Twelve Reasons to Die II
Ghostface Killah & Adrian Younge
2015
In Twelve Reasons to Die II, Tony Starks was killed but his remains were pressed into 12 vinyl records. Playing the music on the vinyl resurrects Starks’ spirit as the Ghostface Killah. This time, he’s in New York City in the 1970s and meets with Raekwon’s character, Lester Kane, who’s trying to oppose Starks’ former group, the DeLuca crime family. In terms of the story, it’s about Raekwon’s character wanting to rise to the top of the NYC mob scene.
Where the first installment of Twelve Reasons To Die was based in 1960s Italy – detailing the machinations of the feared DeLuca crime family – Twelve Reasons To Die II inhabits the grimy streets of mid-1970s New York City. Descendants of the DeLucas are running the city, but a powerful, younger crime syndicate is percolating, commanded by black gangster Lester Kane (personified by Raekwon).
As Kane’s power grows, he takes on the DeLucas and a bloodbath ensues. Kane has always known the legend of Tony Starks, who was killed by the DeLucas in Italy and whose remains were partially used to create twelve vinyl records. When played back in the “old world,” the Ghostface Killer rose and destroyed the Italian faction. This plays into the story’s conclusion at the end of Part II.
The storyline for Part II is vividly brought to life with the help of Younge’s never-endingly evocative and unique brand of cinematic, psychedelic soul. The music – on which Younge himself plays upwards of 10 instruments on certain songs – was recorded strictly on analog tape, to bring out the true grit of the ‘70s era that provides the Twelve Reasons backdrop.
Stand-Out Tracks
Get The Money
Let The Record Spin
King of New York
Blackout
