Curren$y & the Alchemist

The highest compliment one can pay Covert Coup is that the album sounds exactly how one would expect a Curren$y/Alchemist team-up to sound. On his fifth studio album, the New Orleans native delivers ten hook-less verbal darts over the Alchemist's menacing psychedelic bangers. Though best known for his work with East coast rappers, Alchemist's dense, ominous beats naturally vibe with Curren$y's blunted drawl, bringing out the rapper's more aggressive side. Alc's trippy guitar figure on "Life Instructions" provides a perfect springboard for Curren$y and Smoke DZA's hypnotic flows. Curren$y's gift is making intricate rhyming sound effortless, best showcased on "Smoke Break" as he kicks a tricky double-time flow over mesmeric vocal loops and bright, swirling synths. The guests bring their A-game too: Freddie Gibbs steals the show on "Scottie Pippens" over Alc's eerie keys and slithering bass line, and Fiend's Barry White baritone on "Blood, Sweat & Gears" provides a perfect counterpoint to Curren$y's relaxed boasts. The warped digi-funk of "The Type" prompts the rapper to offer a couplet-sized mission statement: "'63 Impala, bad bitch, chain steering wheel guiding/I'm out the window sky watching." Covert Coup was tailor-made for 4/20, but the music is strong enough to merit year-round rotation, not to mention a contact high.