O.C. & Apollo Brown

Rap has historically abandoned its veterans, so thank the Internet for making second winds like Trophies viable. O.C.'s sixth solo LP links the Brooklyn MC and D.IT.C. representative with Detroit producer Apollo Brown (Danny Brown, Elzhi) for a mature boom-bap record. Trophies finds the ideal match between O.C.'s thoughtful, considered concepts and Brown's Premier-esque chops. Seven years since his last solo album, O.C. still possesses the thoughtfulness, smoky voice and liquid flow that made releases like Word...Life and Jewelz near-classics. "The Formula" pays tribute to fellow unheralded rap pioneer the D.O.C. over lustrous strings; "Nautica" is told from the perspective of a natural disaster; while "Signs" deconstructs modern iconography with unusual insight. Closer "Fantastic" is a measured, honest reflection on the ups and downs of his two decade-long career, complemented by Brown's elegiac organs and Spanish guitars. This is how you stage a comeback.