The Grouch & Eligh

California underground rap crew Living Legends have continued to build their fan base due to a strong D.I.Y. aesthetic that has created a deep catalogue of self-released music and a relentless worldwide touring schedule. The lo-fi quality of their early releases was always a drawback but with more recent releases like Murs's Definitive Jux and Warner albums or the Grouch's Show You The World, the crew have demonstrated the same Living Legends sound but with a better attention to quality, sounding bigger and fuller than their tapes ever did. For their simply titled third collaboration album, the Grouch and Eligh open with a rather long, soulful spoken word intro featuring Mystic (where did you disappear to, girl?) before the two MCs introduce themselves and their history as struggling artists on the title track. The Grouch's slower flow rides the groove of Eligh's quirky Cali funk beat, while Eligh double times it with a rapid-fire flow. The two join with funky flow-ers Gift of Gab and Pigeon John to emphasize their "all or nothing" attitude on a light, fun and funky Eligh production for "All In," reveal the age-old secret of their success, alongside Blu, on "Old Souls," produced by Flying Lotus, reminisce with Atmosphere's Slug on their old audio-centric rides for the hyphy "!BOOM!" and get serious with songs that delve deep into the worries of the world with "Worried About the World," "Denial" and "Rivers Run Dry." Say G&E! proves that these pioneers of the independent hip-hop scene — in other words, these living legends — are finally in a position to take advantage of the more than a decade of work they've put in, and it shows.