Sach O’s R&B dick is on Thursdays (II).
If you think about it, Raekwon The Chef and Ghostface Killah just dropped a bizarro-world Speakerboxxx/Love Below on us highlighting the extremes of their respective personalities. While Rae spent the past few years crafting the thuggish if reflective narratives of Cuban Linx II, Ghost has been working on “his R&B album”– a purportedly more mature offering that he’s been hinting at ever since the promo run for Pretty Toney. The timing couldn’t have been better. While The Big Doe Rehab featured its share of highlights, it was also the first Ghostface album to feel like…just another Ghostface album. A well-versed fan of Dennis Coles is well aware of the man’s ear for classic soul and R&B guest spots and a return to the knowledge kicked earlier in Ghost’s career could be invigorating after a few years of crack rap. However, the same prospect of an R&B album also raises the specter of 14 “Back like that’s”: compromised label-pleasing songs that do more to highlight Def Jam’s R&B roster than Ghostface’s talent behind the mic. So what do we get, dope or dog food?
A little of both. As a whole, The Wizard of Poetry succeeds but it’s also impossible to listen to without the nagging doubt that it was compromised by poor A&Ring and industry constraints. The emceeing is never at fault and Ghost nails practically every verse on the album with the incredibly raunchy Stapleton Sex and the classic long-form storytelling rhyme on Guesthouse alone proving that he’s still the most consistently excellent MC in his age group. When paired with the right singer and hook such as Raheem DeVaughn on “Do Over,” a brilliant slice of soul that should have gotten the 7+ minute extended Isaac Hayes treatment, Ghost’s emotional rhymes mesh perfectly with the guest vocals making it clear that he’s just as adept on smooth tip as he is bagging crack with Rae. But while the rhymes remain stellar and the highlights rank with Ghost’s best, the proceedings are occasionally derailed by cheap production and budget-brand crooners.
It’s unsurprising that The Wizard of Poetry lacks the big name guest stars that a project of its caliber demands given that Ghost doesn’t move Jay-Z numbers; but with half the tracks suffering from second-rate collaborators, the results can sound like demos for rejected Def Soul album cuts. Forget about that potentially hilarious R Kelly collabo, that radio-ready T-Pain single, that heartfelt reunion with Mary J. Blige or even a chance to hear Ghost rhyming all-over an old soul track like Holla: instead you get MOR&B with Shareefa, Adrienne Bailon and Jack Knight. Ghost does what he can but too often one gets the impression that he needed Rick Ross’ budget to pull his vision off and on an album this commercial-minded, that’s fatal: does anyone think radio will REALLY pick up on these songs?
It’s to his credit that the whole thing remains front-to-back listenable but it makes me wonder who exactly The Wizard of Poetry is made for. The backpack set with Wu-Tang tattoos aren’t likely to be into slow jams while the pop mainstream probably won’t bite what amounts to adult-contemporary rap. And while it’s hard to care when Def Jam convinces Jadakiss or Fabolous to drop this kind of release, in Ghost’s case it’s particularly aggravating given that he could freak a whole record out of Delphonics samples if given the go-ahead. Ultimately though, while the album may not live up to it’s potential, it’s still a Ghostface release and that means that it’s better than nine out of ten rap platters by default. However, if Def Jam is going to support GFK with half-measures like this, it may be time to consider a change of label.
Download:
MP3: Ghostface Killah-“Stay” (Left-Click)
MP3: Ghostface Killah-“Stapleton Sex” (Left-Click)
