Which is rarer; an artist dropping a classic debut album or that same artist raising that classic bar even higher upon releasing his sophomore project? Not many artists are talented enough to do the first, so that means the amount of artists who obtain the latter is even slimmer. Consider Ghostface Killah one of the emcees in that elite group!
Ironman was the perfect debut but Supreme Clientele is on a whole different level. The formula for Supreme Clientele is similar to Ironman, but Ghost proves once again why he is one of Hip-Hop’s best lyricists. Almost four years after the release of his classic debut, Ghost flips the music world upside down and drops another classic. Supreme Clientele is the quintessential Hip-Hop album. A lot of rappers aspire to release classics and often waste their careers chasing this seemingly unattainable goal. However, Ghostface Killah goes 2 for 2 and shows no signs of letting up.
Supreme Clientele did something that Ironman couldn’t do for Ghostface. This album saw the first time Ghostface was being recognized by the “mainstream” in a sense. “Cherchez LaGhost” was a great look for Ghost and broke the ice for his likability. He was often looked at as a gritty, rugged emcee but “Cherchez LaGhost” allowed the world to see Ghost for what he really is; a great personality and artist! U-God also assisted Ghost and flawlessly held his own. But please don’t think that Ghost sold out at all. This gem is filled with Wu music and packs a huge punch. “Nutmeg” is pure and lets us all know that not even a four year hiatus could stop Toney. The very next track on the album is vintage Ghost. “One” provides us with a perfect flow over great production, not to mention a great story. The album also features the wildly successful underground smash hit, “Apollo Kids”. As he proclaims in the first minute, “Ghost is back” and he had the rest of the industry scared. The album finishes on a very high note with “Wu Banga 101″. The track is exactly what it says. It is a Wu Banga and every emcee stands tall and reminds us of what the deadliest rap group in the world could do when they are all on the same page!
Overall score: 4.5/5
Standout Tracks:
“Nutmeg”
“One”
“Apollo Kids”
“Wu Banga 101″
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Yo kev great Ghostface drop. I’ve been a fan since ‘93 not many cats can flow like Ghost still listen to supreme clientele at least twice a week. As a matter of fact all I listen to is the vintage hip-hop 93-2000
My fault thanks beads for the drop
mighty healthy is my favorite ghostface joint
word up Beads… good review… except for U-God being “flawless” lol
Dope review Beads. I like the way you pointed out that wu tang is the deadliest rap group.
The consistency that ghost has is on some tribe called quest type isht. Back to back masterpieces.
Another good one. There wasn’t a sophomore jinx with this album. If I remember correctly the reason the follow up was four years in the making because he did some time in jail.
The only issue I have with this joint is the interludes. I could do without them: the base head, the 50 Cent diss joints, etc. That’s minor though.
Also, what was messed up was the track list? Sony/Epic didn’t a bad job with the credits for this one and BPW.
mightyn healthy is my favorite ghost’s shit
two words ‘tyco nightglow’
ghost is king
i saw in an interveiw i think it was this album he was talking about, he said alot of his lyrics were just tryin to ryme fly shit and that there wernt that much behind it, and here was me all these years searchin with every ounce of my intelligence trying to work out his metaphores and slang!