Supreme Clientele [Explicit Lyrics]

Unsurprisingly for a Wu Tang album, 'Supreme Clientele' begins with a sample. Ghostface Killah developing his Ironman alter ego chooses to pinch from Marvel Comics to open his second LP. The first track proper is one of the best on the album. 'Nutmeg', produced by relative unknown Arthur Wilson has Ghostface at his very best. In his inimitable staccato Ghostface brags, "I studied under Bruce Lee / He was on the four, I was on the third."

Rza beats were getting repetitive around 2000 and he is only on hand for 4 of the tracks on 'Supreme Clientele'. However, his Executive Producer credit suggests he may have had a hand in who produced the other tracks. There is a myriad of producers on hand to keep this album sounding fresh. Juju of The Beatnuts is handed production duties on 'One', it's one of the standout tracks on the album. It contains a sample from Sweet Inspiration's cult soul classic 'You Roam When You Don't Get It At Home'. Another standout track 'Apollo Kids' (which features fellow Wu member Raekwon) is produced by another relative unknown, Hassan.

Again, unsurprising for a Wu release, there are a couple of ensemble tracks. Funnily enough they are two of the weaker tracks. 'Buck 50' produced by Rza, has Redman and Method Man tread through their usual patter and 'Wu Banga 101' attempts to rediscover the grainy Wu production of old. It fails miserably. Frankly, it's a boring track.

Meanwhile there is 'Stroke Of Death' a stuttering series of Rza's scratches coupled with a sparse beat, while Ghostface slurs over the top. It's very hard to listen to, the scratching clearly hasn't been looped as it is out of sync at several points, which add to the feeling of unease which this track gives the listener. Credit to Ghostface for trying something different.

There is not a single unfunny skit to be heard. When Ghostface is on the mic, the album is at its best. Ghostface's debut 'Ironman' was a very good album that would be hard to match, 'Supreme Clientele' achieves that at many points, unfortunately Ghostface's subsequent LP 'Bulletproof Wallets' is nowhere near the quality of this release. 'Supreme Clientele' should be considered the essential Ghostface Killah album.

He was always unique - he had a very unique tone of voice; he rapped long flows which would leave most rappers gasping for breath; he complimented the Wu's variation perfectly.
But would the shine wear off if he was on his own?
Hell no.

The follow on from the album Ironman, this still uses the Ironman theme - sampling bits of soundtrack from the real Ironman. But somewhere in here, you'll find some actual songs...

Each song has a unique style - theres the flowing sound of 'We Made It', the light piano sound to 'Malcolm', the slightly overwhelming yet still listenable tone of 'Apollo Kids'... the list goes on.

Ghostface wouldnt be Ghostface without his Wu heritage. Therefore, you'll find two Wu songs here - the remotely good Wu Banga, which is alright, but not as good as other songs in the Wu collecton, but the final Ghostface lyrical will blow you away. Then there is Buck 50, a sort of Wu-lite, featuring Cappadonna and the Method Man/Redman double act. This track is actually supremely better than Wu Banga.

All in all then, this is a unique album, maybe somewhat of an outkast among a collection of gritty, swear-a-second rappers, but definitely worth buying.