By: Alex Suh

Ghostface Killah did it again.

With the help of Adrian Younge and RZA, GFK released his newest project, Twelve Reasons to Die II (2015). This album is a continuation of the epic tale of Tony Stark, AKA the Ghostface Killah. To fully understand the story of this sequel, listening to the first Twelve Reasons to Die (2013) is a must. For the unaffiliated, heres a quick breakdown:

Tony Stark works for the DeLuca family as an enforcer but steadily progresses in rank, doubling as a drug dealer and a killer. As he gains more money and power, he breaks off from the DeLucas and creates his own team of gangsters. Stark seems to enjoy the crimes he and his crew commit because of the high rewards that the crimes bring. Everything seems to be going well until Stark falls in love with Logan, the woman of his dreams.

Despite warnings from Inspectah Deck and Cappadonna about Logan working for the DeLuca family, Stark becomes overly infatuated with Logan.

Logan is the daughter of the Don of the DeLuca family and, one day, she tricks Stark into thinking that he’s going out to dinner with her. She tells him to hop in her van, to which Stark is treated by the DeLucas to a warm bullet in the head.

The DeLuca family then presses Stark’s remains into 12 vinyl discs, one for each family member. Having no knowledge that pressing his remains into these discs will eventually lead to their demise. Every time one of the discs are played, Stark appears as the Ghostface Killah– planning to avenge his name by killing off the remaining DeLucas.

Twelve Reasons To Die II starts off by introducing a new character to the saga, Lester Caine. Lester Caine, is a new gangster mob boss that is struggling for power against the remaining family members of the DeLucas. The album kicks off with raw ambition and the process of Lester Caine rising up to become the king of New York. The DeLucas, trying to maintain their position of power, attack Lester Cain by kidnapping and killing his wife and son. This does not sit well with Caine to which he responds by getting his own crew to rob the DeLuca family home. Caine’s crew find the 12 discs that hold the spirit of the Ghostface Killah (formerly known as Tony Stark) in a safe. Caine also finds Logan and a little boy at the DeLuca residence and finds out that this little boy is Stark’s son. Caine kidnaps the two and discusses his desire to videotape and harm both the daughter and grandson of the Don on the beginning of “Death’s invitation”. However, the hostage operation goes awry because the DeLucas have specific information regarding Caine’s “secret” whereabouts.

The DeLucas invade the hideout and Caine barely escapes with his life. Desperate, Caine summons GFK by playing the records and makes a deal with him, that if GFK helps him avenge his family and kill the rest of the DeLucas, he will kill himself. GFK holds his end of the bargain by demolishing the rest of the family in a series of violent attacks and the album concludes with Caine shooting himself in the head and GFK taking the body of his secret son and stabbing Logan to death.

A dark album filled with lyrical twists and turns accompanied by Adrian Younge’s production and RZA’s narration, Twelve Reasons to Die II was an nefariously intricate piece of work.

Ghostface Killah did it again.

Last words of the album:
RZA: Logan screams in terror, as she realizes her fate. The possessed boy begins stabbing her, again, again, and again. Now standing alone, blade in his hand, he grins at triumph. The sweet taste of revenge. Lester Kane and Tony Starks were nothing more of kindred spirits. Separated by time and space, but bonded together by violence and death. A touch of fate brought these two souls together. But for one of them, the ultimate price was paid. This is not the last we’ll ever hear of Tony Starks. Actuality, this is a new beginning. Tony Starks was once a man, and became a demon. But now lives again, in the flesh and blood of the Ghostface Killah.

CLAPS

Powerful One (0:27-0:42)
Return of the Savage (2:49-3:04)
King of New York (1:19-1:34)
Rise up – (0:15-0:30)
Daily News (0:21 – 0:36)
Get The Money (2:48-3:03)
Death’s Invitation Interlude (0:10-0:25)
Death’s Invitation (0:25-0:40)
Let the Record Spin Interlude (0:49-1:05)
Let The Record Spin (02:14-2:29)
Black Out (0:50-1:05)
Resurrection Morning (0:36 – 0:52)
Life’s a Rebirth (2:35-2:49)