Having released the undeniable classic Supreme Clientele, Ghostface Killah, formerly known as Dennis Coles, was finally put into the spotlight as the best Wu-Tang member, a title that he was surely after ever since the group was formed way back in the early '90s. This of course meant that he now was free to release an album whenever he liked, rather than wait for the other members to release albums first, and so for the first time EVER (!!), a Wu-Tang member released two solo albums in two consecutive years. Ghostface's third album Bulletproof Wallets, nonsensical title and all, was released in November of 2001, through Epic Records, and the minute that fans got their hands on the CD, excitement started to ripple around. The first track listed on here was a song called "The Sun", and it featured Raekwon, RZA and Slick Rick! Slick Rick on a Ghostface album! No matter that previously promised tracks "The Watch" and "Good Times" hadn't made the cut - this Slick Rick track would surely make up for it. Well... no.
See, it turned out that the label had completely and utterly botched the tracklist, both on the back cover, and in the booklet itself. "The Sun" wasn't the first track on the album - it wasn't on the album at all. And even then, the rest of the songs that did make the album were still listed largely in the wrong order. For some reason, the label (or perhaps even Ghost himself) had clearly changed the tracklist order, and yet they hadn't had time to change up the artwork, except for the disc itself, which states the correct tracklist at the top of you look closely (besides the apparently non-existent "Figure 8 Skit" that is at track 9 according to the disc). It's pretty safe to say that this was a massive balls-up, then - no wonder Ghost finally decided to turn his back on Epic once this album came out.
So, for those who don't have the CD (which is probably most people nowadays, sadly), this was the tracklist presented to those that picked up the physical copy:
*Side note: this tracklist therefore basically had three skits in a row!! (Unless of course "Interlude 2" is what ended up being the "Ice (Interlude)" on the actual album, which is possible)
So, it looked like this was going to be another fantastic entry into the Ghostface catalogue, then. Unfortunately, the fans didn't agree, and not only was this project poorly received by listeners, but it tanked sales-wise as well (or rather "went wood", as Ghost stated on his next album). But, is that simply because people were disappointed about the missing tracks, or did people genuinely think this was bad? Let's have a see, shall we?
1. Intro (prod. GFK)
On streaming services, and possibly the represses of this album (with the correct tracklist), this intro is listed as "Intro - Stairway To Heaven", but on the disc here, it just says "Intro", so that's what I'm going with. The skit here almost sounds like a cross between "Striving For Perfection" (the ambient music and dramatic vibes) and "Shark Niggas (Biters)" (the actual content of the track), the two interludes on Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... album, and it's not terrible, with me especially enjoying Ghost's shout of "niggas gon' fuck around and get they balloon popped, straight up!" at the end. The music teamed with the large use of slang is a recipe that's a little too corny for my liking, though.
2. Maxine (prod. The RZA)
One of a few songs here where Raekwon does not get credited for his vocals, which is most probably because Ghost wrote the short verse that Rae spits in the middle of this song. Regardless, this song is fucking great. Not only is the production experimental and intense, but Ghost (with a small amount of help from partner in rhyme Corey Woods, of course) also manages to spit one of the most engaging narratives of his entire career on here, which is as easy to follow as an Anthony Horowitz novel, only quite a bit more explicit ("Fuck that, boo, kiss your kids! Y'all get the fuck in the room! "Fuck you you ain't our real daddy!" Next time you see my Caddy, don't fuckin' flag me. This is where he fucks up at..." and so on). The ending is goosebump-inducing as well, and the extended instrumental section was perfect to let the events of the tale sink in. This could possibly land in my top 10 Ghost tracks ever, it's that good.
3. Flowers (feat. Raekwon, Method Man & Superb) (prod. The RZA)
Another RZA beat? On a 2001 Wu album? This is unprecedented! A lot of fans were rather excited to hear this track on this album's release date, as the version of the song featured on an underground Funk Flex mixtape was regarded as one of the best leaks from before this album. However, the version of the song on here has quite a different beat, that takes the original and softens it with sponges and baby wipes, and yet it STILL sounds excellent (despite what a lot of people thought at the time). The beat is chill as hell, and the random nature of this song (verse 1, verse 2, verse 3, some kind of hook, verse 4, verse 5, another different hook) represents one of the things that makes the Wu-Tang so great - their non-compliance with what the industry demands. I have to give this one to Meth, who offers up almost as good a verse as on "Buck 50", but Ghost and Rae also bring it here. This track is another absolute banger. "Ultimate! Ultimate!" is timeless too.
4. Never Be The Same Again. (feat. Carl Thomas & Raekwon) (prod. LILZ & PLX)
5. Teddy Skit (prod. GFK)
Rather silly skit rendered basically unlistenable by Ghost's crass and unpleasant singing at the end. Who the hell wanted to hear Ghost sing "let's smoke some weed, and can I fuck you too" to this childish instrumental? Get this outta here.
6. Theodore (feat. Trife & Twiz) (prod. Allah Mathematics)
While Twiz apparently left the Theodore Unit once his recording for this track was done, Trife Da God (or Trife Diesel, as he is sometimes referred to) has remained loyal to the crew throughout its short-lived existence, even recording a collaborative album with Ghostface (which we will get to later). This introduction of Ghost's new crew of weed carriers (that every '90s and 2000s rapper of course had to have) is actually damned good. The spacey and ominous Mathematics beat is really nice, and all the MCs spit on here, with Ghost having my favourite verse. The singing on the hook could have been worse as well. Nice track.
7. Ghost Showers (prod. Chris Liggio, co-prod. Tally Galbreth)
8. Strawberry (feat. Killah Sin) (prod. Allah Mathematics)
This is, though. The only, I repeat, ONLY redeeming factor of this song is Killa Sin's verse (who's name is misspelt on the back cover), which is technically very impressive, if uninteresting content-wise. The verse is great, but unfortunately the RZA beat on here is one of the worst and most annoying he ever managed to create (at least before 2010, that is), and my God, is Ghostface's verse terrible. Remember how on "Child's Play" there were some, shall we say, "questionable" lyrics? Well, let's just say that it gets a hell of a lot worse here. My God, is his verse disgusting. RZA and GZA in the interlude was reasonably funny, but not enough to listen all the way to the end of this again. Please, once the Killa Sin verse is over, skip to the next song. This is arguably the most horrific verse Ghost ever dropped.
9. The Forest (prod. Al Chemist)
After that miserable moment, Ghost decided to bring The Alchemist in to provide him with some sanity, and thankfully, this track manages to be a hell of a lot better than the previous one. After some slightly off-key but still enjoyable singing from Raekwon, Ghost spits some rather random verses about various characters from famous children's stories and films, and makes said characters into the slang-using thugs that he probably imagines them to be inside that funny head of his. The verses are interesting enough, but add in some experimental production and you've got one of the most entertaining songs here. Anyone else catch the references to the Wu-Tang's "Method Man" (the song) in there? Anyway, really nice song.
10. The Juks (feat. Trife & Superb) (prod. Al Chemist)
The Alchemist provides his second beat in a row, and while this one is unquestionably the more conventional of the two, it's still equally enjoyable, and stands as one of the most banging instrumentals on this entire LP. This beat is nice, and Ghost's slightly deranged verse matches it, with some great and memorable bars coming from him. Superb and Trife are equally interesting, and the hook is catchy as well. One of the most complete packages on this whole thing.
11. Walking Through The Darkness (feat. Takitha) (prod. The RZA)
Usually, the odd misspelling of "Tekitha" would rile me up here, but given the circumstances of this botched tracklist, I think this isn't as much of a pressing issue as it otherwise would have been. Anyway, this is a reworking of a Tekitha (a Wu affiliate who sung on many songs for the clan, including "Impossible" and "Second Coming" (her solo joint on Wu-Tang Forever)) song of the same name, that appeared on RZA's Ghost Dog soundtrack in 2000, and it ain't half bad - the energy is certainly there, and Ghost brings some fun verses over this slightly dramatic production. However, I just find this one of the more forgettable tracks on here for some reason. It's still good, but not up with the best of them.
12. Jealousy (prod. The RZA)
Short interlude in which Ghost describes various acts of jealousy, and the meaning of the word as well. This would make more sense if the song afterwards had anything to do with this concept. I saw someone say that this was "one of the greatest interludes of the last 20 years". All I can say to that is: what type of crack are you smoking?
13. The Hilton (feat. Raekwon) (prod. Carlos Brody)
Ghost gets Rae back into the booth for their third full storytelling collaboration of the evening (after "Maxine" and "The Forest"), and golly gosh is this track good. The beat from 6 July (who handled the similarly exciting "Saturday Nite" from the last album) is intense during the verses and flamboyant during the hook, which is perfect for a track called "The Hilton" if you ask me. The story itself isn't as interesting or unique as the previous two, but Raekwon's actions certainly are - if you weren't already falling out your seat at the thought of Corey singing his ass off in the shower, then just wait 'til this line comes in: "Rae ran hysterically, slipped on soap. Landed on his back with his gat, now that's dope!!". This is a bloody "dope" track too, and Ghost's attention to detail is quite simply a wonder to behold.
14. Interlude (prod. GFK)
According to streaming and later pressings of the album, this track is called "Ice (Interlude)", or perhaps just "Ice", but on the disc here it's labeled as "Interlude", so that's what we'll go with. Don't fear that we're about to receive another inane skit, though, as this track is actually a quick one verse wonder, something Ghost quite likes now and then (see "Saturday Nite", "Kunta Fly Shit", "Beauty Jackson", "Underwater", and many more). This is mainly famous for having it's beat effectively jacked for the title track off of Cam'ron's Come Home With Me, but even without that, it's still pretty solid, and Ghost fits perfectly on the triumphant instrumental. Wouldn't have felt out of place on Supreme Clientele.
15. Love Session (feat. Ruff Endz) (prod. Underdawgz)
Also featured on the soundtrack to the film Barbershop, although it showed up on Bulletproof Wallets first, unlike the soundtrack joints on Ironman ("Motherless Child" and "Winter Warz"). This song is surely the definition of pop rap, from the horrific title, to the dull beat, to the crooning on the hook from some male singing group called (ridiculously) "Ruff Endz". At least "Never Be The Same Again" had interesting verses, and at least they actually released it as a single - this song appears to serve no purpose at all. '90s Wu fans should probably skip this one straight away, or otherwise they'd be sick all over their collection of Wu Wear and Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... memorabilia.
16. Street Chemistry (prod. Al Chemist (I looked at a picture of the correct booklet on Discogs to find this credit))
Remember how I said that the song "The Sun" failed to show up on the tracklist, despite being written all over the album art? Well, since the back cover still listed 16 tracks, there had to be one song that wasn't listed there at all, and this would be that (it is listed on the disc of course). Despite being listed as a solo, this track actually contains vocals from Prodigal Sunn and Trife Da God along with Ghost himself, and while I find this song to be entertaining, it's still a pretty underwhelming way to end the album if you ask me, especially with the abrupt cut off. Ending your album with an echo of a word as obscure as "cameras" was an odd decision, Ghost, but I suppose it's better than ending your album with a verse about being a paedophile ("Strawberry" was listed as the last song on the incorrect tracklist found on the back cover).
Contrary to what a lot of people seem to say (the website AlbumOfTheYear lists this as having a User Score of 68), Bulletproof Wallets is actually a bloody excellent piece of work, and feels a lot more like a Ghost solo record than Ironman could ever dream of being - despite being on the cover, Rae's presence on here isn't too overbearing, although whenever he is on the mic he absolutely delivers. Yes, this project isn't quite as good as Ironman or Supreme Clientele, but then again who really expected it to be? Most artists not named Redman or Busta Rhymes aren't going to be able to release three absolute classics in a row, and for a shorter and clearly less experimental album, this is pretty damned entertaining the way through. The clear standout tracks are the ones where Ghost doesn't try to go too poppy, and most often the songs where he instead devotes his lyrics to storytelling, which we see on "Maxine", "The Forest", "The Hilton" and others like those. On the other hand, there are too many pop and R&B crossovers here that don't really work, and yes, the weak tracks here are a lot worse than those on his previous two releases - I can't bear listening to his verse on "Strawberry", and "Love Session" is terribly dull. Still, I think it's time that people started to appreciate this album for what it is: not a classic album, but a bloody entertaining one anyway, and one that I can find infinite amounts of replay value in. And it's not even that long! Shortly after this album's release, Ghost decided it was time to depart Epic Records, and join a new label, one that would begin another different period of his illustrious career. All I can say is, that's Epic Records' loss.
Best Tracks: Maxine, Flowers, Theodore, Ghost Showers, The Forest, The Juks, The Hilton, Ice (Interlude)
Worst Tracks: Strawberry, Love Session
For other Ghostface Killah reviews, click here, and for the completely out of order Wu-Tang reviews, go here (at your own risk).
Image for the album cover taken from Discogs
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