Ghostpell's Olga Korbut (2021) Review
Have you heard of Ghostpell yet? If you claim to love Spanish Rap, do yourself a favor and listen to him now! I personally feel he surpassed Kase.O as the best lyricist alive in Spanish. He is phenomenal. Not just that but his flow is out of this world! So smooth and something that has never been heard before in our language. I would compare him to a modern day Spanish version of Slick Rick, AZ or Nas but with Nas level lyricism.
For those in the know, many felt Ghostpell lost his battle to Ergo Pro and he has lost some of that hype since then. I respect those that feel that and understand their opinion. Although I feel Ghostpell edged it out but it was close. They are both very impressive lyricists.
The last we heard from Ghostpell was in 2024 when he appeared on what some are calling a modern day classic in Mir Nicolas's "S.P.I" which was quite good and is definitely worth a listen. Stay away from the deluxe edition. It is an entirely different and much inferior album. They collaborate on the modern day Hip Hop classic "Hacerlo Valer". I think it's the best Spanish Rap song from the past 5 years. Before that it was either "Givenchy Dons" or "Papasito Bars".
Then at the end of 2024 we got the sublime yet impactful "Cadenas De Nieve". Ghostpell's metaphors are pretty neat on that one. And Cookin Soul's production is usually top notch. But he was silent all of 2025. I heard he does live performances on Twitch or something for donations. I don't know if he does any concerts in person which is a shame. He is in my personal Top 5 of today right now next to Alvaro Diaz and Bad Bunny.
"Olga Korbut" would be a masterpiece were it just for the lyrics. I recently found out that Ghostpell produced the entire album, although it seems he had help. Though I respect him much more after finding out he makes his own beats, in my opinion, that is precisely what holds him back. I don't know what his motivation is or beat selection process either. And I don't have much knowledge on modern Rap, especially underground, but I do know a decent amount of Golden Age Rap, more than most of the general population.
What I gather from Ghostpell's beats is that he listens to a lot of Larry June. I don't know what is it with Spaniards and Colombians with Larry June. He is a decent rapper, but he has none of that social commentary or gangsterism that the audience in Spain and Colombia used to love back in the day. Besides Griselda, Larry June is the most listened to modern Rapper by non English speaking Latinos and Spaniards. To me, he is a modern day Too $hort which is a very complimentary comparison on my behalf, but only Latino Chicanos in LA used to listen to Too Short back in the day. IDK how these Argentinians got all into Larry June's music.
Some other beats sound like leftovers from Kase.O's "Jazz Magnetism" which I completed once believe it or not, though it was a chore. And other beats sound Griselda Esque but intentionally different. Maybe there's some other guys with a similar Griselda sound... I've read about Earthgang but haven't listened to them yet. IDK if that's where Ghostpell gets his sound from.
Although I am known more for my Reggaeton opinions more than my Latin/Spanish Rap ones, I know Hip Hop culture and Rap music in our native tongue very well. It's probably the second genre I am the most well versed with overall. And one thing I have noticed from modern day Rap and Reggaeton artists which is much different than the artists from the classic days. Meanwhile in the days of Tego and Nach, artists were influenced by the previous generation of classic artists like KRS One, EPMD, and Notorious B.I.G... today's Rap artist from Spain, Puerto Rico, Argentina and everywhere making modern Rap, are influenced by the artists of today. Their contemporaries. And they often emulate their contemporaries.
Trueno sounds like Logic. Yung Beef sounds like Future or Lil Uzi Vert. Dano sounds like Griselda. Bad Bunny combined the sounds of Drake, The Weeknd and Future when he used to do more Trap. Even though back in the day, Rap done in Spanish was often years behind production wise, the more original stuff sounded like nothing American. Control Machete sounded nothing like Cypress Hill though they toured together. Tempo sounded nothing like Nas, though he got his style from him. And Ghostpell is one of the few guys today, that flow wise, sounds like no one else. Beat wise however, he is clearly emulating an American or possibly French sound, as French Rap is very popular in Spain and Chile.
I just feel had Ghostpell just added 3 classic Boom Bap Premo type beats, "Olga Korbut" would have been an instant classic. Instead, the beats make you over appreciate the lyrics and ignore the instrumentals half the time. The instrumental is secondary in "Olga Korbut" instead of being just as important as the lyrics and flow. Shoot, half of the successful artists in Hip Hop history was often because the beat outshone what at times were average flows and below average lyrics. A beat can make all the difference. That's why to me it is no surprise that Ghostpell remains as obscure as he is. He has his beats to thank for that. They're not bad, but more variety would have attracted more listeners. BTW, these were some of the best lyrics rapped in English or Spanish in the past 5 years, but some of the beats don't hold up to the rhymes.
Rating: 8.25/10 (It could have been much better with more versatility in production)
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