Ghostface Killah returns to form with ‘Supreme Clientele 2’

There’s a song on Ghostface Killah’s new, unabashedly nostalgic album Supreme Clientele 2 that perfectly encapsulates the boundless, manic brilliance of the Wu-Tang Clan spitter.

On the self-produced, heart-racing “Georgy Porgy,” which samples the soulful 1978 Toto classic of the same name, Ghostface takes listeners inside a drug house robbery turned wild, bloody shootout. “A hail of bullets, a reign of terror/Pictures hanging off the wall, can’t put ’em back together,” he vividly raps.

But this is a Ghostface track after all, which means there’s a quirkiness to it all. “Somebody should have just told you, well listen n—- I won’t hold you/We ain’t playing no games…” he unironically raps in the same melodic cadence as Toto frontman Steve Lukather. For Ghostface, born Dennis Coles, there’s a method to his anything-goes madness.

“I just don’t write any old thing down,” he told Andscape. “It does take time and thought. It’s not like I be writing these joints in 20 minutes. And plus, I’m a Taurus. I second-guess a lot of my music. Because I gotta like it first.”

When you are audacious enough to record a sequel to not only arguably your greatest artistic statement, but one of the three most acclaimed Wu-Tang Clan solo projects — alongside Raekwon’s 1995 masterpiece Only Built 4 Cuban Linx and the GZA’s darkly cinematic Liquid Swords — you pretty much do whatever you want, current rap trends be damned.

And while Ghostface’s 13th studio album lacks the tight musical cohesion of its predecessor (the Wu Tang’s celebrated studio savant RZA produced 10 of the original’s 21 tracks), Supreme Clientele 2 shows the 55-year-old still in peak lyrical shape.

On “Iron Man,” Ghostface flexes his trademark surrealist style with dizzying lines like, “Really in blocks, Swahilian mops/ Imported a caramel cream Brazilian fox…” He links up with his Wu counterpart, trading bars with Raekwon on the courtroom drama “The Trial,” evoking the magical chemistry fans have come to love from the duo. Method Man plays it straight as the judge, GZA is a court stenographer, and GFK’s Yapp City Team members Reek Da Villain and Pills are Ghost’s co-defense attorneys. It’s the kind of conceptual record that was a staple during rap’s late ’80s/early ’90s Golden Age.

“The Zoom” finds Ghostface deep in his gregarious lover man bag. There’s a refreshing boldness to the Commodores-sampled, 1977 quiet storm radio classic “Zoom” that continues the MC’s soul records obsessions. “Oh, Cleopatra, gift me a few words/Calligraphy love letters and wine over dessert,” he warmly raps over Lionel Richie’s earnest vocals. 

“I’m an R&B cat before anything,” Ghost explained. “I don’t even hear the words when other singers are on it. I just say what I feel.”

There’s also a glowing intro from New Jersey rap icon Redman as well as guest appearances by MOP, Styles P, Conway the Machine, Nas (more on him later), Dave Chappelle, and others. But Supreme Clientele 2 works essentially as a showcase for Ghostface Killah’s dogged craftsmanship as a writer. It’s a defiant statement that continues the streak of hip-hop stalwarts turning back the clock. 

Rap deity Rakim got the ball rolling last year with his self-produced album G.O.D.’s Network (Reb7rth). Groundbreaking lyricist turned voice-over queen MC Lyte followed with her strong 1 of 1. Rap statesmen LL Cool J (The FORCE), Redman (Muddy Waters Too), Too $hort (Sir Too $hort Vo1. – Freaky Tales), and Ghost’s Wu compatriot Raekwon the Chef (The Emperor’s New Clothes) have also dropped spirited releases recently. And there have been impressive showings by OG hip-hop legends like The Lady of Rage, Kurupt, Project Pat, T.I. and the aforementioned Method Man. 

But perhaps rap’s loudest, ageless declaration goes to the Clipse’s Let God Sort Em Out, the duo’s first new album in 16 years. Pusha T and Malice’s album has been a surprise commercial hit (over 118,000 sold its first week), earning praise as one of the best hip-hop releases of the year. Ghostface is not at all shocked that he and his veteran peers continue to drop quality music in their so-called twilight years. 

“I used to always pray like, please…don’t let me become old school” he laughed. “Like, I am old school, but I see some of my favorites that sound like they have been left back. Hip-hop is a mind thing. We don’t have to go out there hurting our knees dunking or being out on the field getting tackled. Look at Nas. He still sounds like how he did 25-30 years ago. I’ll put him up against any of these young n—–.”  

Speaking of Nas, who has been on a side quest as of late with back-to-back buzzy features, he signed Ghostface Killah to his Mass Appeal imprint last year as part of the label’s seven album “Legend Has It” series that includes projects by Slick Rick, Raekown and De La Soul.

“Nas is lowkey,” Ghostface said of his friend and Mass Appeal’s co-label boss. “Just to have him be right by my side and to be supported lets me know that I’m in the right space where I need to be.”

Ghostface is certainly in a better place than he was during the recording of the first Supreme Clientele 25 years ago, when he was in a dark, depressive state, drinking and smoking way too much as he struggled to come to terms with a traumatic diabetes diagnosis. But there’s a celebratory energy that permeates throughout Supreme Clientele 2. It’s as if Ghostface was revitalized by last summer’s “Wu-Tang Forever: The Final Chamber” tour, a triumphant trek that saw the nine-man Staten Island, New York collective play to sold-out arenas across the country.

Watching Ghost perform with the RZA, Rae, Meth, GZA, Inspectah Deck, Cappadonna, U-God, and Masta Killa was amazing. Young Dirty Bastard also channeled the wildman energy of his late, larger-than-life father Ol’ Dirty Bastard.      

“Just know that I come from that Wu tree,” Ghost said proudly of the triumphant last bow with his fam, a far cry from the days of their chaotic and tense 1990s and early 2000s gigs. “If I can compete with them, I know I can compete with all these other n—– that’s out there.” 

This from an enigmatic artiste who made his 1993 debut as a member of the grimy Staten Island, New York group on their landmark, triple platinum album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). Back then, Ghost frequently wore a mask during music videos and live appearances to evade police due to looming arrest warrants. 

More than three decades later, Ghostface has amassed Wu’s most enthralling solo catalogue. His five-album run — Ironman (1996), Supreme Clientele (2000), Bulletproof Wallets (2001), The Pretty Toney Album (2004), and Fishscale (2006) — remains one of the most consistent in hip-hop lore.

Supreme Clientele 2 is an intransigent work that wears rap’s past on its sleeve, a love letter to Ghost’s hip-hop journey. There are mixtape shout outs, throwback skits and unfiltered break beats, most notably Syl Johnson’s 1967 classic “Different Strokes,” sampled by the disparate likes of Boogie Down Productions, Public Enemy, De La Soul, Jay-Z and Kanye West. It’s here where Ghostface is most in his comfort zone. 

“That’s hip-hop. People don’t understand, that’s where it all originated from… over break beats,” Ghostface explained. He then drifted off, recalling coming of age during the culture’s formative years. “I remember being young and watching the jams in the big parks go down. I couldn’t even really attend them, but I started going later around ’79. I remember seeing deejays cutting up ‘Good Times’ and James Brown records.” 

When asked why he resisted the urge to jump on rap’s still omnipresent 808 drum heavy, minimalist synth and eerie Auto-Tuned sound (think Gunna’s latest The Last Wun), Ghostface gets philosophical.  

“The big producers, they will send me tracks, but it’s not the kind of sound I want,” he said. “You making me beats that sound too much like today. You gotta stand out, like with the ‘Beat Box‘ track. My man Danny [Caizzo] made that. It’s just me [rhyming on] some ‘Ah 1-2, Ah 1-2’ Biz Markie beat boxing sh–. That’s what Supreme Clientele 2 is about. A lot of taking you back, but it’s still colorful, still fresh.”