Prolific super-producer Adrian Younge personally crusades against mass-produced hip-hop and R&B by playing analog-only instruments recorded to analog tape with no plug-ins. He’s the one-man band on this ’70s-inspired set of organs, pianos, female operatic vocals and raw acoustic drums that sounds like a hip-hop soundtrack to a Quentin Tarantino joint.
The accompanying storyline of a 1970s New York City crime saga sets no less of a celluloid tone. All-time great Ghostface Killah brings along Wu Tang friends Raekwon and RZA, as well as other guests, to weave a tale of Mafioso revenge and resurrection that follows up on the story from the first album. The Clan has always toed the line between gritty realism and cinematic hyperbole. Twelve Reasons to Die II continues in that Wu-Tang tradition, and combined with Younge’s exquisite instrumentals, it begs for a part three.
Producer/engineer: Adrian Younge. Engineered by Anthony Acid and Roadsart. Studio: Linear Labs Studio.
