AL-ANDALUS is a producer-MC pairing that makes complete sense once you hear it but wouldn't have been obvious on paper. Cookin Soul — born in Valencia, based in Amsterdam, Latin Grammy winner for his work on Mala RodrÃguez's Bruja, and the producer behind 25-plus vinyl LPs spanning Conway the Machine, Tha God Fahim, and a years-long collaborative run with Ankhlejohn — brings the kind of dusty, soul-drenched boom bap that demands a particular type of lyricist. Estee Nack, a first-generation Dominican-American from Lynn, Massachusetts, is exactly that lyricist. His approach since his 2015 debut 14 Forms has been consistent: granular narcotics accounting, operational specificity over mythology, street realism delivered with the confidence of someone who has earned his credibility in the underground through prolific output and collaborations with Sadhugold, Giallo Point, V Don, and Conductor Williams before the Griselda co-sign arrived with Nacksaw Jim Duggan. AL-ANDALUS keeps things strictly between the two architects, with brief appearances from Yung Beef — Cookin's longtime collaborator from the Los Papasitos project — Lil Supa, and Planet Asia. The production shifts register across the eleven tracks without losing coherence, and Nack fills every pocket Cookin Soul leaves open with bars that reward a third listen. This is the kind of international underground collaboration that defines what the current moment does best.
No comments:
Post a Comment