Broken Wax: Ghostface Killah “Supreme Clientele”
Someone told me a long time ago, its not what you say, its how you say it. For some odd reason, I always apply this to rappers/emcees. I don’t give a flying fuck what your rapping about. I care about how you go about rapping about that topic. Ghostface Killah is one of the emcees that displays exactly what I’m talking about.
I became a Ghostface fan after hearing “Only Built For Cuban Linx…” and “The Pretty Toney Lp”. It just seem like he was styling on niggas when he was rhyming. Some call it a stream of consciousness flow (at least that what they call it on his wikipedia). I like to refer it as fly fuck it style (no pr0n). Just rhyming and not giving a fuck if it means shit! Ghostface displayed this on his second lp, “Supreme Clientele”.
I’m downloaded this cd after hearing “The Pretty Toney Lp” (I purchased on the first day it came out btw) because people were complaining it leaned too much to “Bulletproof Wallets” and not enough to “Supreme Clientele”. Since I kept reading that this was his best solo effort, I had to hear it some how. In a world of torrents and rar files it wasn’t hard for me to get this gem.
On first listen, I had no clue what to expect. I hear the usual skit and then fucking “Nutmeg” comes on. Ghostface begins to rap and I have no motherfucking clue what he’s talking about. My head was in a trance and I couldn’t stop listening. Whatever that shit meant didn’t matter. Ghostface was killing that shit. It seemed like all of his rhymes just fit.
Let Ghostface tell it, “Supreme Clientele” isn’t supposed to make any sense. But for some odd reason the lyrics in “One” really hit. Especially, “the devil planted fear inside the black babies/ 50 cent sodas in the hood they gone crazy/ Dead meat placed on the shelves we eat cold cuts/ Fast from the heart ya’ll and grow up”. That shows the economic situation in most black communities to me and how the eating habits are reflected. I’ve had practice deciphering his songs because this is all we did on Wu-Corp before ODB died.
Apollo Kids has to be the flyest video and single I’ve ever heard in life. A pair of bright yellow air max, hit the racks? 20 dollars off, no tax! HELL YEAH. Stroke of Death has to be the gulliest shit I’ve heard someone rhyme over. Ghostface’s verse is classic on that joint. SWIM STARKS SHARKS!!!!!!
This album made me want to do something with Ghostface. If I ever get him to rap over one of my beats, I can die happy. I already got Cappa over one of my joints but if I can get Ghostface, I quit. I used to make beats strictly for Ghostface when I first started creating beats. Even now I have joints that are exclusively for him. I thought about doing a remix album…..
Far as rhyming I kinda try to go with that fly fuck it style from time to time. He inspired me to just write with this one and don’t think about it. If it sounds good, it sounds good. Its all about description and word choice really. Once you got those down packed you can rhyme about anything. Thanks Ghostface.
I bout Supreme Clientele around the time it came out but wasn’t feeling it at first. I revisited it about a year after that, and now it’s my favorite Wu solo record. I play that shit back-to-back constantly. Ghost keeps me interested and I always hear something new and different, even after almost a decade of it being out. Good post, fam!