Anticipate Ghostface's "Apollo Kids"

purified thoughts is such a classically wu-tang song title :)

The brevity of the album is what I like most at this stage (only heard it once; will keep quiet since I tend to overrate his things).

i bet this suxx :D

04. Drama Feat Joell Ortiz and the Game
04. Drama Feat Joell Ortiz and the Game
04. Drama Feat Joell Ortiz and the Game
04. Drama Feat Joell Ortiz and the Game
04. Drama Feat Joell Ortiz and the Game
04. Drama Feat Joell Ortiz and the Game
04. Drama Feat Joell Ortiz and the Game
04. Drama Feat Joell Ortiz and the Game
04. Drama Feat Joell Ortiz and the Game
04. Drama Feat Joell Ortiz and the Game
04. Drama Feat Joell Ortiz and the Game

ghostface killah: making the boston phoenix seem "with it"

what's the 'superstar' beat? sample sounds real familiar

Haven't made it all the way through yet but so far I like it a lot. No R&B singers, no Autotune, no skits. Loads of guests, but nobody really shitting the bed.

what's the 'superstar' beat? sample sounds real familiar

dj sprinkles used the same sample on midtown 120 blues

theres an old rap track that samples it too, i was thinking it was organized konfusion but I cant place it right now, sounds like some blackbyrds or something.

it's roy ayers - he's a superstar

ghostface is so reliable <3

dj sprinkles used the same sample on midtown 120 blues

― groovemaaan, Saturday, December 18, 2010 7:48 AM (8 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

thanks! that's where i'm recognizing it from. not sure if i've heard the original track its from even

ghostface is so reliable <3

― larry longballs money (Whiney G. Weingarten), Saturday, December 18, 2010 1:13 PM (38 minutes ago) Bookmark

This is just average, Weiney. Not inspired at all. Ghostface is still Ghostface, but he's just spinning wheels now. Definitely wants out of his Def Jam deal.

even uninspired Ghostface is like >>>>>> most everything else

Although word down the Bedford Ave. pipeline is hipsters are done with him and there's gonna be Ghost backlash this year

dude hes been treading water for albums now, he obv just throws this shit out & doesnt really care about it

even uninspired Ghostface is like >>>>>> most everything else

I'm not disagreeing with this, but Apollo Kids feels halfhearted, still.

not like ILX staples Lil B and Odd Future and Soulja Boy who clearly labor over every track YouTube

Because every rapper succeeds at making music in the same way...

ghostface isnt even worth arguing about in 2010

There's definitely something to be said for reliability. Digging this so far.

Seriously, Ghost rap's Mark E Smith in so many ways, fuck the haters

^^^^

yet to extract the rar but the analogy basically parses afaict

Love the bit on "Drama" about Raekwon watching Rachel Ray

also: loooove "Starkology" and its total 1985 vibe: the "Shout" sample, the Rick Rubin-LL scratches and vibe.

Yeah, that and "in The Park" is obv the sweet spot for me

used "vibe" twice haha. I'm drunk.

the first track sounds great

nae fuckin about w/ ghost

it was driving me crazy for a while, but i think it's the first song that shares some sampled UHH!s with the pete rock/kanye/jay thing the joy. just in case anyone else is butting their head against a wall trying to work out why so familiar

lol Ghost sampling Asha Bhosle!!!

he obv just throws this shit out & doesnt really care about it

I don't think this is true of the Wizard of Poetry one, that had a definitely consistent vibe/cohesion to it

i actually think wizard of poetry is one of his less cohesive albums. but i don't see this as a problem with ghost's work in general, at all. not sure how sticking devoutly to the same basic aesthetic, album after album after album, equals "not caring"...

Wizard of Poetry = all about women.

thought this was pretty clear/obvious...?

yeah, i wasn't thinking of the album's subject matter. wouldn't disagree with you there obviously. i meant more that the quality of the individual tracks was more hit-or-miss for me than most of ghost's albums, imo.

well the two before are big doe rehab and more fish so i wouldn't agree

"Stapleton Sex" "Stay" "Paragraphs of Love" "Guest House" "Let's Stop Playin'" <--great run on Wizard imo

on first listen this seems like more of a slapped-together affair in the vein of More Fish and Big Doe Rehab to me

rating this as just okay - best tracks (Ghetto, Troublemakers) are towards the end. kinda lacking in the storytelling dept, which is usually one of Ghost's strong points

Love the chop of this on Starkology:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3k0T2UiRaps

At like 1:05

Purified Thoughts is amazing.

But Ghetto really isn't.

Amazon mp3 download only $5. Sold!

I actually really like this. It feels like the most consistent since Fishscale to me. I do miss the more narrative Ghost songs, but this is really fun. I love the production, so many great sample sources. The opening pair and the closing pair are the huge standouts (especially love the Roy Ayers sample on "Superstar"), but it does have some weak spots - lol @ that Jim Jones verse.

I bought my copy today to help the cause, but a dozen listens later and this is second-tier.

I think this is pretty kickarse

pfork review probably otm

yeah, i didn't read it, but 6.5-7.5 seems the right range for this

eh Pfork review runs pretty contrary to my evaluations of his last half dozen albums

do u think they're all great or something?

no they aren't ALL great. but Ghostdini is great. better than this album

like Big Doe Rehab is a totally slapped together, half-assed affair, I can't remember if anything at all on it is particularly worthwhile, but the latest Pfork review seems pretty muddled - I'm not sure what they want from Ghost. For him to not "try so hard" to crossover and go back to all RZA beats or something? I don't quite get it.

I wanted to save this one to discuss how boring Apollo Kids is.

― Gus Van Sotosyn (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, January 4, 2011 9:43 PM (41 minutes ago) Bookmark

would've been a rousing thread, surely

http://thebruceblog.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/redneck-2.jpg

its not like i *planned* on hating this record

― ich bin ein ilxor (deej), Tuesday, January 4, 2011 11:10 PM

i bet this suxx :D

― *plop*ism rules (deej), Friday, December 17, 2010 1:43 PM

^ha

Like all those Fatboy Slim albums pandered to rock kids and they were pretty rad, I guess.

first one didn't pander to rock kids, was rad

second one did pander to rock kids, was rad

third and fourth pandered to rock kids, weren't rad

(Boutique 1 didn't pander to rock kids, was rad

Beach 1 didn't pander to rock kids, haven't heard it

Beach 2 did pander to rock kids, haven't heard it

Beach 3 didn't pander to rock kids, haven't heard it)

i really just meant the one record

but thanks, lil ilxor

gosh i leave ilx for like 8 hours and this thread turns into a mothafuckin monster

fuckin ridickalous

(i love it tho)

its not like i *planned* on hating this record

― ich bin ein ilxor (deej), Tuesday, January 4, 2011 11:10 PM

i bet this suxx :D

― *plop*ism rules (deej), Friday, December 17, 2010 1:43 PM

― old man yells at cloud computing (am0n), Tuesday, January 4, 2011 10:38 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

this was about two difft records

also no, have not read readers poll or yr top albums list. noone has.

― balls, Tuesday, January 4, 2011 10:18 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

its a list i posted on ilx u dork. i dont front like some big deal writer so u can stop acting like yr taking me down a peg or something cuz its basically pathetic

actually, i didnt even post it, jordan did, but w/e

again what's wrong w/ pandering? are you capable of expressing a thought or making an argument instead of just staking out a stance? is yr criticism this lazy?

― balls, Tuesday, January 4, 2011 10:16 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

how do you guys keep pulling out words context-free like this & pretending you're making some grand point?

in this case, pandering was offputting to me because he was pandering to a boring crowd of real heads & the end results were underwhelming. if they'd been great, i would have said he wasnt pandering, but made some kind of back-to-basics record or w/e. but then, im arguing w/ a troll who said i 'made no arguments instead of just staking out a stance' which as far as i can tell is the most meaningless possible statement ever so

explaining where it fell short is fine, but assuming a bunch of the artist's intentions as being purely exploitive is where it gets O_o

― i have been otm (bnw), Tuesday, January 4, 2011 10:20 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

im not assuming artist's intentions at all -- im explaining the feeling given to me by the record, the synergy just isnt there, the songs are often not there, and i dont get the feeling that it was done out of love but rather out of allegiance to certain aesthetic ideology. because i cant explain why else he would have picked those particular beats, in most cases

i dont *know* thats true of course but i dont think there's anything wrong w/ saying that a 'fuck it' vibe pervades the record & that this makes it a more disappointing one for me.

is that an 'argument' or a 'stance'? maybe supertroll balls can tell us!

and if you're amy phillips it explains alot.

Will someone please keep Chuck Eddy away from the jailbait?

so you're not capable of making an argument or developing a thought and when asked to try to get crazy defensive - good to know deej! what do you do for a living deej? plz tell me you're not serious about giving this 'criticism' a go. also not shocked that 'expressing a thought /= taking a stance' is the 'most meaningless possible statement' 'as far as you can tell', it's like explaining calculus to a dog. reaction /= thought. posturing /= criticism. and again what's wrong w/ pandering?

u trying to get under my skin by dissing pfork is blindfold archery dude. im taking a break from ilx (dont get too excited, generic balls trolling not at all a driving factor) -- im not sure why opinions like these that ive expressed before on ilx w/out turning into giant clusterfucks now get so long & contentious -- obv theres a bit of 'controversy!' to any challop about a critically acclaimed record, and my approach is more confrontational/troll-y than many others but i dont think my issues w this one are particularly out of line -- im not sure when ilx became so defensive of tru school producers but im of the opinion that on fishscale critical acclaim for a set of default 'respectable' values seems like the only real unifying force behind the record (aside from the half which sounds like pretty toney, making for an even more disjointed listen). i love dilla & have since 'like water for chocolate' but there's no 'doinit' on this record, imo. this also isnt some harangue against backpack /underground ish in general, or pete rock, or mf doom, all of whom i own/love albums by; ive been just as critical of lazy production lineups on major label records, like 'the carter iii' or that era where every major label record was akon feature / swishahouse feature / jazze pha production / neptunes production / t.i. feature

i would think that those of u who have talked w/ me about rap in the past would know better that im not a kneejerk backpack hater, that my issues w/ this are more about its unseemly assertion that we enjoy it simply cuz its a compilation of respected names behind the boards. saying that it seems like a lazy giving-up moment for ghostface isnt that i claim to actually know his motivations or process, its merely the impression the record gives me by being a sum-less-than-parts collection of so-so traxx.

anyway, just gonna take a ilx vaca for a few, hope u guys dont start stanning for open mike eagle or something while im gone

i think the main problem we're having w/ yer argument (and everyone correct me if i'm wrong) is that there's a level of cynicism that you're insisting we should have when a successful major label rapper starts working with undie cats. To you that pandering, to most of us in 2006 that seemed novel and interesting. Intentional or not, taking that stance has an aura of "Get on my level."

That being said, I don't think the swisha/jazze/nep producer soup analogy fits because I can name 100 records from 2004-2007 that sounded like that and only ONE major label record that was fucking with Doom/Dilla/Pete Rock all in one swoop. Even when Busta would throw a Dilla song an an album it felt like a one-off.

I mean, Ghost could have easily gone the Method Man route and released Tical 5 Million-Billion with shitty producers all day. It wasn't pandering, it was a gamble that paid off. I mean, I think that Rae and Masta Killa albums leaning a lil more tru school these days has to do with the fact that Fishscale made it work.

i dont see how it made i work -- it went styrofoam. and the end result for rae is the same as it was for ghost -- pfork fest and rock the bells performance slots. ghost was already a waning major label rapper at this point, so i dont see the 'gamble' -- it seems to me that the production lineups on 'SC' and pretty toney were 'braver' for not using established brand names at all. and obviously major labels werent messing with doom/dilla/pete rock, i was saying this was the indie equivalent -- get the biggest producers in indie hip hop on your record & that crowd will blindly rep for it. (not saying you are doing this, but this is why im cynical about it -- that plus just not liking the end product)

alright ive clarified enough, out for real now lol

c u in 20 min

ha

when most major label rappers are on the wane they usually 1) try to rack up as many guest spots and R&B hooks as possible 2) Get as many people who can make fake, cheap versions of what made them hot. I wouldn't say it's "brave" that the new Sheek Louch album has beats by nobodys like Darius "Phonix" Barnes.

I mean, it's RARE that waning major label dude turns into an alterna-rap weirdo. The list is like, what, Masta Ace?

I mean it all comes down to Ghost's motivations, which we don't know and will never know. I personally think that 80s-bred Ghost was feeling the tense/trebly/cassette-damaged sounds of Dilla/Doom/Rock at the time. You think he was rubbing his hands together with some weird conspiracy to get pocket money from Fat Beats klingons who were already fucking with him.

I also recommend that deej stop using abbreviations and write in full sentences, to avoid everyone asking for clarification.

laugh out loud

aaaaanyway re: Apollo Kids

Troublemakers is the best track on here. Ghetto, Purified Thoughts, Superstar are all pretty good. then there's a bunch of half-assed filler. everybody agrees abt Handcuffin Them Hoes.

the end

"Purified Thoughts" and "Starkology" are my picks. Cohen was right about Black Thought scorching Ghost on "n tha Park"

http://bigghostnahmean.blogspot.com/2011/02/ayo-charlet-duboc-how-you-doin-boo-boo.html

Ayo whattup baby baby! This Big Ghost aka the black Tony Orlando transmittin live to yalls from the island of Staten nahmean. Ayo thanks for the love namsayin. The god is crazy touched by the tribute ya showin a nigga nahmean. Word is bond. Ayo but to keep shit real the god aint really mean no disrespect to the delicate nigga Drake or nothin like that namsayin. But at the same times a nigga gon speak his mind n shit nahmean. Word. Aint no secret that the nigga soft as baby shit namsayin. The nigga be makin Usher look like Kimbo Slice or some shit. The god aint expose the nigga tenderness or nothin that wasnt already shit the public knew bout nahmean. Aint like the god blew the nigga spot up like that. Word. Wasnt like hood niggas was talkin like ayo the nigga Drake a wildcard nigga dont nobody disrespect that nigga or he gon slap the fuckin veins out ya head nahmean. Wasnt like niggas was livin in fear of the corny nigga. Nah nah nah nah muthafuckas knew the nigga was a Calgon nigga from the jump. Muthafuckas could see the nigga was a Charmin nigga nahmean. You put that nigga between two graham crackers n stick him next to a campfire n the nigga gon turn to a smore n shit nahmeans. You slap the nigga five n he gon moisturize ya palms nahmean. I seen pictures of the nigga in the pillow aisle at JC Penny namsayin. Word bond. The nigga breath probably smell like baby powder namsayin. Nigga prolly cry tears of honey n shit. Word. Aint like the god let the cats out they bags n shit. Niggas was well aware he a styrofoam nigga from day 1 namsayin. The nigga prolly rock mittens when he hold a cold drink namsayin. Yalls already know the niggas pedigree. Nigga prolly got the mirror wit the little light bulbs surroundin it in his bathroom. He a fragile nigga. The nigga tender. You squeeze the nigga n Chanel no. 5 gon come out the nigga nostrils namsayin. The nigga manufactured by Gund n shit. Ayo the god aint make none the shit up. Nahmean. Aint like the god gone out his way to convince muthafuckas that the nigga soft. Nah the nigga need to worry bout hisself n not worry bout what Deini sayin nahmean. Nigga go film Ice Age 4 n dont worry bout the god namsayin. Do YOU nigga. But at the same time the god aint mean no harm like that nahmean. The god wish the nigga the utmost success n shit. Word.
Aight peace.

hahahahaha

You put that nigga between two graham crackers n stick him next to a campfire n the nigga gon turn to a smore n shit nahmeans.

^^^Best part.

You slap the nigga five n he gon moisturize ya palms nahmean.

they did wiz too

Ayo whattup this Deini the Wally Champ namsayin aka Stapleton’s Finest. Ayo I aint really got no problems wit the nigga Wizz Kalifrah nahmeans. Matter fact I aint really know who the nigga was til bout 5 minutes ago n shit namsayin. But yo jus so i aint step on this nigga toes or nothin like that…cos the god sincerely wish the little nigga the utmost success n alla that but yo Imma hafta keep it really 100 wit yalls. This Roll Up shit kinda soft namsayin. By that a nigga mean you could probably rock a cryin baby to sleep wit this shit nahmeans. This some shit for the nurseries n shit namsayin. Ayo a nigga listen to this shit at the wrong time n he liable to start hangin one them posters wit the little babies dressed like animals n vegetables n shit on they walls. A nigga might go cop one them calendars wit the kittens dressed up like they firemen n hang that shit in the hallway namsayin. Ayo this shit be like the shit yall hear in Calgon commercials n shit. Shit sounds like it was produced by muthafuckin Yanni or some shit. Nigga soundin like he gon get muthafuckin Enya n Barbra Streisand to jump on the remix n shit. This like some shit they play in the room when bitches be givin birth n shit. What niggas supposed to do with this shit light candles n soak in a tub by they fuckin selves n shit? Nahmeans. Bitches gon think they can slap a nigga around if they hear a nigga knockin this shit voluntarily n shit. Word bond. A nigga gon grow titties listenin to this kinds a shit. Ayo muthafuckin Lubriderm called n wanna know if they can bottle ya soft ass song nigga. Muthafuckin Hostess wanna know if they can use ya soft ass song to fill Twinkies n shit. Fuck outta here wit this shit nigga. Ayo word bond Staten island niggas dont play this shit son nahmeans. Word. Ayo we punch the sidewalk when we happy nigga. Thats a good day nigga! Ayo we eat broken glass when we in a good mood nigga! Thats real talk. Niggas be shootin at each other when we be sayin hi to each other to keep niggas sharp. We test each others reflexes n keep niggas on they toes n shit nahmeans! Thats love nigga. Thats real family values muthafucka! Yall soft serve niggas dont know nothin bout that. This some shit for niggas to braid they other niggas hair to. Word.Aight peace.

poll

cool Sunday-morning-while-watching-Barefoot-Contessa thread.

Nahmean

Couple bum tracks aside i feel like this was ghost's last good solo album (i do like wu block tho)