Ghostface Killah has just released the animated lyric video to "The Battlefield," the lead-off track from his fantastic 2014 LP 36 Seasons. A study in somber cell-shading that says a lot without showing much, the video nails the track's downtrodden air, depicting scenes of neighborhoods wracked by crime and decay. The features from AZ, Kool G Rap and Tre Williams only add to Ghostface's mood-sculpture, and as scenes pass, our animated hero-rapper bears witness to his home stoop's fallen grace. The clip ends with the sight of the Iron Man musing glumly. Spring may be in full swing, but Ghostface's seasons--all 36 of them--are nothing but wintery in this comic book world.

Ardent Ghostface Killah fans will recognize this same animated lyric video style from "Here I Go Again," a clip that also depicted a harsh New York City life that's fraying at the edges. Always a news cycle unto himself, Ghostface just yesterday professed to smashing verses on the mythical Once Upon a Time In Shaolin LP, and only a few short weeks ago rocked SXSW with his sometimes-bandmates Badbadnotgood. But now that "The Battlefield" has a proper lyric video, we strongly recommend you revisit 36 Seasons and give its brilliant 14 tracks some extra rotation. You can buy the LP on iTuneshere.