''Phantom and the Ghost'' is the seventh
studio album by American rapper
Styles P
David R. Styles (born November 28, 1974), better known by his stage name Styles P (also known mononymously as Styles), is an American rapper, best known as a member of hip hop group the Lox, alongside childhood friends Sheek Louch and Jadakiss ...
. The album was released on April 29, 2014, by Phantom Entertainment, New Music Cartel and
Empire Distribution
EMPIRE Distribution, Records and Publishing Inc. (marketed as EMPIRE) is an American distribution company and record label founded in by Ghazi Shami with offices in New York City, London, Nashville, and Atlanta. It has released albums in vari ...
. The album features
guest appearance
In show business, a guest appearance is the participation of an outsider performer (such as a musician or actor) in an event such as a music record or concert, show, etc., when the performer does not belong to the regular band, cast, or other ...
s from
Sheek Louch
Sean Divine Jacobs (born September 30, 1976), better known as Sheek Louch, is an American rapper best known as a member of The LOX and founder of D-Block Records, along with Styles P and Jadakiss.
Personal life and career
At around the age o ...
,
Vado, The Bull Pen,
Jadakiss
Jason Terrance Phillips (born May 27, 1975), better known by his stage name Jadakiss, is an American rapper from Yonkers, New York. He began his career in the 1990s as a member of the rap trio The Lox, managed by Ruff Ryders and signed with B ...
,
Rocko
Rocko Rama is the main protagonist of the animated television series '' Rocko's Modern Life'', the Netflix special Rocko's Modern Life: Static Cling, and the comic book series of the same name. Carlos Alazraqui provided the voice of the anthropo ...
, Chris Rivers,
Raheem DeVaughn, Shae Lawrence and Dyce Payne.
Background
In a May 2014, interview with ''
XXL'',
Styles P
David R. Styles (born November 28, 1974), better known by his stage name Styles P (also known mononymously as Styles), is an American rapper, best known as a member of hip hop group the Lox, alongside childhood friends Sheek Louch and Jadakiss ...
spoke about the album, saying: "This was really just me wanting to give both sides of my alter ego. I really wanted to deliver a body of work that was different than what's out there, vibe wise. Everything is lyrically driven. I'm blue collar, man—I aim to please those who appreciate the underground. I don't give a fuck when it comes to making music; I give a fuck about the people who give a fuck about the music. Nothing really matters to me about music except the ones who fuck with it. I go for those who love this—the culture of hip-hop. I tell people there's two different industries—there's the rap industry and then there's the hip-hop industry. I'm more of a hip-hop culture dude than a rap industry dude. I try to stick with that form every time. I followed the same formula
ith ''Phantom And The Ghost'' which is I try to do a mix of my signature sound and a little something that people can relate to and grasp onto from an O.G. standpoint."
Singles
On March 25, 2014, the album's first single "Sour" featuring
Jadakiss
Jason Terrance Phillips (born May 27, 1975), better known by his stage name Jadakiss, is an American rapper from Yonkers, New York. He began his career in the 1990s as a member of the rap trio The Lox, managed by Ruff Ryders and signed with B ...
and
Rocko
Rocko Rama is the main protagonist of the animated television series '' Rocko's Modern Life'', the Netflix special Rocko's Modern Life: Static Cling, and the comic book series of the same name. Carlos Alazraqui provided the voice of the anthropo ...
was released. On April 9, 2014, the music video was released for "Never Safe". On April 16, 2014, the music video was released for "So Deep". On May 1, 2014, the music video was released for "Same Scriptures" featuring Chris Rivers and Dyce Payne. On May 27, 2014, the music video was released for "Sour" featuring Jadakiss and Rocko.
Critical response
''Phantom and the Ghost'' was met with generally positive reviews from music critics. Barry Ward of ''
XXL'' gave the album an XL rating, saying "''Phantom And The Ghost'' spends less time bragging or detailing street life, and more time pondering how things came to be and if it'll ever end. The album is another great addition to Styles P's growing discography that once again gives consciousness to what's going on in the pavement."
David Jeffries of
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
gave the album four out of five stars, saying "Past the Basquiat-meets-Pac-Man artwork there's the usual Mobb Deep-styled coldness with "Never Safe" and "Creep City" combining for a one-two opening punch with some electro underneath, courtesy of producers Joe Milly and Black Saun, respectively. The beats remain diverse, even returning to the eerie piano-fueled boom-bap on the great "Don't Be Scared," but Styles travels far and wide with his writing pen as well, telling his son a "do as I say, not as I did" story on the key cut "Rude Boy Hip Hop" with Raheem DeVaughn. Put the poppy, Jadakiss-type cut "We Gettin" on the end and ''Phantom and the Ghost'' is the big home-run payoff after a string of interesting but B+ albums."
Bruce Smith of
HipHopDX
''HipHopDX'' is an online magazine of hip hop music criticism and news. The website's current president and publisher is Sharath Cherian and the Head Of Content is Jerry L. Barrow. ''HipHopDX'' is the flagship publication of Cheri Media Group.
...
gave the album three out of five stars, saying "''Phantom and the Ghost'' appears to try to go too many places it probably shouldn't. Styles' verses are normally on point, but the production is generally a miss. The hooks, provided by either Styles or featured guests miss far too often as well. There are several lyrical gems to be found throughout the project as fans of SP have come to expect, but as a total album, this one comes up short."
Grant Jones of RapReviews gave the album a six out of ten, saying "The biggest problem with ''Phantom and the Ghost'' however is that we've heard it all before, ten years ago with better, more memorable production. Compared to the underrated ''Super Gangster'' album from 2007, this feels closer to a D-Block mixtape with its synthesized stylings and imposing tales of street crime. Nevertheless, it's not a bad Styles P record, and maintains the consistent level of previous records, but that level isn't good enough for a rapper that can still tear it up with the best."
Commercial performance
The album debuted at number 74 on the
''Billboard'' 200 chart, with first-week sales of 4,331 copies in the United States.
Track listing
Charts
References
{{Authority control
2014 albums
Styles P albums
Albums produced by Harry Fraud
Empire Distribution albums