The Big Doe Rehab

by Ghostface Killah

Overview

In 2006, Ghostface Killah released Fishscale, an intricate, exciting album that was voted -- and rightfully so -- as one of the best records of the year. It was the kind of thing that showed why Ghost is so beloved by critics and fans: his rhymes were wildly detailed and inventive, his stories were vivid, and his beats (most courtesy of MF Doom, but also with contributions from Pete Rock and Dilla, among others) were fresh-sounding and interesting, only working to improve the MC's verses by way of their own strength. And while these attributes occasionally surface on The Big Doe Rehab, overall the record lacks the excitement, the originality, and the passion that can and has made Ghostface so compelling. A lot of this, for better or for worse, can be blamed on the production. The Diddy-associated Hitmen (here Sean C. and LV), who also worked on Jay-Z's latest effort and are the composers of five of the tracks on Big Doe, make passable but not extraordinary beats, with short, overly simple samples that do nothing to bring attention to Ghost's rhymes, going even so far to turn what could be pretty decent ("Paisley Darts," for example, which also features good verses from Cappadonna and Trife da God) into something just plain mediocre, the antithesis of what a beat should do. Of course, when Mr. Coles is excellent, like he is on "Shakey Dog Starring Lolita," with Raekwon, or "Walk Around," he's excellent -- and both of these songs serve as reminders of his talent and perhaps intentionally also have the album's best production -- but unfortunately, there are too few moments of lyrical acumen interspersed among the less remarkable lines (like in the trite and tired "We Celebrate" or "Killa Lipstick," both of which sound like they're coming from an MC whose stories have all been told). Perhaps this disappointment stems from the inevitable comparison with Fishscale, an album which, even if you weren't a fan of Doom, didn't have a weak track, but Ghost has always had a problem with consistency, anyway -- think Supreme Clientele followed by Bulletproof Wallets or The Pretty Toney Album. So the question looms: is this just a misstep before another masterpiece -- and "misstep" is certainly a word too harsh for The Big Doe Rehab, which is more "uneventful" than "wrong" -- or is it a sign that the end is nigh? ~ Marisa Brown

Product Details

Release Date:	11/08/2024
Label:	Imports
UPC:	0843563176030
Rank:	206454

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Ghostface Killah   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Method Man   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Trife da God   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Kid Capri   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Gym Class Heroes   Primary Artist
Beanie Sigel   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
U-God   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Ox   Primary Artist
Cappadonna   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Ox Da Short Stoppa   Primary Artist
Sun God   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Capadonna   Primary Artist
Chrisette Michele   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
The Rhythm Roots All-Stars   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Shawn Wigs   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Masta Killa   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Raekwon   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Ed "Wolverine" Goldson   Guitar,Guitar (Bass)
David Wilder   Guitar (Bass)
Dantai   Percussion
Josh Lopez   Guitar
Ant Live   Various Instruments
Bryan Velasco   Keyboards
Davey Chegwidden   Percussion
Matt DeMerritt   Flute,Sax (Tenor)
Tyga   Featured Artist
Amille D. Harris   Vocals (Background)
Jordan Katz   Trumpet
Arden "Keyz" Altino   Piano,Strings,Fender Rhodes
Geoffrey Gallegos   Sax (Alto),Sax (Baritone)
Ricky Rodriguez   Drums,Percussion
Sean O'Shea   Drums

Technical Credits

Baby Grand   Audio Production
Syience   Audio Production
Scram Jones   Audio Production,Producer
L.V.   Audio Production,Producer
Ghostface Killah   Audio Production
Josh Lopez   Audio Engineer
Anthony "Ant-Live" Singleton   Audio Production
Sean C   Audio Production
Hector Mendoza   Audio Engineer,Engineer
Davey Chegwidden   Audio Production,Composer,Producer
Anthony Acid Caputo   Audio Engineer,Composer
Narada Michael Walden   Composer
Phil Hurtt   Composer
Preston Glass   Composer
Marvin Yancy   Composer
Reynaldo Rey   Composer
Carter Administration   Executive Producer
Sergio Rios   Engineer
Bobby Miller   Composer
Clarence Satchell   Composer
Gym Class Heroes   Composer
U-God   Composer
Nick Zesses   Composer
Carlos del Puerto   Composer
Nick Movshon   Composer
Leon Michels   Composer
Reggie Perry   Composer
R. Adair   Composer
Dwight Grant   Composer
Jordan "DJ Swivel" Young   Mixing Assistant
T. Bailey   Composer
Daniel Hastings   Photography
Tyrone "Flye" Crum   Composer
Patrick Hegarty   Design,Art Direction
Ugene Dozier   Composer
Jackie Gomez   Make-Up
Ralph Aikens   Composer
John Watson   Composer
Deborah Mannis-Gardner   Sample Clearance
Jonathan Kaslow   A&R
Lenny S.   A&R
Javon Greene   A&R
Terese Joseph   A&R
Q. Nicole Jackson   A&R
Clifford Smith   Composer
Robert Adair   Composer
Mary Bond Davis   Producer
Robert Neal, Jr.   Composer
Keith Harrison   Composer
Michael Caruso   A&R,Executive Producer
David Love   Composer
Levar Coppin   Composer
Todd Simon   Composer
Marc Shemer   Composer
Chrisette Payne   Composer
Tyrone Crum   Composer
Nicholas Anthony Movshon   Composer
Elgin Turner   Composer
Deleno Matthews   Composer
Anthony Singleton   Composer
Bryan Fryzel   Composer
Marc Schemer   Composer
Dennis Ames   Composer
Theodore Bailey   Composer
Ora Craig   Composer
Theo Bailey   Composer
Darryl Hill   Composer
Todd Smion   Composer
Roger Parker   Composer
Tony Dawsey   Mastering
Sir Mack Rice   Composer
Paul L. Kyser   Composer
Ken "Duro" Ifill   Mixing,Mixing Assistant
Corey Woods   Composer
Ricky Rodriguez   Composer
Lamont Hawkins   Composer
Charles Jackson   Composer
Dennis Coles   Composer
Johnny "Guitar" Watson   Composer
Dino Fekaris   Composer