Customer Reviews

Confessions of a Ghostwriter

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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)

I picked this up at fat beats for my collection a couple weeks ago.They had it real early.The cd is great,but almost all the tracks are on my RETAIL copy of "I Ain't Mad No More."Yes,there really was a retail that was shelved.Non Believers can get in touch and i'll show scans.Not the one skillz handed out at his concert either that was a cdr.

The new "Confessions of A Ghostwriter" cd tracklist is as follows:

1.Off The Wall
2.Suzie Q
3.Hip Hop
4.PA to VA
5.Y'all See Me
6.Wave ya Hands
7.Imagine
8.SKILLZ
9.It's Like That
10.You Only Get One
11.Yall Don't Wanna Do That
12.Skillz vs Shaqwan
13.Who I Spit For

"I Aint Mad No More" tracklist is:

1.On The Good Foot
2.SKILLZ(track 8 on new cd)
3.Show Love
4.Crew Deep
5.Its Like That(track 9 on new cd)
6.Wave Ya Hands(also track 6 on new cd)
7.Imagine(track 7 on new cd)
8.Suzie Q(track 2 on new cd)
9.Skillz vs Shaqwan(Track 12 on new cd)
10.PA 2 VA(track 4 on new cd)
11.Blow
12.Yall See Me(track 5 on new cd)
13.Irma Lewis
14.You Only Get One(track 10 on new cd)

So as you can see,there are only four new tracks on confessions.I doubt anyone will get there hands on a retail cd of "I Ain't Mad No More" so this is worth it."I am mad" that I already have this cd and have had it for 2 years now.I understand the guy gets screwed though,but jeez,make new music.I been lovin this cat for years.Even the 4 new tracks are kinda old.O well buy it anyway to support skillz

skillz ain't sold out... just listen to from where??? dude always wanted to appeal to the widest possible demographic, songs like get your groove on, and two others, can't remember the names right now, are prime examples that he always wanted to achieve a certain degree of success. And now that he's better known, he has certainly gone a way about gaining that exposure, but unfortunatley for him, it's not the best way. Yes, it's quite hit and miss, but when it does hit, it hits just sweet. A few throwaways, but more than a few exceptional tracks. Not too bad, and i got it for ten bucks australian, so ha haaaa!
peace bro's...

After almost a decade since his debut and being relatively quiet lately (other then his year end rap reviews and a few songs) the man with the appropriate name (Skillz) is back. An appropriate named album as well, since he has been doing a lot of ghost writing to pay the bills (check out his "Ghost Writer" track, it's blazin'). Packed with 13 songs (about half of which were on the "I Ain't Mad No More" album that never really got released). It has 2 almost classics, 4 ok songs, and the other 7 are good songs, no bad ones on here. Guests rap on 3 songs and do hooks on 2 others so you get alot of the man from VA on here. Production is decent and from some of the bigger names, (his lyrics carry the album - like always with Skillz) Nottz does 4 songs, Skillz & Rik Marvel each do 2, Timbaland, Neptunes, Naki, Hi-Tek, Darren Henson all do 1. If you're a fan of his or if you want to hear some real lyrics and no bull$h!+ pick this up.

#1 - 9 (nice beat)
#2 - 9 (f/ Cee Lo of Goodie Mobb -- nice story about trife girls)
#3 - 8 (about his view on hip hop -- today & back in the golden days o fhip hop)
#4 - 7.5 (f/ Pretty ugly)
#5 - 7 (f/ Pretty Willie)
#6 - 7.5 (f/ Music -- a decent club track)
#7 - 9.5 (a nice story about the root of evil -- money)
#8 - 8.5 (nice upbeat song)
#9 - 8 (f/ Danja Mowf)
#10 - 9.5 (f/ Aries -- song dedicated to his deceased mom)
#11 - 8
#12 - 9 (good song addressing the haters out there)
#13 - 7

D. Lewis -- Richmond, VA
Check all my reviews

Skills is my favorite emcee so I'm terribly biased. The album is what it should be: FUN. The man is trying to get on the radio and I'm not mad at him. I would listen to the radio more if commercial music sounded more like him. He makes commercialism a GOOD word and fixes what's wrong with a lot of commercial rap: light lyrics and substance and heavy on the style. Come to oklahoma skillz!!!!!!!!

Skillz fianlly has a album see the light of the day in the commercial form. I remeber when I first heard back in 98 on the Are U That Somebody remix and on To My from Tim's Bio album. The CD features production by The Neptunes, Timberland and some others. Pick this up if you want some real hip hop.