Ghostface Killah has been widely hailed as one of hip-hop’s greatest story tellers, weaving intricate stories in a good deal of his songs. His previous effort, Twelve Reasons to Die, was a fully formed concept album, or rap opera (hip-hopera? Maybe). Tony Starks continues this dedication to storytelling in his newest album.
From what I can divulge from the first few listens (Ghostface is known for taking a while to decode), Ghostface Killah aka Tony Starks went away to prison for 9 years (36 seasons) to return to a whole new world. His girlfriend has moved on and neighborhood has been overrun by crime. Ghostface takes the law into his own hands and begins clearing the streets out vigilante style. Ultimately, Starks is betrayed by his partner in justice, and is horribly injured as a result. Through surgery, Ghostface is rehabilitated, but must wear a mask to breathe. He then continues his vigilante justice, adding to the body count all the way. In the end, Tony gets his girl back in this action movie/ love story epic.
I thought it was a great idea for the features on this album to play all separate characters, making it a lot easier to follow the story. One problem I had with the rock opera by the Decemberists is that Colin Meloy sang all the male parts, so it was hard to tell when he was supposed to be a different character. Ghostface and company are in top form, and their raps are spirited, intricate, and infinitely interesting. The live instrumentation provided by the Revelations is fantastic as well; a kind of retro soul/ blaxploitation soundtrack to an unmade b-movie. The production here is a whole lot better than it was on the album by the whole Wu-Tang Clan, A Better Tomorrow.
I found this album to be so much more listenable than the Clan’s latest album, mainly due to its cohesiveness with the narrative, its better music and production, and for its amped up energy and lively delivery of infinitely more interesting lyrics. This album, along with albums like Run the Jewels 2 and Open Mike Eagle’s Dark Comedy, are really examples of what hip-hop can be when people just take their creativity and run with it. I wish modern hip-hop had a few more Ghostface Killahs in its cast of players. The soundscape would be so much more intriguing.
Out of a total of five stars, I give this:
Check back later for my thoughts on the new album by the Smashing Pumpkins, as well as the new single from kigo.
"Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use."
No comments:
Post a Comment