This week, Ghostface Killah and Adrian Younge release the follow up LP to the 2013 concept album, Twelve Reasons To Die. In an attempt to keep his new material feeling as such, he’s called upon hip-hop consigliore’s, Scarub, Raekwon, Bilal, RZA and Vince Staples, who all make appearances on the album.
Over the course of the 13-track album, Ghostface and company tell the story of New York City’s DeLuca crime family. The cameos are often brief, which is unfortunate, especially on tracks with Vince Staples and RZA. In fairness, Vince Staples has a solid track, and maybe I’m just a fan but I certainly could have done with more from him. RZA, always proves to be a unique and interesting presence, and he served his purpose as a background storyteller in the narrative of the album.
Although Vince Staples had one of the most noteworthy track on the album, I personally, had “Death’s Invitation” on repeat. Track 8 on the album features Scarub, Lyrics Born and Chino XL. This, honestly, is an entirely subjective preference, but I really appreciate the gradation of the track and especially the rapid-fire lyricism.
Raekwon’s recurring contribution to the album is worth mentioning because it brings and added grittiness that as a whole, it may have otherwise lacked. “Let The Record Spin” is certainly a track to look forward to, especially if you’re a Raekwon fan, however, “Blackout” (also featuring Raekwon) is among the strongest three tracks on the album.
The use of brass instruments was an impressive if not critical addition to the album. Of course, there’s enough Ghostface Killah and Wu-Tang production style to go around, but Ghostface and Adrian really enlisted the right arsenal of talent to make this album feel cohesive and instrumentally complex.
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Article: Lea Weatherby
