The Pretty Toney Album is the fourth studio album by American hip hop artist Ghostface. Originally scheduled for a February 2004 release (as found on the cover art for the Run CD single), the album was released on April 20, 2004, by Def Jam. It is the only album from the artist to be released solely under the moniker "Ghostface" ("Killah" is entirely omitted in any reference to his name on the packaging), and is the first of his albums not to feature any other members of the Wu-Tang Clan.
| The Pretty Toney Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 20, 2004 | |||
| Recorded | 2003–2004 | |||
| Genre | Hip hop | |||
| Length | 52:13 | |||
| Label | Def Jam | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Ghostface chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Pretty Toney Album | ||||
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The album cover is a photograph taken from his performance of the song "Summertime" with Beyoncé at Jay-Z's farewell concert at Madison Square Garden in November 2003. It is an interpolation of the cover of Doug E. Fresh's album The World's Greatest Entertainer. The oversized jewelry he is seen wearing in the photograph was given to him prior to his performance by rapper Slick Rick, as seen in the film "Fade to Black."
Critical reception
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 84/100[1] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Blender | [3] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A−[4] |
| HipHopDX | 4.5/5[5] |
| Mojo | [6] |
| Pitchfork | 8.2/10[7] |
| Rolling Stone | [8] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [9] |
| Spin | A[10] |
| Vibe | 4/5[11] |
The Pretty Toney Album received critical acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 84, which indicates "universal acclaim", based on 14 reviews.[1] David Jeffries of AllMusic said, "The Pretty Toney Album has a lack of Wu-related references on it. It's Ghostface's album entirely and all the better for it."[2] Tiny Mix Tapes said, "It exemplifies all of the elements that Ghostface has been successful with in the past. Unfortunately, The Pretty Toney Album falls short in replacing what Raekwon had contributed to Ghost's previous album releases, causing the album to feel essentially incomplete."[12]
Rollie Pemberton of Pitchfork said, "Expectedly, minor shortcomings hold the record back from classic status. The lack of his usual obligatory Raekwon collaboration hurts Pretty Toney's variety, and the skits, despite featuring topics and idiosyncratic raps far above the standards of his contemporaries, tend to bog down the album's progress. But all things considered, Pretty Toney far surpasses 2001's Bulletproof Wallets, finally finding the missing link between street cred and commercial respect."[7]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro" |
| Emile Haynie | 2:28 |
| 2. | "Biscuits" (featuring Trife da God) |
| True Master | 3:24 |
| 3. | "Kunta Fly Shit" | RZA | 1:00 | |
| 4. | "Beat the Clock" |
| Minnesota | 2:49 |
| 5. | "Metal Lungies" (featuring Sheek Louch and Styles P) |
| No I.D. | 3:07 |
| 6. | "Bathtub" (skit) |
| 1:35 | |
| 7. | "Save Me Dear" | Ghostface | 3:02 | |
| 8. | "It's Over" | K-Def | 4:10 | |
| 9. | "Keisha's House" (skit) | Coles | 1:04 | |
| 10. | "Tush" (featuring Missy Elliott) |
|
| 3:24 |
| 11. | "Last Night" (skit) | Coles | K-Def | 2:31 |
| 12. | "Holla" (featuring Allah Real) |
| 3:19 | |
| 13. | "Ghostface" |
| Digga | 2:38 |
| 14. | "Be This Way" | Nottz | 4:09 | |
| 15. | "The Letter" (skit) | Coles | 1:21 | |
| 16. | "Tooken Back" (featuring Jacki-O) |
| Nottz | 5:04 |
| 17. | "Run" (featuring Jadakiss) |
| RZA | 3:19 |
| 18. | "Love" (featuring Musiq Soulchild and K. Fox) |
| No I.D. | 3:38 |
| Total length: | 52:13 | |||
- Leftover Tracks
- "Tony's Money"
- "The Drummer" (featuring Method Man, Trife da God and Streetlife)
- "New Splash (No, No, No)"
- Sample credits
- "Intro" contains a sample of "Tobacco Road" by Tommy Youngblood.
- "Biscuits" contains a sample of "I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down" by Sam & Dave.
- "Kunta Fly Shit" contains a sample of "Survival" by Annette Peacock.
- "Beat The Clock" contains a sample of "Since I Fell For You" by Laura Lee.
- "Metal Lungies" contains a sample of "Nobody Knows" by Operation Breadbasket Orchestra and Choir.
- "Bathtub" (skit) contains a sample of "Not On The Outside" by The Moments.
- "Save Me Dear" contains a sample of "(You) Got What I Need" by Freddie Scott.
- "It's Over" contains a sample of "I'm Afraid The Masquerade Is Over" by David Porter.
- "Tush" contains a sample of "Naked Truth" by The Best of Both Worlds.
- "Last Night" (skit) contains a sample of "Last Night Changed It All" by Esther Williams.
- "Holla" contains a sample of "La La (Means I Love You)" by The Delfonics.
- "Ghostface" contains a sample of "AJ Scratch" by Kurtis Blow.
- "Be This Way" contains a sample of "(We'll Always Be) Together" by Billy Stewart.
- "The Letter" (skit) contains a sample of "Sunday" by Silvia Robinson.
- "Tooken Back" contains a sample of "Take Me Back" by The Emotions.
- "Run" contains a sample of "Hogin Machine" by Les Baxter.
- "Love" contains a sample of "Statue of a Fool" by David Ruffin.
Charts
edit| Chart (2004) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)[13] | 38 |
| Canadian R&B Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)[14] | 22 |
| US Billboard 200[15] | 6 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[16] | 4 |
References
edit- ^ a b "Reviews for The Pretty Toney Album by Ghostface Killah". Metacritic. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
- ^ a b Jeffries, David. "The Pretty Toney Album – Ghostface Killah". AllMusic. Retrieved May 9, 2012.
- ^ Weiner, Jonah. "Ghostface Killah: The Pretty Toney Album". Blender. Archived from the original on August 11, 2004. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
- ^ Fiore, Raymond (May 14, 2004). "The Pretty Toney Album". Entertainment Weekly (765): 68. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
- ^ J-23 (April 20, 2004). "Ghostface – The Pretty Toney Album". HipHopDX. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Ghostface Killah: The Pretty Toney Album". Mojo (127): 116. June 2004.
- ^ a b Pemberton, Rollie (May 4, 2004). "Ghostface: The Pretty Toney Album". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 9, 2012.
- ^ Hoard, Christian (May 5, 2004). "Ghostface Killah: The Pretty Toney Album". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 9, 2008. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
- ^ Catucci, Nick (2004). "Ghostface Killah". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 330–31. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ Ryan, Chris (May 2004). "Ghostface Killah: Pretty Toney". Spin. 20 (5): 107. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
- ^ Markman, Robert (April 2004). "Ghostface Killah: The Pretty Toney Album". Vibe. 12 (4): 156. Retrieved May 9, 2012.
- ^ wolfman (May 23, 2004). "Ghostface Killah – The Pretty Toney Album". Tiny Mix Tapes. Archived from the original on May 23, 2004. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
- ^ "Albums : Top 100". Jam!. May 6, 2004. Archived from the original on December 10, 2004. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- ^ "R&B : Top 50". Jam!. May 27, 2004. Archived from the original on June 3, 2004. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
- ^ "Ghostface Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
- ^ "Ghostface Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 20, 2014.