Monday, November 29, 2010

Ghostface Killah-All That I Got Is You


In one of the most vivid and painful songs in hip-hop history, Ghostface Killah blatantly defies the stereotype that rap is just about guns, women, and flash. Ghostface, always my favorite Wu member, gets a serious hand from the incomparable Mary J Blige, and the two find a perfect balance on this track-Ghost recounting stories of growing up hard while Mary's chorus is almost like a helping hand on the shoulder of his verse, guiding it along through his memories. Ghostface is nothing if not brutally honest on this song, rapping about his dad leaving, roaches in the cereal box, sleeping four to a bed, two brothers with muscular dystrophy. There is no false swagger here, no bravado, nothing bling about having to go to your neighbors to bed for leftover bread. But Ghost's spirit remains unbroken, there is no bitterness in his flow, he just tells it like it is. Like the Poppa Wu skit at the end of the track discusses, the song is about the reality of himself. The reality of who he is. Off of his debut album Ironman, "All That I Got Is You" is Ghostface taking a stroll through his mind while never losing sight of his much brighter future.

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