Ghostface Killah f/ Ne-Yo: "Back Like That"

Due in part to the collective falling off of the would be underground kings, Dennis Coles quietly emerged into his position as the hype machine’s latest GOAT. This manifestation wasn’t entirely assumed; the man did pull a Tolkien and fundamentally create his own language on Supreme Clientele. With Fish Scale looming, quiet dissenters (hip to be different) had their ears piqued for a “Tush 2.0”; licking their lips and rubbing their paws at a chance to make Tony their sacrificial lamb.

Pete Rock produced “Be Easy,” there wasn’t going to be a crack in that armor. “Kilos” (“Kild”) had Ghost & Rae trading coke rhymes like it was ’95; few are big enough to challenge the credibility instilled in those veins. “Back Like That” was the first, and as it stands only, real point to backbite. While nowhere near as annoying as a Chris Brown, Neyo’s brand of new school R&B have little place between Wu-Tang word spray. Ghostface makes urgent use of his now you see me now you don’t, popping in to throw a couple beat down verses over glinting keys and a motionless string sample, then making a swift exit from this another poor venture capitalist effort from a Def Jam label quickly becoming the New York Yankees of the rap world. Teaming up a proven lyricist struggling to put up chart hits with a doe eyed up and comer hardly seems worth the heartache suffered by most loyal fans, so when the single flopsconsider this a preemptive I told you so.