Ghostface Killah - 2Getha Baby (Def Jam, 2010)
The first single from Ghost’s latest album receives the visual treatment a month after the Apollo Kids was released, and two months after anyone had the slightest bit of interest in the aforementioned album. I’ve never commented on it myself, at least not in full-detail; and I don’t ever really intend on it. Frankly, that’s not because the album is disappointing - it’s exactly what you’d expect from a Ghostface release. That’s the problem though; it’s the same formulaic album he’s been releasing since Pretty Toney, sans 2009’s critically-maligned Ghostdeini.
I was a fan of Ghostdeini myself, as it seemed almost like natural progression for Ghost, and it was a nice retreat from the same-ness factor that made his Big Doe Rehab album a bit dull. Ghost has always been big on soul, and R&B’s played a bit factor on his career, so hearing him dedicate an entire album to both of those genres was refreshing. Apollo Kids finds him retreading the exact same stuff he’s done since he signed onto Def Jam though.
It’s certainly not bad, by any means; Ghost is still a contendor for that GOAT-spot, and the production is alright, albeit unspectacular. On this particular song, Ghost rhymes over a faux-RZA (no Snoop) beat that does nothing to diversify itself from the rest of his catalogue. The problem is, this doesn’t seem like a step towards consistency; it feels like regression. Unlike most of Ghost’s songs that sound exactly like this, 2Getha Baby lacks any song structure whatsoever, coming off very rushed, much like that Wu-Massacre project. That’s the biggest problem with the sound behind Apollo Kids; it just feels like it was made in a couple days as a way to help Ghost get out of his contract (which would certainly be beneficial to him). 2Getha Baby has three Ghost verses, all of which range between 25-30 seconds before going into the sampled-chorus yet again. It feels like a drive-by of forgettable Starkology; the only time anything piques my interest it when he talks about Jimmy Neutron. That’s the Ghost I came to hear.
Frankly, this album a year nonsense has Ghost played out. He needs to take a couple year break, and come back with something else. Unfortunately, he’s not doing that, as he’s working on Supreme Clientele 2 and another album at this very moment. I guess he hasn’t learned from this generation of rap’s workaholics that you can burn yourself out very quickly.
