Ghetto Gothic

Ghetto Gothic is the fifth studio album by Melvin Van Peebles. Released in 1995, this album marks the second traditional music effort by Van Peebles, after What the You Mean I Can't Sing?! Previously, Van Peebles released the experimental spoken word albums Brer Soul, Ain't Supposed To Die a Natural Death and As Serious as a Heart Attack. Ghetto Gothic sees Van Peebles embracing a modern production sound, while the music encompasses various music styles, including hip hop, reggae, blues and classical music.

Following the release of Melvin Van Peebles' film Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song, he premiered two musicals on Broadway, Don't Play Us Cheap and Ain't Supposed To Die A Natural Death, deriving from earlier plays he had written in French. To express the ghetto's turmoil and pathos, Van Peebles used sprechgesang as a form he could tell stories in;

After recording an album which utilized more traditional songwriting, What the You Mean I Can't Sing?! (1974), Van Peebles did not record another album for 20 years. In 1993, Van Peebles recorded a new song, "Cruel Jim Crow", for his son Mario's film Posse. Melvin stated that he would not record a new album "until I could do it correctly." Van Peebles describes his vocal style as "the old Southern style", which was influenced by protest singers he had heard growing up in South Chicago. Van Peebles also said that he was influenced by older forms of African American music: "[ ] people like Blind Lemon Jefferson and the field hollers. I was also influenced by spoken word song styles from Germany that I encountered when I lived in France." The music of Ghetto Gothic is varied, incorporating elements of classical music, hip hop, reggae, and blues. Van Peebles stated of the album's musical experimentation, "So many black artists are encouraged not to eat from the entire cornucopia of creative and technical options. I'm black; so what I do is black. Once you don't worry about that, you're free to manifest your artistry however you see it." Van Peebles' lyrics range from lighter, humorous themes to more socially conscious material, such as "Just Don't Make Sense", which focuses on the contradictions of the African American experience.

Capitol released a sampler to promote Ghetto Gothic, containing the songs "There", "The Apple Stretching" and "On 115", marketing the sampler to alternative outlets, including public radio. Capitol also launched an extensive press campaign for the album which tied with Gramercy Pictures' campaign for the film Panther, which was written by Melvin Van Peebles, and directed by Mario Van Peebles. Capitol's campaign for Ghetto Gothic included a biography written by author Nelson George, and appearances by Melvin and Mario Van Peebles on The Charlie Rose Show. Melvin Van Peebles also performed a "miniconcert" for a benefit in Detroit, where Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song debuted. Detroit retailers saw potential for the album's success through airplay on jazz and urban contemporary radio stations. Capitol's vice president of creative marketing, Ruth Carson, stated in regards to the campaign, "There's a range of tastes [the album] will appeal to. It's not genre specific in terms of music buyers: People who buy hip hop are interested in other forms." Capitol also drew marketing value from Van Peebles' reputation as "the godfather of rap". Allmusic reviewer Ed Hogan gave Ghetto Gothic three out of five stars, calling it "an idiosyncratic recording from an artist who has been doing cutting edge work in film, theater and music for four decades."