Ghostface Killah

Ironman (1996) A–

Bulletproof Wallets (2001) A–

Fishscale (2006) A+

More Fish (2006) B+

1. Wu-Tang Clan: I Can't Go to Sleep
2. Back Like That
3. Be Easy
4. All That I Got Is You
5. Kilo
6. Walking Through the Darkness
7. Jellyfish
8. 260
9. Raekwon: Ice Cream
10. Never Be the Same Again
11. Underwater
12. Shakey Dog

It took a while for Ghost to become more just another Clansman. His eventual style began to emerge through his work on Raekwon's Only Built for Cuban Linx, where his near-non-sequiturs became more jagged and verbose. His solo debut Ironman positioned him as the Wu's diamond in the rough; the Mary J. Blige feature "All That I Got Is You" is a kitchen-sink weepie few MCs would dare even now. Albums followed every two or three years, with most of the best moments soundscaped by The RZA, who makes "Walking Through the Darkness" especially moody. Even better is "I Can't Go to Sleep", from 2000's The W, sees Isaac Hayes playing tough-loving godfather to Ghost and RZA, overwhelmed by street and political violence. It was a masterpiece even before 9/11.

Wailing over a history of hip hop beats, Ghost is less spammy than usual on Fishscale, Clit Boulevard notwithstanding. The killer cameos are unified by Ghost's tone as much as the, gasp, narrative. Standouts among the role-players are Raekwon on "Kilo" and Trife on "Be Easy", but every line belongs to Ghost, who at times almost sounds like he's reciting from Lamentations. Even his most brutal moments are undermined by pathos, like when he threatens violence by girl cousin-proxy on "Back Like That". A great album.