that "he may not be reinventing himself with Fishscale, but as a must-hear street storyteller, Ghostface Killah's still at the top of his game." Matt Barone from XXL wrote that, "with a few forced collaborations being its only flaw, Fishscale is Ghost’s most addictive dosage post Supreme Clientele. Packed with vivid street tales, comic relief and straight spittin’, the album continues his standard of excellence." Steve Jones from USA Today wrote that "Ghostface takes a timeworn hip-hop theme — dealing cocaine, and creates a riveting listening experience. He doesn't so much deliver rhymes as narrate graphically detailed scenes, rife with violence, passion and a little humor." AllMusic writer Andy Kellman wrote in his review "...Ghost responds by pouring all that he has, both lyrically and vocally, into every track on the album. The scenarios he recounts are as detailed and off-the-wall as ever, elaborate screenplays laid out with a vocal style that's ceaselessly fluid and never abrasive." In Q, Ted Kessler wrote, "Rappers rarely improve with age, but Wu-Tang Clan veteran Ghostface is the exception… Whether Ghostface's explaining how to cook crack on 'Kilo', how he likes his hair cut on 'Barbershop', or how he came to swim with 'SpongeBob in a Bentley Coupe' on 'Underwater', he remains rap's finest storyteller." In his review for The A.V. Club, Nathan Rabin wrote: Accolades Fishscale was ranked as one of the best albums of the year by many famous publishers. It also appeared on several lists for best albums of the decade, with Stylus Magazine ranking it number eleven. Uncut ranked it number 62 on their 150 Best Albums of the 2000s, while Pitchfork ranked it number 75 on their Top 200 Albums of the 2000s, stating "History will remember Fishscale as Ghostface's Magical Mystery Tour: an artist convinced of his own genius empties every chamber on a batshit, pseudo-conceptual headtrip." In 2009, Rhapsody ranked the album at number nine on its "Hip-Hop’s Best Albums of the Decade" list. The album was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. In 2022, the album was ranked 131st on Rolling Stones list of the 200 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time. Track listing Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. Sample credits "The Return of Clyde Smith" (Intro) contains a sample of "Summer Dream" by Jack McDuff "Shakey Dog" contains a sample of "Love is Blue" by Johnny