ADRIAN YOUNGE & GHOSTFACE KILLAH
Adrian Younge is a film composer and record producer, famed for his production style, which stresses live instrumentation, and takes heavy inspiration from the Blaxploitation films of the 1970s, and the smooth, deep soul music of the same era. He has left his mark on films like Black Dynamite and Something About April, and albums for artists like The Delfonics, Souls of Mischief, Royce Da 5’9″, and DJ Premier.
Ghostface Killah meanwhile, is a founder and prominent member of the 90s hip-hop collective Wu-Tang Clan, and an acclaimed solo artist in his own rite. Famed for his comic-book-meets-gangsta-inspired imagery, loud and fast flow, and esoteric references and narratives, several of his albums (Particularly 1996’s Ironman, and 2000’s Supreme Clientele) have been frequent occupants on “Best Of All Time” lists for hip-hop albums.
It seemed all too appropriate for Younge and Ghostface to collaborate, when in 2013, the duo released Twelve Reasons To Die, on Soul Temple Music. Taking heavy cues from vintage Italo-horror films, and the cinematic works of Ennio Morricone, Twelve Reasons told a terrifying tale of mob betrayal, murderous apparitions, and revenge. The combination of Ghostface’s bloody narrative, with Younge’s classic soul backdrop, as well as guest spots from Wu-Tang contemporaries Masta Killa, U-God, Inspectah Deck, and Cappadonna, as well as heavy hitters like Killa Sin, & Delfonics frontman William Hart, was a huge hit among critics, and Twelve Reasons found its way onto many year-end “Best Of” lists in 2013.
Two years later, Younge & Ghostface return for the sequel: Twelve Reasons To Die II, this time on Younge’s own imprint, Linear Labs. Where the original album’s roots were planted in Italian horror, Twelve Reasons II focuses more heavily upon Younge & Ghostface’s mutual love of 1970s Blaxploitation. Ghostface spins a brand new tale of urban decay, kingpin conflict, and betrayal in the ghettos of New York, backed once again by Younge’s thick 70s soul atmospherics. The pair have brought along a powerhouse collective of guests as well: Ghostface’s fellow Wu-Tang brethren Raekwon and RZA, Scarub, Bilal, Chino XL, Vince Staples, and Lyrics Born. Linear Labs is proud to present this latest chapter in Ghostface & Younge’s mob saga, as a vocal and instrumental release.
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PRESS FOR TWELVE REASONS TO DIE II
“…Ghostface is the visible star at the center of the production, but he is backed by Adrian Younge, the silent star who stitches TRTD II together at the seams with his evocative soul instrumentation. His murky production does a lot of the heavy lifting dramatically: He creates the worlds in which these characters interact, and his work gives everything that happens texture…If there is to be a TRTD III, hopefully it embraces the format and flow of this record.”
“This sequel to the Wu-Tanger’s 2013 concept album reunites him with producer-composer Adrian Younge. As well as continuing the labyrinthine plot from the first record…five cuts here reunite Ghost with his perfect foil, Raekwon, who’s “decapitatin’ heads like a journalist snatched by Isis…8/10”
“Ghostface Killah’s renaissance – see his solo album 36 Seasons, and Sour Soul, the collaboration with jazz trio BadBadNotGood – continues with the second instalment of his hardboiled hip-hop caper made with Adrian Younge, LA producer and soundtrack composer: Younge’s lavish, jazz- and soul-tinged production providing the aural red carpet for one of rap’s greatest yarn-spinners.”
“…Written and orchestrated by Adrian Younge, the dramatic and lush-yet-uncluttered musical settings underline the narrative’s rich cinematic qualities. At their finest – the grand sweep of “Let the Records Spin”, the tense “Return of the Savage” – the proceedings bring to mind the dense and unsettling aural stew that the RZA built out of vintage soul samples for 1993’s seminal Wu-Tang debut Enter The 36 Chambers…Twelve Reasons to Die II suggests that breaking new ground might be a futile undertaking if there’s this much juice left in the good old tricks.”
“…Like any good cheesy B-movie, we deserved a sequel that was even more over-the-top than the last. That’s what is delivered here — shootouts, sorcery, sex and savagery from the Steven Spielberg of the streets…Twelve Reasons to Die II is yet another creative triumph from a man who is bringing back Da Art of Storytellin’ to hip-hop heads…”
