Supreme Clientele - Reception

Reception

Upon release, Supreme Clientele received positive reviews from most music critics, with many lauding it as the greatest solo Wu-Tang album of its era. Blockspot from Vibe stated "Mixed reviews of recent solo offerings from Clan members have some doubters whispering their speculation of Wu's demise. Fortunately, Ghost saves the day with the naysayer-silencing Supreme Clientele. Championing the cause of Wu dominance, Supreme Clientele exemplifies Ghost's lyrical dexterity. While his thunderous light-speed delivery hasn't changed much, his jagged wordplay is at its zenith." Allmusic's M.F. DiBella wrote in his review "Most of the members of rap's Roman Empire, the Wu-Tang Clan, experienced sophomore slumps with their second solo releases, whether artistically or commercially. The second offerings featured some of the old Wu magic, but not enough to warrant a claim to their once total mastery of the rap game. Just as the Wu empire appeared to be crumbling, along came the second installment from the Clan's spitfire element, Ghostface Killah. Every bit as good as his first release, Supreme Clientele proves Ghost's worthiness of the Ironman moniker by deftly overcoming trendiness to produce an authentic sound in hip-hop's age of bland parity ... While the album is complete and characteristically Wu-sounding, each track is distinctive lyrically, thematically, and sonically. Ghostface's Supreme Clientele is a step toward the Wu-Tang Clan's ascent from the ashes of their fallen kingdom. The once slumbering Wu-Tang strikes again." Mike Pace from PopMatters commented "The (Wu-Tang) Clan has taken its share of blows from critics and fans alike who claim that the magic of the first few Wu releases has yet to be recaptured. However, the hype surrounding Ghostface’s latest Supreme Clientele is well deserved, seeing as that the majority of the tracks deliver like the Mailman Karl Malone doesn’t on Sunday. Aside from the occasional aggravating skit that drones on for too long, the album is chockfull of spit-polished Wu-isms and catchy-as-hell beats."

In contrast, Craig Seymour from Entertainment Weekly gave the album a C rating and wrote negatively of its skits and long length. In his review for USA Today, Steve Jones described Supreme Clientele as a "brooding mix of lyrically dense and sonically diverse tracks." Alternative Press, however, gave it five stars, and commented "From the opening minutes of this all-uptempo, all-sorta-dissonant wild ride, it shows and proves a minutely detailed, if largely abstract, document of a unique black artist's emotional life." The Source magazine called it "An A+ record in Wu fashion" and wrote "Arguably as entertaining as his debut Ironman. With appearances by just about every important Wu figure, the album is a Wu album in the Wu-est sense."