2022 - USA
East Coast Hip Hop, Conscious Hip Hop, Boom Bap
The cultural basis of hip-hop is an oral culture, which means there’s a lot of material we’ll never get to hear. Many producers and MCs get along for recording sessions without planning to release albums, but just because of a vibe, when they discover their creative process really intertwines. In 2005-2006, Danger Mouse and Black Thought started working on new material in the same way as the phenomenon I just described. And 17 years later, it appears that they both finally decided to finish what they started. Hip-hop drastically evolved since 2005, a year that saw Ye’s Late Registration, Nujabes’ Modal Soul or Cunninlynguists’ A Piece of Strange. So the major flaw we could have expected from this project is a lack of modernity. But with two cornerstones such as Danger Mouse (MF DOOM, Gorillaz, Black Keys, Michael Kiwanuka, Sparklehorse, Gnarls Barkley) and Black Thought (The Roots), they prove us there are some things that just never get old. Alongside hip-hop legends (MF DOOM, Raekwon) and the new generation (Joey Bada$$, A$AP Rocky, Conway the Machine), Danger Mouse’s return to sampling and Black Thought’s lyricism about his growth as an artist and a Black man find an extraordinary balance for the most efficient hip-hop album of the year.
“It’s an album for people who got into hip-hop and evolved at the same period of time as we did.” These words from Black Thought completely summarize how Cheat Codes feels. With two artists that helped shape the face of hip-hop since the beginning of the 21st Century and even before, and are as well both inclined to experiment with new techniques, this short album already sounds like a timeless classic where every track is of prime importance. Soulfull, full of soul, Cheat Codes also features one of the best three-track run of the year, with Because, where soul singer Dylan Cartlidge perfectly meshes together with the various flows of Joey Bada$$, Russ and Black Thought, Belize and the posthumous verse of MF DOOM, still showing he is one of the most important rappers of all time, and finally Aquamarine with the best sample off the album. With no songs exceeding 5 minutes and no skits, Cheat Codes is a masterclass in efficiency, and as Danger Mouse said in an interview, what he wants for this album is that every track feels like it belongs there, that listeners never skip anything. And it’s a success. Because even though Identical Death, Strangers and Close to Famous may be more average, all of them carry some verses and sounds that are worth sticking around.
Danger Mouse started his career by remixing The Beatles’ White Album with Jay-Z’ vocals from the Black Album, showing how easy it can be to build bridges between different eras. On Cheat Codes, he does the same thing within one single genre, turning this album into easy listening music that can work as an introduction to hip-hop for newcomers as well as pure bliss for devotees. But even if this album pours in our ears with such easiness, the lyrics add many brilliant layers. On the next slide, you’ll read some lyrics from No Gold Teeth. To reach this level of lyricism should be the dream of every rapper. In just a few lines, Black Thought talks about historical trauma within the Black community, about how White capitalism keep trying to put Black people on the side of history, this “anti-n**** machine”. A machine working without facing backlash, “[waking] up clean”. But every historical trauma comes with historical fights and culture that cannot be erased. Black Thought remembers when he was a child, not understanding every aspect of the complex world he was evolving in, but already able to state he was not welcomed by a big part of it. But because he grew surrounded by his peers, by soul and hip-hop, he already knew he would stand for his rights. And after a 30-year career, Black Thought still is at the top of his game.
“It’s an album for people who got into hip-hop and evolved at the same period of time as we did.” These words from Black Thought completely summarize how Cheat Codes feels. With two artists that helped shape the face of hip-hop since the beginning of the 21st Century and even before, and are as well both inclined to experiment with new techniques, this short album already sounds like a timeless classic where every track is of prime importance. Soulfull, full of soul, Cheat Codes also features one of the best three-track run of the year, with Because, where soul singer Dylan Cartlidge perfectly meshes together with the various flows of Joey Bada$$, Russ and Black Thought, Belize and the posthumous verse of MF DOOM, still showing he is one of the most important rappers of all time, and finally Aquamarine with the best sample off the album. With no songs exceeding 5 minutes and no skits, Cheat Codes is a masterclass in efficiency, and as Danger Mouse said in an interview, what he wants for this album is that every track feels like it belongs there, that listeners never skip anything. And it’s a success. Because even though Identical Death, Strangers and Close to Famous may be more average, all of them carry some verses and sounds that are worth sticking around.
Danger Mouse started his career by remixing The Beatles’ White Album with Jay-Z’ vocals from the Black Album, showing how easy it can be to build bridges between different eras. On Cheat Codes, he does the same thing within one single genre, turning this album into easy listening music that can work as an introduction to hip-hop for newcomers as well as pure bliss for devotees. But even if this album pours in our ears with such easiness, the lyrics add many brilliant layers. On the next slide, you’ll read some lyrics from No Gold Teeth. To reach this level of lyricism should be the dream of every rapper. In just a few lines, Black Thought talks about historical trauma within the Black community, about how White capitalism keep trying to put Black people on the side of history, this “anti-n**** machine”. A machine working without facing backlash, “[waking] up clean”. But every historical trauma comes with historical fights and culture that cannot be erased. Black Thought remembers when he was a child, not understanding every aspect of the complex world he was evolving in, but already able to state he was not welcomed by a big part of it. But because he grew surrounded by his peers, by soul and hip-hop, he already knew he would stand for his rights. And after a 30-year career, Black Thought still is at the top of his game.