The Alchemist

While he's known for the countless ill soundscapes he's crafted for the likes of some of rap's more notable figures (Prodigy's "Keep It Thoro," Cam'ron's "Wet Wipes"), it is producer Alchemist's extremely solid body of work for rappers not quite melting in the limelight that continues to impress (the Covert Coup project with Curren$y, anyone?). On his latest project, Russian Roulette, Alc dishes up a head-spinning collection of instrumentals and vocal tracks that draw inspiration from Mother Russia and its canon of fine traditional films. With verses courtesy of everyone from Schoolboy Q and Action Bronson to Roc Marciano and Danny Brown, Alc continues to wear his hazy influences on his sleeve, serving up gems like "Decisions Over Veal Orloff," featuring the aforementioned Action Bronson, where vintage horns and B-Movie dialogue are on the menu as Bronson (aka Bobby Baklava) coasts over what sounds like the perfect background music for the opening scene of an early '80s vigilante movie. Go ahead – pull the trigger.