Ghostface Killah Taps Michael K. Williams for ‘Love Don’t Live Here No More’ Video
Ghostface Killah has enlisted The Wire and Boardwalk Empire star Michael K. Williams to portray Tony Starks, the legendary rapper’s alter-ego and vigilante hero at the heart of his new concept album, 36 Seasons.
Williams appears in the new video for the album’s first single, “Love Don’t Live Here No More,” which was directed by Dan “The Man” Melamid. The clip plays out like the song itself, with Starks returning home after a nine-year prison stint only to find his girl, Penelope, living with another man (only Ghostface Killah could drop references to Iron Man and Homer’s Odyssey in one verse). Distraught, our hero stalks out the other man and confronts him in the park, letting his fists have a nice long conversation with the guy’s face. But when Starks returns to Penelope’s apartment, she counters with her own act of vengeance.
The clip is bookended by Ghostface reading an Iron Man comic — which he adorably passes on to a stoked kid at the end — and is intercut with clips of the Staten Island MC spitting the track while singer Kandace Springs handles the hook. Rolling Stone caught up with Ghostface and Springs while they were shooting that portion of the video last month, compiling an exclusive behind the scenes gallery.
Released on December 9th, 36 Seasons finds Ghostface telling a story of personal retribution and one man’s quest to save his community from corrupt authorities and urban decay. The album also features guest appearances from hip-hop luminaries Kool G Rap, AZ and Pharoahe Monch, while production duties were handled by The Revelations, the 45 King, Fizzy Womack (M.O.P), Angela Johnson and Malik Abdul-Rahmaan. Along with 36 Seasons, Ghostface Killah also reunited with the entire Wu-Tang Clan for their new album, A Better Tomorrow, which dropped at the beginning of the month.