Classics Archives
Liberator 6.4
Liberator 6.3
Liberator 6.2
Liberator 6.1
Liberator 5.3
Liberator 5.2
Liberator 5.1
Liberator 4.5
Liberator 4.4
Liberator 4.3
Liberator 4.2
Liberator 4.1
Liberator 3.4
Liberator 3.2
Liberator 2.2
Liberator 2.1
Liberator 1.2

Submissions 
for Review?
Contact Us.

Compilation series?
Live From Planet Earth

Search our site for a review, 
or search the web.

Web liberatormagazine.com

Liberator 5.2
Ghostface Killah
Fishscale

I liked Ghostface even before I heard his recent release "Fishscale." Now, I'm sure he is one of the best ever to touch the mic. When Wu-Tang first caught my ear in the early 90's, I thought they were all dope MC's but Ghostface did not stand out to me as any better or any worse than Method Man, Raekwon or any of the other members of the east coast super group. Ghostface has managed to grow while still hanging on to his hunger and personality.  I don't know if it is true in other music genres, I assume it is, but hip-hop artists can be some of the most disappointing people in the world.  I have had to watch as one by one the people I looked up to, listened to and on some level had a connection with, sold out. When I say "sell out," I'm not necessarily talking about an artist that speaks on black revolution turning and doing malt liquor ads or spots for KFC. What I mean is that artists tend to get lazy and forget why people liked them in the first place. Ten years ago I thought Cee-Lo Green was going to lead the revolution, now apparently he is just into trickin off at the club. An older, much richer and married, Nasir Jones while still good, could never compete with the young, hungry Nasty Nas from Queensbridge housing projects. My point is that Ghostface is that dude, he is the same guy that he was when he got in the game, for better or worse. While he rhymes about familiar hip-hop topics like drugs, guns and jewelry, he does it with such style and wit that these same old topics become fun and new again. Nobody since Slick Rick has hit the rap world with such overwhelming gangster flamboyancy. So ignorant, but born out of intelligence, so ugly but funny as all hell. In "Whip you with a Strap" produced by the late great J-Dilla, Ghost displays his trademark humor and personal insight "Despite the alcohol I had a great ol mamma/ she's famous for her slaps and to this day she's honored/ but when I was a lil dude/ her son was a lil rude/ I plucked the peas off my plate/ poured juice in a nigga's food/ get beat/ then I run tell Grandma, my mom hit me for no reason/ she whipped me hard when I finished eating/ and felt the belt stinging when I wet that bed / hid my drawers and start crying when she felt that bed /caught another when I told her those the fake pro-keds."   Like an east coast Snoop, his style and vernacular are almost bigger than he is and manage to take on a life of their own. Ghost goes all the way back to MC's roots in Jamaica with "Big Girl" where he rhymes directly over the classic R&B track in dub fashion. "Fishscale" is loaded with bangers, from the street anthems like "Kilo," "Be Easy," "R.A.G.U.;" radio joints like "Back Like That" and "Momma" and a Wu-Tang reunion "9 Milli Bros" featuring the whole WTC. "Fishscale" is Ghostface's best release since his classic "Supreme Clientele" which solidified his permanent presence in hip-hop lore. Assisted by indie-producers J Dilla, MF Doom, Pete Rock and in-house Def Jam producer Just Blaze,  Ghostface has come back to show these youngsters how to do it right--talking as much shit over his career as 50 Cent, but with way more class and way less security guards. (Amahl Grant)