Out of the recent spate of freestyle series, Styles P has consistently made the most interesting choices of beats to re-purpose. While others have settled comfortably in a single lane, often based on songs from a specific era, Ghost seemingly has followed no specific theme, other than to select tracks that take him out of his comfort zone and push him into uncharted territory.

The result has been a diverse, high quality and surprising body of work for an artist who has been among Hip-Hop’s most prolific over the last 17 years. Styles has tackled G-Funk and 70s Soul, as well as a fair amount of eyebrow-raisers by contemporaries.

However, the most pleasantly surprising lane in which Ghost has played recently is the one where he turns down instead of turning up. Recently, Styles chose to rhyme over Marvin Gaye‘s introspective classic “Inner City Blues.” The choice revealed a reflective side of Styles, seldom seen in the past. His latest two freestyles take him further down that path, as the D-Block MC meditates over recent songs by Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole.

Taken as a joint body of work, “A Tale of Ghost Citiez” and “Ghost Cost” provide a deeper and more complex look into hood life than most so-called “hustler’s tales.” The former, borrows J. Cole’s “A Tale of 2 Cities” track and sets the stage for what happens when a man wants to build wealth by any means necessary. On “Ghost Cost,” Styles lifts Kendrick Lamar’s “How Much a Dollar Cost” and gives insight into the inner struggle and some of the costs involved with living the lifestyle described in “A Tale of Ghost Citiez.” Check out both below.

Which lane do you prefer for Styles out of his increasingly diverse repertoire?

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