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12 Reasons to Die: Ghostface Killah & Adrian Younge - "Rise of The Ghostface Killah" (Soul Temple)


Professor and record store owner-turned- Blaxplotation producer Adrian Younge somehow managed to find time to pen an intricate Rap opera that's loosely based on Ghostface Killah's infamous Tony Starks character. It's set in 1960's Italy where The DeLuca Family crime mob wreaks havoc throughout an innocent small town. Tony Starks falls in love with the kingpin's daughter, soon falls to his tragic end, and is eventually re-born. Twelve Reasons to Die narrator/executive producer, RZA tells is best, " The DeLucas pressed Tony's remains into 12 vinyl records; One for each member of the family. But little did they know, he would return..." Adrian Younge & Venice Dawn successfully weave together a badass Neo Soul-Funk, guitar-drenched soundtrack for Ghostface Killah to lace up with raps. He then recruited a band of tough as nails Wu-Gambinos including Inspectah Deck, Masta Killa, U-God, Cappadonna, Killa Sin, and crooner William Hart (The Delfonics).


The RZA's own imprint, Soul Temple Records put together a number assorted packages ranging from $8-40 and include vinyl, CD's, T-shirts, an Apollo Brown remix cassette, companion comic book, etc. Recent single, "Rise of The Ghostface Killah" chronicles Tony Starks' re-birth as black super-hero who's of course named, Ghostface Killah. Adrian Younge & David Wong co-directed a Crime Thriller/B-movie Horror flick to go along with it, which okayplayer fittingly described as " Rosemary's Baby meets Vampyros Lesbos meets Kojak." What just might be the linchpin to a 12-part Twelve Reasons to Die video series includes allusions to some sort of Satanic cult, The Catholic Church, a masked Ghostface Killah Greg Malone, a cloaked band that's probably Venice Dawn, and a creepy RZA intro. Twelve Reasons to Die is without a doubt chock-full of sheer 90's-tinged Experimental Hip-Hop @ it's finest!