Hi, everyone. Tori Amos here, the internet's busiest music nerd. It's time for a review of the new Ghostface Killah album, Supreme Clientele 2.

Here we have a brand new album from rap legend, lyricist extraordinaire, my favorite member of the Wu-Tang Clan, Tony Stark, a.k.a. Ghostface Killah. This is one of my most anticipated albums of 2025, the 2020s in general, actually. But also from the time this video is landing, it is, too, one of my most dreaded reviews.

Because for me, Ghostface Killah has long been a top five rapper, point blank, period. He's a guy who's unparalleled charisma, boisterous delivery, and hollow-tip rhymes speak for themselves. He's also an artist who's shelf life and prolific output are something to behold, too. Of course, he's been a central and essential voice on numerous Wu-Tang records for years. But also, his solo catalog is a near endless grind of albums since the mid '90s, with a lot of highlights like Ironman and Fishscale, The Pretty Toney Album, his 2010s resurgence, the epic crossover with Adrian Younge and his band, Twelve Reasons To Die.

But none of these records shine brighter than Supreme Clientele, one of the slickest and most badass hardcore hip hop albums of all time. An album whose notoriety has grown so huge in the hip hop canon that Ghost has been promising some sort of sequel to it for years now. But formally following up a record of this magnitude is a tall order for any rapper, even the guy who made this.

And as excited as I was in one breath, I guess it took me a while to ready myself for the eventual disappointment that on some level this is just not going to live up to the original. Plus, I've reviewed enough sequel albums to know that many of them are just sequels in name and in name only.

For even more context, 2025 has been a odd year for hip hop, even if there have been a lot of great projects. I don't know if we've ever seen a greater separation between what the mainstream is doing, what the underground is doing, what both new and old generations of listeners want from their respective favorite artists' new projects. It's also been interesting to see some of the genre's legends come back with records that either see them aging gracefully or aging almost very little.

For example, the new De La Soul record, which is fantastic, reckons with the ways in which age and mortality and the changing times have impacted the nature of the group forever. We also saw Clipse make a triumphant return this year with a record that was so flawless, it was almost like they never left.

But with Supreme Clientele, Ghostface is very much trying to relive some glory days and coming up short. I will say, though, some of the tracks on this project are the most amped this man has sounded in years, but maybe not by a wide margin because recent releases such as Ghostface Killahs and Set The Tone certainly have their highlights.

I guess the question is, what does Supreme Clientele add to the Ghostface Killah catalog other than the assurance that under good conditions, this guy can still very much do it, something that anyone paying attention to Ghostface over the past several years already knows.

The answer is not a lot, but there definitely are some tracks from this record that I could see myself going back to. I will say, while Supreme Clientele isn't amazing, labeling it Supreme Clientele 2, I think, has given Ghost a level of purpose and focus that he hasn't had in a minute. For sure, I wouldn't begrudge long-time fans who somehow see something in this because in passing, it definitely sounds like he has, for the most part, recaptured the vibe.

But upon closer investigation, I just feel like the finer details aren't really there. For one, I like the bold start that the track "Iron Man" gives this project, but vocally, a lot of the time on this track, Ghost sounds like he's about to blow a gasket. There's also "4th Disciple", which to my ear starts out like a highlight, with its chaotic descriptive shootout imagery and the way that Ghost is trying to help his friend who has essentially been shot and is on his deathbed now. This is classic Ghostface Killah storytelling, but it's a really short track that I wish just had more to it.

The song really dips when it's on a roll, and there are a few deeper cuts that do the same, like "Break Beats". On this record you also get cuts like "Windows", where to my ears, it feels like the beat is just doing a little bit too much to carry the entire song, especially with these long, uninterrupted strands of Tom Jones. And as good as a start as "Georgy Porgy" has, the autotune vocal lines on the back end of this song are a tough sell. I feel like the classic Ghost move on this one would have been to just howl your way through the chorus and allow the sheer magnetism of his personality to close the pitch gap.

Another general issue here is that there are some songs that do showcase a lot of potential, but are knee-capped by some really bad mixing and mastering. Mostly the song "Beat Box", which is a uniquely nostalgic moment with a slick danceable electro twist to it, a la Afrika Bambaataa, maybe Cool Kids a little bit, too. But the vocals and the instrumentals sound so blown out that all the details and dynamics that would make this an appealing dance rap song are lost.

Then there's "Rap Kingpin", which was a notable single from this project and features a mix of samples that are pretty much meant to evoke the song "Mighty Healthy" from the original Supreme Clientele. As nice of a nod that is, and this track is by no means bad, really just makes me want to listen to the original song.

Truth is, the tracklist on this record is pretty spotty until we start getting toward the end, which is where I think a lot of Supreme Clientele's best stuff comes through. Whether you're talking about "The Trial", which is a song where once again, Ghost shows that he continues to have just unparalleled creative chemistry with Raekwon the Chef and GZA, who essentially play out a trial with Method Man playing the judge and the verses acting as testimony. But yeah, easily one of the most fun and ambitious songs on this entire thing.

There's also a Nas crossover on this record, which is really smooth and mature. "Metaphysics" very much lives up to its 'imagine Peter Rosenberg radio intro' claiming it's like, a new Ghostface from 2004. But it does legitimately sound like that with its booming instrumental, Ghost's trademark sense of humor, his old-school philosophy. The soul chops, too, though the very notable Kendrick Lamar shoutout does feel anachronistic coming after that intro.

We also have "Candyland", which is a pretty funny track all about drugs. But Ghostface's twist on it is to literally liken a whole laundry list of uppers and downers to various types of sweets and candy and snacks. We also have "The Zoom", which features very prominently a big, big, big Lionel Richie sample and is part fantasy, part romantic monologue, and as delusional as some parts of it feel, it does really genuinely feel like it's coming from the heart for Ghost, and he still really can pull on that slick charisma when he wants to.

Even though the instrumental did come across a little awkward, I did like "You Ma Friend" with Method Man, of course, which is a very heartening track all about friendship, companionship, brotherhood. A song all about helping each other out when you're each sick and being there for each other and not sleeping with each other's girlfriends or baby moms and feeding your friend's kids when you're dead. I know some of that sounds over the top, but there is a realness to that that I really appreciate it.

Outside of that, I will say there are quite a few skits that I feel like are a mixed bag, some of them weigh the record down, though I will say, I think Ghost is completely in the right to bring up that 'pause' shit. That shit gets really stupid and fucking annoying.

But yeah, again, overall, like I feared, Supreme Clientele 2, is just not quite as good as Supreme Clientele. Yeah, it's got highlights. It's got a handful of bops. Probably Ghost's most energetic and focused project in quite a while. But still, I came away from this thing feeling about a strong 6.

Anthony Fantano, Ghostface Killah, Forever.