Apollo Kids is the follow-up to Ghostface's R&B-oriented Ghostdini: Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City (2009) and serves as a return to the characteristic "Wu-Tang Sound". Ghostface Killah recorded the album at Red Bull Studios and Stark Studios in New York City. He conceived it as a mixtape for Def Jam after having partially recorded the Supreme Clientele sequel album and opting not to release that with the label.
Although it only charted at number 120 on the Billboard 200, Apollo Kids received universal acclaim from music critics, who praised its gritty aesthetic and Ghostface Killah's unfiltered rapping.
Ghostface Killah partially recorded the announced sequel album Supreme Clientele Presents... Blue & Cream: The Wally Era near the end of his contract deal with Def Jam Recordings, but after receiving the advance, he instead offered the label Apollo Kids, a lead-in mixtape he subsequently converted into an album, in order to satisfy the contract and shop the sequel album independently. He later said of the exchange with Def Jam in a 2012 interview for Complex:
They wanted Supreme, I’m gassing for them to do Supreme. But I caught them niggas real quick for their bread and then gave them Apollo Kids. That was gonna be called The Warm Up, but they was like, 'Nah, I know what you're trying to do.' They caught on.
Apollo Kids was recorded by Ghostface at Red Bull Studios and Starks Studios in Staten Island, New York.[3]
Apollo Kids received universal acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 84, based on 17 reviews.[19]Allmusic's David Jeffries called it "a return to the grimey soul and stream-of-consciousness street flow of the man’s best work".[5]The A.V. Club's Nathan Rabin stated, "The disc’s tightness, cohesion, and quality are even more surprising: Ghostface hasn’t sounded this hungry or focused since Fishscale [...] At its best, Ghostface’s music is about raw, visceral emotion and unfiltered rage".[6]Entertainment Weekly's Simon Vozick-Levinson viewed it as a timeless addition to Ghostface's catalogue and complimented its "jittery pulp fiction and zany free-associative zingers over scratchy soul, funk, and rock samples".[8]Rolling Stone writer Jonah Weiner stated "On track after track, he blows dust off some dirty-soul loop, with boasts as inspired as ever [...] and street-crime storytelling as vivid as ever".[12]Slant Magazine's Huw Jones complimented the album's "back-to-basics approach" and called it "a compact release that celebrates the staples of vintage rap music and, more specifically, vintage Wu".[13]
David Amidon of PopMatters stated "it feels like a work of boundless energy", but is, "essentially, the safest and most accessible album yet from Ghostface Killah, often hinting at the associative insanity he’s capable of without ever fully taking us there".[11]Pitchfork Media's Ian Cohen noted a "lack of any sort of organizational principle" and commented that "basically arbitrary sequencing never allows too much momentum to build", but commended Ghostface's "harried intensity" and stated "he's still an incredibly ostentatious lyricist, just one that's easier to parse".[10]MSN Music's Robert Christgau gave the album a three-star honorable mention,[20] indicating "an enjoyable effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well treasure."[21] He cited "In tha Park" and "Purified Thoughts" as highlights and quipped, "Living off his past, but it's quite a past and a damned decent living".[20]
^Barshad, Amos (December 17, 2010). "Leaked: Ghostface Killah Likes His Onions Chopped Up Real Little". Vulture. New York Media. Retrieved November 19, 2012.
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Apollo Kids is the ninth studio album 1 by American rapper and Wu Tang Clan member Ghostface Killah released on December 21 2010 by Def Jam Recordings 2 Guests on the album include several Wu Tang members and affiliates as well as Redman Black Thought Busta Rhymes Joell Ortiz and Game among others Apollo KidsStudio album by Ghostface KillahReleasedDecember 21 2010Recorded2010StudioRed Bull Studios Starks Studios Staten Island New York GenreHip hopLength40 53LabelDef Jam RecordingsProducerSean C amp LV Jake One Pete Rock Chino Maurice Scram Jones Frank Dukes Yakub Big Mizza Shroom Anthony AcidGhostface Killah chronologyWu Massacre 2010 Apollo Kids 2010 Wu Block 2012 Apollo Kids is the follow up to Ghostface s R amp B oriented Ghostdini Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City 2009 and serves as a return to the characteristic Wu Tang Sound Ghostface Killah recorded the album at Red Bull Studios and Stark Studios in New York City He conceived it as a mixtape for Def Jam after having partially recorded the Supreme Clientele sequel album and opting not to release that with the label Although it only charted at number 120 on the Billboard 200 Apollo Kids received universal acclaim from music critics who praised its gritty aesthetic and Ghostface Killah s unfiltered rapping Contents 1 Background 2 Reception 3 Track listing 4 Personnel 5 Charts 6 References 7 External linksBackground EditGhostface Killah partially recorded the announced sequel album Supreme Clientele Presents Blue amp Cream The Wally Era near the end of his contract deal with Def Jam Recordings but after receiving the advance he instead offered the label Apollo Kids a lead in mixtape he subsequently converted into an album in order to satisfy the contract and shop the sequel album independently He later said of the exchange with Def Jam in a 2012 interview for Complex They wanted Supreme I m gassing for them to do Supreme But I caught them niggas real quick for their bread and then gave them Apollo Kids That was gonna be called The Warm Up but they was like Nah I know what you re trying to do They caught on Apollo Kids was recorded by Ghostface at Red Bull Studios and Starks Studios in Staten Island New York 3 Reception EditProfessional ratingsAggregate scoresSourceRatingMetacritic84 100 4 Review scoresSourceRatingAllMusic 5 The A V ClubA 6 Consequence of Sound 7 Entertainment WeeklyA 8 Los Angeles Times 9 Pitchfork7 3 10 10 PopMatters7 10 11 Rolling Stone 12 Slant Magazine 13 Spin7 10 14 The album debuted at number 128 on the US Billboard 200 chart 15 with first week sales of 13 000 copies in the United States 16 It also entered at number 28 on Billboard s R amp B Hip Hop Albums and at number 10 on its Rap Albums chart 17 18 Apollo Kids received universal acclaim from music critics At Metacritic which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics the album received an average score of 84 based on 17 reviews 19 Allmusic s David Jeffries called it a return to the grimey soul and stream of consciousness street flow of the man s best work 5 The A V Club s Nathan Rabin stated The disc s tightness cohesion and quality are even more surprising Ghostface hasn t sounded this hungry or focused since Fishscale At its best Ghostface s music is about raw visceral emotion and unfiltered rage 6 Entertainment Weekly s Simon Vozick Levinson viewed it as a timeless addition to Ghostface s catalogue and complimented its jittery pulp fiction and zany free associative zingers over scratchy soul funk and rock samples 8 Rolling Stone writer Jonah Weiner stated On track after track he blows dust off some dirty soul loop with boasts as inspired as ever and street crime storytelling as vivid as ever 12 Slant Magazine s Huw Jones complimented the album s back to basics approach and called it a compact release that celebrates the staples of vintage rap music and more specifically vintage Wu 13 David Amidon of PopMatters stated it feels like a work of boundless energy but is essentially the safest and most accessible album yet from Ghostface Killah often hinting at the associative insanity he s capable of without ever fully taking us there 11 Pitchfork Media s Ian Cohen noted a lack of any sort of organizational principle and commented that basically arbitrary sequencing never allows too much momentum to build but commended Ghostface s harried intensity and stated he s still an incredibly ostentatious lyricist just one that s easier to parse 10 MSN Music s Robert Christgau gave the album a three star honorable mention 20 indicating an enjoyable effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well treasure 21 He cited In tha Park and Purified Thoughts as highlights and quipped Living off his past but it s quite a past and a damned decent living 20 Track listing EditNo TitleWriter s Producer s Length1 Purified Thoughts featuring Killah Priest amp GZA Dennis Coles Gary Grice Walter ReedFrank Dukes3 312 Superstar featuring Busta Rhymes Coles Trevor SmithShroom3 083 Black Tequila featuring Cappadonna amp Trife Diesel Coles Darryl Hill Theo BaileyFrank Dukes3 434 Drama featuring Joell Ortiz amp Game Coles Levar Coppin Joell Ortiz Jayceon TaylorSean C amp LV4 285 2getha Baby ColesYakub3 016 Starkology Coles Marc ShemerScram Jones2 257 In tha Park featuring Black Thought Coles Tariq TrotterFrank Dukes3 478 How You Like Me Baby Coles Peter PhillipsPete Rock3 149 Handcuffin Them Hoes featuring Jim Jones Coles Stanley LewisChino Maurice2 3010 Street Bullies featuring Shawn Wiggs Sheek Louch amp Sun God Coles Sean Jacobs S RamseyBig Mizza3 1711 Ghetto featuring Raekwon Cappadonna amp U God Anthony Caputo Coles Lamont Hawkins HillAnthony Acid4 0912 Troublemakers featuring Raekwon amp Method Man amp Redman Coles Reggie Noble Clifford Smith Jake DuttonJake One3 40 Sample credits Purified Thoughts contains samples of Am I a Good Man written by Willie Clarke originally performed by Them Two courtesy of The Numero Group Superstar contains samples of the recording He s a Superstar as performed by Roy Ayers written by Roy Ayers and Myrna Williams Black Tequila contains samples of the recording Jogan Ban Gayiu as performed by Asha Bhosle written by Anand Bakshi and Pyarelal Laxmikant 2getha Baby contains samples of Together performed by The Intruders written by Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff Starkology contains excerpts from Theme from Star Wars performed by David Matthews written by David Matthews In tha Park contains samples of the recording I m Alive performed by Johnny Thunder written by Tommy James and Pete Lucia How You Like Me Baby contains samples of Different Strokes written by John A Cameron and John Zachary originally performed by Syl Johnson Street Bullies contains samples of the recording You Are Just a Living Doll performed by J J Barnes written by David L Jordan Ghetto contains samples of the recording Woman of the Ghetto as performed by Marlena Shaw written by Richard Evans R Miller and Marlena Shaw Personnel EditCredits for Apollo Kids adapted from Allmusic 22 Anthony Acid Caputo engineer mixing producer Big Mizza producer Leesa D Brunson A amp R Sean C producer Munk Le Cinq fonts Dennis Coles A amp R executive producer Tony Dawsey mastering Frank Dukes mixing producer Javon Greene A amp R Joe Thelonius Harley bass keyboards Patrick Hegarty art direction Jake One producer Scram Jones producer Deborah Mannis Gardner sample clearance Chino Maurice producer Leon Michels organ Mike Caruso A amp R executive producer management Nick Movshon drums Briana Perkins marketing Antonio L A Reid executive producer Pete Rock mixing producer Lenny S A amp R Supa Engineer Dura mixing Doug Wilson mixing Yakub producer Kristen Yiengst art coordinator Adam Zia legal counselCharts EditChart 2010 2011 PeakpositionUS Billboard 200 23 120US Billboard R amp B Hip Hop Albums 24 28US Billboard Rap Albums 25 10References Edit Barshad Amos December 17 2010 Leaked Ghostface Killah Likes His Onions Chopped Up Real Little Vulture New York Media Retrieved November 19 2012 Apollo Kids Track listing Def Jam Retrieved 2010 12 03 Ghostface Killah Apollo Kids CD Album CD Universe Muze Retrieved November 19 2012 Reviews for APOLLO KIDS by Ghostface Killah Metacritic Retrieved 13 February 2023 a b Jeffries David December 20 2010 Review Apollo Kids Allmusic Retrieved on 2010 10 22 a b Rabin Nathan December 21 2010 Review Apollo Kids The A V Club Retrieved on 2010 12 21 Robbins Winston January 10 2011 Album Review Ghostface Killah Apollo Kids Consequence of Sound Retrieved November 19 2012 a b Vozick Levinson Simon December 30 2010 Review Apollo Kids Entertainment Weekly Retrieved on 2010 12 31 Weiss Jeff December 21 2010 Review Apollo Kids Los Angeles Times Retrieved on 2010 12 21 a b Cohen Ian January 3 2011 Review Apollo Kids Pitchfork Media Retrieved on 2011 01 03 a b Amidon David January 13 2011 Review Apollo Kids PopMatters Retrieved on 2011 01 13 a b Weiner Jonah December 21 2010 Review Apollo Kids Rolling Stone Retrieved on 2010 12 21 a b Jones Huw December 20 2010 Review Apollo Kids Slant Magazine Retrieved on 2010 12 20 Soderberg Brandon December 21 2010 Review Apollo Kids Spin Retrieved on 2010 12 21 Billboard 200 Week of January 08 2011 Chart Position 121 140 Billboard Retrieved on 2010 12 30 Jacobs Allen December 29 2010 Hip Hop Album Sales The Week Ending 12 26 2010 HipHopDX Retrieved on 2010 12 29 R amp B Hip Hop Albums Week of January 08 2011 Chart Position 21 30 Billboard Retrieved on 2010 12 30 Rap Albums Week of January 08 2011 Billboard Retrieved on 2010 12 31 Apollo Kids Reviews Ratings Credits and More Metacritic Retrieved on 2010 11 21 a b Christgau Robert April 5 2013 Odds and Ends 027 MSN Music Archived from the original on April 10 2013 Retrieved April 5 2013 Christgau Robert 2000 Key to Icons Robert Christgau Retrieved April 5 2013 Credits Apollo Kids Allmusic Retrieved on 2010 12 20 Ghostface Killah Album amp Song Chart History Billboard 200 Billboard Retrieved on 2010 12 31 Ghostface Killah Album amp Song Chart History R amp B Hip Hop Albums Billboard Retrieved on 2010 12 31 Ghostface Killah Album amp Song Chart History Rap Albums Billboard Retrieved on 2010 12 31 External links EditOfficial page at Def Jam Apollo Kids at Metacritic Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Apollo Kids album amp oldid 1139163920, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
