I love it when folks from my region get the props they deserve. I support most artists from MD, DC, VA, & NC. I even have Skillz's obscure debut album. But this time around, Skillz stumbles out the gate. If this was all new material, it would probably still be a 3.5 star album. But 8 of the 13 songs (Y'all See Me, Imagine, S.K.I.L.L.Z., Suzie Q, Pa To Va, Skillz vs Shaqwan, etc...) on this album are from the 2002 LP I Ain't Mad No More. I guess that's not neccesarily a bad thing since it was never released. The problem is that most of the songs are too "clubby". I was hoping to hear the hungry battle MC over some tight production. I guess if club beats are what you're looking for, then this should probably do the trick, but too many of the tracks fall flat in my opinion. Plain and simple: too many lame hooks and commercial beats. I guess having Timbaland and The Neptunes on your album will do that. I love their work, but their beats just didn't fit Skillz this time around. They aren't the only producers on the album though. Nottz (Wave Ya Hands), Hi Tek (Y'all Don't Wanna Do That), and a few others lend a helping hand on the boards also.
Honestly though, there are a few dope cuts on this LP. "You Only Get One" is touching track dedicated to his deceased mother. "Off The Wall" features production from Timbaland and it's one of the few club tracks on the album that gets done right. "Who I Spit For" and "Shaqwan VS Skillz" take things back to the old days when Skillz was spittin' flames. But after that, things start to dry up.
Confessions of a Ghostwriter is worth checking out, but some of these rhymes aren't of his caliber and the beats tend to drift into "club territory". I think it's decent, but I'd only reccomend this to die hard fans. Newcomers should check out his debut (From Where?!?!?!) if you can find it.
And just to clear things up, the track listing on this website is accurate for the most part, but the copy I have has "Skillz vs Shaqwan at #12 and "Who I Spit For" at #13. There is no freestyle on my copy.
Standout Tracks: Off The Wall, Who I Spit For, Imagine, You Only Get One feat. Aaries, and Skillz vs. Shaqwan (My Favorite)