Friday Afternoon Rap Roundup: The Alchemist
In an effort to continue CABBAGES' overarching mission of independent hip-hop/rap music discovery, I'm trialing this weekly series to let readers know about new releases from artists grinding and thriving outside of the major label system. Each installment of 'Friday Afternoon Rap Roundup' features one highlighted album review/recommendation, plus a short selection of new or recently dropped projects for your weekend listening consideration.
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Release Highlight of the Week:
The Alchemist, The Genuine Articulate (buy it / stream it)
A number of hip-hop producers aspire to be rappers. It makes sense considering their intimately close proximity to spitters in the studio, witnessing verse writing or freestyle processes firsthand. Few beatmakers, however, manage to earn respect on both sides of the board, with the potential danger of concurrently becoming jacks of all trades and masters of none. Those who dabble inherently know to stay in their lanes, while those who understand the craft of emceeing comes with its own set of skills and challenges make the effort–albeit with mixed results. The Alchemist, however, makes for a curious exception. He started out rapping in the 1990s as half of The Whooliganz before pivoting towards production. His beats for Dilated Peoples, Mobb Deep, and a whole slew of streetwise emcees earned him respect and acclaim, his grind elevated further in the 2010s via his work for Action Bronson, the Griselda fellas, and the late Prodigy. The 2020s cemented him as a veritable hip-hop icon, capable of lending cred to major label hitmakers like Big Sean and Drake yet cool enough to build with Armand Hammer, Earl Sweatshirt, Freddie Gibbs, and Larry June.
Increasingly this decade, Alchemist has returned to the microphone for features and loosies. This year specifically, he's stepped it up for Heads I Win, Tails You Lose opposite Oh No in Gangrene and Black & Whites with Big Hit and Hit-Boy. Clearly emboldened by these experiences, he headlines short but poignant The Genuine Articulate, an eight-track mini-album bolstered by a few familiars. Even when he's mixing it up with Havoc on "Scientology" or Bronson and Big Body Bes on "Minnesota Fats," he takes the first verse without concern, consistently laying down turbulent yet tight rhymes. Whether flexing out the gate with ScHoolboy Q on "Ferraris In The Rain" or playmaking with Conway The Machine on "Diego Maradona," he stays confident and in control. On truly solo moments like the fusion jazz joint "Everybody's Favorite Uncle," he makes a strong case with his words–and strategically sampled speech snippets–for proper recognition, putting a period on the proceedings with the humble and humanizing closer "Seasons Change."
Here are some other new albums, EPs, and mixtapes from independent hip-hop/rap artists and labels worth your time this weekend:
cropscropscrops & Steel Tipped Dove, Long-Light Derecho (buy it / stream it)
MC Lyte, 1 Of 1 (buy it / stream it)
Heather Grey & Oliver The 2nd, Desert Camo (buy it / stream it)
OT The Real, COST OF LIVING (buy it / stream it)
TyFontaine, ASCENSION2: act II (buy it / stream it)
Pink Siifu, GOT FOOD AT THE CRIB'!!!! VOL.4 (buy it / stream it)