Of the many lanes of hip-hop, The Alchemist and Oh No—collectively known as Gangrene—rep for the backpack thugs. And with their recently released project You Disgust Me, out now via Mass Appeal, the duo stick to their successful boom-bap sound. Being that The Alchemist has been crafting beats for the past 15-plus years, his sound has become predictable yet remained typically raw. Al’s myriad loops and samples is complimented by Oh No’s exotic taste of vinyl selections.

After “The Filth (Intro),” a brief convo about muck, the 14-track project commences with the Nas-inspired track “Reversals” (See Nas’ “Rewind”; his presumed influence could be traced to the Mass Appeal label he runs). Although “Reversals” is laced with a nice flow and marvelous lyrics, it lacks in creativity. Thanks to Nasir, we’ve heard a story told in reverse before. Instead, it’s “Sheet Music” featuring Mobb Deep's Havoc and the late Sean Price and “Flamethrowers, Pt. 2” that both move the momentum of You Disgust Me forward. “Sheet Music,” like the bulk of the album, is the vintage-sounding infamy hip-hop that Havoc, Price and Al are known for, while the latter, with its looped voice playing the beat, is a fast-paced exercise in fiery lyrical assaults.

Another of the album’s standout tracks, “The Man With the Horn,” with its jazz-infused horns and aged and intense-sounding voice, reminds listeners of dark gritty Rotten Apple backstreets. Here, Alchemist visualizes himself as a loner roaming the NYC streets. He raps: "Stumble out the bar/Vision blurry/Humphrey Bogart face underneath the rim of my derby." Another peak, “Noon Chuckas,” follows the same formula that upholds the entire project and calms listeners down from the amped and irreverent track “Driving Gloves” with Action Bronson.

After two albums, 2010's Gutter Water and 2012's Vodka & Ayahuasca, and a few EPs over the past few years, Gangrene adds another installment to their boom-bap hip-hop catalog. You Disgust Me is another another project where the beatmakers show their knack for spitting gritty 16s and attemping to outdo each other on their head-nodding production. Once again, it works. —Darryl Robertson

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