Beverly Hills producer, DJ & rapper The Alchemist coming off his born day over a week ago by dropping his 11th EP & a sequel to the last one Flying High. Beginning as 1/2 of the duo The Whooliganz in 1993 with Scott Caan, they would only disband a year later after recording a debut album that eventually got shelved & Scott went onto acting like his father. Mudfoot on other end quickly established himself as one of the greatest producers in hip hop history with a resume including ranging names from Mobb Deep to even Eminem. But after producing Faith is a Rock for MIKE & Wiki alongside the best album of 2023 Voir Dire by Earl Sweatshirt, it should be known that Uncle Al’s still Flying High.
“Turkish Link” is a full-fledged solo cut to start the EP with Alchemist himself over a jazzy instrumental boasting lyrically whereas “Phil Drummond” featuring Conway the Machine finds the 2 on top of a a murky boom bap beat talking about their current statuses. “Vertigo” featuring Action Bronson takes a groovier approach musically looking to dismantle shot while “Royal Hand” happens to be the grimy, long-awaited reunion of Gangrene after 8 years & they both sound like they never even took a hiatus to begin with. The closer “Paint Different” featuring Curren$y finishes things with 1 last jazz rap cut belittling their competition.
Unlike the last Flying High, we have one of my top 10 producers showcasing his skills on the mic more often in comparison which shouldn’t surprise people since he started out with the late James Caan’s son as a duo of MCs, but a lot of performances on his his producer work are left to the guests & he gels well with them over his own production rooted in his signature hardcore albeit jazzy boom bap sound. Heard he & Hit-Boy are doing an album à la Champion Sound by Jaylib, which is VERY interesting considering “Slipping Into Darkness”.
This is a brand new collaborative full-length LP between east coast hip hop artists MIKE & Wiki. One of them represents Livingston, New Jersey & the latter hailing from Manhattan, New York. Both of whom have individually been making waves in the underground off their own solo efforts such as May God Bless Your Hustle or even Wiki’s previous LP Half God almost 2 years ago already on top of previously working with each other on songs like “Standout” or “Promised” off both of those albums that I had previously mentioned. They dropped a 3-track EP together last Black Friday fully produced by The Alchemist called 1 More, but are bringing Uncle Al back into the picture once again to turn it up a notch on Faith is a Rock.
“Stargate” is a drumless orchestral opener to the album with Wiki talking about how he feels like his life’s improved & MIKE talking about how these motherfuckers soft compared to them whereas “Thug Anthem” takes the jazzier route instrumentally promising to make it jump without any tangent. “Mayor’s a Cop” works in some more jazz-inspired horns with kicks & snares getting on the more conscious side of things lyrically, but then “Bledsoe” strips the drums once more looking to balance what they know with this new trend & that there ain’t no limit to what they can do.
Moving on from there, “Pray for Him” gives off a hypnotic trance to the sample-heavy beat discussing that they ain’t trying to play God asking what they put this pain in for & ecstatically remaining calm leading into the MIKE solo cut “Odd Ways” returning to the boom bap with orchestral flare to it talking about his soul being strong & his mind is crazy. Wiki returns once more on ”Scribble Jam” admitting he doesn’t understand what she saw in him when the floors was all he could see on top of MIKE breathing faster & living slower just before Wiki’s solo joint “Be Realistic” keeps the strings, kicks & snares in tact getting in his hardcore bag lyrically.
The penultimate track “Memory Loss” finds MIKE & Wiki back together for encore of Faith is a Rock looking to live for the large payment with Uncle Al drawing inspiration from jazz music instrumentally once again & the aptly titled “1 More finds both east coast underground MCs looking to provide 1 last thought each before they head out previously having lost sight as opposed to seeing more nowadays in comparison over a soul sample.
Both of these guys are well known in the underground for their abstract lyricism, so to hear them coming together with one of my top 10 producers of all-time sounded like a match made in Heaven on paper. Lo & behold: This might be the best collab album I’ve heard all year. Uncle Al’s jazzy production matched with the elevated use heavy metaphors, symbolism or cryptic meanings used by both lyricists result in some of best work of their careers.
This is the 5th full-length album from Santa Monica emcee, producer & singer/songwriter Earl Sweatshirt. Beginning his career in 2008 under the name Sly Tendencies as the son of Cheryl Harris & late poet Keorapetse Kgositsile, he posted a handful of tracks for a mixtape called Kitchen Cutlery on MySpace, but the tape would never be released to this day. Then he formed a rap trio with 2 of his friends called The Backpackerz & planned to release a mixtape together titled World Playground, but they disbanded sometime in 2009. Shortly after, he joined Odd Future & appeared on their 2nd & final mixtape Radical that May. 10 months later, he put out his only mixtape to date Earl with OF’s de facto leader Tyler, The Creator producing a bulk of it. The tape received a lot of buzz, but Earl’s mother would send him to a therapeutic retreat school for at-risk boys in Samoa sometime after until February of 2012. He was then granted his own Columbia Records imprint Tan Cressida Records & released his full-length debut Doris a decade ago to critical acclaim right before I started my junior year of high school for his clever rhyme schemes & the gritty production from The Neptunes to even the RZA. He then formed the duo Hog Slaughta Boyz with OF affiliate Na’kel at the beginning of 2015 & released his sophomore album I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside. a couple months after. Many of which consider to be better than Doris for it’s darker aesthetic. Some Rap Songs not only wound up being my favorite album of 2018, but also the best work of Earl’s career as I look at it as the bastard child of one of my all-time favorites album: Madvillainy. But after dropping a small handful of SRS leftovers in the form of Feet of Clay through a new distribution deal Tan Cressida signed with Warner Records & then his full-length debut on the label Sick! about 2 & a half years ago, Earl’s enlisting one of my top 10 producers of all-time The Alchemist to speak the truth hence the Voir Dire title after a decade of working together. Especially since Earl coined the Uncle Al nickname.
“100 High Street” opens the album with some strings, kicks & snares so Earl can talk about how it wasn’t easy even though he’s a grown man now reaping everything he’s sowed in whereas “Vin Skully” goes for a more sample based groove remembering the cold & shrugging ’til he was sore inside the crib with a better understanding. “Sentry” featuring MIKE works in a crooning loop dropping bars like “Freddie Hubbard sing through the acts, chop another piece off the branch. “Memories careen out the past, halt me to a screech in they tracks” or “You remember I’m feelin’ like Aubrey. There ain’t real n***a higher involved than me, I was there on a small façade. No need actin’ surprised when you call me”, but then “All the Small Things” has a more delicate sound talking about holding your breath.
The mellower vibes of “My Brother, The Wind” from the synths & melodic sample are incredibly soothing dropping wig-flipping bars like “My brother, like Sun Ra, we all need you. Godspeed You! Black Emperor” leading into the bluesy boom bap hybrid “27 Braids” showing off exactly how many brains he’s rocking nowadays & referencing becoming a father himself couple summers ago. “Mac Deuce” gives off a more lusciously shimmery edge instrumentally filling all the vacancies like the brightest star just before blissfully drumless “Sirius Blac” comes out swinging with “Roc Marciano told you it don’t last, get you a snack. Photocopies of my shit hittin’ the net, n****s is ass. I nicked my hand on a backboard glass, shattered it like Shaq” explaining that only big fish surround their pond.
The song “Geb” talks about being the man over a heavenly beat with the standout bar to me personally being “It’s on tuck like Doubtfire, close as a secret. My mouth shut ’til the bag wired then I release” while the penultimate track “Dead Zone” flirts with death to curve em & watch him work bringing in these lavish piano chords starting his verse perfectly with “Have the pull-out like a flatbed, get it cracking like cueballs. Plastered on the wall like a fathead in a pool hall”. “Free the Ruler” couldn’t have been a better choice for a closer from the soulful chops to the lyrics talking about how “it’s not normal, but I swear this shit is regular”.
The streaming version of this LP contains 3 bonus cuts & I’ll go over them right now. “Heat Check” starts things off with heavy synthesizers admitting that he couldn’t cope with the dope fiend shit looking to leave on the highest note, but the remaining 2 both feature Vince Staples interestingly. The first of which “The Caliphate” goes for a cloudier sound getting on their abstract shit lyrically & the other “Mancala” concludes the bonus track portion of the album with pianos as Earl confesses he’d be remiss to try & go at least without a blick ’round him.
Despite the fact that Sick! is widely considered to be the uknowhatimsayin¿ of Earl’s discography, my expectations were already very high going into Voir Dire as someone who’s been listening to him since the Odd Future days & it is without a shadow of a doubt that it’s the best thing he’s done since Some Rap Songs. It will also go down as one of the best albums of his career & the strongest of the 3 projects we’ve gotten from him since the Warner deal. I literally have no complaints about it whatsoever from Al’s drumless jazzy production to the intricately abstract wordplay that Earl is known for.
This is the 10th EP from Beverly Hills producer, DJ & rapper The Alchemist. Beginning as 1/2 of the duo The Whooliganz in 1993 with Scott Caan, they would only disband a year later after recording a debut album that eventually got shelved & Scott went onto acting like his late father. Mudfoot on other end quickly established himself as one of the greatest producers in hip hop history with a resume including ranging names from Mobb Deep to even Eminem. But as the 2 year anniversary of his last solo EP This Thing of Ours 2 approached this fall, Uncle Al is Flying High back with another brief offering.
“RIP Tracy” by billy woods & Earl Sweatshirt is a soulful opener to the EP with both MCs wanting everyone to know exactly who the fuck they are & what they represent while the song “Trouble Man” by Boldy James & T.F. has a grimier approach instrumentally so they can talk that gang shit. The penultimate track “Bless” my MIKE & Sideshow has a more soothing sound to it talking about touching briefs & splitting it with their dogs, but then “Midnight Oil” featuring Jay Worthy & Larry June ends the EP with the trio over a sample-based beat acknowledging that everyone knows they’re top tier.
It’s always exciting when Alchemist comes through with an EP showcasing his talents behind the boards bringing along some of the finest MCs that he can assemble to tear his beats to shreds because the Flying High series is off to a solid start here. Al’s signature sound remains in tact so everyone can bring their own unique delivery styles to the table, even Mudfoot himself on the closer.
Larry June is a 31 year old MC from Vallejo, California been steadily grinding his ass off since dropping out of high school by dropping his last 8 studio efforts as well as 14 EPs & 7 mixtapes. My favorites of his ever-growing discography include the Lex Luger-produced Trap Larry, the Cardo-produced Cruise USA & it’s sequel Into the Late Night, the Harry Fraud-produced Keep Going & more recently the mobb music-influenced Jay Worthy collab effort 2 P’z in a Pod that just celebrated it’s 1-year anniversary last weekend. But coming off Spaceships on the Blade last summer, Larry’s enlisting The Alchemist to fully produce his highly anticipated 9th album.
“Turkish Cotton” is a jazzy opener to the album as Larry talks about making sure your tax is right whereas “89 Earthquake” dives into boom bap turf airing out every single person out here still looking at him as a threat. Action Bronson comes into the picture for the slick “Solid Plan” doing it all for the motherfuckin’ bankroll leading into Big Sean tagging along for the groovy “Palisades, CA” paying tribute to the titular city in the sunshine state.
Moving onto “Summer Reign”, we have Larry over a warm sample to provide a fitting anthem to ride around with the top down to as the spring weather continues to roll it’s way around the corner just before the Beat Butcha co-produced “Orange Village” enlists T3 & Young RJ of Slum Village has a more hypnotic sound to it as the trio work, live & try for a better day prior to him flexing with a fresh amount of charisma throughout the drumless “Porsches in Spanish”.
“Art Talk” with Boldy James has a more spacious, psychedelic quality to the beat as they discuss getting it off the black top until the summery, calm “Ocean Sounds” gets into romantic pop rap territory & actually not coming off as forced as some try to do it these days. “Left No Evidence” with Evidence perfectly enough hope over some pianos, kicks & snares as they both rock the shit in their own respective ways while “What Happened to the World?” with Wiz Khalifa has a more mellow approach talking about the only thing on their minds is to get the money.
Meanwhile on “Éxito”, things take a more twangier route as Jay Worthy assists Larry in showing off just how well respected they are & not wanting to beef with anyone as they continue at trying to succeed while the song “60 Days” with Uncle Al himself finds the 2 exuberantly talking about how anything can happen in 2 months. The penultimate track “Barragán Lightning” with Curren$y & Joey Bada$$ provide a colorful anthem addressing living off life & “Margie’s Candy House” is a jazzy, soulful closer looking back on his younger days.
Of the 9 full-lengths that Larry has dropped throughout his 17 year career, The Great Escape will no doubt quickly become the strongest of them all & one that I think new fans will find to be a perfect introduction into his discography. Uncle Al’s production is more drumless yet jazzy this time around perfectly suiting the Vallejo delivers some calm bars of luxury cars as well as presidential suites & of course fresh-squeezed orange juice that’re cooler than the other side of the pooler. Amazing job, Larry!
This is the 10th full-length album from Long Island emcee/producer Roc Marciano. Starting out in the very late 90’s as a member of the Flipmode Squad, he then went solo in 2008 to drop classic albums that would pave the way for those like Griselda such as Marcberg & Reloaded. However after focusing on producing projects for other artists like Flee Lord & Bronze Nazareth following Mt. Marci a couple years ago, Marci’s enlisting The Alchemist to produce The Elephant Man’s Bones.
“Rubber Band Grip” is a spaciously suspenseful opener talking about having the pump on him whereas the Action Bronson-assisted “Daddy Kane” works in synths to deliver bars like ”I been gettin’ off that soft white long before shorties was rockin’ Off-White. Water color ice, I call it Walter White” or “Know the in and outs, they want dinner? We get ’em In-N-Out”. The lead single “Deja Vu” takes a more drumless route with it’s bare piano instrumental confessing he had a breakthrough, but then “Quantum Leap” has some jazzy undertones to it talking about how your favorite rapper send him fan mail & your album ain’t worth 12 pennies to him.
Meanwhile on the title track, we have Marci brings back the luxurious keyboards providing food for the spirit just before “Bubble Bath” has a more glistening yet dusty quality to it talking about being rich for real. “Liquid Coke” shoots for a more symphonic aesthetic saying that’s exactly what he’ll leave when he slits ya throat leading into Boldy James tagging along for “Trillion Cut” getting in their hustle bag on top of a flute & some pianos. Stand-out bars being “Me & G on Stockwell, filthy as Rockwell. Turn an eye on high fresh out a dry spell” & ”My pops had tracks in his arms from heroin, this is rap meets Gil Scott-Heron”.
“The Horns of Abraxas” however has these chilling organ harmonies throughout talking about the road to success being Hell sandwiched in the middle of a great spoken word intro/outro from the O.G. himself Ice-T while “JJ Flash” returns to soulful territory spitting that kingpin shit. “Zig Zag Zig” is dramatic boom bap ballad about his life being a fantasy & you getting no pussy while “Stigmata” takes it back to the soul samples as Marci gives free game referencing WWE Hall of Famer & former WWE tag team champion Ivan Putski. Favorite bar is definitely “Like 2 teens playin’ Call of Duty, but all of these is real toolies”.
Following that, the sinister” Zip Guns” with Knowledge the Pirate intimidatingly paints some vivid gangsta rap imagery while the song “Think Big” has a more summery vibe to it talking about taking destiny in his own hands. The penultimate track “Macaroni” returns to a synth-based sound encouraging his competition to hang up the mic & get a job finding them odder than disgraced former IWGPジュニアヘビー級王座, 2-time WWE world champion, 4-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 5-time WWE United States Champion, 7-time WWE tag team champion & 3-time WCW World Television Champion Chris Benoit while “Momma Love” sends it off with fireworks as Marci hops on top of a on operatic loop putting it all on Ma Dukes.
From the moment I first heard “Flash Gordon” alongside “Pistolier” & “Paradise Pimps” during my sophomore year of high school a decade ago, I’ve been screaming for Marci & Uncle Al to do an album together. Now that it’s here, it’s the masterpiece that I could’ve ever dreamed from them. There is not a single moment from the beginning of The Elephant Man’s Bones to the end that I genuinely dislike from the smooth & witty gangsta rap lyricism from the New York veteran to the perfectly crafted production pulling from drumless, boom bap & jazz rap.
Benny the Butcher is a 37 year old MC from Buffalo, New York who’s been making music since 2004. However, it wouldn’t be until 2016 where he alongside his cousins Westside Gunn & Conway the Machine would take the culture by storm off projects like Tana Talk 3 & The Plugs I Met. Last year alone, he teamed up with Harry Fraud for The Plugs I Met II in the spring & then Pyrex Picasso in the summer. However, he’s finally linking back up with Daringer & The Alchemist for his 3rd full-length album as well as the 4th installment of the Tana Talk series.
“Johnny P’s Caddy” kicks off the album with a soulful Alchemist beat & J. Cole joining Benny in talking about deserving to be where they are now & their cribs being like an old show on the Paramount Skydance Corporation-owned MTV whereas the Stove God Cook$-assisted “Back 2x” follows it up by bringing the coke raps back & Daringer taking the instrumental back to the basement. “Super Plug” works in a dejecting beat talking about how his only wish was to get his close ones rich just before Boldy James tags along for “Weekends in the Perry’s”, where he & Benny jump on top of a chipmunk soul sample addressing how it’s always been.
Meanwhile on “10 More Crack Commandments”, we have The Butcher delivering a stellar sequel to “10 Crack Commandments” that would make Biggie proud down to the spoken word outro from Puff Daddy a.k.a. P. Diddy or Diddy leading into Conway coming into the picture for “Tyson vs. Ali” talking about how everyone compares the greatest to the greatest nowadays on top of some dusty drums & pianos. “Uncle Bun” goes into a more suspenseful direction as a Benny & 38 Spesh toss the mic back & forth with one another, but then “Thowy’s Revenge” incorporates a horn sample talking about how he went & got it.
“Billy Joe” brings an organ into the picture to describe the shit he be doing within the first 3 days of every month while the song “Guerrero” with Westside Gunn finds the 2 on top of a futuristic boom bap instrumental with some amazing wordplay. The penultimate track “Bust a Brick Nick” viciously attacks those who haven’t been the places he’s been to even though the beat is opulent as Hell & lastly, “Mr. Chow Hall” ends the album by confessing what’s been on his mind lately & the instrumental here is just spine-tingling.
Much like Conway did with God Don’t Make Mistakes a couple weeks back, I think Benny gave us some of the best work of his career with this album. From the vivid street imagery to Daringer & The Alchemist’s production, every one involved kills it at picking up where the previous installment of the series left off while recapturing that sound.
This is the 18th full-length album from New Orleans veteran Curren$y. Getting his start with No Limit Records as a later member of the 504 Boyz in 2002, he would then hop over to Young Money Entertainment & Cash Money Records in ‘06 before branched out a couple years later with his own label Jet Life Recordings. Since then, the man made a name for himself by dropping a handful of projects every single year with the latest being the Ski Beatz-produced 4th installment of the Pilot Talk series. However, he’s reuniting with The Alchemist for Continuance which I was actually fiendin’ for because Covert Coup & The Carrollton Heist have always been some of the standouts in Spitta’s ever-growing discography.
“Half Morning Moons” starts off the album on a spacious note telling this woman she can kick it with him as long as she can keep a secret whereas “Reese’s Cup” is a piano ballad taking aim at his competition. Boldy James tags along for the soulful “No Yacht” talking about having an acquired taste for the finer things leading into “Obsession” talking about his being infatuated by how much money he can make over a glossy boom bap beat.
Meanwhile on “Corvette Rally Stripes”, we have Havoc & Wiz Khalifa joining Spitta on top of a grim instrumental to flaunt just before the Styles P-assisted takes a more stripped back route as the 2 talk about what it all sounds like to them. “The Tonight Show” almost has this jazzy quality to proclaiming himself as a living legend, but then “Signature Move” goes into a hazier direction talking about getting everything he wants
Detroit’s very own Babyface Ray comes into the picture for the bluesy “Louis Baggage” speaking on reaching underground king status prior to “The Final Board” going full-blown rock turf talking about getting paid in full. The song “JoDeCi Tape” gets in his romantic bag over a synth-heavy beat while the penultimate track “Endurance Runners” with Larry June returning to jazz territory declaring themselves as such. “Kool & the Gang” ends the album with a touching tribute to his son.
For this to be Spitta’s way to kick off his 2022, it absolutely lived up to my expectations & I’ll even say it’s on the exact same caliber as it’s predecessors Covert Coup & The Carrollton Heist. Alchemist’s production is superb as to be expected, the features all come correct & the man himself sounds like he’s in element lyrically.
Boldy James is a 39 year old MC from Detroit, Michigan who broke out in the fall of 2013 off his Alchemist-produced debut M.1.C.S. (My 1st Chemistry Set). He would later go on to land a contract with Nas’ independent label Mass Appeal Records for a little while before getting locked up but once Boldy came home, Uncle Al would help get his name back out there once getting out by dropping the Boldface EP around Christmas 2019 & then the sophomore album The Price of Tea in China at the beginning of last year. This was followed up with the Sterling Toles-produced Manger on McNichols which was as equally fantastic, but the Griselda Records-backed Versace Tape EP was a tad bit disappointing given how rushed it was. He & Alchemist just dropped Bo Jackson to widespread acclaim over the summer, but are returning together out of the blue for Boldy’s 4th EP.
“Level Tipping Scales” sets it off well by spitting that pyrex shit on top of an atmospheric instrumental whereas “No Laughing Matter” follows it up by warning listeners that the drug dealer life ain’t no joke & the upbeat production is just fly as fuck to me. “Hot Water Tank” has these cool little whistles throughout the beat as well as how it details the gangsta mentality even though ICECOLDBISHOP’s verse is wack as fuck, but then “Bumps & Bruises” takes things into jazz territory & it’s nice to hear him getting more insightful through his lyrics.
Meanwhile on “Great Adventures”, we have Boldy on top of a silky yet drumless beat vividly detailing getting the gang tied up just before “Moth in the Flame” talks about being true to the game & the theatrical production enhances the seriousness of it very well. The song “300 Fences” compares his Concreatures crew to that of the infamous Black Mafia Family on top of an apprehensive instrumental while the penultimate track “Guilt” incorporates in some weepy strings talking about someone not being built for this life. “Francois” then ends the album with a gritty dedication to the thugs out there.
Bo Jackson has quickly become the best work of Boldy’s career in my personal opinion & for them to follow it up as quickly as they did, Super Tecmo Bo is very close to being on that same caliber. I respect that they toned it down on the features even though I wasn’t feeling the only one on the EP at all, but both parties continue to bring the best out of one another both lyrically & sonically.
The Alchemist is a 43 year old producer, DJ & rapper from Beverly Hills, California who started out as 1/2 of the duo The Whooliganz in 1993 with Scott Caan. They would only disband a year later after recording a debut album that eventually got shelved & Scott went onto acting like his father, but Mudfoot on other end quickly established himself as one of the greatest producers in hip hop history with a resume including ranging names from Mobb Deep to even Eminem. Over this past spring, he produced the latest Armand Hammer album Haram to universal acclaim & followed it up his 9th EP This Thing of Ours a month later. But now in light of the confirmation that he’ll be producing the next Earl Sweatshirt album, Uncle Al dropping a sequel to his latest EP hopefully as a little warm up.
“Miracle Baby” by MAVI is a heavenly opener proclaiming himself as such whereas “Lossless” by MIKE serves as a jazzy boom bap follow-up talking about never losing. The song “Flying Spirit” by the Bruiser Brigade works in a drumless loop for the group to proclaim their work isn’t done while the penultimate track “Wildstyle” by ZelooperZ has a more ominous sound showcasing his wordplay. “6 5 Heartbeats” by Vince Staples ends the EP by somberly recalling his youth.
Uncle Al has made it known that he’s one of the most consistent producers in the game & it’s no surprise that This Thing of Ours 2 wound up being a little bit more enjoyable than the predecessor. Another notable factor of it is that he brings in some less-bigger names into the fold & give them the exposure they truly deserve.
Legends Will Never Die 