A concept album, 36 Seasons is based on character Tony Starks’ return to Staten Island after a nine year (36 season) incarceration. His return is nothing if not disappointing; buildings are dilapidated, transient crackheads shuffle the streets like zombies, and a new generation can’t recall or comprehend the legend of Ghostface. In a nutshell, Ghostface’s new surroundings give way to the setbacks he encounters, whether it’s being shot and critically wounded, or apprehended at the hands of crooked police officers. He escapes death, thanks to emergency surgery performed by the shifty, incredibly talented Dr. X (Pharoahe Monch). In reference with the cover art, Dr. X turns Ghostface into a Bane or Jason Voorhees type of monster. By the album’s end, listeners are introduced to his new alias, GFK, who upon release from prison is the “city defender.” Expectedly, the album is ridiculously lyrical. Hip Hop fans of all walks will be pleased by the presence of veterans like AZ (who raps circles around most of his Rap peers) on five tracks, Kool G Rap (the OG and lyrical dynamo) on three, and Pharoahe Monch. Each of the aforementioned artists, Ghostface included, vocally sound like themselves 20 years ago. Alongside AZ and Kool G Rap on “The Battlefield,” Ghostface spits: “And my name’s faded out like some old damn socks / I want respect, these streets was my playground once / I was the Mack across 110th on these stunts / Not once would a nigga test me or get zesty / I would walk down the street and sneeze, they all blessed me.” These words are specific to the story being told, but also work in the context of the Rap game today. from