Classic Album Review: Ghostface Killah, “Supreme Clientele”

After the release of their debut album "Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)" back in 1993, Wu-Tang Clan was literally on top of the rap world. The album was hailed as an instant classic and allowed the members of the group to branch out and record their own solo albums.

With the success of "36 Chambers" obviously expectations were high for the first round of solo projects from the Wu-Tang Clan and for the most part they didn't disappoint. Both "Tical" from Method Man and "Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version" from Ol Dirty Bastard are considered hip-hop classics and Ghostface Killah's "Ironman" was easily one of the best of the solo albums released by the group.

But as with many artists, sometimes the sophomore effort doesn't quite stack up the debut version. After releasing "Wu-Tang Forever" in 1997 the group separated for a second round of solo albums, but this time around many weren't as acclaimed as their original counterparts.

While albums from RZA, GZA, Method Man, and Raekwon were all commercially successful, they were not quite as close to critically acclaimed as their debuts. But one member of the group bucked this trend, emphatically improving on his second effort, the album "Supreme Clientele" from Ghostface Killah.

Released on January 25, 2000 the album features guest appearances from RZA, Raekwon, GZA, Method Man, Cappadonna, Redman, and Masta Killa and is considered to be one of the best solo albums to come from a member of the Wu-Tang Clan.

The album was hit with critics and fans alike after its release and was certified Gold in sales two months after its debut. The album is a long one, with 21 tracks, but in this case quantity equals quality. From start to finish there are few dull moments. The entire lineup is great but "Malcolm," "Apollo Kids," "Child's Play," "Cherchez LaGhost" and "Wu Banga 101" stand out above the rest.

Throughout the album Ghostface employs some excellent samples on the tracks, including on the first single released "Apollo Kids," which has a sample of "Cool Breeze" by R&B singer/songwriter Solomon Burke. The track also features Raekwon and has one of the most gangsta music videos of all time. The video was directed by Chris Robinson and showcases Ghostface as Tony Starks CEO of Starks Enterprises, located in the heart of Staten Island.



The beat, produced by Hassan, is hard biting and non-stop and is one of the best on the album. Ghostface is equally as intense as he raps on the track: "Yo, check these up top murderous/Snowy in the bezzle as the cloud merges/F.B.I. try and want word with this/Kid who punked out bust a shot uip in the becon/Catch me in the corner not speakin/Crushed out heavenly, U.G. rock the sweet daddy long fox minks/Chicken and brocolli, Wally's look stinky/With his man straight from Raleigh Durham, he recognized Kojak."

RZA produces numerous tracks on the album, my favorite of which is "Child's Play." The beat is fantastic (as usual from RZA) and has an old school-style, piano melody to it that is hard to forget about. The beat fits in perfectly with the track which is a sort of retrospective on the past and childhood itself.



Ghostface spits some of his best verses on the track, including towards the middle of the track as he spits: "Beautiful in lightshows, having no intentions on love/But having strung eyes of oppose, here we go/It's not the way she bubbed the gum, shooked her ass/I'm not the one, double dus, waiting for the bus/The faggot Nore son, now year later/Lady 7th floor, building 7-80/Fancy fox, booties for her socks, nothing else can change me/Young Nefertiti, knowledge seed with no jewelry on/Tahitian fresh berry tree, she's a Capricorn/I really liked the girl, had dreams about her."

"Malcolm" is one of the more serious tracks on the album, but it's also one of the best. The track has two of the most perfectly placed samples on the album in "Going In Circles" by Isaac Hayes and also Malcolm X's "After the Bombing" speech. Ghostface proves on this track how he can turn from something silly or less serious on the album (like "Child's Play) and then take on something that's more significant here.



The track is very symbolic and Ghostface has a flow on this track almost better than any other on the album as he spits: "Yo he sucked his thumb smooth for the kid laced with the big guns/Stain to my Baltimore niggas that he on the run/Plus he ill in the drums, heartburn for life, calcium man/Watch him grab the Tums, he's a front/Pigeon totalist sister with the fat ass/Show hash behind up the block plus he smashed her/Big Bub did him somethin deadly, act premedidtated/Buck 60 strike was the medley/Nice like Van Halen, seen him at the tunnel with his skin peelin/Did two days thought he was jailin."

With all its guest stars and producers one might mistake this album for a Wu-Tang one, but at its core it truly is Ghostface's show. Lyrically he is a force on every track, using some fantastic imagery and his dense rhyming skills to give the album an energetic, almost cinematic feel to it.

"Supreme Clientele" has a distinct sound and feel to it and emphatically proved that Ghostface Killah and the Wu-Tang Clan were forces to be reckoned with. The album was some of Killah's best work and is definitely a classic.

Classic Album Review, Wu-Tang Clan, "Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)"

In the early 90’s East coast rap took a backseat to the West coast scene. Dr. Dre had released “The Chronic”, and along with N.W.A., Snoop and Nate Dogg, he took West coast rap to the mainstream.

While “The Chronic” was a significant debut, soon after that, another group from the opposite coast emerged, blazing a trail for an East Coast comeback that would bring on what many in the industry called “the East Coast Renaissance”.

Wu Tang Clan’s debut album “Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)” is easily one of the most influential hip-hop albums of all time. RZA’s distinctive production style and Wu Tang’s cast of unique and talented MC’s created the blueprint for hardcore hip-hop and helped revitalize the New York rap scene. The album laid the groundwork for young rappers on the East coast such as Nas, Jay-Z, Notorious B.I.G. and Mobb Deep.

Released in November 1993 the album's title originates from the martial arts film The 36th Chamber of Shaolin. As the group’s de facto leader, RZA produced the entire album and used some eerie, peculiar beats along with a raw sound based on movie clips and soul music samples.

His production, along with the talents of Method Man, GZA, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, and the rest of the Clan, helped make the album feel completely original.

Every track on the album is packed with fresh, inventive rhymes, which are filled with martial arts metaphors, pop culture references, threats of violence, and a truly twisted sense of humor. The album is great from top to bottom, but “Protect Ya Neck”, “Method Man”, “C.R.E.A.M.”, “Bring da Ruckus” and “"Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing ta Fuck Wit” stand out above the rest.

“Bring da Ruckus” is the first track on the album, and in a way it epitomizes everything the group wanted to accomplish on “36 Chambers”. The track is a burst of energy as it opens with a martial arts audio clip, leading into the opening line, with RZA emphatically stating: “Bring da motherfuckin ruckus/Bring da mother, bring da motherfuckin ruckus”.

The ferocious opening sets the stage for Ghostface Killah, who has the best verse on the track. He drops some perfectly placed cultural references as he raps: “However, I master the trick just like Nixon/Causin terror, quick damage ya whole era/Hardrocks is locked the fuck up, or found shot/P.L.O. style, hazardous, cause I wreck this dangerous/I blow sparks like Waco, Texas.”



"Method Man" is one of the most unique and original tracks on the album. Method Man the rapper introduces himself in a big way as he spits one of the best, yet simple choruses of all time: “I'm…/M-E-T, H-O-D, Man/ M-E-T, H-O-D, Man.”

Throughout the track Method Man shows off his confidence and bravado as he raps: “Here I am here I am, the Method Man/Patty cake patty cake hey the method man/Don't eat Skippy, Jif or Peter Pan/Peanut butter, Cause I'm not butter/In fact I snap back like a rubber.”

Essentially every track on this album is great, but "Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nothing Ta F'Wit” might be the best of the bunch. The track has one of the best beats I have ever heard and RZA spits some truly great lines as he raps: “I be tossin, enforcin, my style is awesome/I'm causin more Family Feud's than Richard Dawson/And the survey said -- ya dead/Fatal Flying Guillotine chops off your fuckin head.”



"C.R.E.A.M." is easily my favorite track on the album. Raekwon and Method Man both spit some great verses, but this track is all about the chorus. Method Man’s gritty East coast drawl is instantly recognizable as he raps: “Cash, Rules, Everything, Around, Me/C.R.E.A.M./Get the money/Dollar, dollar bill y'all.”



The sound and style of the album became hugely influential in modern hip-hop production, while the group members' explicit, humorous, and free-associative lyrics created a blueprint for future rappers to follow.

“Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)” was the start of something truly great in hip-hop, and the album is a definitive classic.