Adrian Younge & Ghostface Killah: Twelve Reasons to Die

Twelve Reasons To Die
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Artist: Adrian Younge & Ghostface Killah
Genre: Hip-Hop & Rap
Label: Soul Temple

There's much to enjoy on this collaboration between Wu-Tang Clan hardchaw Ghostface Killah and composer/producer Adrian Younge and his soulful band. There's a silly concept at play throughout (Ghost's alter-ego, Tony Starks, is back from the dead and seeking revenge), but that doesn't matter when the rapper and the band make merry. They're ideally matched: Younge & co raise noir-funk and slinky dusty grooves, with Ghost lyrically rising to the occasion on Revenge Is Sweet, Rise of the Black Suits and The Sure Shot, Pts 1 & 2. RZA is to be found in the production mix, but the calibrations that matter are handled by Younge, whose fantastically tuned cinematic scope creates some fine works. Ghost, too, sounds as if he's relishing the new space and corners for that distinctive flow and his evocative, visceral, bloodythirsty prose. twitter.com/adrianyounge
Download: Revenge Is Sweet, Rise of the Black Suits, The Sure Shot, Pts 1 & 2