“We had substance in our music”: Ghostface Killah blasts new hip-hop
Former Wu-Tang Clan member Ghostface Killah is a lyricist who witnessed what many would argue was hip-hop at its peak in the 1990s. From Biggie to 2Pac, Nas, and Mobb Deep, the culture really was abundant with musicians who are beloved to this day.
That said, as a revered figure from a different generation, the Staten Island native isn’t too impressed with the state of hip-hop today and isn’t shy about sharing his opinions. Whether it concerns MCs’ flows or albums, Ghostface isn’t too happy with what he is hearing from the new school and believes that the quality of rap was better in the 1990s.
More specifically, the Supreme Clientele creator feels the genre is currently lacking in the storytelling and meaning it had in the late ‘80s and 1990s. From Ice Cube to Big L, it is indisputable that an artist’s lyrics were more important than their image before the turn of the millennium. During an interview with Rolling Stone, Ghostface insisted that MCs today seem more concerned with the club scene.
During the interview, the New York native explained that, nowadays, he rarely hears acts painting a picture or rhyming from the heart with skill about issues they’re passionate about. Instead, he hears verses about sex and partying, which, in his eyes, is unimpressive.
Expressing his frustration, Ghostface told the publication, “I don’t hear ni**as doing storytelling no more, man. There might be Nas. You might still got Slick Rick out there doing it… Raekwon, GZA. A lot of stuff, be regular darts, regular raps. Everything with this new generation is about clubs.”
He continued, “A lot of pu**y getting thrown around and sh*t. It ain’t like with MC Lyte. Even when Lil’ Kim did it, she was gangsta with it. She was a rapper’s rapper. She was Erica Cane with it. But the Lauryn Hills of this sh*t [are] gone.”
Although he is not a fan of it in any sense, Ghostface Killah did accept that culture evolves, stating, “But I guess time changes. Because we was rhyming about ‘smoking woola’s at 16.’ Now you’ve got these ni**as [talking about] pills off the meat rack with the lean and shi*t.”
Still, he insisted that the music of today is inferior, ranting, “But at least we had substance in our music. Everything is the same now. We’re the type of ni**as that can rhyme about an eyeball falling out your face, and having the police pick it up and put it in a plastic bag. These ni**as can’t do that.”
Akin to Snoop Dogg, who joked about the lots of MCs rapping in a similar style, Ghostface Killah insisted that all artists sound the same now, concluding, “Sometimes you got all these other motherf**kers biting ni**as and all of y’all sound the same. Why you got to sound like him? Why do you got to sound like Lil Baby? Why you got to sound like this ni**a? Why you ain’t just doing your own sh*t?”