White wrestles with ghosts through 30 minutes of rapid fire exorcism
On Halloween of 2025, rapper, singer and songwriter Armani White (Enoch Armani Tolbert) released the aptly-titled record, THERE’S A GHOST IN MY HOUSE. Though not the foremost artist in the commercial rap scene, he has amassed a respectable, loyal following, primarily following his hit single “BILLIE EILISH.” As of now, the song has amassed over five hundred million streams and peaked on the Billboard Hot 100.
photo courtesy of Armani White’s Spotify
Along his way to the top, “BILLIE EILISH” managed to get the attention of not only renowned hip-hop legends Ludacris and Busta Rhymes, for an appropriately named, “LEGENDS MIX” but also Def Jam Recordings, the label he would sign with for his album release, Road to CASABLANCO.
Since his breakout, he has released several popular tracks, including “SILVER TOOTH” with A$AP Ferg and the social media hit, “GOATED” with Denzel Curry which has allowed him to remain in a limbo of popularity, not a household name, but one familiar in the scene. With his new album, however, it seems White is working to fight any allegations of being a one-hit wonder, or TikTok rapper and solidify himself in the rap conversation.
Likely, in part due to his record deal, White’s new album features verses from Samara Cyn and T-Pain. The former is an R&B singer and songwriter who has been exploding onto the scene, while the latter is a legend in his own right, the autotune pioneer of hip hop and rap himself. Though big names may bring some of the draw to the record, White carries most of the weight himself, filling the remaining nine tracks and thirty minutes with remarkable boldness and style.
Of course, behind every good rapper is a good producer, and this case is no different. THERE’S A GHOST IN MY HOUSE had a fleet of people contribute to its creation, nearly 20 different producers, not to mention a swath of composers. A couple names stand out for their repeated appearances and notable influence.
July Da Producer (Julio Angel Fernandez Jr.) assists on a few songs, which allowed White’s arsenal of hits, including “BILLIE EILISH” to become so popular in the first place. He also supplies the virality-worthy catchiness, and the ear-shattering kick drums that form the basis of White’s brand.
All of it is backed up by Louis Futon, an electronic producer and DJ who provides his skills on all but two songs. His work incorporates a distinctly new style, previously absent in White’s music, as eerily dark synths combined with the album's subject give the album a haunted house feel.
No song is more emblematic of this than the opening track “HOME.” It begins with the spectral vocals, “I think there’s a ghost in my house,” before hard cutting into the record’s subject matter, almost expositionally. Throughout the album’s tracklist, White explores not just one ghost, but the many that are haunting him, all traumatic and significant events which occurred in his real life nearly simultaneously: a combination of his father’s death, his house burning down, and a terrible breakup. All three seemed to coalesce in him being distanced from his family and friends. He sings, “I lost a parent, a bitch and the family switched and it ain't really lit with the bros. I bought a crib out in, huh, with no furniture, nothing inside it but ghosts.”
The next song provides an altogether very different experience. “GHOST” with Samara Cyn is a club-worthy banger, and so far the most commercially successful song off the album. He raps about a stereotypical rap star relationship, with the classic motifs of drugs, guns and sex. It is certainly a musically entertaining song, but it’s nothing new in the scene.
On “CUT THE LIGHTS” he returns to the album's theme. He raps about his fake friends, with him when things are good and he’s making money, but not when he “cut the lights” and in his darkest periods.
On “BIGGER PERSON” and “TTSO. FREESTYLE” he sings about a relationship which has ended, seemingly in a less than healthy way. Despite the misgivings of his partner, he tries to be the “bigger person” and feel the feelings rather than act out in spite of them. Perhaps, he is trying not to revisit or dredge up any “ghosts” after the fact. Regardless of the sometimes ridiculous way he delivers it, the message itself is a relatable one, treating exes with kindness and being the bigger person is a lesson many people would be well served to learn.
The next pair of songs “FLASHMOB” I and II are more ear candy than anything else. Though the second makes a reasonable, though subtle, argument about racial profiling and police brutality in White’s hometown, Philadelphia. It is slightly disappointing that, given the eloquence of his bars here, he doesn’t expand more. His story may be about himself, so it is understandable that he won’t go into extreme detail, but it would be nice to see more content on the topic in the future.
With a deviation from the vibe of the rest of the album, but not in a disappointing way, “MOUNT PLEASANT” proves a refreshing break from the relentless, almost yelling rapping White usually employs. He displays his singing chops over an acoustic, almost folksy background. He seems to finally be embracing his feelings he said he wanted to on previous songs. The music video provides additional context, with an older and younger him having fun with an imaginary friend, a ghost. That ghost may be his feelings he has yet to face, haunting him, though nobody but him can see them.
A hard contrast “SAY IT TO ME” is one of the weaker songs, though notably, he brings up the fact he was initially arrested for arson when his house burned down. He says he knows the law, and a good lawyer, which explains why the charges were dropped back in 2020.
Finally, the outro song, “PHANTM” with T-Pain, is possibly the strongest song overall. With a heavenly choir singing in the background, White and Pain talk about the impact of fame on the people around them, their feelings, and a strange connection to money. It’s a beautiful capstone to the project, though it leaves some questions unanswered, perhaps intentionally.
Overall Armani White’s THERE’S A GHOST IN MY HOUSE is a succinct and suitably entertaining hip-hop album with something to say underneath it all. Perhaps, indeed, too succinct, at only half an hour, some of the ideas White peruses feel underdeveloped, and the album almost feels like it requires a sequel for the resolution to all the arcs he sets up. But if head-bopping rap and/or ethereal synth’s are your thing, this record is definitely worth a listen.
Grade: B
Good enough to keep the ghosts entertained, even if it's not shaking the whole house.
by Isaac Considine-Buelow
Published December 1, 2025
Oshkosh West Index Volume 122 Issue III