Cheat Codes - Danger Mouse & Black Thought: Review
Black Thought & Danger Mouse
are a pair of veteran producer and even more veteran MC who have had their hands in dozens of classic records respectfully. After teasing a collaboration for years the pair have finally delivered a proper full length record and brought many high profile friends along with them.
Review by Lav:
I love these two. From Danger Mouse's versatile and impressive catalog of production which is nearing two decades of work to Black Thought's time with The Roots and his continued success as a soloist. It's through this lens that the title of this record Cheat Codes starts to make a lot of sense. The level of professionalism in the delivery and creation of these lo-fi and jazz inspired hip hop tracks really is a cheat code and the pair live up to it.
I was pretty sure this was gonna be good based solely on who made it, but the trio of singles certainly helped. No Gold Teeth left my rotation at some point in the past few months and I don't know why because it's a fantastic single. The combination of impressive vocals and absolutely infectious instrumental is completely irresistible. Aquamarine has a much more serious demeanor complimented by a great Michael Kiwanuka hook and backing vocals. Black Thought also hits it out of the park lyrically reframing racial politics with a flat out lethal efficiency.
Because was the other single and it's a posse cut that I wasn't crazy about at the time. It felt pretty inconsistent with Joey Badass and Black Thought kind of clearing the crowd but ultimately the song has grown on me. While we're on the subject I was pretty excited for another posse cut here Strangers because I just wasn't sure how Black Thought would fit in with both A$AP Rocky and Run The Jewels at the same time. As it turns out feature Rocky shows up again and dials up his intensity to match the field resulting in one of the records best tracks.
While both the intro and outro aren't necessarily fully fleshed out songs I think they both serve their purpose within the tracklist. Sometimes spins a vintage sample around Black Thought's gruff bars which is similar to what happens on the excellently titled Violas And Lupitas, but the later does deliver a level of cinema that feels fitting of a finale.
The title track Cheat Codes is just as satisfying as I hoped it would be. The pair don't feel the need to continually reinforce their status as veterans and really just let their accomplishments and talent to speak for themselves. The rumbling drums and keys in the instrumental are so infectious and Black Thought throws up one hard-hitting rhyme after another. Similarly Saltwater sees Black Thought shifting to a colder and more calculating style that sets up Conway The Machine perfectly for his guest verse and another huge highlight.
Not every feature on the record goes over perfectly or combines together to make a wholly great song. The Darkest Part has a killer Raekwon performance on it but given the just okay hook and how quickly the bouncy piano beat gets old I can't call it one of the better songs here. Belize similarly sports an MF DOOM feature and while it is certainly a leftover in his catalog, I'm glad we have it being presented in this fashion.
The songs I'm not crazy about on the record are the ones who just forego much structure and don't replace the lack of hook or development with much of anything else to chew on. Identical Deaths is sort of like an interlude with an extended outro stuck onto it. Honestly I like the wonderfully nostalgic and jazzy finale minute more than the actual song itself. Same story on Close To Famous but it's an even less inspired parade of solid bars backed by a wiry synth sound that is kind of annoying and distracting.
This album was clearly going to have the poise of Danger Mouse's creative production style though I have to admire just how raw the vocal presentation can be at times. When combined with the vintage sound of the instrumentals it gives the record the distinct flow you'd expect from people with the experience of DM and BT. Speaking of Black Thought he continues to be very consistent across this album in the same way that he's pretty much always been. While it isn't the single BEST thing I've ever heard from either artist, it is a thoroughly worthwhile collaboration. 7.5/10
This cover reminds me of old printmaking poster styles and that makes it really stand out. I love the use of an off white as the background and the layered colors of the eyes. It doesn't look like it's just thrown together as everything fits together cohesively. I think some parts of it get muddy but you can use context clues to fill in those spaces easily. There could be some kind of small branding in the corners to make this more than a cool print. but I still like it. 7.5/10
For more hip hop check out my review of Joey Badass' 2000 here
