The most charismatic rapper today is back with a vengeance with his fourth solo album “The Pretty Toney Album.”

The wait was worth it, as Toney Starks aka Ghostface does what he does best on his new CD, which is making people laugh, cry, and contemplate. The self-proclaimed “Ironman” of hip-hop lives up to his name by being the most consistent, prolific, and popular Clan member.

Ghostface, formerly known as Ghostface Killah, and member of the Wu-Tang Clan, which is, as hip-hop fans known, one of the great groups in rap music. They are a group of seven rappers, most notably rappers like Ghostface and Method Man.

Ghostface is known for his uniqueness, and talent on the microphone. As undoubtedly one of hip-hop’s most interesting characters, Ghostface Killah has long been a favorite of hip-hop fans. Ever since his classic, “Supreme Clientele” in 1999,
Ghostface fans have been wanting more of him and now with “The Pretty Toney Album,” they got the Ghostface they have grown to love.

These days, it would be rare for a new rapper to put out good album after good album. It is all about getting a song played on the radio and in the clubs. In times when hip-hop fans are looking for the freshest face, Ghostface continues to do what he has been doing for a decade.

The first single off of “The Pretty Toney Album” is “Tush,” featuring Missy Elliot. The song has been getting major airplay and is sure to be played at every party, and at every club around the world. There is nothing more important to Ghostface than making everybody party “like it’s 1999” That is his style and it has been his style ever since he came out ten years ago.

Ghostface raps, “Picture me layin’ you inside my classic pearls/Toes’ll curl, giddy up, you go girl/I’m about to, uh, do it slow girl/Ooh, you in control, it’s in your world/She on, I think I like ol’ girl.” Rapper Missy Elliot sings on the hook, “Tush, tush, tush/Wanna slide in the bush, bush, bush/ I’m on top, you like push, push, push.” Whether a person is in their bedroom or on the dance floor, one cannot help but get up and dance to this song. This song is similar to a lot of the songs that are playing on the radio, but do not compare Ghostface to a rapper like J-Kwon or Cassidy, because they are nowhere in the league that Ghostface is in.

Ghostface’s second single is “Run,” collaboration with Jadakiss. This song is far different from “Tush,” but it is great all the same.

Ghostface made “Run” strictly for the streets. The message is clear as he raps, “Run! If you sell drugs in the school zone/Run! If you gettin’ chased with no shoes on/Run! **** that! Run! Cops got, Guns/They givin’ out life like bird tons.” Not exactly a positive statement, but then again, Ghostface is not trying to be a role model.
“The Pretty Toney Album” is full of songs that would be singles on any other CD. Ghostface comes hard on every track and a listener can feel the hardships that Ghostface had to go through growing up such as in the song “Love,” where Ghostface raps about his life, “Love life, the ground we walk on/My sickness, it made me strong/My loved ones in Heaven/The ones we lost, to heroin.”

The only bad things about the CD are the four skits, which could have been replaced with at least another great song, which are acted out during the CD. Despite this, skipping a music track will not be possible, because every track sucks you in and makes you ask yourself, “Why didn’t I buy this CD the day it came out?”

One of the things that make Ghostface so talented is his ability to talk about the violence in the ghetto and make it funny. While other Wu-Tang solo artists struggle to maintain their fame and popularity outside of the Clan, Ghostface’s star power just continues to rise.

Ghostface dropped the killah out of his name but the man is a killer on this CD. Yes, Toney Starks is prettier than ever. “The Pretty Toney Album” is available now in stores.

Rating: Four mics (out of five).