Release Date: Sep 29, 2009
Genre(s): Rap, R&B
Record label: Def Jam
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Take that word "Poetry" with a grain of salt and then check your expectations at the door, because Ghostdini the Wizard of Poetry is a significant departure for Ghostface Killah, at least when it comes to the album format. This oversexed, always fun, and occasionally hilarious effort was inspired by the rapper's previous work with R&B artists, although the production -- from Scram Jones, Skymark, the J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, and others -- goes way back, sampling smooth soul folks like Marvin Gaye, Joe Simon, and Love, Peace & Happiness.
How does one critique Ghostface Killah? His career has been one of totalizing highs and lows. Sure, there was the menacing horror of Supreme Clientele and Fishscale, but also the detached indifference of Bulletproof Wallets. So when Ghost announced he’d be making an R&B record, it was hard to tell what exactly he meant.
On the face of it, a Ghostface R&B album isn't the worst idea in the world. Ghost, after all, has traveled this ground before. On his debut album Ironman, he enlisted Mary J. Blige for "All That I Got Is You", a gut-wrenching memoir of a childhood spent picking roaches out the cereal box. And on ….
Ghost's 2006 Fishscale rightfully made him the toast of the blogosphere, university dorm and wherever else music nerds hang out. Since then, he's devoted his energy to pleasing that left-of-centre in-crowd, abandoning his rap followers on the street corner. This new album, his dewy-eyed take on lusty R&B, is the absolute nadir of his career. [rssbreak] Indie critics love his off-key crooning, so he's given them a faux R&B album.
The massive appeal that Ghostface Killah reaches is undeniably wide and far. The New York rapper has been a prevalent facet to hip-hop since his introduction on Wu-Tang Clan’s classic 1993 debut. The true Ironman, Ghostface has always benefitted from his ability as a superb wordsmith, one that raps with such a passion and energy that it appears he’s about to breakdown with every passing word.