With the pushed back release of Muscle Car Chronicles, Curren$y gave his fans an extra reason to celebrate the holiday with the 4/20 free release of Covert Coup, a project produced entirely by The Alchemist. While Spitta preps the release of his upcoming 2011 retail projects MCC and Pilot Talk III, Covert Coup hits its mark, behind a producer-rapper match made in the clouds.. It’s a daunting task for a beatsmith to mesh as well with Curren$y as Ski Beatz, but Alan the Chemist proves up to the task.

Curren$y stays in his element on Covert Coup, never straying from the stoned out, mellow drawl the New Orleans rapper has perfected and made his own. It’s apparent off the bat Alchemist has tailored these beats specifically for Spitta’s flow. On the opener “BBS,” Curren$y acknowledges the dynamic between the two, rapping “Seriously, fish burn, turn flip styles, furiously/This that, 70 soul green, Alchemistry.” Alc’s production consists mostly of hazy, laidback beats with unsteady synths and the verses blend together with them seamlessly. One would assume the studio was probably equally as hazy throughout the recording process.

The biggest knock on Covert Coup? It’s brevity. Seven of the ten tracks are under 3 minutes long, leaving the listener wanting more. It’s as if you’ve just begun to take off with the jets, but the pilot is forced to make a premature landing. Even so, CC delivers, it’s quality outshining its quantity. Short but sweet. Another highlight is “Scottie Pippen,” where Curren$y is matched by an monstrous verse from Freddie Gibbs, as well as “Blood, Sweat & Gears,” where the Hot Spitta and labelmate Fiend buckle up and start their engines on a classic Alchemist beat. Jet Life to the next life. —Neil Martinez-Belkin

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