By Ahmad Awadallah

Master of Ceremonies isn’t only the newest opus from Styles P, but definitely one of the most powerful album titles of all-time. In typical Ghost fashion, he appoints the bars and production styling of a host of different artists. The album is superficial in that it’s flooded with gritty bar after bar, but then again, what do you expect when your moniker is “The Hardest Out.” D-Block fans have been starving for almost five years for another Style P fix and this one satisfies, despite being far from his best LP.

The album kick-starts with the sanguine track “How I Fly,” featuring the smooth sounds of Avery Storm. Producer Warren G employs some funk and West Side flavor while Styles brings the muscle with wily bars like, “Jungle fever how I creep with white widow.” The Ruff Ryder links up with former foe Lloyd Banks on the track “We Don’t Play” over Supa Stylez dark no-nonsense production. Styles wastes no time as he starts spewing before the beat drops and he reminds Hip-Hop heads that the “Hardest Out” title remains firmly in his clutches with the bars, “Ghost is an apocalypse/holding your esophagus/running through this sh-t like a motherf–king rhinoceros/nasty like a hippo is/show you what a sicko is/barrel to your girl cl-t/b–ch is you ticklish/you gone fuck around and get burned like syphilis.”

What do you get when you throw Rell over a soulful beat and mix in a hardcore rhyme slinger? The answer is a street classic. Rell is untouchable in the realm of R&G (Rhythm and Gangster)[Ed. note-Nate Dogg will always be the king] and the track “I’m a G” further solidifies his reputation. Supa Stylez comes correct again with poignant production and Styles continues with the tales from the harsh streets. After a barrage of grizzly bars, Rell emerges with some serene crooning.

Statik Selektah blesses the album with one his signature scratched and sampled beats. The Massachusetts-born producer appropriately samples LOX lyrics over some old school inspired production. Surprisingly the album’s two lead singles are probably the least commercially viable on the tracklist, “Harsh” and “It’s Ok.” Even though the caliber of emcees on both records is sublime, they fail at their objectives of being bonafied club/crossover hits. Phonix produced both tracks and even though they’re decent, both seem to interrupt Styles’ hoarse sound.

After a double-header of duds the album finishes extremely strong with the Reefa-fashioned track “Don’t Turn Away.” Pharrell contributes with his rhythmic steeze on the hook over a 1980s-infused production Again the balance of light crooning and hard-hitting bars works harmoniously. The closing track “Uh Oh” features D-Block comrade Sheek Louch and recalls the late 90s/Ruff Ryder era. It seems as the duo unearthed the record from the Double R vault, but nevertheless it’s fire. Other standout tracks includie the AraabMuzik-crafted track “Ryde on da Regular” and “Children” featuring the legendary Pharoahe Monch.

Overall, Master of Ceremonies‘ glaring flaw is the lack of diversity. Styles P is an apostle of hardcore rhyming with a hint of the backpacker aesthetic. It’s that little bit extra that separates him from his overly belligerent contemporaries. What he does, he does well but after a decade plus strong of delivering that raw, perhaps it’s time for some seasoned stew. That being said, he remains true to his monikerand delivers an album rife with the real.
3.25 Out of 5

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