Every time one of his albums drops, Ghost comes through as the flawless savior of the lost art of Wu solo LP making. But it's never easy. He's about to drop; the sinking feeling comes; you're doubting the Wu maybe; you hear that Carl Thomas joint; and you think the honeymoon is over. That the final pillar has finally fallen. Wrong. Ghost has his playful uptempo (possible) crossover attempts and shit, but he stays focused on the program- unmatched convoluted story telling, cinematic theme picture painting, and a sincerity inside the madness. Thankfully, he continually get interesting beats: check the expanse he's left to work with on "Forest." The lead track "Maxine" is classic Ghost hysteria storytelling, live from Stapleton over a jawbreaking RZA beat. This is immediately followed by "Flowers" which sounds candy in comparison, but follow the "tranquilize" instructions and as soon as Rae kicks in with "see me in a club- got a gun on my leg" you hooked. Racquetball gangstas. And it's just like that for the rest of the album. Strong lyrics holding it down over various terrain, Ghost visiting different moods but always coming up with the originality, and that one line somewhere that sticks in your head. What the fuck is that- Grey Goose? Half dyin, they stuck a fork through his nuts. Remember those days had you- smellin my boxers? The language, wordplay and bent logic never cease to amaze. Go to OHHLA dot com and listen to any Ghostface song while reading the lyrics. Got it now?

• silver colored double vinyl pressing
  
• includes obi strip
• printed inner sleeves
• individually hand-numbered limited edition of 1000
• original release year: 2001
• music label: Get On Down 2023

reviewed by the mgmnt 11/2001