What's So Bad About Ghostface Killah's New Album Cover?

I mean, it’s nothing as glorious as his last one, Ghostdini: Wizard of Poetry, but I don’t think the cover to Ghostface Killah’s new album, Apollo Kids, is as Pitchfork says, “truly unfortunate.” In fact, I kind of like it.

I don’t know what the problem is. The font? What, like only Ratatat is allowed to play with Judas-Priest-style ‘80s-metal electro-lettering? The colors of the notebooks? Garish. But eye-catching! And, hey, Ghost is nothing if not colorful. The custom-printed “Apollo Kids” pencil? That’s the best part! It’s all of theme and it’s got a positive message. Stay in school, kids!

Here’s a clip of Ghostface in the studio, recording the album’s opening track with young producer Frank Dukes. I never don’t love listening to Ghost talk.

The clip was made by Red Bull because Dukes won the energy drink company’s “Red Bull Big Tune” competition earlier this year. I guess that’s how he landed a recording session with Ghost? That seems disgusting. As does so much of the world, right? But maybe that’s a 20th-century attitude. Why shouldn’t energy drinks open up A&R; departments? I don’t know. The beat sounds pretty good. Definitely very much Ghostface-like.

Is it as good as the original “Apollo Kids,” the song from the classic Supreme Clientele album, from ten years ago? No.

But how many rap songs are as good as that? Not many. So.