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A true example of classic hip-hop still thriving in the modern era.

Black Thought of The Roots and Danger Mouse have through the ages both been highly celebrated figures in hip-hop, maybe one a little more than the other. Therefore, it was nothing but pure joy that filled my soul when I was informed about these guys making a collaborative album. Black Thought had been the most active of the two in past years, releasing Vol. 1-3 of the Streams of Thought series as well as countless quality features, however, while the output had been satisfactory, it hadn't been of the usual standards of The Roots. This album would change that.
The reasons for Black Thought's post-roots releases not being up to par with earlier material usually had something to do with the production side of things rather than Black Thoughts contributions, although he does in fact elevate his game on this album. It was for this reason that the final product was destined to be great, as the beats on here are absolutely stunning. The partnering of the gorgeous productions and masterful rapping performances make for some absolutely breathtaking tracks, with Aquamarine being the clear standout. After beginning with a seamless transition from Belize, you're introduced to this grandiose and melancholic sound, plus the haunting yet smooth chorus by Michael Kiwanuka, creating the perfect backdrop for Black Thought to just go absolutely berserk. His two verses on the song are quite literally as close to lyrical and technical perfection as it could ever get, with the first verse in particular being in the running for a place in the top 10 best verses of all time, in my personal opinion. That's really not to say that the rest of the tracklist doesn't reach sensational levels of quality, not at all. The Darkest Part is absolutely gorgeous, Belize is just another powerhouse of a track, and Strangers is *the* biggest powerhouse on here, having unreal levels of energy. Unfortunately, the quality drops a tiny bit in the end, however, the consistency is still admirable.

If Black Thought keeps up this insane level of quality, we're in for some good fucking years in music. Also, a little bird told me about him possibly dropping the 4th edition of the Streams of Thought series soon, please do, Thought.

Anyways, I'm still all for traditional hip-hop being brought back to the modern era, especially if it's this good. This sorta works as a cute reminder of the light of hip-hop's golden age still shining bright to this day. Sensational what these absolute legends of the genre were capable of doing this time around.