public pushing it (something that he has an abundance of) isn’t there anymore. For all the Aesop’s you mention, they simply aren’t as good, and even worse, they have fans like you who play the opposite of indy media, in that they seem to get some ego boost by being able to drop their names and get a snide smile when most people don’t know who they are. Based on your inept breakdown of Ghost’s lyrics (and lame rebuttal in the form of 3 bars that don’t even rhyme) I wonder how you’d feel about Big L; my guess is he would give you The Shooks.
— Hilson - Feb 19, 12:28 AM - #In your weak attempt to undermine Ghostface’s amazing talent and pretentiously name-drop underground hip-hop artists, you demonstrate how clueless you are when it comes to rap music in general. It is fine to be critical of how certain media outlets dole out accolades to particular artists and mention that other artists get overlooked in the process. However, you cannot compare some of these underground artists to Ghostface. This has nothing to do with talent, their work is just of a completely different nature and therefore cannot be held to the same standards. Even a group like Jedi Mind, who’s hardcore rhymes are laced with extremely violent imagery, really cannot be classified as street. I would just say they are pretty radical and militant, but they don’t deal with most aspects of the inner-city struggle. While Ghostface may lack the sophistication and coherence that you value in hip-hop lyrics, that does not diminish his true genius and legacy. Rap is all about self-expression and therefore it isn’t necessarily about crafting really intricate, intellectual rhymes, making profound statements or being politically or socially conscious. Instead, the essential ingredient for any form of hip-hop/rap is authenticity. It has to be real and genuine for it to work and that is why Ghostface succeeds so brilliantly in doing what he does. Everything is so natural and pure, from the ingenious slang he invents to his infectious delivery. That’s why his material never gets old, even though he’s been in this game for awhile now. He finds a way to breathe new life into themes which have been tackled by virtually every mainstream rapper. Yet he does so without compromising his artistic integrity, without selling out. Whatever commercial success he achieves is nice, but that isn’t why he is still putting out music. He does it from the heart and that’s what makes the product so great.
— Aaron - Feb 19, 04:13 AM - #Madlib is from L.A.
The end.
— Chris - Feb 19, 11:06 PM - #I agree to the fact that Ghost got some undeserved hype from “Fishscale” (not his best work). However he redeems himself fully with “More Fish”. Classic Ghostface off the wall story telling that is a breath of fresh air in any area of hip-hop underground or above. He is simply in the upper echelon of modern day MC’s. Please don’t get it twisted in any other direction
— Rayyza Sharp - Feb 20, 10:56 PM - #Rap used to express some cool ideas, socially-coloured lyrics, bur it is no more so. I am crazy about music and try to keep up with the latest news:) Especially lyrics, which speak for themselves. there exists immense variety of good sites! song lyric search
— KENNY - Feb 21, 11:05 AM - #A couple of quick responses here. On the question of Madlib, I made a mistake. I assumed, incorrectly, that because he had done some recent collaborations with New York artists that he was working out of there now. I regret the error and have posted a correction.
Also, it has come to my attention that I was excessively nasty in my writing about Jesse Serwer of TimeOut New York. Looking at his other work online it is apparent that he is well-acquainted with every aspect of hip-hop. Indeed, his article had a sidebar (not obvious from the online version) that reviewed some new albums by artists like Papoose. I apologize for calling him an ignoramus, and I highly recommend his piece on DJ Premier, who is, in my opinion, the greatest hip-hop producer of all-time. (I’m putting the link to it in my name.)
On the substance of the argument, I think a lot of commenters misunderstood a lot of what I had to say, and made some false assumptions about me (now I know how Serwer feels.) I do not think that hip-hop was invented by a cerebral college student in 2000, as some commenters seem to assume. I grew up listening to hip-hop in the ’90s and my favorite acts included Gangstarr, Tribe, De La, Artifacts, Mobb Deep, KRS, Black Moon, Bush Babees, Souls of Mischief, Nas, Biggie, Slick Rick, Big Daddy Kane, Das Efx, EPMD, Eric B and Rakim, Company Flow, Digable, Wu Tang and others back in the day. They ran a pretty wide spectrum. It’s not that I don’t think good hip-hop can be hard, nor that I don’t like Ghostface. It’s also, upon further reflection, not that critics like Serwer don’t know what’s up with rap today either.
The problem I’m diagnosing in my piece is that major media outlets only allow their critics to write about artists who are put out on major labels, or so it seems. This makes it impossible for them, in my opinion, to credibly make the sort of larger claims about hip-hop: which city is up or down, who is the best MC today.
It is frustrating to the casual hip-hop fan, who knows that there is more out there, but doesn’t regularly read the sort of specialized magazines like Mass Appeal or XLR8R (where Serwer’s Primo piece ran), to see publications that are supposed to be hip and have their ear to the ground constrain themselves to writing about only a portion of what is going on.
My real frustration, of course, is with the major corporate takeover of hip-hop that marginalizes socially conscious acts like Dead Prez, Cannibal Ox, and Talib Kweli whose sound I think would appeal to the masses if they gained the level of exposure that everyone named L’il Something seems to get these days.
I don’t share the premise that what most kids are listening to is ipso facto the best work out there (you wouldn’t say Brittney Spears is the best singer today if her next album goes triple platinum, so why say that about 50, P Diddy or L’il Wayne?) But I realize now that critics are simply writing to their audience in major publications. So while I still think Ghostface is over-rated, the real problem is one of market failure. But that’s the subject for another piece.
— Ben Adler - Feb 21, 11:28 AM - #Ben, thanks for addressing this, and it was nice speaking with you yesterday. One other thing worth noting that I didnt bring up, is the reason why the artists we focused on in my article were focused on is because they had albums about to come out or had just come out. Time Out works on taglines, meaning the stories are all tied to events happening that week or coming out that week. And basically that story came out at Christmastime, during the fourth quarter. This is the time of year in the record industry when the major labels blitz the market with all of the A-list artist albums, and the smaller indie labels take a break from releasing stuff cause they know they cant compete. Timingwise it really did not make sense to cover acts like Dead Prez or Cannibal Ox who have been somewhat AWOL and did not have confirmed new projects coming out soon that people were talking about. The whole idea for that story came out of brainstorming how can we creatively cover this new Nas album we are excited about but everyone else is going to cover. I hope that by reading the whole article (including the Nas interview portion of it, and the tagline at the end of the story telling you that Nas’ album is out) this is made clear.
— Jesse - Feb 21, 02:46 PM - #I agree with the general statement of your little article, namely that there is a whole lot more out there that deserves people’s attention than what’s playing on big corporate media. But I thought your examples of stuff worth checking out showed you haven’t spent a lot of time listening to them. Dilated are gangsta?? Freestyle Fellowship disbanded ages ago. Nothing really against JMT, but to quote them as underground gems…? And, sorry, you couldn’t be arsed to find out Madlib hails from Oxnard, CA? You gotta dig a bit deeper when addressing the buffs, ya know?
— 9@home - Mar 6, 05:59 PM - #Ben, you get at the essential problem with the public’s perception of hip hop: its discussions are dominated by a record industry and by a music press that has no idea what the music is about. The vast majority of reviewers in any media have no clue of the breadth and depth of the music. Guilty liberals they are, they want to give rap a chance, making the mainstream crap they usually hear seem more like respectable art. This reminds me of the early and mid 90s when discourse about hip hop in the MSM invariably centred on the glorification of violence, drugs, and the impact of the music on America’s youth. In a way, the problems you point out are a reaction to those very narrow times. Can we actually talk about the music itself in a frank and profound way, without pretending like we know something we don’t?
What I can’t wait for is the day when the artists and the fans drive the discussion about hip hop culture and music, not Pitchfork, Columbia Records and 50 cent’s A&R.
A postscript: What’s happening right here in this discussion board is a great example of what drives the appetite for idiot rap journalists who don’t know what they’re talking about: people who want to divide the world into those who know enough about hip hop and those who don’t. But in reality, it’s less about what these posters know or appreciate in hip hop, and more about their insecurities about their rap credentials. I’ll spare you the cliche of calling them ‘haters’.
— Andrew Garib - Mar 11, 04:29 PM - #Damn Andrew, well said. We are all guilty of that. Ahhh, the paradox of being white in the rap world.
— coolguy - Mar 20, 01:52 PM - #