Search - Bushwick Bill :: Phantom of the Rapra

Phantom strikes again

Sherance M. Brothers | Jasper, Alabama United States | 08/16/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"a overlooked classic bill matures some instead of talking about his eye,or suicide he lets you know how sick in the mind he really is.my favorite cut is mr. president where bill talks about kennedy and how gay j. edgar hoover was. bushwick and the geto boys always kept it real."

"Now who's the biggest little motherf...a you know?"

ctrx | 'bout to show you how the EAST COAST rocks... | 04/09/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album is sick! I am really disappointed that I slept on this for so long. Bushwick Bill's second solo album, 1995's "Phantom of the Rapra," is one of the most entertaining and enjoyable albums I've heard from the Rap-A-Lot/Geto Boys family. Anyone who's ever heard Geto Boys knows what a great character Bushwick Bill is. He has his own unique style of crazy horrorcore, but is also capable of being politically and socially relevant, and like his groupmates Scarface and Willie D, he can dig deep and become quite personal at times as well. On "Phantom of the Rapra," Bushwick does it all, splitting the tracklist between the wild horrorcore, a few deep songs, and some plain funny ones. Bushwick is full of irony, and it is often quite humorous hearing the terrifying threats coming from the mouth of a one-eyed dwarf. "Phantom of the Rapra" would not be the masterpiece that it is without the great production, and the contributions of Mad CJ Mac are not to be overlooked. Mad CJ Mac was one of the greatest west coast artists on Rap-A-Lot's 90s roster, and this created his union with Bill for this album. Mad CJ Mac is a great producer (definitely check his debut True Game), and this album boasts some of the smoothest, funkiest g-funk beats around. John Bido and the other traditional Rap-A-Lot producers also contribute. The deep bass, whiny synths, and slow rolling beats create a perfect backdrop for Bushwick's intense lyrics. Like most of the Geto Boys solos, this album is incredibly overlooked, and I'm always perplexed how the work of such a well-known collective can be so unknown. When he becomes emotional, it's really moving, but generally the album is dark, depressed, adn truly effective. You basically know what to expect on a Bushwick Bill album, but the formula was engineered to excellence on this effort and all the pieces really fall into place, making this an awesome work.



After the intro, the album begins with the awesome "Wha Cha Gonna Do," my favorite song on the album. Over upbeat and hard production laced with screams and funky guitars, Bushwick speaks of death and the apocalypse, in the hook expressing his indifference to the world. "Times Is Hard" is deep and thoughtful, looking at problems in society over a nice beat. "Who's the Biggest" is fast and banging, with threatening and wild verses. "Ex-Girlfriend" is meant as a sequel to his song "The Other Level" from We Can't Be Stopped, and lives up to the billing. "Only God Knows" has a whiny, mournful g-funk beat, and Bill dramatically looks at his life from a depressing and suicidal viewpoint, eventually trying to find purpose in his existence. The horrorcore arrives on "Already Dead," where the Bushwick Bill of "Chuckie" reemerges. An alter-ego, Dr. Wolfgang von Bushwick the Barbarian Bill, is introduced on the nice "The Bushwicken." "Subliminal Criminal" is top-notch gangsta rap over smooth g-funk production. The album ends with a woozy weed cut, "Inhale Exhale," "Mr. President," the type of song only Bushwick could pull off which criticizes the government, and the outro.



"Phantom of the Rapra" is a must have for Geto Boys and Houston rap fans. The entertaining lyricism and smooth beats of Mad CJ Mac are a perfect combination. While it's obviously not as important an album, I get more enjoyment out of this release than I do from the early Geto Boys classics like We Can't Be Stopped. This album's wildly underrated and should be heard!"

Grimy Rap at it's Finest

G-Funk 4ever | Listenin' to the Delfonics | 09/12/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"5th Ward Houston's own Bushwick Bill comes so hard on Phantom of the Rapra, he'd even give Freddy Kreuger and Jason a run for their money. He holds nothing back throughout the album. He is as gritty as Brotha Lynch Hung, and as stone cold gangster as C-Bo. The beats are a whole other issue. The beats are awesome throughout the album. Generally they draw upon G-Funk; some hint at West Coast; some have the syrupy Texas feel, and some have dark piano and whiny Keyboard riffs that would even scare Dracula. Mad CJ Mac (his name appears as Mad Mac in the liner credits) produces a nice laidback soul inflected G-funk classic with a contemplative Bushwick spitting fire about reality of trying to make enough to make ends meet and surviving in the hood on "Times Is Hard." Swift creates a moody, gothic beat and Bill hammers you with blood curdling terror on "Already Dead." Bill lights up a spliff on "Inhale Exhale, with an awesome melodic mobbin beat. Another classic is "Wha Cha Gonna Do" is a nice hard track showing what he'll do if the world ends, and that he is not afraid of death, and will live life to the fullest without a care. Any serious rap fan should have this. Awesome raps and immaculate beats, what more can you ask for?"