Apollo Kids

Opener “Purified Thoughts” works as something of a segue from Ghostdini, featuring a blast of R&B which quickly fades out, only to return as an big, brash Wu-styled banger beat that does everything it can to keep up with a furious Ghost verse full of witty and strange punchlines and tongue twisters. The other two best Wu writers, Killah Priest and GZA, stop in for excellent guest verses, quickly establishing Apollo as an album to get excited about, especially if you’re a fan of classic-era Wu-Tang records. The beat, produced by Frank Dukes, feels cohesive with the old RZA sound, perfectly offering that grungy, back alley appeal the crew has forever been known for.

Next up is “Superstar,” a song obviously aimed at the BET music video market. The samples are a bit on the obvious side, the hook is repetitive and R&B laced, the guest (Busta Rhymes) is a confirmed commercial success and even Ghost’s writing and performance is tame. But that’s okay, it’s a solid single that doesn’t annoy too much. Not something that a hard boiled artist like GZA or MF Doom (two of Ghost’s favorite collaborators) would make, but not something I’d skip during a full-records spin either.

“Black Tequila,” featuring a strange intro and hard, underground-friendly beat, picks up the slack, coming off as one of the most purely hip-hop Ghost tracks in some time. Produced once again by Frank Dukes, he song is he kind of banger than underground fans will play, talk about and rip-off for years, featuring a classic Ghost verse and plenty of off-the-wall ornamentation. The next track, “Drama,” however, is a bit of a letdown, features a mediocre beat from Sean C and LV and awful guest verses from The Game and Joell Ortiz. A misstep, for sure.

Other favorites include “2getha Baby,” which sounds straight off of Ironman and features a tasty vocal sample as a hook; the very simple, verse-driven “Starkology”; and “In the Park,” a new classic produced, once again, by Dukes. The song also features The Roots emcee Black Thought, who offers up one of his best verses in years, matching the intensity of Ghostface - a feat very few not named Raekwon have managed since the release of Clientele. For the Pete Rock-produced “How You Like Me Baby,” Ghost keeps things to himself, not letting any other emcees pop up, instead riding the bass-heavy, boom-bap friendly production front-to-back with an eye on classic era emcee/producer chemistry. The song isn’t a full success, due mostly to a bad hook, but keeps things going just fine. Oh, and the closer, “Troublemakers,” produced by Jake One and featuring Raekwon, Method Man and Redman, is a new classic, absolutely.

All in all, the record is pretty solid, featuring maybe a few too many guest verses and a couple of iffy tracks. But, as of this record, Ghost is still the Wu-Tang member with the most consistently great solo career. By far, even. It all comes down to two things for Ghost: 1) Beat selection, which he’s always been excellent at; and 2) how abstract his lyrics are and how confident and original his delivery and style are. If he keeps up at this pace, releasing hip-hop classics, the Wu might end up being the group that Ghostface came from, instead of vice versa.

So did my dirty Ironman outlaw move work out? Yes! I loved the record and listened to often it for years. Even to this day I dig it out from time to time. Did my hungry Apollo Kids fall hurt? Not really. I’d gone hungry before for worse records. Far, far worse records. But no, I don’t think Apollo is a quite a classic record. It’s one hell of a hip-hop listen that reminds of classic-era Wu-Tang, but it lacks any inventiveness outside of Ghost’s usual verbal trickery. Clocking in at 12 short-to-average length tracks, this is a powerful, economical hip-hop record that rarely takes a breather. Recommended, for sure, even if only for the seven or so great tracks.  8/10

Written by G. William Locke