36 Seasons

by Ghostface Killah

Overview

With a title that refers to nine years away from home, 36 Seasons finds Wu-Tang rapper Ghostface Killah returning to his Tony Starks character, who is himself returning home to a different and more dangerous Staten Island. Starks is just looking to spend his later years chilling in familiar territory, but as the action movie lyrics and the accompanying comic book written by Matthew Rosenberg, explain, betrayal and Berettas are everywhere, so Starks dons his gas mask and schools the hood on what's good. The concept and presentation are wonderfully reminiscent of the rapper's 2013 collaboration with Adrian Younge, Twelve Reasons to Die, but if that excellent album was influenced by the Italian murder mystery/slasher film genre known as giallo, this one is bringing '70s Blaxploitation films back with all their funk and flare. Brooklyn band and production team the Revelations provide the funk, with wah-wah guitars, punchy drums, and popping bass creating an atmosphere where karate chops, pimps, and players are all in their element. This is also the atmosphere where comic book choruses like "Exquisite doctor, his work of art/Created a gas mask to save Tony Starks" ("Emergency Procedure" with Pharoahe Monch) become great singalong moments with an accompanying fist-in-the-air. Cooler, cinematic numbers thrive as well, and with that unique Ghostface style, like when "Homicide" goes from macabre ("I smell a massacre/I stick a bomb in your limo, blow up your passengers") to chuckle-worthy ("I'm stuck back on the couch like a potato"). Inspiration flows out of the man throughout the album, and this end-to-end concept is executed with little note-spinning or boring lyrics that just serve the story, and while Twelve Reasons took a big giallo risk and nailed it, this more expected, '70s-favored success still surprises with its vigorous sense of purpose. Besides Monch's appearance, Kool G Rap, Tre Williams, and AZ offer some great moments, while producer the 45 King joins the Revelations on "Blood on the Streets" for that old-school breakbeat rumble. ~ David Jeffries

Product Details

Release Date:	04/25/2025
UPC:	9010974030584

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Ghostface Killah   Primary Artist,Vocals
Kool G Rap   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Kandace Springs   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Nems   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
The Revelations   Primary Artist
Josh Werner   Jupiter 6,Mellotron,Bass (Upright),Organ (Hammond),Guitar (Baritone),Bass,Piano,Clavinet
Rick Parker   Trombone
Tre Williams   Vocals,Featured Artist
Gintas Janusonis   Drums,Piano,Bongos,Chimes,Congas,Zither,Timpani,Triangle,Jupiter 6,Mellotron,Wurlitzer,Tambourine,Glockenspiel,Orchestral Bells,Orchestral Chimes,Vocals (Background)
Daniel Schlett   Organ,Guitar,Optigan,Mellotron,Finger Snaps
Pharoahe Monch   Vocals,Featured Artist
Rell   Featured Artist
AZ   Vocals,Featured Artist
Joe Ancowitz   Trumpet
Adam Kipple   Piano,Mellotron,Synthesizer,Organ (Hammond)
Zak Botham   Trumpet
Adam Klipple   Piano,Mellotron
Wes Mingus   Bass,Guitar,Mellotron,Tambourine,Guitar (Bass),Vocals (Background)
Rell Gaddis   Vocals
Angela Johnson   Piano,Vocals (Background)
Geoff Countryman   Saxophone
Shawn Wigs   Vocals,Featured Artist
Shawn Wiggs   Featured Artist
Wali Bilal   Finger Snaps
Malik Abdul-Rahmaan   Finger Snaps
7L   Turntables

Technical Credits

Arnold Mischkulnig   Editing,Engineer,Mastering
Anthony Acid   Editing,Engineer
Mike Caruso   Executive Producer
Daniel Schlett   Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Fizzy Womack   Producer
Andrew Kelley   Producer
John Sellards   Package Design
Tom Silverman   Executive Producer
Wes Mingus   Composer,Producer
The Revelations   Producer
Robert Perry   A&R,Producer
Christian Hedlund   Executive Producer
The 45 King   Producer
Jackie Members   Composer
Dennis Coles   Composer,Executive Producer
Josh Werner   Composer,Producer
Dan Murdoch   Illustrations,Cover Illustration
Malik Abdul-Rahmaan   Composer,Producer
Gintas Janusonis   Composer,Producer