Music
All-Time High (And Low) Scores
Best Of 2009
Best Of 2008
Best Of 2007
Best Of 2006
Best Of 2005
Best Of 2004
Best Of 2003
Best Of 2002
Best Of 2001
Best Of 2000
Upcoming &
Recent Releases
70
AFI
65
Air
71
Alice In Chains
77
Amerie
70
Anjulie
85
The Antlers![]()
75
Arctic Monkeys
68
As Tall As Lions
82
Atlas Sound![]()
75
The Avett Brothers
67
Backstreet Boys
56
Bad Lieutenant
68
Devendra Banhart
72
Lou Barlow
88
Baroness![]()
69
Basement Jaxx
81
David Bazan![]()
72
Brendan Benson
72
The Big Pink
96
Big Star![]()
46
Billy Talent
75
The Black Crowes
51
Black Mold
59
Amanda Blank
68
Blitzen Trapper
75
BLK JKS
77
A.A. Bondy
73
The Bottle Rockets
63
Box Elders
65
Boys Like Girls
76
Brand New
73
Tyondai Braxton
87
Brother Ali![]()
70
Ian Brown
75
Michael Buble
78
Built To Spill
61
Colbie Caillat
79
Califone
68
Mariah Carey
84
Brandi Carlile![]()
73
Julian Casablancas
83
Rosanne Cash![]()
69
Castanets
65
The Cave Singers
84
Nick Cave & Warren Ellis![]()
79
Vic Chesnutt
75
Choir Of Young Believers
81
Circulatory System![]()
68
The Clean
84
The Clientele![]()
71
Cobra Starship
85
Converge![]()
71
Eric Copeland
80
Cymbals Eat Guitars
71
Datarock
59
Dead By Sunrise
76
Dead Man's Bones
64
Desolation Wilderness
88
Destroyer![]()
63
The Dodos
77
Drive-By Truckers
74
The Duke & The King
66
Bob Dylan
44
The Entrance Band
67
Esser
69
Fanfarlo
63
Felix Da Housecat
68
Fink
78
The Flaming Lips
66
Flight Of The Conchords
79
Florence And The Machine
67
John Fogerty
77
Fruit Bats
83
Fuck Buttons![]()
71
Nelly Furtado
47
Gary Go
68
Ghostface Killah
79
Girls
59
Gloriana
69
Gossip
62
David Gray
66
David Guetta
79
Richard Hawley
74
Mayer Hawthorne
66
Headlights
79
HEALTH
77
Joe Henry
66
Hockey
69
Whitney Houston
68
Imogen Heap
59
Jack Ingram
79
Islands
73
Jessie James
74
Jamie T
83
Japandroids![]()
65
Jay-Z
51
Jet
69
Daniel Johnston
76
Karen O And The Kids
72
Toby Keith
69
Kid Cudi
65
Kings Of Convenience
62
Sean Kingston
64
KISS
76
Kris Kristofferson
68
KRS-One & Buckshot
76
La Roux
84
Miranda Lambert![]()
72
Ledisi
75
Sondre Lerche
56
Juliette Lewis
82
Lightning Bolt![]()
76
Lightning Dust
73
Little Dragon
44
Pixie Lott
73
Lyle Lovett
66
Lovvers
75
Baaba Maal
77
Madness
84
Madonna![]()
85
Manic Street Preachers![]()
62
Maps
55
Massive Attack
57
Matisyahu
67
Reba McEntire
66
Tim McGraw
65
Brian McKnight
79
Mew
77
Malcolm Middleton
77
Mika
68
Amy Millan
76
Mission Of Burma
73
Modest Mouse
76
Molina And Johnson
80
Monsters Of Folk
62
Morrissey
85
Mount Eerie![]()
78
The Mountain Goats
62
Múm
72
Muse
66
Willie Nelson
78
Nirvana
97
Nirvana![]()
72
Nisennenmondai
80
No Age
71
Noah And The Whale
75
Noisettes
79
Nudge
68
Nurses
47
Dolores O'Riordan
74
Os Mutantes
73
Osso
81
Owen![]()
76
Paramore
76
Pastels And Tenniscoats
51
Sean Paul
80
Pearl Jam
66
Jemina Pearl
72
Jack Penate
65
Phish
82
Pissed Jeans![]()
61
Pitbull
79
A Place To Bury Strangers
63
Julian Plenti
66
Robert Pollard
79
Polvo
72
Porcupine Tree
80
Q-Tip
80
R.E.M.
89
Raekwon![]()
69
Rain Machine
70
Ramona Falls
75
Dizzee Rascal
75
The Raveonettes
76
Jay Reatard
82
Reigning Sound![]()
81
Rodrigo Y Gabriela![]()
79
Russian Circles
69
Buffy Sainte-Marie
73
Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions
61
Sally Shapiro
78
Shudder To Think
75
Sian Alice Group
70
Simian Mobile Disco
58
Simple Minds
72
Six Organs Of Admittance
69
Slaughterhouse
80
Slayer
61
The Slits
62
Mindy Smith
83
Solillaquists Of Sound![]()
78
Soulsavers
77
Speech Debelle
58
Spiral Stairs
58
Squarepusher
55
Steel Panther
73
Sufjan Stevens
52
Rod Stewart
65
Joss Stone
75
George Strait
83
Barbra Streisand![]()
76
A Sunny Day In Glasgow
74
Susanna And The Magical Orchestra
78
The Swell Season
76
David Sylvian
83
Taken By Trees![]()
78
Tegan And Sara
68
The Temper Trap
72
Themselves
82
They Might Be Giants![]()
67
Third Eye Blind
68
Throw Me The Statue
66
J Tillman
69
Times New Viking
57
Tokio Hotel
67
Trey Songz
71
The Twilight Sad
58
Carrie Underwood
56
The Used
68
Various Artists
70
Various Artists
74
Various Artists
77
The Very Best
71
Kurt Vile
67
Vivian Girls
71
Volcano Choir
76
Rufus Wainwright
59
Weezer
80
White Denim
76
Why?
83
Wild Beasts![]()
80
Wildbirds & Peacedrums
59
Andrew W.K.
71
Patrick Wolf
67
Wolfmother
84
The xx![]()
70
YACHT
75
Yim Yames
79
Yo La Tengo
83
Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band![]()
51
Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson
59
Zero 7
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
Fishscale

Universal acclaim
Based on 32 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 66 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: Def Jam
Release Date: 28 March 2006
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Rap
Summary
MF Doom, Madlib and Pete Rock lend their production talents to the Wu-Tang member's fifth solo outing, which includes a collaboration with Ne-Yo.
Also By This Artist: GhostDeini The Great More Fish The Big Doe Rehab The Pretty Toney Album
Also On Metacritic
MUSIC: Wu-Tang Clan: Iron Flag Wu-Tang Clan: The "W"
Also On The Web: Ghostface @ Def Jam
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Sure, Fishscale has its share of pointless skits. But that's what the fast-forward button is for, just as the play button seems to have been designed specifically to let people listen to Fishscale over and over again.
Read Full Review >Village Voice (Consumer Guide)
The stories are as vivid, brutal, and thought-out as any noir.
Read Full Review >Spin
Toning down his oddball style and ramping up his storytelling, he drops a pusher’s odyssey as developed and cinematic as any Scorsese joint.
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly
He may not be reinventing himself, but as a must-hear street storyteller, he's still at the top of his game. [31 Mar 2006, p.64]
Stylus Magazine
Fishscale intermingles skewed narratives, expert guest choices, exquisitely conflicting production, and a concept and focus—the drug trade is the near exclusive subject mater—that, while somewhat reductive in scope, sharpens the album into an immense, furious, and focused album.
Read Full Review >Pitchfork
Fishscale reiterates with cinematic verve that the most vital current Wu Tang Clan member's storytelling can match Biggie's in both excitement and humor. Yet Ghost's songs are unrelenting in their slavishness to density and credibility, and that can turn off casual listeners even as it intoxicates hip-hop purists.
Read Full Review >All Music Guide
The scenarios he recounts are as detailed and off-the-wall as ever, elaborate screenplays laid out with a vocal style that's ceaselessly fluid and never abrasive.
Read Full Review >Billboard
Overall, "Fishscale" is strong, with archetypal beats creating the definitive Ghost. [1 Apr 2006]
Dusted Magazine
I'd be surprised if anybody, in any field, drops something this potent in the next nine months.
Read Full Review >Dot Music
"Fishscale" is a purist's delight, an album seemingly crafted solely for those who've been chasing his maverick tail for the past decade.
Read Full Review >Village Voice
Ghost's Fishscale is the most creative album to come out of New York hiphop since his own 2000 Supreme Clientele.
Read Full Review >Delusions of Adequacy
Ghost is at the top of his game, both in terms of flow and lyrical luminosity.
Read Full Review >Lost At Sea
This will most likely be the best hip-hop album of the year as well as a contender for best overall album of the year.
Read Full Review >Q Magazine
He remains rap's finest storyteller. [Jun 2006, p.115]
Los Angeles Times
Will certainly stand as one of the best rap albums of the year. [26 Mar 2006]
RapReviews.com
Ghost continues his tradition of being the Wu's most consistant soloist.
Read Full Review >cokemachineglow
It isn’t the street rap of Ironman, it isn’t an exercise in abstract lyricism akin to Supreme Clientele, or the partially-focused and repeatedly disappointing Bulletproof Wallets. Regardless of that, the album captures exactly that Ghostface Killah is and has been over his past four records.
Read Full Review >Vibe
The sample-heavy results are cohesive yet diverse, a proper canvas for Ghost's finest effort since Supreme Clientele. [Apr 2006, p.151]
ShakingThrough.net
On balance, Fishscale earns its street-cred stripes and adds another worthy release to the Great Wu-Tang Best Solo Effort debate.
Read Full Review >The New York Times
This album doesn't match the weird, woozy brilliance of "Supreme Clientele," from 2000, and there are a few too many guest verses from rappers who don't come close to upstaging their host. Still, this might surpass his 2004 CD, "The Pretty Toney Album," though it's too early to tell: when you get a new Ghostface Killah album, the only reasonable reaction is to get lost in it. [27 Mar 2006]
Rolling Stone
Ghostface's emotionally charged stream-of-consciousness flow is as off-the-wall and amazing as it's ever been.
Read Full Review >Blender
Strange, spooky and brilliant. [Apr 2006, p.114]
PopMatters
Fishscale owes a large part of its success to Ghostface’s vivid storytelling.
Read Full Review >Uncut
A couple of missteps aside, this is Ghost's best since that '96 debut, Ironman. [Jun 2006, p.102]
Mojo
Delivers a top-grade high. [Jun 2006, p.104]
Urb
Frankly, this record makes me wish I could snort bass lines through my ear holes. [Apr 2006, p.84]
Tiny Mix Tapes
Fishscale is a confusing journey: far from a disappointment, it breathes new life into the legacy of Ghostface without blowing too hard, and for that we should be thankful. But to champion his latest as equal or, god forbid, superior to past albums in any way, shape, or form is laughable, as years-removed and repeated listens will bear out.
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle
Fishscale's tail-end reeks ("Jellyfish," "Big Girl," "Momma"), but then first cuts are always the deepest.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 8.7 (out of 10) based on 66 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Miguel A gave it a9:
Not the best rap album of the year. I still have trouble choosing between this and Clipse's Hell Hath No Fury. But, man.... This is a good album. The beats are dope and Ghost just does his thing like usual. There are NO weak songs on the whole album, but the skits suck (Ghost never was good at skits). So, out of al the good songs (there are no bad ones) of course there are the classics. You'll have to listen and find them yourself. It's your opinion.
David gave it a10:
Earns its spot with the all-time greats. Chock-full of brilliant songs, all fully fleshed out, memorable and emotionally affecting. Sure it has a few skits but they're short as hell. There's just too many quality cuts here to count. Ghostface is a legend.
Aaron gave it a9:
The Austin Chronicle gets this one very wrong. 2 of the 3 songs called out as weak are some of the best on the album and best of that year. This is what hip hop is all about.
Krish B. gave it a10:
Best album since his debut Ironman. Production is top notch with producers like J Dilla, Pete Rock, MF Doom and Just Blaze who provide an amazing drop in which Ghostface comes of extremely hard with striking, sharp lyrics. Features guest apperances with Raekwon, Cappadonna, Trife, Ne-Yo etc. Best cut on the album is definitely R.A.G.U.
Mike C gave it a10:
Only the most skilled in the business could pull off an album like this. It blows away every other hip-hop album released in 06.
lazy assed criminal milkweed gave it a10:
ill ass shit hate these niggas who think they know what hip-hop is its not music its a lifestyle man dont diss what u dont understand. I FUCKIN MISS WU-TANG CLAN AND THE FACT THEY HELPED HIM OUT MAN FUCKERS ARE AWESOME DAM. but anyway peace out. WU-TANG CLAN AINT NOTHIN TO FUCK WIT
CASTRO R gave it a10:
Ghost was the very 1st person to rhyme on the Wu's 1st album. At that point in time he really didn't grab me. Method was baskin in the lite back then. I was on the westside hiway w/ my cousin when Supreme Clientele dropped, and I first heard in my car. It was live, but I really didn't pay much attention to it. My cousin was more up on Ghost back then, than myself. It must have been around 2002 I purchased Supreme Clientele(One of the best albums in music of all time!). I payed attention to Ghost, and it was sick! Every album he has put out is fly. I have them all, plus his mixed tapes. Ghost's skill as a rapper is off the scales. I 1st heard Kilo on the underground. I was glad to hear him again, and not shocked about how fly the song was/is. I couldn't wait for his album to drop. The entire Fishscale is Fly. It captures the essence of rap music. I can tell he was raised on the same radio rap shows that I would listen to when I was 12- til today. I always admire his flavor. None of his music is for wack. Shame the masses don't buy his albums, as they do for other rappers of a lesser calibur. His albums are like jewels that are yet to have been appreciated by the mainstream mass. This album was surely one of the top 5 albums of 2006.
