Supreme Clientele 2
A full 25 years have passed since the release of 𝘚𝘶𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦 𝘊𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘦, but this second act seems to have gotten right back to where it all began. Indeed, Ghostface Killah actually aims to update the canons of the past, reconfiguring them into a coherent work. This intention is highlighted, on one hand, by collaborations with icons like Raekwon, Method Man, GZA, M.O.P., and Nas, and on the other, by the use of culturally significant samples, most notably the one from Eric B. & Rakim's 𝘔𝘺 𝘔𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘥𝘺 in 𝘙𝘢𝘱 𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘱𝘪𝘯. Redman makes the track's intro, listing Ghost's albums until he arrives at 𝘚𝘶𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦 𝘊𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘦 2, which then immediately starts with 𝘐𝘳𝘰𝘯 𝘔𝘢𝘯. The track's title references a second alter-ego of the MC, Tony Stark, in addition to alluding to his very first solo album from 1996. The intentions are clear from the start, with a decisive attitude in pure Wu-Tang style. A track that stands out for its collaborative nature and narrative is 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭, where legends Ghost, Rae, Meth, and GZA intertwine their bars with voices from hip-hop's new generation. The context is that of a courtroom where the prosecution and defense clash with evidence, audio tracks, and DNA, before collectively pivoting to the recognition of a common enemy: the officer who seized the drugs is the same one who racially profiled, harassed, and killed a black child, and who will likely be acquitted: “𝘈𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭 / 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘶𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘥”. Midway through the album, we find 𝘉𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘴 and 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘉𝘰𝘹 in sequence, two tributes, in name and in fact, to the history of the genre. Speaking of the first, the percussions are the only protagonists, which further underline the "sacred scriptures" of Ghost: 𝘚𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘴, 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘺, 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥 / 𝘉𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯' 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘣𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯, 𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯', 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯' 𝘪𝘯 𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘴”. Finally, an honorable mention goes to 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘔𝘦 𝘈𝘯𝘺𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 with Nas.
Mattia
@_bearhop