..all around.

From conception to delivery, everyone contributing to this album deserves a round of applause.

*My listening experience*

One of the most overlooked/underrated aspects of album reviews (esp in this era) is that we rarely get true perspective of said person's experience for proper context. To date, I've listened to this album in my home studio (Mackie near-fills, Krk Rokit, JBL & Event mains/subs), while cycling (Apple Airpod Pros, Sennheiser Momentum 2 BT Earpods), and during my commute (Bose and Meridian Audio). I even took the time to listen over the loudspeaker on my phone. Anyone complaining about the mix of this album might want to reconsider their current equipment. Its you, not them lol.

Madlib clearly saves some of his best work for his favs, as he steps into this collaboration like a masterful sculptor. A lavish array of sparsely laid sounds layer the bedrock of this colorful effort. Crisp, calm, urgent, and balanced in all the right places and spaces. From this foundation, yasiin bey & Talib Kweli spring eternal. The album plays like the 3 acts of a broadway play, each act made of 3 chapters that allow the cast to develop and thrive. The bond that brought the world one of the most dynamic (albeit enigmatic) duos to ever grace the mic is not only intact, its grown immensely.

This album was worth the wait for Freequency alone (shout-out to Black Thought).

If your critique of this album is rooted in animosity based on the method of its release, that's legit. You're entitled to that opinion, just as the artists were entitled to their deliberate execution. Hopefully the dialogue born from that will lead to greater understanding of the details regarding the business of modern music. As it stands, there's an episode of Midnight Miracle entitled "Bugs Bunny Mathematicx"(also available exclusively on Luminary) that addresses every question possible regarding the recording/release of this album and the decisions made along the way. Its great pairing, if you're considering a true listening session.

I've only heard the album seven times in its entirety and I'm still uncovering layers initially overlooked on previous spins. Let that sink in. That's not bragging, that's my admission that this type of artistry requires a bit more from the audience.

We could fill an entire semester on the engineering/mix of the song Freequency. The patience shown is otherworldly.

My lone gripe with the album: the lack of liner notes. LOL. Forgive me for being ol' school, but I still appreciate reading about the contributions made to the new work of art I'm listening to.


*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...