Hip Hop Double Shot: Ghostface Killah's Fishscale and More Fish

It doesn't get any better than Ghostface Killah's recent releases, "Fishscale" and "More Fish," for gangstas and audiophiles alike. These two albums are surely must-haves for anybody with a serious hip hop collection and, for those who only passively listen to rap, "Fishscale" and "More Fish" provide access to the essence of hip hop and everything it has to offer.

"Fishscale" is hands-down Ghostface's best release since "Supreme Clientele." The beats are there (with the help of MF DOOM, amongst others) and the lyrics/ storytelling are also up to Ghostface Killah's standards. Both are arguably better but some of the Wu affiliates aren't exactly as abundant and, when they do appear, their deliveries on "Fishscale" aren't nearly as classic.

But reviewing Ghosface Killah's "Fishscale" shouldn't merely be a comparison to older material because Ghostface Killah is constantly reinventing himself. While his style has prevailed throughout his career, "Fishscale" spells a new step for Ghosface with his use of ambiguity, metaphor, and conversational modes of delivery.

Overall, Ghostface Killah's "Fishscale" is a banger with plenty of variety, delivering music with different textures, and delivering plenty of intriguing skits.

This is where "More Fish" comes in. After listening to "Fishscale," it's understandable why many of the songs that appear on "More Fish" were left off the album. This isn't to say that any of the tracks on the latter album are ostensibly bad in any way, but they may be simply unfitting to the former. One big miss, however, would have to be the track "9 milli brothers," with deliveries from Cappadonna, U-God, and even a posthumous Ol' Dirty Bastard. "More Fish" also features a number of the Theodore Unit, who are apparently Ghostface Killah's understudies/ coke mules. While their voices may not be as strong as the one, the only Ghostface Killah's, their styles are professional and they manage to deliver.

In the end, "Fishscale" and "More Fish" are hard to review individually after listening to them. Rather, these albums compliment eachother; where one falls short, the other definately picks up. Arguably, Ghostface should have released both albums for the price of one but, if he did, he would have suffered the barbs of critics for a weak double LP. Instead, Ghostface Killah released one album at a time, allowing fans to digest what each of the Fish albums had to offer. Both albums are must-haves for the computer savvy-- with some simple cropping and compiling, a great mix CD can be made for parties, riding, or coke deals.