Crispy Like A Pair Of Headphones

Ghostface Killah “2Getha Baby”

I’m a little conflicted about Ghostface these days. On one hand, I really like that he’s just out there working, doing his thing, grinding out records every year. If you shut out all the details and the weirdness of the record industry, his productivity can be seen as a kind of romantic thing, an ideal of a rapper as craftsman. The problem is, it’s pretty obvious that the guy has been on autopilot for a little while now. I definitely feel that a half-hearted Ghostface is more talented and interesting than a majority of rappers at their best, but it’s a bit deflating to put on a record like Apollo Kids and get the sense that he’s just going through the motions. I mean, jeez, even the album title is recycled, you know? Frustratingly, there’s not anything obviously wrong with the music. It’s serviceable stuff, it just feels slightly off. The presence of “2getha Baby,” a legitimately strong and endearing track that plays to Ghost’s familiar strengths, emphasizes this feeling that the other songs just aren’t totally there. Something’s missing. Apollo Kids sounds like the kind of album a good artist makes when they are bitterly trying to get out of a label contract.

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