Record of the Week: "Rap Kingpin" Ghostface Killah prod by Scram Jones

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Ghost is back!

Summer has been good to Wu-Tang fans. A new Raekwon album, a 'final' tour, and now flash news of a Ghostface album dropping, led by a new single: "Rap Kingpin", produced by Scram Jones. Based heavily on The God MC Rakim's legendary first single "My Melody", the faithful sampling and channeled energy of the original produces great results.

I've always appreciated Ghost's connection to old school energy. He's definitely an old soul. I'm a huge fan of "Holla" and other songs where he has lifted parts of 70s soul songs (sometimes in their entirety). But I also love when he gets in his 80s rap bag - as less and less active MCs channel that raw "88 shit" as he says in the intro. The passage in "Mighty Healthy" where he re-sings Divine Force's "Holy War" ("shake that body...") comes to mind.

Scram also samples The Sylvers' song that Mathematics sampled on Mighty Healthy, as well as recreates the one-shot triggered sample "check out my melody" with Ghost's similar "check out the rap kingpin" from "Ice Water" off Raekwon feat Ghost's album Only Built For Cuban Linx.

Don't you love sample connections? Press play and turn this one UP.