Danger Mouse • Black Thought

BMG 2022

With an east coast air of royalty and turntablist wizardry, Danger Mouse returns alongside Black Thought with a collaborated masterpiece. It followed three albums of solo work for Black Thought, but was Danger Mouse’s first hip-hop album since The Mouse and The Mask in 2005. Cheat Codes is just well written hip-hop. Mid-Level production with a perfect balance of grittiness and soul. Samples on beats include those by R & B artists from the days of old that most of us have never heard of. In part, exactly what great beats are usually made of. Especially when they act as a conduit for talent that deserves another bow in the limelight. The coherent rhymes and strict cadence make the album memorable with a sense of urgency. Shameless bass lines and a baroque, multi-instrumental atmosphere also add to the quality of the record. Features MF Doom, Michael Kiwanuka, Joey Bada$$, Russ, Dylan Cartlidge, Raekwon, Kid Sister, A$AP Rocky, Run The Jewels, and Conway.

8/10